Chapter 12:
"It's kind of depressing in here," I remark, looking around the inside of the Salvatore Boarding House. Right now, I'm not impressed. It's dark and slightly musty, with way too much red and velvet. It reminds me of an antique store—creepy yet elegant.
"I don't think anyone's ever told me that," Damon muses, sitting on a gothic-looking, red armchair. It looks well-used and loved. "Most people are impressed."
"I'm not most people."
"I definitely know that."
There's a pause in our conversation. I continue to look around the living room, and Damon continues to look at me. The look he's giving me sends tingles down my spine. It makes me stand up straighter, aware of every single one of his movements and every single one of his breaths.
He's making me nervous. In a good way.
I really need to leave.
"I should go," My voice is hoarse, "Charlie will be wondering where I am."
I start to walk towards the door, but Damon is faster. He's up and in front of me so quickly I forget to breathe.
"Are you sure?" he asks softly, "You don't have to."
"No," I'm adamant now, "I should really get going." I push my way past him. But I'm not two steps before he grabs my arm, forcing me to look at him.
I look into his eyes watching as they dilate into pitch black holes.
"Stay." His voice is firm, almost commanding.
"Damon, I need to go."
He's looking at me in complete shock. He's probably never been turned down like that before. He's too beautiful to be turned down like that. I'm crazy to turn him down like that.
"Ok," His voice is guarded, "I guess I'll see you around."
"I guess you will, Stranger." This time when I walk away Damon lets me go without a problem. It kind of makes me sad.
I'm almost out the door when I hear him call to me:
"Bella, have you ever heard of vervain before?"
"No, what's vervain?"
"It's nothing. Nothing at all."
As I step outside, the cool night air embraces me, soothing the heat on my face. I'm both relieved and troubled by the encounter with Damon. He's intriguing, captivating, but there's an undercurrent of danger around him that I can't ignore.
Heading towards my car, I can't shake off the feeling that I'm being watched. Glancing around nervously, I catch a glimpse of movement in the shadows. It's probably just my imagination playing tricks on me, but the sensation persists.
Fumbling with my keys, I finally manage to unlock the car door and slide inside. As I start the engine, I glance once more at the looming silhouette of the Salvatore Boarding House. Something about that place feels off, like it's hiding secrets just beneath its elegant facade.
Shaking my head to clear away the unease, I drive off into the night, leaving behind the enigmatic Damon Salvatore and the mysteries of his world. But I can't shake the feeling that our paths will cross again, and next time, things might not be so easy to walk away from.
"So you were out with friends," it's the first thing I hear when I walk through the doors of my new house. Charlie sits on the couch, beer in hand, watching the black screen of the TV.
He was waiting for me.
"Yeah, we went to this place called the Grill," I hang up my purse and keys and slowly walk towards my dad.
"Hmm," is all he says before taking another swig of his beer.
I don't know what to say to him. I was never good at talking to Charlie. We had a—complicated relationship. Loving, but complicated.
"That's good," he finally says, "I'm glad you're making new friends." I don't tell him that my "new friends" aren't actually my friends.
"Yeah, they're great," I say with a fake smile. I point towards the ceiling, "I'm going to go to bed now…" my words trail off. Charlie gives me a nod as his usual I love you for the day.
I rush up the stairs and quickly get ready for bed. I'm exhausted and I'm just now realizing it. It's like after you go for a nice long run. For the first ten minutes after, you feel amped and ready to do more, but after that, you crash and all you want to do is fall flat on your face.
That's exactly what I do when I fall onto my blue comforter. Well, not on my face—I fall on my back and I think.
I think about what's going to happen tomorrow at school. How Elena and Stefan will react to me choosing Damon over them? Will I actually make any new friends? There are a thousand different scenarios playing in my mind and it's starting to give me a headache.
So I shut it off.
I stop thinking about anything and everything that has to do with tomorrow, and I just concentrate on right now.
My light breathing, the fan that creates the white noise I need to fall asleep, and the sound of a crow that caws seem incredibly close to my house.
It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep.
As I drift off, I can't shake the feeling that tomorrow will bring more surprises than I'm ready for. But for now, in the peaceful darkness of my room, I allow myself to escape into the realm of dreams, where anything is possible, and the worries of reality fade away, if only for a little while.
