Gravity

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from The Vampire Diaries.

So I noticed yesterday that I have reached my 1000 review mark! WOW that is insane! Thank you all so much, really, I know every one says it but it is true that reviews are much appreciated and really do help keep stories going so thank you all again!

Now onto the chapter...happy birthday Elena...

June 30th 2017

Friday 8.30pm

Mystic Falls

The night time humidity is almost unbearable but it still isn't enough to hurry me inside the air conditioned house in front of me.

I debated back and forth all day on whether or not to come here. To be honest, I was shocked to even receive the invite. If the invitation had come directly from Elena, it would have made sense however the tiny little piece of card I received in the mail came from Jenna and the words 'surprise party' is more proof that Elena didn't actually have any involvement.

Which only makes this whole thing ten times more nerve-wracking.

It's been a very long time since I've stepped foot in the Gilbert household. I can only count on one hand how many times I've actually used the front door.

I'm an hour late, and I already know that the surprise part of the party has already happened and Elena will be inside. I wasn't going to come. I didn't want to cause a ruckus on her birthday; I know that her Dad will be inside. I know that her family will be there, aunts and uncles, cousins and second cousins.

I'm probably the last person that they all want to see.

I turn back around and head back along the short pathway, Grayson probably would have kicked me out the second I walked through the door anyway.

"Not so fast, Salvatore!"

I cringe, slowly turning around to see Alaric stood on the edge of the porch with his arms folded. He raises his eyebrows at me.

"If I have to suffer through being introduced to great aunt Cora and distant cousin Jane then so do you." He raises his eyebrow at me.

"I doubt I'd make it past the welcome mat."

"You were invited weren't you?"

"Yes but by Jenna. Do you really think Grayson will let me actually stay? I don't want to cause a scene and ruin her party."

"It's Elena's birthday – you know she'll be thrilled to see you." I can feel myself swaying. I really did want to see Elena today but I've been at work and she was out for lunch with Bonnie and Caroline and then Jenna took her out to get pampered, obviously as a ruse to get her out of the house for her surprise birthday party.

Unfortunately this party seems like my only opportunity. At least Ric is here too so I wouldn't be totally alone whenever Elena's attention was elsewhere.

"Fine." I huff in annoyance, heading back up the steps. Ric smirks, a small chuckle escaping his lips.

"You know, he may be a bit of an ass but Grayson has fine taste in liquor."

I shake my head. "I think I best stay sober through all of this."

"You're loss." He pats me on the back before opening up the front door. "Good luck." He murmurs quietly and immediately I am spotted by Jenna who is walking down the stairs.

"Damon," she smiles at me and I'm a little taken aback to see that it's actually genuine. "You made it."

"Sorry I'm late." I reply with a smile of my own. "I've just finished work." I stay silent on the fact that I finished work three hours ago and actually could have made it on time.

"No problem, I'm glad you could ma-"

"Damon?!"

My heart rate speeds up when I see Elena pop her head into the hallway. Her eyes are wide and her smile is growing.

"What are you doing here?" she quickly heads towards me.

"Jenna invited me." She's standing in front of me know and her smile grows. "Happy birthday, Elena." I swallow hard when she wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. "I'll give you your gift later." I whisper into her ear and I swear she shivers in my arms.

"Thank you." She replies softly before reluctantly pulling back. I clear my throat, realizing that Jenna and Alaric are still standing in the hallway with us. "Come on, I'll get you a beer."

I'm about to decline but the nerves in my stomach right now are too much to handle and maybe a beer would calm down my nerves. Plus it's not as strong as bourbon so at least I'll have to worry less about getting drunk.

I blink a little dazed when Elena takes hold of my hand and pulls me towards the kitchen. I don't miss the looks I am getting from people on the short way, some faces are familiar whereas others seem like complete strangers but they seem to know exactly who I am.

"Here," Elena pulls out two beers from the fridge and hands me one.

I smirk. "Happy 21st." I tap my bottle against hers and her smile widens.

"You can legit serve me alcohol at The Grill now." She grins.

"I'll have to check your ID first." I wink at her playfully. Her jaw drops and she slaps me on the arm. "How else do you think I could sneakily find out your name to add you on Facebook so I can perve on all your photos?"

She blushes and I smirk and take a sip from my beer. Things have been much lighter and playful between us recently. We haven't yet had our official 'second date' but we did go out for a quick lunch once during the week and Elena has been stopping by The Grill almost every day, even just for a few minutes to say hello.

It's been nice but most importantly it's been fun and I think that's what we've both needed. Nothing 'romantically' has happened since our kiss, neither has another sleepover since our date. I don't think it has much to do with neither of us wanting it, however except for the occasional hand holding and lingering hugs, both of us seem a bit hesitant to make the first move.

I'm also not oblivious to the fact that my guilty plea and Zach's threat hasn't been mentioned out loud since the night I told her.

"So let me guess you're going out to a bar or club tonight with the girls once things die down over here?" I question light-heartedly but deep down I really want to know the answer. Elena is young, free and single – why wouldn't she want to go out partying on her twenty first birthday?

She smiles and shakes her head. "No partying for me tonight."

"Oh?" I raise my eyebrow a little surprised but then remember Caroline is not exactly in the partying frame of mind right now.

"No," She tilts her head to the side with a smile and for a brief moment I remember that as much as it feels like it is, it's really not just the two of us standing in this kitchen but I can't seem to pull my attention away from just Elena for even a second. "I have strict instructions to be up and ready for 10am sharp tomorrow morning and I don't want to ruin our day with a killer hangover."

I grin happily. "I'm glad you're thinking ahead."

"I'm very practical like that."

"Oh I know." My tongue automatically darts out to lick my lips and Elena's smile changes into a smirk. "You forget I know you, Elena Gilbert."

"I've not forgotten, Damon." She bites on her bottom lip.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

My eyes close for a second because as much as I was expecting this ten minutes ago, I kind of forgot whose house I was standing in.

Elena tenses immediately. "Dad, it's my birthday." She replies through gritted teeth and I slowly turn around to see Grayson already staring me down with a furious look on his face.

"You are not welcome in this house, Salvatore."

"Jenna invited me."

"Well she had no right too." He snarls back.

"Grayson," Miranda appears next to him and I notice that we seem to have attracted the attention of some of the other guests. "Please don't cause a scene."

"A scene? Look who is here in our house!"

"I know." Miranda hisses back in annoyance. "But this is a party and I will not have it ruined by either of you." She looks at me warningly and I hold up my hands in defense.

"I'm not here to cause any trouble. I just wanted to see Elena on her birthday."

"Please Dad," Elena interrupts before he can hit back with a snarky reply. "He will stay out of your way, I promise." Her voice is soft, those familiar puppy pout eyes are back and I realize that I'm not the only one who can't say no to them.

I see Grayson grit his teeth, something which sounds a little worryingly close to a growl comes out but he takes a deep breath through his nose before turning on his heel and walking away.

I see Elena deflate with relief. "Thank you," she says quietly to her Mom.

Miranda nods slowly, a tiny smile on her face before it falls when she looks at me. "No trouble." She warns me before heading off into the direction Grayson scuppered off too.

"Well…" I clear my throat. "That actually went a little better than expected."

Elena's frown slowly starts to disappear from her face. "I know…I at least expected a threat of life or maybe even a shove." Her lips turn from a grimace into a grin.

I chuckle, my hand somehow finding its way to her waist. "Maybe I should leave though."

"No!" Her eyebrows crease together. "I want you here."

"Apart from Ric you are probably the only one."

"So? It's my birthday, it doesn't matter what anybody else wants."

"I'm getting a daggered look right now." I motion discreetly to my left to a man who I noticed walked into the kitchen shortly after Grayson and he hasn't stopped glaring at me since.

Elena rolls her eyes. "That's just my Uncle John, my Dad's brother. He's an ass to everyone. He only hates you because my Dad probably told him too."

"Ahuh, just like 99 percent of the people here right now." I reply lightly.

Elena rolls her eyes but doesn't argue that point because deep down she knows I'm right. "Besides, you can't go. You haven't given me my present yet." She raises her eyebrow challengingly.

"It's not something I want to give you in front of prying eyes." I murmur quietly, my eyes quickly scanning the room again.

"Come on," Elena takes my hand again and leads me away from the kitchen. I follow her up the stairs and into her bedroom; never once turning away to see the watching eyes that I could feel on us.

I follow Elena in nervously, looking around the room with a small smile as she closes the door behind us. "You haven't changed a thing."

Elena shrugs slightly. "Decorating wasn't exactly on top of my to-do list during my senior year and I haven't really been home enough through college to do anything different."

"Well I like the familiar feel of it all." I smile slightly, suddenly feeling nostalgic from all of the nights I snuck my way in here. "Anyway," I send her a smile despite my body inflaming with nerves. "Back to the main event…"

"Yes, don't keep me waiting Salvatore." She smirks for a moment before her smile changes back to normal.

"I uh…" I cringe slightly at my nerves. Suddenly the tiny box in my back pocket weighs a lot heavier. "I feel like I'm cheating here…" I trail and Elena raises her eyebrow curiously. "Technically, I've already given you this gift before." I reach my hand into my back pocket and pull out the small box with shaking hands. Elena's eyes dart down to it quickly before looking back at me. She doesn't know what's inside; the box is different because I had to buy a new one to put it in. The original packaging is long gone. "So I hope you don't think I'm being stingy but I technically your new present comes tomorrow." I slowly open the box between us and I see her eyes widen, a gasp escaping her soft lips. "Happy birthday, Elena."

Her wide eyes dart between my own and the box resting in my shaking hands.

"How did you…I thought…" Her voice cracks, her eyes watering. "Your Mom's necklace." She swallows loudly. "I thought…I really thought I had lost it."

"No." I shake my head with a small nervous smile. "It was mixed in with all my things when I was arrested. To be honest, while I was in prison I thought you had it the whole time but I was given it amongst the few possessions I had left when I was released. Turns out it had been in a storage box alongside my watch and old car keys all this time."

She slowly lifts up the chain with shaking hands. "Thank you," she whispers quietly, her watery wide eyes looking back up at me. "This is the best gift I've ever had…twice."

We both share a tiny laugh and Elena bites on her bottom lip for a second. Next thing I know her arms are wrapped tightly around my neck and her lips are pressed against mine in a heated sensual kiss.

It takes me even less time to kiss her back this time around, my hands quickly darting to her hips as she moans in pleasure against my mouth. I hold back my own moan as her tongue slides against mine as she deepens the kiss.

Elena's hands slowly run up my neck into my hair, her fingers lightly tugging my locks. I feel my pants tightening as Elena's body is pressed completely flushed against my own.

She pulls back for a second before brushing her lips back against mine and this time I'm the one moaning into her mouth. Her lips are soft and familiar against mine, her light breath is hot and I can feel my pants tightening.

It's different from the kiss we shared the other week. This one is slow and deep as her lips brush against mine, shifting to a different angle every few moments.

If there wasn't an entire house full of people down stairs and we weren't in her parents' house I have a feeling that this kiss would have led elsewhere.

However unfortunately there is a party going on downstairs and Elena seems to finally remember that too because she slowly pulls away.

I can't resist one more kiss, pecking her lips softly before pulling back again and resting my forehead against hers.

"God." Elena whispers softly, her eyes fluttering open. "I've really missed kissing you." I chuckle softly, but strongly agree. I really missed kissing her too. I slowly remove my hands from her hips, my left still clutching the tiny box with my Mom's necklace inside and Elena's eyes dart back down towards it.

"May I?" She bites on her bottom lip nervously before nodding slowly, a single tear escaping her eye. "Turn around." I whisper into her ear and she shudders before following my instruction. I lift up the necklace, and slowly wrap it around her neck, peeking over her shoulder to see it rest perfectly against her chest. I clasp the back and can't resist pressing my lips down onto her shoulder.

Elena shudders again and I grip her arms tightly before she slowly turns back around. More tears have fallen and I reach my hand out to wipe them away.

"Don't cry."

Apparently that makes her worse because her face crumbles and a tiny heart-wrenching sob escapes her lips. I immediately pull her against me. One arm wrapped tightly around her waist while the other clutches the back of her head as she rests her head against my shoulder.

"Wow you really are taking the expression 'it's my party and I'll cry if I want too' seriously aren't you?" I joke teasingly and I smile when I hear her muffled laugh against my chest, her shoulders shaking lightly for a moment.

"Well then you really need to stop making the birthday girl cry," she mutters against my chest and I can't help the laugh that escapes my lips.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise." I reply softly and run my fingers through her hair soothingly.

She pulls back, her mascara is smudged from her tears and her eyes are a little red but I swear she has never looked more beautiful.

"You're amazing, you know that." Her voice is soft but I can hear the underlying firmness. I roll my eyes at her comment but that just seems to egg her on more. "No I'm serious, Damon." She tells me sternly. Her eyes drop for a moment. "You don't know how many times I've cried or the overwhelming guilt that I've felt over the last four years believing that this necklace was back in that grotty motel room in Portland and in the hands of someone who would never know or understand it's importance or meaning." Another tear escapes from her eye and I quickly brush it away with my thumb. "I felt terrible over it and now…now it's here and it's from you." She shakes her head and bites on her bottom lip again. "I just…there are no words to describe how amazing you are, Damon."

I swallow the lump in my throat from her words. It truly amazes me how this girl can be so oblivious to the impact of her own words and not truly grasp the significance and importance of her happiness to my life.

Elena being happy is all I've ever wanted.

Luckily for me, I don't have to search for the words to respond because there is a loud knock on Elena's bedroom door.

"Elena…please tell me you are decent."

Elena rolls her eyes before reluctantly shouting back out to say come in. Bonnie nervously peeks her head inside the room before her face drops with relief.

"Oh thank God you both still have clothes on." She lets out a 'phew' noise and walks further into the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt," she says once she notices Elena's tear stained face and I realize we probably both look a bit frazzled. "But your Dad is about to have a coronary if you don't come down soon. I think half the party saw the two of you sneak up here."

Elena huffs and rolls her eyes but I see the agreement in her face. "I should probably get back down there." She admits and looks at me guiltily but I shake my head with a smile.

"I know." I smile softly. "But I really am going to leave this time." she goes to argue with me but I quickly cut her off. "I'll see you tomorrow." I tell her firmly. "Enjoy tonight with your family and friends." I press a soft kiss to her forehead and Elena lets out a loud sigh.

She turns to face Bonnie. "On a scale of one to ten how mad is my Dad right now?"

Bonnie cringes slightly. "I'd say about a fifty."

"Crap." Elena mutters.

"Don't worry, your Mom has stopped him from marching up here herself but I don't know how long she could have stopped him so I thought I best come and give you a heads-up." She glances back at me. "You know…just in case." She smirks slightly and I shake my head.

Elena tuts her before trying to usher her out of the room but Bonnie grabs her hand and pulls her along with her. I follow them both down the stairs and I see Grayson waiting for us in the hallway, his face red with anger, his entire body stiff and tense. He looks at me dead in the eye but I don't give him a reaction.

Instead I quickly rush out a goodbye to Elena, much to her clear dismay, and dart out of the house without another word.

Somehow I knew that if I stayed even a minute longer her smoothly running party would turn into a major warzone.

I knew the best thing to do from there was leave. I got what I wanted. I got to see Elena on her birthday and I got to give her my gift, which thank god she loved…again.

I walk the entire way home with a smile on my face.

I feel like things are finally starting to look up.

I made sure to wait for Damon at the bottom of my driveway bright and early so I didn't run into my Dad. I left a note saying that I would be out for the day, leaving no other explanation.

I'm not hiding what I'm doing. I just don't want to be bothered through the day with texts and calls like I know he would do if he knew I was with Damon, especially after his reaction to seeing him yesterday at my party.

I shuffle on my feet nervously. I have absolutely no idea what Damon has planned. I even tried to get clues when I asked what kind of clothes to wear but he just told me to dress how I normally dress and not to worry about anything else.

What on earth does that even mean?

So I debated on some dark skinny jeans, black pumps and a nice smart casual vest top. It is summer after all but I still don't want to be underdressed if we end up going somewhere nice and there I am rocking short shorts.

My fingers automatically fiddle with my newly returned necklace resting on my chest. I can't believe Damon had it, or at least, it was in with his possessions. I really thought I had lost it for good when it was stored away in our motel back in Portland. If I knew back at that time what would have happened I would have kept it around my neck, I only originally took it off because we were spending a lot of time at the beach and I didn't want to lose it in the ocean or sand.

I bite on my bottom lip when I think about the kiss we shared. Just like when he told me about his reasoning for pleading guilty, I couldn't stop myself from jumping into his arms and kissing him.

It's another reminder of how selfless and thoughtful Damon is.

It's another reminder of why I'm so in love with him.

I smile when I see his familiar Camaro appear at the top of my street. I walk further out and hail my hand playfully like I'm hitchhiking.

I see Damon's smirk when he's close enough and he slowly unwinds his window. "You need a ride sugar?"

I bend down and lean in through the window. "Are you offering?" I reply lightly.

"I sure am. Where you headed?"

"Why don't you surprise me, handsome?" I wink for good measure and Damon chuckles.

"Get in the damn car, Gilbert." He commands me and I giggle, opening the door and sliding in.

"So, are you going to tell me where we're going yet?" I ask curiously once Damon pulls away.

"Nope." He briefly glances at me with a smirk. "You're just going to have to wait and find out."

"Will you at least tell me how long the drive is going to be?" I push, not being able to stand these kind of surprises and Damon knows it too which just makes it even more annoying.

"Nope." He repeats and I huff, trying to fight my smile when a small chuckle escapes from his lips. "The whole point is that it's a surprise."

"But I already had a surprise party; I think it's just a little cruel to give me two surprises over one birthday. Especially since you know how much I hate them."

"Hey, I have zero involvement in your first surprise. This has been planned for a little while now." Damon replies casually as he signals right and makes a turn, his eyes focussed on the road and thank God because he doesn't get to see my shocked reaction.

How long exactly has he had this planned for?

I discreetly fan my heating face with my hand and let out a shaky breath. Part of me wants to bring up our kiss but at the same time, I don't want to ruin this natural progression that we have going on. I am more than happy to take things slow with Damon, I am happy to just have anything at all with him.

I fiddle with my necklace gently, feeling an inner sensation of comfort and peace from the touch of the chain wrapped around my neck and the heart shaped pendant resting against my chest.

I see Damon glance at me from the corner of my eye. "You're wearing the necklace?" He questions with a happy smile.

"Of course I'm wearing it." I grin. "I'm never going to take this off ever again."

He chuckles softly, a soft smile on his face. "Good. It suits you."

I smile back gently, my hand reaching out bravely to rest on top of his. "So are you going to tell me where we're going yet?"

Damon laughs in response and shakes his head. "Nope and you can keep on asking me all you like but I'm never going to tell you."

I pout but silently accept his answer. Damon is just as stubborn as me, if not more, so I know that if he is determined to keep this a surprise then that is what's unfortunately going to happen.

"Why didn't you tell me you were in Mystic Falls?" I slide along the booth opposite Caroline where she is sitting by herself, two empty planes on the table to show that she is not actually alone but as of right now I don't care.

Last I heard she was spending her summer at Whitmore, so imagine my surprise when I walk inside The Grill to grab a bite to eat with Kol who is also back from college this summer to see her sitting here.

"Um maybe because I don't have to answer to you?" She snaps back coldly.

"Caroline!"

"What?" she asks innocently. "You're not my boyfriend, Stefan, what I do is none of your business."

"You're carrying my damn baby, it is my freaking business!"

"Keep your voice down!" she hisses at me furiously, her cheeks heating up. I huff and look around The Grill, relieved to see that there is nobody sitting around us. "And to answer your question, it was Elena's birthday yesterday so I came back for her. You'll be happy to know that I'm going back to Whitmore on Monday so I'll be back out of your way."

I clench my jaw in frustration. "You know that is not what I meant." I take a deep breath and try to keep calm. "But you know that I told my parents about the baby and…you still haven't told yours. I've managed to persuade my Mom and Dad to keep quiet but you know how gossip travels in this town. Nothing can stay a secret for too long."

"I'll tell my Mom when I'm good and ready, Stefan." She replies defensively.

"For your own sake I just don't want them to find out from someone else."

"Why do you even care? You made it very clear to me that you only care about this baby and not me."

I groan. "Come on Caroline, you know that's not true."

I think back to a conversation we had right before I left Whitmore to come back to Mystic Falls for the summer. I told Caroline that maybe we should try and be friends, to keep our…sexual…relationship on hold while she is pregnant and then maybe see what happens between us in the future.

Caroline took this the complete wrong way and has been bitching my ass out even more so than usual ever since.

Honestly, I don't get the problem. It's not even like we were actually dating before.

I'm going to blame it mostly on the hormones, but it doesn't help that Caroline was also rather dramatic before that too.

"Stefan, I don't want to talk to you about this, okay? So why don't you run back over to your friend and go enjoy your single free bachelor life while you still can." She glares at me, motioning with her hand to hurry along.

I let out a frustrated breath but when I see Bonnie heading back towards the table from the bathroom I know that this conversation is over.

"Fine." I grumble in annoyance before sliding out of the booth. "But just so you know, I do care about you too, okay?" I see her blink in surprise but I don't wait around for her to say anything else.

I pull up into an empty space at the side of the road and glance at Elena with a smile. She is sleeping soundly in the passenger seat, her head resting against one had against the window while the other slumped down by her side.

"Elena," I tap on her arm gently. "Elenaa…" I grin when she grumbles in her sleep, her eyes slowly fluttering open. "Hey, we're here."

She frowns for a moment before taking in her surroundings. She sits up straight and stretches, her eyes lighting up as she realizes that we have reached our destination. She looks around out of the window before her eyes fall on me.

"Where we are we?" she asks excitedly.

I smirk. "Charlotte."

Her eyes widen. "Charlotte as in North Carolina, Charlotte?"

"Yup." I grin and lean back into my seat. "That one."

She looks puzzled but happy puzzled. "Why are we in Charlotte?"

"Now that is still a surprise."

"Damon!" She groans loudly in frustration.

"Come on, it's lunch time and I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat." I ignore her protests for needing more answers and get out of the car. I stretch my legs, looking around the crowded street and for a very brief moment my mind wanders back to that summer we spent on the run, stopping like this in unfamiliar places to grab a bite to eat.

I shake it off and turn to face Elena as she follows my lead and climbs out of my Camaro. "Come on, quit pouting."

She sends me a mocking glare but follows my lead, I don't even think about it, the second she is at my side I take a hold of her hand and loop our fingers together. She sends me the softest of smiles which I return before locking up my car and making our way down the street.

We end up finding a nice quiet bistro and have something little to eat. I have reservations planned for tonight so I kind of hint to Elena not to order too much to keep enough room. Of course, this leads to more questions about the 'surprise' but I keep mute.

When we walk out, I glance down at my watch. If Elena takes as long to get ready then we should probably get a move on.

"Where too next then, Mr Salvatore?"

I smirk and roll my eyes. "Back to the car."

She frowns confused. "Are we not staying in Charlotte?"

"We are…" I answer slowly. "But we need to get ready for tonight."

Her eyebrows crease together. "What does that mean?"

"You'll see." I press my hand on the small of the back and urge her to start walking. "Come on, Gilbert. Move your ass."

I see Elena's eyes widen when I pull up in the parking lot of a hotel. She turns to face me, a nervous but intrigued look on her face.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Gilbert." I chuckle and climb out but inside I am secretly shitting myself with nerves. "I needed to get us some place to get changed and keep our stuff."

"What stuff? I didn't even bring anything!"

I smirk and open the trunk, motioning her over with my finger. She looks at me intrigued before rounding the car and gasping when she sees her gym bag in there.

"How did you get that?"

I chuckle amused. "Somehow I managed to convince Bonnie to sneak out some of your clothes during your party last night. I went and picked them up from her place this morning before I came for you."

Her jaw is hanging open, a dazed look on her face as she looks between her bag and me. "Come on," I smirk and pick up both of our bags, swinging my own over my shoulder and grabbing hers with my left hand. "We need to check in."

Once we get ourselves checked in and given our room key, I follow Elena into the elevator before heading up into our floor.

She's quiet.

I just hope it's because she is overwhelmed and thinking of what my plan is for tonight and not because she thinks I was being presumptuous booking a hotel room.

I swallow my nerves as I slide in the key card and open the door. The hotel isn't anything special, but it is much more glamorous and comfortable than the motel rooms we were used too.

I glance nervously at the bed before awkwardly placing my bag on the single arm chair in the corner. Elena slowly walks in after me, her eyes doing a quick tour of the room before just like mine, landing on the bed.

I see her visibly gulp and I curse myself for my stupidity. I didn't mean to make her feel so uncomfortable.

"Elena…" I break the tense silence between us and she looks up at me with expecting eyes. "This is just a place for us to get ready that's all. There's no expectations, okay? I promise."

She nods silently but doesn't say anything else and my gut clenches tightly. "What time do you need me ready for?"

"Five-thirty." I reply cautiously. She nods before glancing again at the time. "I best start to get ready then."

"Ahuh." I nod slowly and watch as she grabs her bag and heads into the bathroom.

The second she closes the door, I let out a quiet groan of frustration. The hotel room seemed like a good idea at the time, I didn't book it with meaning to make her feel uncomfortable or that I was expecting something more from the night.

I clench my fist together tightly and bring it to my mouth, biting on my knuckles in aggravation.

I am such an asshole.

Unlike Elena, it doesn't take me long to get ready.

I managed to kick her out of the bathroom for long enough to have a quick shower and comb my hair but shortly after that I just shoved on some dark blue jeans, fastened a smart black shirt, put on my only pair of fancy dress shoes and sprayed some after shave and I was ready.

I made an excuse to leave the hotel room, only to take a breather from the strange tense atmosphere that has erupted between us since we got here.

I sit by myself at the bar nursing slowly on a glass of bourbon. I take my time with it, knowing that it will be my only alcoholic drink I am able to have tonight due to making the long drive back to Mystic Falls.

Once I finish it, all I want to do is order another but I stop myself. I shake my head in, feeling completely utterly useless and like an idiot. I hope I haven't ruined this whole thing because Elena thinks I am an arrogant pig.

"Damon?"

I jump slightly surprised by the hand resting on my shoulder and I turn around to see Elena standing behind me.

My eyes almost bulge out of my sockets when she takes a step back to let me stand up and I take in her outfit. I bite on my bottom lip, her tight black dress hugs her curves perfectly and shows off all of her assets. I swallow hard, her hair is down and wavy and her make up is completely on point.

She looks beautiful.

I make a quick note to thank Bonnie when we get back to Mystic Falls.

"Wow." I breathe out finally. "You look absolutely…beautiful."

I see her blush hard, a shy smile on her lips. "Thank you." Her eyes noticeably scan my body. "You don't look too bad yourself."

I let out a small relieved laugh because she seems a lot more of ease around me than she did just thirty minutes ago.

"Do we have time to grab a drink here first?" She asks curiously and I look down at my watch.

I nod slowly. "A quick one. What would you like?" I turn back towards the bar as Elena slides onto the stool next to me.

"Whatever you're having."

"That would be water." I smile slightly and she tilts her head at me curiously. "Dedicated driver, remember?"

There is nothing in this world that would have prepared me for what came next. Elena leans forward, her hand falling to rest on my biceps as she speaks softly into my ear, her lips lightly brushing against me which sends an intense shiver down my spine.

"What would be the point in paying for a hotel room if we weren't really going to use it?"

So sorry to leave it there folks! The next chapter will continue where this one leaves off and Elena will finally get to see what Damon's birthday surprise is!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you again for reading :) Don't be shy to drop a review and tell me what you thought.

See you next time!