This chapter shall have a glimpse of Elena and a slight reference to Katherine but other than that, you still get Damon. I wrote this in like two or three days, I'm so proud….don't expect another update for a week or so now because I plan on turning my attention to some of my other fics.
Enjoy!
Kyle worked in Riot Next Door after school. He didn't have a lot of hours but he didn't care because he had a place to smoke without being judged and he also had a discount on store items. Usually he would have stolen them but now he bought them. He liked his new bosses. Or at least, he liked Cliona.
Cordelia had hit the roof, just as Cliona had predicted.
At first she had tried to shout at Cliona but as tough as Cordelia acted, she could never give a kid bad news and the new kid had actually been behaving quiet well. He had stacked shelves without complaint, swept floors, handled everything except money. So that had been the new rule. The kid could stay, as long as he stayed away from the till.
Kyle had won her over by day three, when a guy had called the shop phone and he had answered it on loud speaker (another of the rules). The man had called because he was looking for Cordelia, who had flailed her arms around, bringing her finger across her neck with wide eyes, signalling for Kyle to say she wasn't there. Cliona still had yet to ask why she had done this.
Anyway, Kyle had said, "Sorry I don't know any Cordelia's around here. I know a Cornelia but no Cordelia's. I'm really sorry. If she comes in here, I'll make sure to make her call okay? Would you like to leave your number?"
Kyle had lied so perfectly to the guy on the phone that Cordelia couldn't help but demand that the kid stayed with them in the shop from now on. Cliona couldn't help but smile smugly. She had been the one to hire Kyle after all.
By the next week, not only had Kyle fitted in perfectly, but customers had also begun to become more and more frequent. One girl with black hair that went just past her shoulders came in daily, like clockwork. Another stoner kid, one of Kyle's friends liked to come in to look around and bought something every time. There was also another guy with short blonde spiked hair that always wondered near the semi-permanent dye shelf and posters.
The girl was apparently called Lucy. Kyle said that she lived close by and that she was in his grade. When Cliona and Cordelia had pressed him for more information he had shut his mouth after clamming up.
The stoner kid was called Chim. Cliona asked Kyle how he had landed a name like that and apparently it was because he smoked so much pot that he sometimes looked like a chimney.
The blonde guy was apparently called Red, even though the two new women had yet to see him wear any red clothes. His hair was blonde, so that confused them even more. Kyle still hadn't told them anything about him, mostly because Red usually came in while Kyle wasn't working or was on a lunch break and Cliona kept forgetting to bring it up.
Today was Wednesday, which meant that it was a half day and that the shop would be closing up early, so Cliona decided to go out for a drink and try to mingle with some of the locals. Cordelia would approve, mostly because she was usually trying to push Cliona out into the open to socialize, seeing as Cliona wasn't a natural mingler. She preferred staying indoors and watching TV or reading, rather than talking to people.
'How do you expect to meet anyone new that you could trust unless you put yourself out there? Seriously, it's a miracle that we even met' Cordelia had once said with a flick of her long blonde hair.
Cliona rolled her eyes at the memory as she walked into the Grill and took in the place. The place was a bit more lively today but still not as busy. Tourists seemed to be taking up the booths this morning. Some were talking in their own language, others were taking pictures.
Cliona looked over to the bar and saw the same tall dark acquaintance that she kept seeing here.
"Seriously, do you ever stop drinking?" she said sarcastically as she hoisted herself onto the stool next to him and put her bag on the countertop.
Damon looked over to the brunette and gave her a cocky smirk, "You sure you want me to answer that?"
"Are you trying to scare me away? Secret alcohol issues? Because if you are, you're failing…miserably"
She smiled as she dug around in her bag, when she heard Damon let out a low chuckle.
"Its just amazing how you always come in here when I am….I go to other places"
"I bet you drink there"
"There was no alcohol in your shop, smart ass"
"Hey, take that up with my business partner, not me" Cliona raised her hands in defense.
"Oh right, the nut job" Damon said, in a fake sweet voice, before taking a sip of his scotch.
"That'd be the one"
"So business is going well I take it. Well…you haven't necessarily boarded up and moved on yet"
"Yes you eejit. Why? You want me gone already? Please, this is only our third meeting and I can't help but become interested now" Cliona replied, sarcasm still thick in her voice.
"Eejit? Is that even a word?"
"Oh shut up"
"And here I was, thinking that you were interested"
Cliona fought the immature urge to stick her tongue out at Damon and instead tried to order her drink and pay for it, only for the barman to ignore her, so she turned around to face Damon instead.
"Shouldn't you be in work now?"
"Half day"
"I heard this rumor, that if you don't open your shop you don't receive this thing called money. Very interesting stuff"
"I also heard that saying about 'all work and no play' growing up. I'm merely following my own morals"
"It's a moral of yours to ditch work for a day and drink?"
"Damn straight"
"Well in that case, hey!" the barman looked over to Damon and walked over, "Get the lady a scotch and I'll have the same again" Damon handed the man a paper bill and turned back to Cliona.
"I might just agree with your morals." He smirked at her.
"Well, some people destroy themselves from working so much. It can get scary. Especially when the person gets really obsessed."
"Sometimes they'd get a case of the Freudian Slip because they'd be so obsessed with work that they might call you by an office workers name or a person that they are trying to work for or help."
"That's right. Never classed you as-"
"I went to college once, I'm not stupid" Damon retorted, before Cliona could finish her sentence, downing the rest of his glass as the bartender came along with two new glasses.
"Psychology major?"
"Actually I dropped. Got boring and stressful and I just wanted to have fun"
"Ever think about going back?"
"Hell no" Damon said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Rather stay at the Grill and drink? I get it"
"Nice to know someone does"
"Your family were pissed?"
"You could say that"
"Ah, mine weren't so crazy about me leaving the country. I went and did it anyway"
"Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. So how did you know what I was on about anyway? You do Psychology?"
"I was signed up to some smart school that I didn't go to in the end, but they kept sending me offers about online courses. So when I was sixteen, I decided to do an eight month course in psychology. Freud just happened to be on my first assignment."
"Smart school, huh?"
"What? The culchie accent decreases my IQ?"
"No, just didn't see that one coming is all. I expected you to be the brains of your shop anyway. Blondes never seemed reliable to me when it came to book keeping"
"I may manage the books, but Cordelia is very good at bringing in customers by advertising"
Damon snorted, "Yeah by standing around talking and gossiping all day"
"I admit that she can be gossipy but, you don't know her. I've known her longer."
"And I'm the closest to the two of us when it comes to Psychology degrees"
"I got a certificate" Cliona snapped.
"You know, I won't say sorry"
"Neither will I"
"Fine"
"Fine"
They sat in silence like that for a while, just sipping their drinks and looking around the place. The tourists left, chattering all the while as they passed the two at the bar. One woman, she seemed Asian, walked up to them on the way out and turned to the two of them.
"Can I have picture please. Nice American couple. Dating yes?" she asked in broken English, a smile on her face, probably at the fact she was proud at constructing a sentence in English or the fact that she understood American dating.
"Oh we're not….I mean….We"
"You afraid of a camera?" Damon teased, that smirk on his face again.
"Are you just vain enough to jump for joy every time someone wants to take your picture?"
"Oh don't be such a spoil sport" Damon was obviously enjoying Cliona's uncomfortableness. So he threw his arm around her and smiled for the woman, just to watch Cliona squirm. Cliona didn't know what else to do as the woman switched on the small silver digital camera, so she smiled before the flash went off.
"Thank you. Very much" and with that the woman was gone.
"I don't like my picture being taken" Cliona said, shrugging Damon's arm off of her.
"Why? Aren't you like Photographer Extraordinaire?" Damon asked sarcastically.
"No. I may have a degree in Photography but that doesn't mean I like being photographed. I have to be dolled up or take the picture myself. Those are the only exceptions; apart from that I prefer to be behind the camera myself"
"So you can take pictures of other people?"
"I take pictures of landscape too"
"What kind?"
"Any kind. Snow, autumn, the sea, woods, piers and docks, special occasions, lights, the sky."
"Why didn't you ever open a photography shop? Why bother opening the one that you have now with the Nut Job?"
"Because not everyone likes photos. Digital is in now and everyone has their own cameras. Besides, I promised that I'd leave with Cordelia and come to America since I was, like, twelve. And I prefer having a business partner in case I wind up going out of business. Probably the only lesson that Business classes ever taught me in school; if I fall, I should drag someone down with me."
"What a lovely lesson. I should start flicking threw your book for any leaves" Damon said, raising his glass as if to toast Cliona before taking a swig.
"Yeah well. Cordelia would only open a shop that she fully understood and we both agreed on the shop that we have now"
"Is there even a name for that type of shop? It's not exactly a junk one, or a pawn one."
Cliona rolled her eyes as if to say oh you silly thing, and said, "It's an Alternative Shop", instead.
"And that means?"
"That any kids who like dark stuff or unusual stuff can go to our shop for it"
"Dark stuff. Like witch books?"
Cliona laughed, "Well, if they want, we can order them in. We mostly do incense and herbs for that front. But we do clothes and music and posters too. We might even expand in the future, if things really pick up"
"Hm"
"So, who are you?"
"What?" that had brought Damon up short. He put down his glass and leant his arm against the counter.
"Well, all I got so far was your name. So far you know where I'm from, the –air quote- Nut Job- air quote-, the shop, the future shop plans and my photography history. And this is our third meeting"
"Well isn't it polite to let the lady speak?" Damon asked, obviously not taking anything seriously, as he picked his glass back up and held it in front of her, his elbow leaning on the counter now.
Cliona let out a burst of laughter and Damon looked over, "Me…..a lady…you are funny"
Damon put his glass back down. This woman was different to all the others in Mystic Falls, probably because she wasn't from the area. It was only fair if he told her some little details, he had let Caroline in on facts when they had first met, whether she had been his chew toy or not.
And if anything happened, he could always compel her to forget.
"Okay. What do you want to know?"
000
Two hours later and the pair were still talking. It had gotten darker outside and the teenagers had finally left school and were currently hanging around talking with a few drinks or playing by the pool table.
"Yeah but that book just got depressing"
"I didn't see anything wrong with it"
"She was a selfish whore who lacked an IQ"
"What ever you say"
"Oh don't give me that look" Cliona said, waving her arm away, as if it would wipe away Damon's fake smile.
"The one you're pulling now. You were the one who brought up the topic of books anyway"
"Yeah well, you brought up some terrible books"
"Firstly, I was going through ones I had to cover in school, years ago and, secondly, you were just trying to defend the last one! You choose one"
"Fine" Damon said, hoping to a have a bit of fun with the new woman and deciding on something that she probably hadn't read, by the looks of her. "Anne Rice"
"First movie adaption was good. They screwed up the second one, that was mostly book two with a loose bit of book three in it…and its title, of course"
Shocked, Damon looked over to Cliona and asked, "You read Anne Rice books?"
Cliona merely shrugged before taking a sip of her vodka, she had gone off the scotch after her third glass, and replying, "Is it a crime?"
"Well I have to admit. You are full of surprises. You just don't look like the type"
Cliona laughed, "Type?"
"Yeah, a type"
"Well I hate to burst your bubble, actually scratch that I love it, but erh… you don't look like you love facial piercings and black lipstick or cloaks or heavy metal or anything of the sort"
"You don't have to fit into certain stereotypes just to read a book"
"And for the first time in two hours, we agree on something" Cliona couldn't help but say with a slight hint of sarcasm, and clapped her hands.
She would have said more, only her phone rang and she answered it. "Yeah…well we agreed on it…what?... who else is there?...I'm not stupid…did you talk to her?...you'll have to do it sooner or later….yeah I don't care as long as you don't bring the party home…bye"
"Drama drama drama…."
"Shut up. I just don't want strangers in my house. Cordelia can only bring a guy home if she knows him for at least a month, that's the rule"
"Then why am I under the impression that that rule doesn't apply to you?"
"Because I'm amazing…no not really, I just don't go out a lot. But I have a new life now and I have to go out more often. Well that and the fact that I'm responsible and would have to know a guy really well myself beforehand. Cordelia could have a new guy every night and forget his name easily"
"So is she a Nut Job or a Skank?"
"Not a Skank just…likes her parties"
"I still wonder how you two are friends, I mean, how did you even meet her? You're too different"
"We met Halloween night. We were twelve and we began trading sweets, then a song came on the TV and I said I loved it and she did too so we got talking. Our parents didn't like us hanging out, which made us do it more and when my family… stuff happened, she was there for me. She always has" Cliona said, all sarcasm gone and replaced with complete sincerity in her voice now. It was obvious that as different as they were, they were close knit.
Damon wouldn't admit it but even though he and Stefan never quiet saw eye to eye, he had to protect him because he was his brother. And at the end of the day, fighting or not, they were all that they had left in this world.
"Look um…I have to go, but I enjoyed our little chat so here is my number" Cliona said, writing out her number on a sticky note, "Feel free to call anytime, I don't sleep much anyway." She added, handing him the note.
"Bye" she said and walked out, leaving a gawking Damon watch her as she left.
000
Three days, three days and no word. Cliona didn't think that she fancied the guy but she enjoyed talking to him. She had always loved a guys company, and she couldn't depend on Kyle all the time.
It was Saturday and the shop was going to close at 5:30pm. Kyle had turned up at twelve O' clock and had started the day by making Cliona her coffee and sitting down on the window sill, talking to her as she did some computer work and drank her beverage.
The chimes over the door tingled as the door was opened and Lucy walked in. Kyle sat bolt upright as soon as he saw her. Cliona didn't let that go unnoticed. Kyle's eyes didn't leave the raven haired girl once.
"Hi. I was wondering if you've got any lavender, thyme or sage."
"Sure, I think we've got all three" Cliona responded, moving from behind the counter to go to the shelf where the herbs were kept.
"Doing some cooking I see. I like your choice" Cliona chattered, moving behind the shelf and looking for the herbs. Lucy looked around and locked eyes with Kyle again who waved shyly and couldn't help but look away. Lucy mouthed a 'hi' to him before turning back to the Irish woman by the shelf.
"Lavender is a calming herb and Sage is said, according to myth, to cleanse an area and prevent any evil from touching the place" Cliona was still chattering, making Lucy avert her eyes again, for some reason. Cliona picked up all three herbs, which were tied together individually by a thin rope, and went to stand behind the counter, pushing buttons on the till. The scent of the herbs filled her nostrils and calmed her. Kyle had actually mentioned before, how the shop always had an 'amazing witchy smell'.
"That'll be $7.50 please"
Lucy handed the brunette a ten dollar bill and waited for her change. She seemed a little nervous and uncomfortable. Cliona picked up on this and tried to lighten the mood by becoming her worst nightmare, an adult that asked about school.
"So how is school going?" she asked, as the register opened up and she put in the money.
"Okay?"
"Dragged down by homework yet? I remember this one guy in my school used to give us tonnes and then forget all about it or not turn up" Lucy smiled at this and looked down at the ground before looking back up at Cliona and saying, "Not yet, but soon"
"Exams eh? Kyle's doing them too aren't you?" Cliona asked, turning to Kyle, purposefully trying to include him, as she pulled out the change and picked up a small brown paper bag to put the herbs into.
"Yeah" Kyle responded, only for Cliona to give him the evil eye so he would keep talking, "The new History teacher is cool though"
"Yeah, he's cool. We're both in his class. 3rd Period, right?" Lucy responded to him, pointing her finger with a smile on her face, temporarily forgetting all about her shyness. Cliona couldn't help but smile herself, proud that she had gotten the two teens talking. Perhaps this could happen every time she came to visit the shop. Maybe, thought Cliona, as she handed Lucy her bag. It was amazing how Cliona wasn't a sociable person, yet could easily get people to talk. It had always been this way, she had once had a friend who suffered from terrible insomnia, but every time she slept over, it would be the only night that they ever got a goodnight's sleep. If someone was depressed she was always the only person who could make that person laugh.
As Lucy took the bag her hand brushed against Cliona's and she jerked and froze, completely zoning out, with one hand on the bag while Cliona was holding the other end. It had ended as soon as it began. "Sorry...I…I need to go".
And with that she ran out of the shop.
"What was that about?" Kyle asked, looking threw the window to get a good look at Lucy as she crossed the road.
"Don't know, Lover Boy."
"Huh?"
"Oh come on, you obviously have the hots for her. And don't give me that 'nervous around girls in general' crap. You fancy her. And I think that she sorta likes you too"
"Thanks for the advice, Hitch" Kyle snorted, crossing his arms and leaning against the window as he kept his eyes trained on the people outside.
"I'm serious, she was really nervous, didn't you see her? And she only smiled once you talked to her. Even a guy with half a brain could figure that out"
Kyle didn't say anything.
"When did you find out?"
"Find out what?
"That you liked her"
"Last year, she helped me into the hall when my hands were full. She was just nice about it. Then I kept seeing her around"
"You want to go for a break? I'll put up the lunch sign." Cliona said, deciding she didn't want to hear anymore. Kyle hadn't even agreed, but Cliona had already flipped the sign and locked the door, so Kyle took it as time to leave and went out back to smoke.
He didn't know how to feel now. He felt his heart race and a funny feeling in his stomach, along with goose-bumps and an adrenaline rush but…
Never mind.
He had only taken his first drag when Cliona walked out and yanked it off of him, only to take a pull, of whatever plant had been rolled up, for herself. "Sharing is caring and I need it"
"Bad news?"
"Phone call…of the worst kind."
"What happened?"
"Nothing…lets just hope that you don't get pulled into it?"
"Cops?" Kyle blurted without even thinking, paranoia kicking in.
"Worse, the past"
000
Damon still hadn't called. And Cliona wasn't going to bother contacting him. She had gotten his number in the Phonebook and had saved it to her phone, but hadn't made any thought as to calling him. She refused to chase after a guy. She found it pathetic and guys like that only played hard to get and then toyed with the women before completely breaking their heart. No way, she wasn't a fool. She knew all about this sort of thing. If a guy liked her, or genuinely wanted to spend time with her, then he would make the first move. She knew that it seemed stubborn but to her, it seemed smart, and maybe even responsible.
She wasn't going to call him and that was that, even if he had crossed her mind more than once today. She found the guy interesting, and she was her first adult friend, if she could even call him that, which she had made since she arrived in Mystic Falls. It wasn't her fault.
So that was final.
There would be no calling Damon Salvatore.
000
Damon had a feeling that Cliona had gotten his number. It was a small town after all. He didn't want to ring her. He didn't mind seeing her again but ringing always meant that he was making the first move of something. And she wasn't the kind of girl who would understand his lifestyle choices. Even is she did drink.
She does read those Anne Rice books too. You didn't expect that either
Yeah, but there's a difference about reading about vampires and-
He wouldn't think about it anymore. He just didn't want to call her. She probably expected him to chase her, that's why she had given him her number. Well he wasn't going to do it. No one was going to make a fool out of him and that was it. He had been there with Katherine. He'd chased her down and where had that gotten him?
Just because she was one of those rare people that he could actually pay attention to, didn't mean he liked her and was going to do anything.
There would be no calling Cliona Murphy.
000
Cordelia was in work with Cliona that Sunday. Sundays were only from 9am to 12pm. Cordelia was behind the counter today, as Cliona stacked, seeing as Kyle didn't work on Sundays, but Cordelia was here so it was okay. Two people were in the shop at all times. Cordelia liked to walk out but she always worked Mondays, Tuesdays and assisted Cliona on Sundays. Cliona usually worked Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and Saturdays. She never complained about too much work because she enjoyed it, so she didn't care if Cordelia wandered off, she only cared about her telling the truth about where she went.
The bell jingled for the second time that day, the first being Lucy.
"Oh thank goodness you're here. You must be Miss. Graham. I'm Cecile. I work next door?" came the cheery voice.
Oh no. It's Maxine.
Cliona didn't dare to peek through the shelf. She didn't want to see this woman at all.
"I just wanted to tell you and Miss Cliona that there will be a party in the Lockwood Mansion. It's this Tuesday. It's a bit of an annual town celebration and seeing as you're new here, you might not know. And you are part of the town now so I just thought to give you an open invitation. Everyone will be there. It would even be a great place to advertise you're…shop"
Cliona wrinkled her nose from behind the shelf. She could only imagine the look that Cecile had pulled when she had said that. She also knew that Cordelia wasn't a person to be taken lightly. She could easily play someone at their own game.
"Thank you Cecile. And may I say, that is a lovely top you are wearing. It's so… vintage" the way Cordelia had responded snootily, yet sickly sweet, had Cliona trying to stifle her laughter from behind the shelf.
"Well. That's it. Hope to see you there"
Cliona didn't move until she heard the shop door open and close, the bells jingling.
"What a bitch" Cordelia remarked, as Cliona came out behind the shelf. "I thought you were just being paranoid but…ugh"
"I know"
"So"
"So…what?"
"Party"
"I don't know"
"Oh come on, it's in a mansion. And these people seem to like your sense of style"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Lover boy might be there"
"What did I tell you about that?"
"Okay okay, no need to lose the plot with me over it. I-"
The door jingled and both women turned around to face the door. An olive skinned brunette walked in, flanked by a tanned girl with black hair and another girl, who was blonde and seemed to be scared of the contents of the shop. They wandered over to the herbs section, so Cliona went to stand behind the counter with Cordelia, who was fiddling with her black scarf.
"The herbs seem to be selling out fast, whatever it is about these townies and their plants? I mean, Kyle could easily make an excellent botanist and…Oh for Gods sake, quit it. I don't even know why you're wearing a scarf today anyway. It's not even cold. Weird people and their fashions" Cliona said.
The three new customers walked up to the counter, the tanned girl put a handful of different herbs on the counter.
Cordelia ignored Cliona and instead started taking the prices and selling the stuff.
"But it's creepy. Why am I even here?" the blonde was whining to the brunette.
"Because it's the only way that we can find…her. And we need to"
"Not to me. She's mean Elena! Think about everything's she's done to you. And to Stefan! We don't need her here"
"What if we need information on something?"
"That's what we got Rick for!"
"Caroline", the girl called Elena said in a voice that sounded reprimanding.
"Thanks" the girl paying for the herbs said, before walking off with the other two trailing after her.
"Well that was certainly weird-ish" Cliona said.
"Don't you dare try to avoid the real subject here"
"And what would that be?" Cliona asked, innocently as she moved from behind the counter, to the front and leaned on it, her elbow resting on the countertop with her head resting on her hand.
"You" Cordelia smiled, "Are trying to avoid running into that guy"
"We just talk!"
"I just talked to my guy and you instantly jumped to conclusions"
"That's different!"
"Why?"
"Because you-….slept in his house"
"That's not what you were going to say"
"What do you want me to say?"
"Oh I don't know, the truth?"
"Oh that's rich!"
"Is it? Because I'm in trouble if I'm not honest with you yet you can keep anything from me!"
"You lie too! Delivery guy remember?"
"And we're back to that again!"Cordelia shouted, throwing her arms in the air.
"Yes we are! It was our first day together and you didn't show up!"
"You already got back at me for that, you hired Kyle"
"You love Kyle! If I got you back for something, you'd still hate it!"
"You know what? I don't need this. I'm leaving!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
And with that the door slammed shut.
Cliona had told her to drop it.
Yes she did. Yet Delia just kept at it and Cliona is someone who can hold a grudge so you better say sorry soon!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter
Thanks to my only review last chapter! It was much appreciated!
Review! Please…and you might get a taster of the next chapter ;)
Skitz xxx