Chapter 31: Just One More Kiss

Elena

They put the movie back on but this time he stayed on the bed with her. She found out that there was this spot between his shoulder and his neck where her head fit perfectly. His arm was around her and this time she was distracted by the feel of his hand on the skin of her arm.

A little smile was playing at the edge of her lips the whole time. They were really doing this. She gave him an out but he chose not to take it. She felt it in her bones, the potential of them being exceptional. Maybe life was hard on them in the beginning because it had something very big in store for them for later, for now.

They fell asleep like that, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her.

She woke up first and found herself lying on her side with him behind her. His arm encircled her stomach and his steady breathing tickled the baby-hairs on the back of her neck. She smiled to herself at the thought that she was cuddling with Damon Salvatore and they did not even have sex first.

It turned out no one actually knew who the real Damon Salvatore was. Hell, she did not even think she had the whole picture yet and already it looked way different from the one the media had made of him. They had painted him to be a selfish, uncaring monster, using people for his own amusement and discarding them for the same reasons and maybe at some point, he did all those things but he never was a monster. They only displayed the darkest parts of him and they did not pay attention to all the other parts, the ones she was getting acquainted with, the caring, selfless… loving. But he certainly did not make it easy for people to see. He kept it all behind a fortress of steel that kept everyone out but also held him inside as a prisoner.

Somehow she had ended up with a visitor's pass that led her inside but not all the way. She found herself trying to pull him out with all her might and just now, she felt like she was making some progress. But he had a long way to go. They had a long way to go yet.

Now that the magic of the moment they were caught up in yesterday was over, she could think clearly again. She kept wondering how this thing was going to work. They barely started really talking to each other and now they were attempting a relationship. It seemed too rushed.

"I can practically hear you thinking under all that gorgeous hair."

She smiled when she heard his husky, sleepy voice and she braided her fingers through his hand that rested on her stomach.

"What's got your wheels turning so loudly this early in the morning?" He pressed a kiss on her shoulder.

"This…us…"

"What about us?" Hearing the word "us" from him did something to her insides that she almost forgot what she was about to say.

"It's just that… how is this going to work? Are we really ready for a relationship, commitment?

Damon

She meant him. Was he ready for a relationship, a commitment?

He had been asking himself that question since Sunday morning when he kissed her on the sidewalk, when he realized that he wanted this. He really wanted it.

"I don't know and I can't promise you that I would know any time soon. The only thing I'm sure of right now is that I'm right where I want to be. I want to be with you and I'll do whatever I can to keep being here as long as you want me to be."

He brushed his fingers along her jaw, her chin and he turned her head slightly so he could place a kiss on her lips.

She turned around in his arms as she deepened the kiss. She pressed her tongue to his lips asking him to let her in and of course he did. He lost himself in her sweet taste, her soft embrace but he could not let go completely. If he did then he would lose all control. It would be so easy to say fuck it and go for what he wanted, what they both wanted.

Things got heated, he was losing piece after piece of his resolve but right when they were about to jump over that deliciously dangerous edge, she pulled back, panting and trying to catch her breath. They both were.

Once again he wanted to punch himself in the face for making that no-sex-rule. Although his head told him it was necessary, the rest of him frowned upon his disturbingly uncharacteristic actions.

"I have to get ready for work," she said shaking him out of his inner conflict.

"Does that mean, I have to let you go now?" He tightened his hold around her waist and squeezed her even closer.

She giggled, "Yes."

"No," he groaned in disapproval.

"Yes, I have to go to work and hand in my two weeks' notice."

"Just e-mail it."

"I can't. I need to earn my last check." He gave her his best displeased look.

He was not about to let go without a fight but she was clever. She distracted him with another searing kiss that turned his brains to mush and slackened his hold around her.

When she pulled away, she was already halfway across the room, giggling mischievously before he found the voice to complain. "That was a dirty trick miss I'm-gonna-save-the-universe," he shouted and he heard her giggle in the hallway between their rooms.

Xxx

She left forty minutes later. She had a little moment just before she went out of the door where he saw her hesitate. She still did not like the idea of being followed around by photographers. But then he saw the resolve take over her fear and she made it out.

She texted him that she was fine when she arrived at the office.

That was when he finally had the time to do what he had wanted to do since his visit in the oncology department the week before. He needed to find Mason Northwood.

First, he enlisted his favorite bodyguard turned private investigator, Aksel to help with the search. They searched the city and the surrounding areas for any working gardeners with that name but that did not pan out so they tried a different approach. They searched for all guys with that name living in the area, maybe he was not working for the moment. They found six Masons, only two of them had the last name; Northwood and they were both over 60 years old.

Of course this was not going to be easy but they had to try the easy solutions first. Now they had two options; either his real name was not Mason Northwood or he did not live in the area. Both options suggested that they had to use a different approach.

The link to the real Mason was Chris Tanner. He and Mason used to be in contact and maybe they still were. So they had to keep an eye on Tanner, his phone calls, his goings and comings. Obviously they needed to pull some strings to get all of that arranged but that was easily handled.

Now they just had to wait.

Elena

It was already two months since the day she showed up in Damon's penthouse with her tiny suitcase, two months since they decided to try to have a real relationship. Time had flown by and her state of mind could not be more different from the day the media found out about her and Damon.

She was happy.

She had a new satisfying job at a well-recognized newspaper, her charity work was going far better than she had ever imagined and she could say the same about her newly reinvigorated romantic life.

Maybe she should start from the beginning.

The first day, she went back to work at the magazine was both hard and very weird at the same time. On the way there, she was sitting in the car, shaking because the thought of the paparazzi catching sight of her terrified her to the core.

Once she stepped inside the office, everything got ten times worse. The usually busy office bustling with impassioned discussions and the sounds of a dozen set of hands hitting their keyboards at the same time was suddenly enveloped in complete silence. As cliché as it was she would basically be able to hear a needle drop.

30 plus pairs of eyes were directed at her and they belonged to her both male and female colleagues who all looked a mix between impressed and envious.

For that instant she wished that she had stayed in bed this morning and never stepped foot outside.

"Well, look who's decided to show up to work today." The shrill voice of one blond-haired and well-manicured colleague made her jump a foot in the air. Rebekah appeared out of nowhere to stand right in front of her. Her arms were crossed and one perfectly plucked eyebrow was halfway up her forehead. "It's our own new celebrity, Elena Gilbert. So tell us; how is it being New York's most talked about girl…uuuhh and how's your new boyfriend, Elena?"

Elena mumbled something, she could not even remember what, and made her way out of there and to her boss' office as fast as she could.

Those two weeks were the worst. She felt everyone's eyes on her in the office and the funny thing was that they all talked. She knew they did because they always gathered in groups and whispered in the lounge or in the restrooms and as soon as they spotted her, the conversations stopped and they tried to avoid looking at her.

But she got through it and the day she left, carrying a box of the few belongings cleared from her cubicle, she was finally able to breathe freely again.

Her job was not the only thing that changed though. Her work for the HIH was affected too but that was a whole different story. She and Damon never stopped driving their routes on the food-van every Tuesday and Thursday. What they figured out already after the first time was that yes, they were definitely followed by photographers taking pictures and Elena hated it while it happened but those pictures ended up everywhere on the internet and so did the HIH logo and name.

The next day, Alaric called, raving about the amount of donations and new possible sponsors.

Those pictures, she was so unhappy about ended up being the perfect advertisement for the foundation and the cause. That changed her outlook on the situation a 180 degrees. So what if she gave up a little bit of privacy if it meant that even 10 people would sleep with full stomachs every night, if even one person got off the streets and afforded a home or if one orphaned child found a caring family?

That was the reason why she decided to embrace the attention instead of fighting it and use it to help people. She went with it and made a twitter account in her name and started tweeting during their food-van trips to involve people more.

She even started taking her own pictures and posted them online. They were mostly of the people they encountered on their routes, people from the streets of New York but once or twice she did post a picture of herself or Damon.

Speaking of Damon, he was such a good sport about her new activities. She knew he hated the media-attention as much as she did, if not more, so she was surprised when he approved of her twitter idea and even helped her carry it out. He took countless pictures of her giving food or posing with people and she always had way more material than she would ever need by the end of every trip.

She personally loved the moments when they got home and looked at the pictures again together to decide what to post and what to keep private. Sometimes she would find pictures of her that she did not remember being taken, where she looked different like she was seeing herself through someone else's eyes, Damon's eyes. Those pictures she would never share with anyone but her closest.

Those moments usually ended up with them making out, either on the new couch, that she had helped choose or anywhere else in the apartment really, sometimes on her bed and sometimes on his. It did not matter because they did that a lot like a pair of teenagers messing around but they never went further than the occasional butt-grab.

They could not get enough of each other. Every night she would decide to sleep on her own bed but every night she would end up falling asleep on Damon's or with Damon on her bed. As long as his arms were around her, she was fine.

They did not get out much apart from their food-van routes because she was busy with work but really because they wanted to avoid the pressure of being in public. At home they could do whatever they wanted, kiss as much as they wanted but outside they avoided any displays of affection to keep the attention on the important stuff. And honestly, it was not the same when they knew they were being watched.

Elena finished dressing. She hiked her purse on her shoulder and walked out of her room. Her eyes landed on the half open door to Damon's room where she had spent the night, again. He was lying on his back, he had thrown his one arm around his pillow and the covers lied haphazardly around his hips. He wore a white T-shirt and some pajama-pants to bed that she was certain he had gotten after she moved here.

She loved watching him sleep, as creepy as it sounded, it put a smile on her face to see him looking so innocent when he was anything but. She had the sudden urge to kiss him. Two seconds later she remembered that she could so she pushed the door open slightly more and tiptoed inside.

She kneeled by the bed and let the back of her hand stroke his cheek. She loved the feel of his slight stubble against her skin. She leaned closer and pressed her lips against his cheek in a feather-light touch then she moved a slight bit to the side and placed another kiss on his lips. She thought he was sleeping but then she felt him respond to her kiss.

"Good morning," he said in a sleepy whisper when she pulled back a little to look at him.

"Good morning. I'm sorry that I woke you," she whispered back.

"What time is it?"

"Half past six."

"…hmm…too early."

"I know. Just go back to sleep."

"Okay."

"See you later," she said and kissed him one last time before she walked back out and closed the door behind her, making sure that she did not make any sounds.

Xxx

She got to work in a great mood and right when stepped inside the office, someone told her the boss wanted to talk to her. He probably wanted to talk to her about her next assignment. She had just finished her last one and the article was supposed to be published today. She had actually gotten to write about some of the best charities in New York including the HIH and she was so excited to see her article published.

She knocked on the door twice before she heard the voice of her boss telling her to enter. Mr. Klaus Michaelson's office was nothing too showy. It was reasonably sized with functional furniture and an elegant air to it that showcased the mentality of its occupant. Her boss was all about the quality and she considered him to be an absolute genius in their field but every time she stepped into his office, she had this weird feeling that something was not quite right.

She pushed the thought away as he motioned for her to take a seat. Maybe she was just overanalyzing things, she thought.

"How are you today, Miss Gilbert?"

"I'm fine thank you."

"Well, I read your recent piece and I must say that your kind of talent is rare these days."

"Thank you," she said and felt her cheeks heat up a little.

"So you've been working with us for almost six weeks now and you've always delivered but now we're nearing the holidays and at this time of year people want specials or exclusives." She nodded in agreement. "… and I would like you to write one."

Well, that was definitely not what she had expected. A special meant a lot of writing space and she had just started working here. She was sure that there were people who had been working here for years and never gotten the opportunity yet. But who was she to say no to something like this.

"Sure, that sounds amazing."

"I'm glad you say that, Miss Gilbert, because all your previous work was just an appetizer and this piece will be the one to showcase your real capabilities."

"I'll do my best sir."

"Good, good."

"So what is it about?" She had no idea why she suddenly felt so hesitant.

"It's who, Miss Gilbert. You're going to get an exclusive interview."

He was looking at her like he knew something she did not and it bothered her to no end. Why was he being so cryptic?

"With whom?"

"Well, who else? Damon Salvatore of course."

AN: Thank you so very much for your reviews, follows and favorites. They mean so incredibly much to me.

This chapter was a hard one to write just because I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted to go with it but I didn't have a clear vision of it in my head from the beginning like I usually do with the rest of my chapters. Anyway, here it is and I hope you enjoy it.

Happy Valentine's day,

Mydarkside975