Chapter Fifty-Six: Crash
You're a beautiful wreck now you're out of control, crossing the double lines
You're a perfect disaster, the road to catastrophe. Don't stop for the signs
Heartbreak waiting to happen, headlights cut through the rain
Tears hit the windshield and I can't look away
Every mile gets you further away from the past
Feels like you're shattered and covered in broken glass
And I'll be here the next time that you crash
Time turns to rust and it's hard for you to trust
Every turn every shoulder you feel but I'm right here when it's just too much
You can let me take the wheel, heartbreak waiting to happen
~Cavo
After a tense car ride home and the need for Nilin to retell the events of the night over several times, she finally made it home.
"Guys, I swear I'm okay. Just a little light headed, it's nothing a cup of tea and sleep can't fix." Nilin pushed as she sat in her living room on the couch. Despite her constant reassurance that nothing else would happen the rest of the night, Stefan and Bonnie still showed up at the house. No Damon though, which worried her. But Stefan said he was just letting off some steam, which worried Nilly even more.
"Just let Stefan take a look around the house before you leave our sight," Elena said, standing in front of her. Stefan was standing next to her. He dipped his head down and paced a kiss on Elena's temple before he stole out of the room. Elena turned her sights back on Nilin.
"I'm not leaving your sight, just going to my room." Nilly pouted.
"You know better than to argue with her," Bonnie said coming into the room and crouching in front of Nilin. "She's got that look on her face, ya know, the one she gets with her stubborn ass is activated."
"I don't have a look," Elena defended but Bonnie waved her off. Nilin was laughing a little, it light the heavy atmosphere that was threatening to crush her.
"Now, its my turn. Let me take a look at you," Bonnie said, holding Nilin's hands in hers.
"Bon, I'm fine."
"Shh," she hushed her. Bonnie's eyes closed and her lips began to move. A heat began to run through Nilin, coating her bones and muscles in warmth. Her heartbeat finally seemed to beat normally, and her breaths weren't rattling her lungs with every inhale. She still felt like shit but at least she didn't feel like she was on the verge of fainting.
Nilin sighed and fell back into the couch when Bonnie released her hands. "You witches," Nilin shook her head as Bonnie's eyes opened.
"Let's just say I've learned a few tricks lately." Bonnie smiled.
"How are you feeling now?" Elena asked, taking a seat next to her.
"I said I'm f—"
"I swear Nil, if the word 'fine' comes out of your mouth one more time I will flip." Elena warned.
"Okay, okay. Sorry," Nilin said, siting up. "I'm a little shaken, yeah, but I'll survive. I'm not going to have a mental breakdown, if that's what you are all waiting for."
Neither Bonnie nor Elena looked convinced but luckily, in that moment, Stefan appeared back into the room. Nilly hopped off the couched and head for the stairs.
"And that's my okay to leave. Good night!" she called over her shoulder. Once out of sight, Nilin bounded up the steps and straight into her room. She heard the others coming up the steps a few minutes later.
It was decided that Bonnie was staying the night. She was set up in Elena's room. The wanted to do some sort of detection spell, hence the reason for Stefan. When Nilin checked in on them, Elena and Bonnie had been huddled on Elena's bed as they began on the spells Stefan had disappeared to somewhere, Nilin guessed to check around the house again.
She knew he must be as on edge as she was. After Christian threated Elena both Nilin and Stefan were on alert. They had a silent agreement to keep Elena as safe as possible and Nilin was grateful he was here tonight.
After she said her final goodnights Nilly went into her bathroom. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she traded her dress for her pajamas. After splashing cold water on her face, Nilly she stare at her reflection in mirror. Whatever Bonnie had done, it didn't heal her. Two perfectly round holes still branded the side of her neck. The area around the bite was a reddish purplish, and hurt like a bitch with the slightest touch.
She rubbed her blood shot eyes with her knuckles and walked out of the bathroom in her black yoga pants and red tank top ready to fall into bed. But of course there was someone already lounging on it.
"Not a good time, Damon." Nilly said as she came around the side. He didn't answer her, just crossed his hands behind his head and grinned at her. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Waiting," he answered.
Nilly could really kill the cocky bastard tonight, that's how bad of a mood she was in. "Waiting for what?" she practically growled, tugging at her blankets.
Damon wouldn't budge.
"For you to break," he answered all knowingly.
Nilin huffed, giving up on her blankets and flopped down next to the vampire. "I'm not going to break," she declared, looking up at her ceiling. "I'm fine."
"You've been saying that all night," he said, turning on his side to look at her.
She didn't look at him, she kept her eyes up and her hands on her stomach. "Because it's the truth," she barked.
"Mmhm, sure," he agreed.
Nilly groaned, "Not this again, Damon."
He chuckled next to her, propping himself up on his elbow. "I don't know what you're talking about," he smirked.
Nilly sat up fast, glaring at him."I'm glad you fine this funny," she snapped, seething.
"I don't," he said, still grinning.
She shot off the bed, crossing her arms over her chest. Her chest heaved in anger and sadness and loneliness and a hundred other emotions coursing through her at once. "How dare you find any of this remotely funny!" she shouted. "I can't even go to a simple party full of people without a near death experience. He's always there! He was able to sneak in and out without anyone knowing and leave me one quart less!"
The room fell silent, as she stared at Damon and he stared back, the corners of his lips dropping. Her chest felt as if there was a hundred pound weight on it. Her breaths hissed in and out sharply.
Damon opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock on her door.
"Nilly, the spell worked." Bonnie informed her. "Are you okay?"
It took a moment for Nilin to compose herself enough to answer. "Yeah, yeah I'm okay. Why?" Nilly asked, not moving from her spot.
"Because it's detecting two vampires," she said through the door, a hint of panic in her voice.
Damon smirked on the bed. "Oops," he whispered.
"It's probably just Damon, he takes the night shift." Nilly said, still glaring at him.
"Right, I didn't even think about that. Sorry to bother you, Good night." Bonnie said, her footsteps retreating back down the hallway.
"Am I interfering?" he asked, once they heard Elena's bedroom door close.
"Yeah, you are," she said, quietly. She looked at him, wiping a tear away before it fell down her cheek. "I want you to leave now, please," her voice broke.
"Tough luck, I'm not going anywhere tonight," he said, sitting up on her bed.
"I don't want you here, Damon," she pronounced each word slowly. "Get out."
"No," he pushed. "I'm not leaving you alone tonight."
"Go home, go hide outside or downstairs, or anywhere that isn't in this room right now. You can go stand in the hallway for all I care, I just don't want to see you," she nearly yelled.
He slipped off the bed and stood right in front of her. "Hate me all you want, scream at me until your face turns blue, I am not leaving."
"Leave!" she shouted, pushing his chest. "Get out of my room!" her hand rose and she meant of it to go sailing across his face but he grabbed her wrist before it could. She pounded at his chest with her other hand, curled into a tiny fist. Tears streamed down her face as she landed blow after blow. "Get out!" Nilin shoved him once more.
"You weren't there!" the words slipped out of her mouth as she fruitlessly struggled against him. "I was yelling and fighting and no one came. You didn't come," she sobbed. "Why didn't you come, Damon? Why didn't you save me?" with that question Nilin broke.
Her knees gave out, but she never hit the ground. Damon cradled her against him, stroking her hair as she cried on his shoulder. The sobs shook the both of them, it was the only noise in the room. When her breath began to get hitched in her throat and her heartbeat was too irregular for Damon's liking, he took her hand and placed it on his chest. Just like the time in Georgia, she was able to force her breathing to match his.
Eventually, Nilin grew quiet. The sobs and gasps ceased. Damon never said a word throughout the whole ordeal. He just held her and ran his hand up and down her arm comfortingly. She was pretty sure that word didn't come up in many sentences when talking about him; Damon and comforting, it was as if the two were complete parallels. But it was true, for her at least.
She pressed her lips to the side of his neck, tucking her head under his chin. "Maybe I should have let you change me," she said her voice hoarse. She laughed slightly.
"No, you were right. That was a bad idea. Besides, Elena and Stefan would despise me even more," he said. He thought for a moment, "If that's even possible." Even though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was smirking at the idea.
"They'd get over it." Nilin shrugged. Damon laughed into her hair, sending electricity charging down her spine. A silent moment passed, Nilly just resting her head on his chest. "I'm sorry," she said finally. "I didn't me to say those things."
"That doesn't mean you don't mean them though," he said, his voice even. "You're right though, I should have been there with you. I should have never left you out of my sight."
"Damon, you couldn't do anything. I was at a founder's event, who would have thought he'd be there. You can't watch me like a hawk for the rest of my life," she tried to reason.
"You're right," he said, his hand traveling up and down her back. "Just until I kill him."
Nilin felt her breath get hitched in her throat. She didn't saying thing, she just let him hold her and got lost in the idea of him. After a while she managed to find her voice again. "I'm a mess," she stated.
"Yeah, you are," Damon agreed.
Nilly laughed, burying herself closer to him. "Thanks for the honesty," she mumbled. Hers eyes began to feel heavy and she wondered what time it was. The rest of the house was quite, had everyone else fallen asleep? "I need to go to sleep." Nilly sighed, just as a yawn passed through her lips.
"Then why don't you?" he asked. Nilin was quiet with no answer to supply him. She knew why couldn't sleep, she was afraid of what she'd see. If the mind was a scary place, hers was horrifying. Her nightmares had been less frequent but she was sure that, especially after today, they'd return.
But that's if she could even fall asleep in the first place. Her mind hadn't stopped racing since she left the Lockwood's. Frankly, she was terrified. Still Nilly didn't answer.
She heard Damon sigh. "Take you're bracelet off," he said.
Nilly sat up to look at him. "What?" she questioned, sliding off his lap and on to the bed next to him. Her hand instinctively covered the silver chain on her wrist. This was the only defense she had against Christian, how could he ask her to take it off?
"Do you trust me?" he asked her, capturing her hand.
Nilin was quiet as she repeated the loaded question in her head. Finally she answered, "Yes, yes I trust you."
"Then take off your bracelet." Damon said simply, giving her that look that made the butterflies erupt in her stomach.
Nilin nodded and fumbled with the chain, unclasping it and gathering it in her hand. She turned away from Damon to place it on her nightstand, then she looked back at him.
Suddenly the only thing she saw was his eyes and nothing else, they were her universe. She sunk into the onyx color of them and for the life of her, couldn't pull away.
His pupils dilated, causing Nilly to slip farther into the trance. His voice infected her gaze, piercing her ears. "Good night, Nilin," he said softly. And then she falling, she never felt her head hit the pillow as the slumber quickly surrounded her and pulled her under. For once she wasn't scared of what was to come next, because she trusted him.