Happy Birthday, Eva. I hope it's fantabulous!
After ringing up a boxed set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books for a customer, Elena glances around the shop and smiles when she finds Nadia again.
The child is standing on her tiptoes, squinting through a tiny window.
Elena feels an unexpected rush of tenderness as she approaches her. "Hi, Nadia. Where's your uncle?" She starts to ask when Damon appears.
"Hello, Elena," he greets her with a wag of his brows.
"Hi." Elena pushes a strand of hair behind her ears as she feels her cheeks flush.
"She seems fascinated with your fairy house," Damon comments.
"Would you like to see a book about fairies?" Elena asks and sees Nadia's face light up as she bobs her head.
As Elena stands, she offers her hand, smiling when Nadia latches on.
"The children's room is right through here." Elena leads them under the arch and into the room with child-sized furniture. While Nadia sits, Elena searches for a book and pulls it off the shelf.
"Here you go, she says as she sets it in front of the little brown-haired girl and opens it, revealing the beautifully illustrated pictures.
"Feel free to look around. There are other fairy books, fairytales, Junie B Jones, and many others," Elena tells Damon when she notices a wave from one of her employees and excuses herself.
As Elena guides a woman to the young adult section, she catches a glimpse of Damon lifting Nadia onto his shoulders to get a closer look at some of her wildflower artwork. She opted for them over movie posters to fit the overall theme of her store.
Elena's stomach does a little flip as she sees how his henley molds to the powerful line of his back.
Dragging her gaze from him, Elena turns back to a man purchasing a journal for his daughter.
"I like the wildflower pictures and quotes you have around the store. They're inspiring," the man says as he pulls his wallet out of his back pocket.
"Thank you." Elena smiles at him as she rings up his purchase.
"I especially like the dandelion one. Some see a weed; some see a wish." Damon joins the conversation as he approaches with Nadia walking beside him, holding a fairy book.
As Elena meets his gaze, she feels her cheeks burning. "Do you like wildflowers?"
"I do. Stefan, Katherine and I used to pick them for my mom."
There's the stomach flip again. Elena fumbles a little as she slides the journal into a bag. "Here you go," she says as she it to him.
"You have a very nice place here," he tells her as he steps away from the counter to leave the store.
"Nadia wants this book," Damon hands it to her along with his credit card.
"Thanks so much!" Elena rings up the purchase. I know she'll love it."
"I'm sure she will," Damon replies and hands Nadia the bag. "What do you say?" he asks her.
"Thank you," Nadia beams at her.
"You welcome, Nadia. You come in anytime you want. If the store isn't busy, I can read to you."
"She'd love that." Damon winks at his niece. "Thank you, Elena, for everything," Damon tells her sincerely, holding his stare for several moments before feeling Nadia take his hand and begin to pull.
The bell jingles as Damon pushes open the door.
"Bye," Nadia waves to Elena as they walk away.
The sun is shining bright as Damon, Stefan, and Nadia arrive at the Mystic Falls fall festival. The air is filled with the sweet aroma of caramel apples and cotton candy. The sound of laughter and music fills the air. Nadia's eyes widen with excitement as she points to the Merry-Go-Round.
"Can I ride it?"
"Sure, let's look around a little then we'll get some tickets," Damon assures her.
They start by exploring the food stalls. They try some delicious pumpkin pie and hot apple cider. Nadia is fascinated by the variety of food and drinks available.
They then move on to the games section where Stefan plays ring toss and wins a stuffed teddy bear for Nadia.
"Thank you, Uncle Stefan. I'm going to call him Smokey," she tells him excitedly.
"You're welcome, kid."
Next, they went to the petting zoo where Nadia pets a baby goat and a bunny. She's beaming when the goat starts eating out of her hand.
"Can we ride now?" Nadia asks, looking up at Damon as they walk through the midway.
"Sure," he laughs as they return to the carousel.
"I'll catch up to you a little later," Stefan calls out before disappearing into the crowd.
Damon purchases a couple of tickets and they climb aboard the merry-go-round, the sweet smell of cotton candy filling their nostrils. The platform is decorated with colorful lights and cheerful music plays in the background.
As the platform begins to rotate, Nadia feels a rush of excitement. She laughs as they go round and round, the wind blowing through their hair. The horses on the platform bob up and down. The ride is over too soon, and she stumbles off the platform, dizzy and breathless.
"Can we do that again?" she asks excitedly.
"A little later," Damon tells her as he takes her hand and they go to find Stefan.
It's not even been an hour since she arrived at Mystic Falls' annual fall festival and Elena is roaming around for any sign of Caroline who took off with Tyler Lockwood.
She meanders over to the refreshment stand where she accepts a hot glass of caramel apple cider.
"First rule of any Mystic Falls soirée, bring your alcohol."
Elena whirls around, nearly knocking over a passerby. Damon's strong arms quickly wrap themselves around her waist and hold her upright, catching her before she lands in a heap.
"Maybe you've already had enough?" he quips with a smirk.
"You're hilarious," Elena deadpans, straightening herself out before looking at him. "Where's Nadia?" She asks as she looks around.
"Stefan and Klaus are taking her on some rides. She's having a blast."
"I'm glad to hear it. Have you seen Tyler Lockwood?" she asks.
Damon laughs. "Whoa! Forgot to hit your turn signal for that segue way."
"My friend Caroline took off with him. You don't know her but I assume you know him," Elena explains.
"Yep, I know him!" Damon admits as he reaches into his jacket and pulls out a small silver vessel. "You want a swallow?"
Elena rolls her eyes. "You brought a flask!?"
"Yeah!" Damon flashes the shiny silver container, an inviting smile on his lips and mischief lighting his eyes as he takes a drink. "It'll add a nice flavor to your cider."
"Maybe a drop or two," Elena extends her cup, allowing him to pour a little bit into her glass.
"There you go. I enjoy an occasional glass of bourbon," Damon adds as he takes a sip and screws the lid back on.
"Mm, you're right, it gives it a nice touch," Elena admits after having a swallow.
"Elena?" comes from behind her.
Elena turns to see Caroline waving her arm. She's grateful that her friend finally showed up.
"There's Caroline. Bye, Damon." Elena drops her cup in the garbage can and skirts through the crowd to meet her friend.
"Where's Tyler?"
"His family is big in this town. He had to do something for his mother. You can ask Damon to join us..." Caroline suggests as she looks at some homemade jewelry at one of the booths.
"Caroline, no. He is in a relationship."
"I bet he won't be for long because he clearly likes you," Caroline informs her as picks a turquoise necklace to purchase.
"What do you want me to say, Caroline? He's involved with another woman."
"What if he wasn't?" The blonde counters.
"But he is. I'll admit I'm very attracted to him...it is what it is. Can we drop it now?" Elena asks in frustration.
"Whatever you say," Caroline concedes. "Let's go on some rides."
Elena glances back at Damon who's chatting with someone. '
Sighing inside, she turns back to Caroline. "I'd like that."
The sun is setting, casting a warm orange glow over the fields. They climb aboard the hay wagon, the sweet smell of hay filling the air.
"Elena, hi," Damon says as he lifts Nadia into the flatbed before climbing in himself.
"This is my brother Stefan and our friend, Klaus," he introduces them.
"Lockwood," Damon acknowledges him.
"Salvatore." Tyler returns the gesture.
"Damon has mentioned you, it's nice to finally meet you," Elena shakes Stefan's hand first and then offers her hand to Klaus. "This is my best friend, Caroline."
"Damon," He says as he sits down and pulls Nadia on his lap.
"Here we go," announces the driver, a friendly old man with a twinkle in his eye, cracks the whip and the horses start to move. They bounce along the bumpy dirt road, the sound of the horses' hooves echoing in the stillness.
As they ride, they pass by fields of corn and wheat, the stalks rustling in the breeze. The sky turns from orange to pink to purple, and the stars begin to twinkle overhead. They huddle together under a blanket, sipping hot cider and laughing at Stefan's droll jokes.
Afterward, they watch the fireworks display which lights up the sky with bright colors. Nadia is mesmerized.
When it's all over, Klaus picks up a now-sleeping Nadia to carry her to the car while Damon goes to say goodnight to someone else.
Damon finds Elena standing alone as she waits for her friend and Lockwood.
"I hope we can do this again," he says to her.
Elena smiles. "Yeah, I had a good time," she admits.
"I don't know when your friend is leaving but why don't you two come to Bad Habits for a meal on the house? It's the least I can do after everything you've done for Nadia. I don't think she'd be talking yet if not for you."
"I didn't do anything, Damon. She was ready. And you don't owe me anything."
"I insist."
"Alright, I'll bring her in before the end of the week."
"Are you coming, Elena?" comes from behind them.
"I need to run. Goodnight, Damon."
"Goodnight."
As she walks away, Damon can't help but feel torn. He's very attracted to Elena and wants to explore what's between them but there's still Andie to consider...
Nadia pads into her room and crawls into bed after her long day. She yawns loudly as Damon sits on the edge to read her a bedtime story.
She snuggles up to him, and he wraps his arm around her. Damon can feel her warmth and hear her breathing slow down as she starts to drift off to sleep.
"There was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of the cottage was a garden wherein stood two rose trees, one of which bore white and the other red roses. She had two children who were like the two rose trees, and one was called Snow-white, and the other Rose-red..."
He sets the book down and carefully slides off of the bed. Damon leans over to kiss her forehead and whispers, "Goodnight, sweet girl. I love you."
Damon watches her for a few moments before turning out the light and quietly closing the door behind him as he leaves her room.
Thank you, everyone *heart emoji*
Chapter title: Merry-Go-Round by Motley Crue
I have one more story ready to go but I'm struggling with waiting until this one is closer to completion or just go ahead and post it.
Have a fantastic weekend.