"This better be good, Elena. I'm missing out on a date with Tyler. He's waiting for me at Bad Habits."
Caroline breezes into Elena's living room, a whirlwind of energy and expensive perfume. She kisses her best friend on the cheek as she sits down on the couch where Elena is waiting with a bottle of wine, and heaves a dramatic sigh.
Elena smiles, more amused by her friend's attitude than insulted. "I appreciate that, Caroline. Really, I do," she tells her sincerely and takes a deep breath, suddenly a bit uneasy. "I wouldn't have asked you to interrupt your plans if there wasn't something really important I need to discuss with you."
Caroline frowns over the rim of her wine glass. "What's wrong?" she demands.
Elena wets her lips and plows ahead. "I kissed Damon Salvatore."
She takes a sip from her glass and when she looks up, Caroline is staring blankly at her.
Elena sighs, hands trembling.
"This is good news!" Caroline blathers, smiling giddily.
"Then why do I feel guilty? Remember he came into the store with that other woman?" Elena comments with a sigh. There is some kind of connection between them, a tether, something that makes it possible for her to feel what she's feeling even now.
"Did he kiss you back?"
Elena shakes her head slightly as if to clear the thoughts away. "Boy, did he kiss me back! He left me breathless."
Immediately Caroline bounces up and down in her seat. "Oh my God! I'm happy for you! And he is one gorgeous man."
Elena smiles wryly. "Don't you think I should keep my distance until I know where he stands with her? I don't want to be the 'other woman'."
"You deserve all the happiness in the world…if Damon brings it to you then…" Caroline reaches for her hand, squeezing gently.
Looking away, Elena feels her chest ache, heavy and full. She likes Damon, has fun with him, and he is wonderful, so sweet and loving and kind, without ever once trying to overstep his bounds...She's the one who overstepped the bounds.
In the back of her mind, she can't help thinking, 'he's with someone else.'"
"I can tell you to go for it until I'm blue in the face but the decision is ultimately yours. I wouldn't shut the door on him until you talk to him. Find out if he's still with that other woman or if he plans to end his relationship with her. If not, I'd keep him in the friend zone, after all, you do like his little girl."
"I do like Nadia and I'm sure he'll continue to bring her into the store. And you're right, I need to talk to him and find out what this thing is between us."
"I think that's your best option. I'm going to tell Tyler that we're having a girls' night. We'll find an old movie, order some food, and empty this bottle of wine," Caroline tells her as she rises from the couch and walks out of the room.
Elena feels almost dizzy as if the world is spinning beneath her as it always has.
But for some reason, she can't seem to find her balance now.
"I've been looking for you everywhere," Bonnie declares, all business.
Damon turns in surprise, squinting like he doesn't quite recognize her. He is exhausted, she can tell, with his weary eyes and slumped shoulders. Bonnie knows that Nadia's illness took a lot of him emotionally.
"You found me," Damon says after a moment, hands dropping to his hips.
Bonnie nods and takes a step closer. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Of course," Damon gestures to a seat in front of his desk."
"I just want to see how you're doing. I mean, I know Nadia being ill took a heavy toll on you. Tell me if I'm out of bounds here, but I found it concerning that Andie never showed up to support you through that nightmare."
She watches for Damon's reaction, his expression remains blank, unaffected, and he simply shrugs.
"Actually, Bonnie...Andie and I are no longer a thing," he tells her as he steeples his fingers.
Bonnie frowns. "What happened if I may be so bold?"
He shrugs again. "She wanted me to choose between her and Nadia."
"Unbelievable! Andie's a prick! As you're keenly aware, I never liked her...although I'm sorry you got hurt, I'm glad she showed her true colors before you did something stupid."
"It was like everything I thought I felt for her vanished in that moment," Damon explains, looking at her matter-of-factly.
"I don't know," Bonnie grins. "I feel a sense of opportunity?"
He shifts his eyes away from her and exhales slowly. "I don't know what you mean," he says unconvincingly.
"Elena. Anyone can see that you two like each other."
"I won't deny it and she's great with Nadia. I'm going to bring her here for something to eat after we close tonight."
"That's the best news!" Bonnie jumps to her feet to hug her best friend. "I want all the details tomorrow," she adds.
"Sure," Damon agrees as they leave the office to tend to business.
Katherine's living room is filled with cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, and packing tape. Damon and Stefan are busy packing up their belongings.
Damon feels a sense of sadness, nostalgia, and grief. Her house is filled with memories of his sister, and each item he comes across triggers a different emotion.
He feels a bit overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things that need to be sorted, packed, or discarded. He also feels a sense of guilt and regret for not having spent more time with her but he's grateful, too, for the time he spent with her and the memories they made...
Stefan is placing nicknacks in a box while Damon is wrapping photos in bubble wrap.
"Wow, look," Damon remarks as he comes across a framed picture. He walks over to Stefan to show him the image of the two of them and Katherine when they were teenagers sitting in front of a Christmas tree.
Stefan laughs. "Why don't I remember that picture being taken?"
"I don't know," Damon shakes his head.
"Do you remember the day she told Mom and Dad she was going to move here?"
"Yeah, I was 16, I think.
"And she was what- 19? She was still a kid," Stefan comments. "And Dad, he went ballistic.
"He did and she gave it right back to him," Damon laughs as he looks at her brown eyes staring back at him, forever immortalized in the photograph.
"Katherine loved living here. And I can see why, it's beautiful."
Damon sighs as a lead weight settles in his gut. "She promised she'd always be there for me, for both of us."
"You two had a bond..."
"Yeah, well... she wouldn't be too happy with me right now," Damon contends.
"Are you serious?" Stefan asks in disbelief.
"I've taken Nadia away from everything she knows. Away from her life here, Katherine is probably spitting bricks at me from wherever she is."
"Katherine knew you would never leave Mystic Falls. Your business is there, your friends, our home," Stefan sighs. "I'm sure Katherine knew if anything happened to her, you'd bring Nadia back to Mystic Falls so quit beating yourself up."
"I just don't want to fuck this up."
"You keep saying that and you need to stop. You're doing a great job, Damon. Katherine made the right choice in picking you." Stefan pats his back and the two share a moment of silence.
"Her bike's in the truck. We'll...we'll get the rest of this stuff up on another day, okay?" Stefan picks up a box and walks out of the house.
Damon looks over the house for a moment. It still feels strange and empty without her here. Shaking his head, he takes the photograph and walks out to join Stefan.
The table is set with a white tablecloth, silverware, and two crystal wine glasses. The room is dimly lit with candles, casting a warm glow.
Damon and Elena sit across from each other, their eyes locked in a gaze. Soft music plays in the background.
Elena can feel the knots and butterflies in her stomach almost to the point of nausea. She knows she needs to pull herself together to get through the evening with Damon.
He pours a glass of red wine for Elena and himself.
They begin to eat, savoring each bite of the delicious meal Damon made.
"My big sister was cool. She moved away from here as soon as she could. Virginia Beach was a great place for her. There's so much to do there and she loved it. Then one day she called that she was pregnant and the rest is history as they say."
"From what I've observed, she did a great job raising Nadia by herself."
"Katherine excelled at motherhood. She put our mother to shame," Damon averts his eyes for a moment and takes a swallow of wine.
"Katherine, like Nadia's fairy? I just made the connection," Elena remarks, feeling her eyes glaze over a bit.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring the mood down."
"Caroline left yesterday but I think she'll be back. She and Tyler Lockwood have a thing. I mean you're better than sitting at home alone."
"Thanks, I think," Damon teases with a smirk.
"Maybe I need to get out more," Elena quips as she sticks a bite of pasta into her mouth.
"Oh, that shouldn't be a problem. It's not like you're starting a business from scratch, or anything that takes up all of your time."
"Seriously?" Elena counters with a playful roll of her eyes.
Hey...you've got the commitment and the passion. That's what it takes."
"Thank you, Damon. When I caught my ex cheating, I resigned from my job and my coworkers thought I'd lost a few screws by going into business alone but this is where I'm meant to be."
"Tiptoeing down Main Street," Damon laughs, recalling her ballerina demonstration from a couple of weeks ago."
"Time for dessert. I chose these especially for you," Damon goes behind the counter and returns with a platter of cupcakes.
"Mm- cupcakes," Elena gushes, licking her lips. "Do I dare eat one?"
"I'll fry you in the sun if you don't," Damon counters with a wink and sits down to join her.
"Thanks for dinner," Elena tells him as he pulls up in front of her house and steps out to walk her to the door.
"That was..."
"Fun?" Damon adds, finishing her sentence.
"Yeah. You make me laugh," Elena smiles at him.
"And cry and dance..." Damon laughs.
"Yeah, there is that," Elena starts but is cut off when without warning, Damon takes her by the waist and tugs her against him. Their bodies are hot everywhere they touch, and he seals his mouth over hers before she can think twice.
He kisses her then, slow and deep, hot and hard like their plane is going down and they'd never get the chance again- like she is his other half.
Elena is breathless, red-faced, and dazed yet somehow manages to pull away, though it takes a supreme effort.
"Uh, Damon... I like you, but what's going on here?"
"I like you and I guess I was hoping that..."
"I'm sorry." Elena looks at him earnestly. "I'm just not into stealing other girl's guys."
"I don't think Nadia will mind."
"Andie might," Elena counters, her brows drawing together.
"Andie? That...that's over. She didn't know how to adjust to my life as a father."
"Yeah, I can see how that might put a damper on things because it always has to be about Nadia."
Silence roars between them like a heartbeat.
Damon bobs his head now, exhaling sharply and quickly. Even in the shadows, Elena is excruciatingly beautiful, with her dark eyes and tentative smile. He swallows past the lump in his throat.
"I enjoyed spending time with you tonight, regardless. Thanks for having dinner with me."
"Of course," Elena replies, watching in confusion as Damon retreats to his car and without looking back, drives away.
She has no idea what just happened, or why. And now she is left to wonder about it all night long.
Thank you! Love to all of you.
Chapter title: Misunderstood by Bon Jovi.
Puppet on a String will update next.
Have a fabulous weekend.