Chapter 28: Saturday

Elena

They put on a comedy and Elena made a bowl of popcorn that she placed between them on the couch as they sat watching.

She was glad that she had watched that movie before because half the time, she found her thoughts drifting away from the screen and turning to the man sitting next to her.

She was aiming to show him how much she trusted him but kissing him was probably taking that a bit too far. She just could not stop herself when he was this caring and concerned. It was a bit selfish of her, really and confusing for him. One moment, she told him she only wanted to be friends and the next she started kissing him.

But this time, she was the one who initiated the kiss so he would not have to blame himself like he did this morning.

God, it felt like ages ago.

Something changed between them since that morning. She was not sure if it was the foster home, her pouring her heart out to him or something entirely different but there was a… shift in their... well, friendship. They seemed closer.

Elena tried yet again to focus on the movie just in time to see Melissa McCarthy take a dump in the sink. They both started laughing and she just loved the sound of his chuckle. She heard it so rarely. This was a good choice of movie, she thought, neutral but funny and definitely not romantic in any way.

She shoved her hand in the bowl to grab more popcorn only to hit the bottom where a couple of unpopped kernels resided. Right then, Damon with his eyes on the screen reached for more too but ended up grabbing her hand instead.

Suddenly their attention was far away from the movie as their heads snapped in each other's direction. For a moment, they just stared in each other's eyes as their hands lingered for a bit longer than what they could write off as an accident.

The temperature in the room was on the rise as she was the one who finally broke the silence. "I'll… I'll go make some more." Her voice sounded weird in her own ears.

She grabbed the bowl and headed for the kitchen with her heartbeat rushing in her ears.

As she waited for the popcorn to finish, she braced her arms on the counter-top and closed her eyes listening to the cheerful popping from the oven.

She should not have kissed him. She should have kept things strictly platonic to avoid this. Her self-control was horrible when it came to him and she made it worse by letting herself give in for just this one moment. She was already really emotional from all the sharing and control flew out of the window, the moment he touched her.

She sighed and let her head drop forward until it hit the top cupboard. Groaning at the mess she had made, she was startled out of her thoughts by the beeping of the microwave.

She put the fresh popcorn in the bowl and headed back to the living room only to find Damon asleep with the movie still running.

She could not help herself but smile at the relaxed and peaceful look on his face. His head was tilted back, resting against the backrest and his lips were slightly parted. He had been through a lot today and who knew if he had even slept yesterday, no wonder he was tired.

She thought he would most likely wake up sore if she left him lying like that all night. She turned the TV off and went to her bedroom to get him a pillow and a blanket. She put the pillow on the couch and tried to ease him onto it without waking him op. She was almost successful as he mumbled something about finishing the movie before he drifted back to sleep.

She took his boots off and lifted his legs onto the couch, before she covered him with the blanket and left to get some sleep too.

She woke up to the sounds of plates and utensils clinking together and the smell of something delicious flirting with her nostrils. She was confused at first because Caroline was with Stefan and Bonnie was not supposed to be home until later. But then she remembered the night before and a couple of butterflies started competing for the space in her stomach.

She got up and took the fastest look at herself in the mirror, righting out stray hairs on her bedhead before she stepped out of her room and into the kitchen.

Sure enough, Damon was busy at work by the stove, flipping pancakes. An already full plate was waiting on the kitchen island along with a jug of juice and plates with cut up fruits. The coffee machine was on and all the delicious smells were making her dizzy.

"Good morning, Sunshine," he said giving her a bright smirk and looking just as delicious as everything else in her kitchen.

"Morning. What are you doing?" She asked stupidly.

"Making pancakes. You said you liked them, didn't you?" He suddenly sounded a little worried.

"I love pancakes," she said enthusiastically and the cheeriness returned to him.

"I didn't know you could cook." She was finally able to shake the surprise off and step inside the kitchen.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," he said mysteriously and flipped another pancake.

The coffee finished brewing so she took out a couple of mugs and started filling them.

"Well, maybe you should start telling me?" She said over her shoulder.

"Maybe I will."

At least she knew he liked his coffee black, she thought making her way for the island with their mugs. He was right. She did not know much about him apart from all the media stuff and it was not for her lack of asking. He just was not much for sharing and he had those brilliant deflecting skills.

He placed the hot plate of pancakes in front of her and took the slightly colder one for himself as they sat next to each other by the kitchen island and ate.

"So, what are your plans for today?" He asked after a while.

"Usually, I have my yoga-class on Saturday but last week was the last time for the season."

"Does that mean you're free?"

"Why? Do you have something in mind?" She asked, stuffing a bite into her mouth. "These are really good by the way."

"I know," he said, wiggling his eyebrows and smiling confidently. But then he dropped the act and she heard the little waver in his tone. "Well, I thought we could do something, you know."

"Like what?"

"Tell you what, why don't we just go out and see where the day leads us?"

"No, plan. I like it."

After breakfast, Elena took a shower and changed while Damon took care of the kitchen. They decided to drop by his place first so he could change and freshen up too before they started their spontaneous day.

They found themselves close by the park. The air was crisp and the temperature just comfortable enough for a stroll. The leaves on the trees were starting to turn into different shades of red and brown. Couples, families and all kinds of people had the same idea as them and were enjoying the last days of good weather.

They walked in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company. After a while though, Damon was the one to break the silence.

"I never got around to… thank you for what you did for me yesterday, Elena."

He sounded sincere and to the outside world, he looked relaxed with his hands in his pockets and his all-round confident appearance but she saw the subtle tension in his shoulders and heard the little shiver in his voice. He was nervous.

"You don't have to. I was just trying to be a good friend," she said trying to make it easier for him but he would not have it.

"No, you did much more than that and I want you to know how much I appreciate it. It meant so much to me that you trusted me enough to take me to Sommers'. Meeting those kids put everything in perspective, you know?"

She felt her cheeks redden a bit. She was really glad it helped but she was feeling a little embarrassed here.

"I know," she said quietly willing him to change the subject.

"Tell me about them."

"Who?"

"Your parents. What were they like?"

She was startled by his question but glad that the conversation had moved on. Then she let herself remember.

She had sixteen years' worth of memories, Christmas mornings and summer holidays. The soft feel of her mom's hair under her hands as she got her good-night-hug. The 80's rock music and smell of leather as her dad drove her to and from school.

There was the time when she dropped her mom's favorite perfume flask and the glass shattered leaving the perfume to permeate the air in their bedroom making it impossible for her parents to sleep in their room that day. Another time she broke her arm climbing the big tree in their back yard. Then her dad made her a tree house and a ladder so she did not have to climb and her mom was furious with him for encouraging her.

When she got a little older, her mom would read to her from her books. She made her fall in love with writing and her dad acted offended that she did not want to be a doctor like him but they both knew he loved how much she resembled her mom.

Her dad used to tell her that she had the same compassion, the same capacity to give and the same ability to feel everyone else's hurt as much as her own. She knew though that, she inherited some of her dad's characteristics too. She was just as headstrong and when she set her mind to do something she did it, no matter what.

She told him all of that and more. As the memories descended on her and she shared them with him, she felt herself getting lighter. It seemed like any pain and hurt faded in comparison to the happy memories of her parents. She felt acceptance, for the first time since the accident. Of course there was the ache of the moments they would never get to have together but now she did not feel in pain every time someone brought up the subject of her parents.

Hours had passed while they walked and talked and it was not until the pancakes from the morning could not sustain them anymore that they decided to go to a café and have some lunch.

"God, I've talked too much today. Aren't you sick of me talking?" She said once they had finished lunch. They were relaxing with a black coffee for him and a latte for her.

"Never," he said, smiling.

"Well, I'm sick of me talking. It's your turn," she said and made herself comfortable on her chair waiting for him to provide the entertainment for a change.

He sent her a strange look. "So, do you ever cook at your place? 'Cause your fridge is stocked with nothing but frozen dinners and your cupboards are filled with boxes of cereal," he said and she saw right through it.

She sighed exasperatedly at his very obvious attempt at deflection but decided to play along anyway. He was not going to talk if he did not want to. "It's embarrassing actually but between the three of us, we can barely manage to boil some pasta. Come to think of it, I haven't had a home cooked meal in ages."

"It's settled then. Today we'll buy ingredients and you'll get to have the best home cooked meal in your life."

How sweet, she thought smiling widely. "Awww, you're going to cook for me?"

"Nope, just thought you really oughtta learn to do it yourself," he said and her face fell for a minute until he started laughing at her and she had to restrain herself from kicking him under the table.

He snickered. "Yes, I'll cook for you," he said rolling his eyes.

She laughed at his reluctance to show her this softer side of him. Still, the thought of him wanting to show it to her in the first place felt like little feathers were tickling her insides. She just wished he would open up more, now that they had become this much closer and maybe share a little about himself.

He might have seen her change of mood on her face because suddenly, they were both quiet and the playfulness from before was replaced with silence. A kind of charged silence with all of the things they left unsaid.

Even though, they were starting to talk things out, there were still things hanging there waiting for them to acknowledge. He knew she wanted to know more about him and she knew he did not want to open up. The newest addition to those mine-like topics was their kiss from the night before. But they seemed to agree on pushing that to the side for now.

Still she could not help but feel like it was time for him to give her something in return, now that she had bared herself completely and told him the darkest moments of her past.

She was watching him watching her and could not mistake the certain change in his demeanor.

"What do you want to hear?" He said and she both heard it and saw it in his eyes.

He was giving her a free card into the pool of past, present and future that made him, him. She could ask him anything but as much as she wanted to ask about his relationship, she felt that he was not completely ready for that yet so she settled for the next best question.

"Tell me about your mom. Not, the Charlie Graham everyone knew but the mother, she was to you and Stefan," she said and as she said the words, she was afraid that that would be too much too.

Then he started talking and she let out a relieved breath and let herself relax into his story.

Damon

For the first time in a very long time, he embraced the memories of the first years of his childhood. That illusion of happiness that life had lolled him into before it wrenched everything away from him and threw him to the wolves.

"She was an amazing mother. She was beautiful and caring. A lot like you, actually," he started and she only smiled in response and he carried on.

She loved to cook. He used to sit in the kitchen and watch her for hours. She gave him small tasks like chopping the tomatoes or stirring the sauce. He was so proud of himself because Stefan wasn't allowed to use a knife. Whenever he was in the kitchen now, he remembered her twirling around and swaying to the songs from the radio as she stirred a pot, grated cheese or added a dash of fresh, chopped basil to the sauce.

She was so alive. You could see it in the way she moved and in the twinkle of her eyes. She always kept a vase of freshly plucked flowers in the kitchen. He always knew she was home when the vase was full.

One day, the vase was empty. There was this strange, tense vibe in the house.

As much as she loved being a mother, she also loved her job. She had been away from it for years and she wanted to get back out there.

The problem was that she had to leave for months at a time. She had to travel a lot and Giuseppe was having none of that. For a while, they kept arguing and the tension was suffocating until one day, she told them that she was going to be leaving for a couple of months. She had accepted a role in L.A. She said she would come home every weekend and she would call every day.

"A week into the production, the accident happened and nothing's been the same since," he said ending his story.

"I'm sorry," she said softly and jolted him back to the present.

It was the first time he had ever told this story aloud. It was not that bad, actually. When he looked in her eyes, he saw nothing but understanding and he felt like he could tell her anything. Maybe one day, he thought and changed the subject.

He asked her what she wanted him to make and after scrunching her face in thought for a beat, she said "Chicken Parmesan."

"I thought, your favorite food was lasagna?"

"Well yes, because it's easy enough for 3 kitchen-incompetent people to make half decent with store-bought béchamel sauce," she said and he promised himself that this was going to be the very best meal in her life.

Since that morning, when he woke up finding his boots standing neatly in the corner and he was surrounded by that girly, fruity scent she seemed to use for her laundry, he only had one thought. She had given him so much even though he had done nothing but push her away time and time again. Somehow, this tiny but extraordinary woman managed to pull him off that downward spiral he had let himself get caught in. He owed her everything.

Now it was his turn to give.

He wanted to give her the world.

He tried to thank her but she got shy by verbal acknowledgement so he vowed that he would show her. He would try to be there for her like she was for him.

The rest of the day went by so fast and he enjoyed every minute of it. They did buy ingredients. They went to the supermarket together. He pushed the shopping cart and told her what he needed so she picked it off the shelves. It was the most fun shopping trip in his life. He spent the time teasing her about her lack of cooking skills and she kept pouting and acting all offended even though they were both having a blast. She really was a hopeless case though, like she could not even tell a chicken breast from a leg but it was so adorable and he was enjoying teasing her so much that he hoped she would never learn.

When they got back to her place, he put her to work, chopping vegetables. They kept the easy banter going and at some point, Elena put on some music and started swinging her hips to the rhythm. He watched her discretely from the stove, so focused on her tomatoes and cucumbers.

When they ate, she closed her eyes relishing the taste and making all kinds of cute little sounds. He was having the time of his life just watching her.

They helped each other clean the kitchen and decided to watch the rest of the movie from the day before. All the while, he was trying to savor those last moments with her before he had to leave. Spending time with her was like nothing else. It was invigorating.

When the credits started to roll, he could not stretch the time anymore.

"I should go."

"Why? It's late. You can leave in the morning."

She wanted him to stay. He saw it in her eyes and it did things to his insides. Suddenly, the thing they spent the whole day tiptoeing around was at the forefront of his mind. Yesterday, they kissed.

She kissed him.

What did that even mean? Did she change her mind about the just-friends thing? The questions were swarming around in his head and he could not wrap his head around any of them.

"I guess I'll just leave early tomorrow," he heard himself say.

She smiled and he got that urge to just grab her lips in his and trace that taunting smile with kisses. Before he could stop himself, he licked his lips. With a pang to his stomach, he watched her mirror the action and he felt his head tilt closer to hers like a magnet.

"I… I… should get… uh… get you a blanket," she stuttered breathlessly, sounding just as dazed as he was.

Now their lips were a hairsbreadth from each other. In just a moment they would touch and they were both holding their breaths.

In a flash, she jerked her head away and lurched up clearing her throat. "I'll go get you a pillow and a blanket she said and hurried off into her room leaving him there… again, just dazed and confused.

What the hell was going on? He felt like a yoyo. One minute she was hot and close and the next she yanked herself away and closed herself off.

He saw it though. There was no doubt this time. She wanted this as much as he did but every time she let herself feel it, she convinced herself to stop at the last minute. He wondered what she was thinking. Why she kept stopping.

He had to know.

Before he knew it, he was standing in her doorway. She was sitting on her bed, hugging a blanket and pillow to her chest and staring at her plush carpet.

"Why?" He said and she jerked her face towards him, her eyes showing a cacophony of conflicted emotions.

"Why do you keep stopping?"

She did not say anything as she stood up, dropped the pillow and blanket and marched towards him. In his head, the whole thing happened in slow motion. In three steps, she was right in front of him and without wasting a beat, she grabbed his head, yanked it down to her level and smashed her lips against his like there was no tomorrow.

For maybe a quarter of a second, he was too frozen in place to do anything but hang there limply but then it was like fire shot through his veins and shocked him into action. He reciprocated her kiss and took it all a step further by giving into what he had wanted for months. He took hold of her and molded her firmly to his body. Her legs were around his hips and her hands were in his hair and grabbing at his shoulders as he walked them forward. He felt his knees hit the edge of the bed and he dropped her on it, only leaving her mouth long enough for them to breathe.

AN: Thank you for reading and thank you so incredibly much for last weeks alerts and reviews. Really, those reviews are like little Christmas presents to me. They mean so much to me because having so many of you read and enjoy what I write is beyond my wildest dreams. I never thought, anyone would actually read this when I first started writing it. Now, it feels like one of the most important and precious parts of my life and I have you to thank for that.

Loving you endlessly,

Mydarkside975