Chapter 7
They had breakfast in silence with only the sounds of forks and knife filling the air. She didn't like to brag but her cooking usually was accompanied with silence as the food disappeared.
"That was delicious, Bella. Thank you. You sit here while I do the dishes, okay?"
Bella nodded and pushed her own empty plate aside. Instead she finished off her juice
"Who taught you how to cook?"
Damon asked as he grabbed their plates. Bella leaned back in her chair and watched Damon turn the water on and rinse their plates. She had a feeling this man did not do domesticate.
"My dad burns water and my mom's cooking is erratic, crazy, inspired and mostly non edible. So my grandmother taught me and growing up I'd pick more. My favorite memory of her is when I was a kid she'd put me up on a chair and make me help her. As I got older, I started cooking with her and when she passed I took it up on my own"
Bella said simply. Damon put aside the now clean plates and turned to look at her. There was an odd look in his face.
"What's wrong?"
Bella stood and walked over to him. She was never overly affectionate but her hand had a life of his own and it touched Damon's arm gently. Damon looked down at Bella's hand on his arm and shrugged. Bella bit her lip and withdrew her hand. Damon's face let go of its faraway look and fell to an expressionless mask.
The same expression Edward used when he wanted to shut her up. Sorry buddy, not this time. She knew from the research Charlie had done on him (you try telling a cop not to look up the guy his daughter is going to live with) that he was extremely closed about his childhood, past and family. In fact apart from a brother in high school he seemed to have fallen from the sky the day his first album was published.
"Nothing's wrong. I need to finish this"
Damon's voice was flat as he turned around and finished washing the various cutlery items in the sink. He took a deep breath and faced Bella with the same flat, expressionless face.
As Bella looked into those eyes she felt him close off and the icy blue pools got iced over. The turmoil and skeletons in his closet weren't her responsibility or job to fix. She nodded and changed the subject.
I was thinking of spending some time in the back porch this morning. You're welcome to join me"
She said softly and topped off her forest green mug adding cream and sugar to her liking. Not wanting to push him she padded to the sliding doors and stepped out to the cool morning air to breath in the summer sun and sat down to the deck with her feet dangling over the edge above the water.
She felt Damon's gaze on her and soon enough she felt more than heard him follow her and walk out as well. He opted a wooden recliner instead and the two sat in silence enjoying the nature's sounds.
"Did you know that I taught myself how to play guitar?"
Bella shook his head and turned toward Damon to give him her undivided attention.
"It's true. I got my first guitar from my father for my eleventh birthday. It was just after my mother died and I had retreated into myself. We all had"
Damon continued to look forward into the lush trees that surrounded the lake. As he talked, his voice became more monotone and flat. The lake house was suddenly filled with ghosts as he saw images of his past playing out like in a movie.
"My mother was a music teacher. She loved playing the piano and she would take me in her arms and teach me. My brother even in his infancy just had to tap keys and mess it up of course but mother only laughed."
A soft smile appeared on his face as his eyes looked at an empty corner in the living room. The corner was slightly elevated and it had enough room for a small upright piano, Bella guessed.
"When she died I couldn't touch it anymore. it was haunted by her. My father's gift took me out of my stupor and I would pull the strings to listen to the noise. Slowly I began making songs that made my brother laugh and he'd try to tap the strings too to mess it up. It was our way of moving on"
Damon stopped long enough to take a deep drink of his coffee. He sat the cup gently on the floor beside his chair and then looked at Bella. Bella's heart cried out to the adorable little boy Damon once was. She could easily see him in her mind's eye mocking around and make a younger brother laugh. It an all too familiar scene and she took a steady breath to keep her emotions under control. She pulled a leg close and with this excuse she hugged herself.
"Did your father ever remarry?"
"No, my mother was his 'one'. He pushed all his time in his work and it was up to me to raise Stefan. My parent technique was simple. Don't be me. It was okay if I screwed up but not Stefan"
Bella felt her throat clog and her eyes started to tear up. She cleared her throat and ignored the gaps he left unsaid. She felt a small smile rise on her lips.
"You really love your brother, don't you?"
Damon nodded.
"Well, I know my opinion means squat but I think your mother would be proud of you. You've been here for less than a day and yet you checked up on your brother twice"
Bella offered him a smile and to her surprise Damon returned it with a crooked smile of his own.
"Enough with the tear works. I need to keep my bad boy cred"
Damon declared. Bella smirked and nodded
"But of course"
Damon moved fast from his recliner, grabbed her with an arm and tossed them both in the lake. Bella shrieked and fought him laughing and the two engaged in water play for a while.
To any innocent hiker they'd look like siblings playing out but to their viewers this was the moment when the weird couple names were created and the two people became a couple.
