ONE

I didn't want to be there anymore. The music was way too loud and I couldn't even hear Bonnie and Caroline shouting at me on the dance floor. The strobe lights were fun at first, but now I'm outside, I can still see the colors every time I blink. I only had three drinks so I barely have a buzz, but my new heels are slightly uncomfortable which causes me to walk slower, giving others the illusion that I'm closer to tipsy.

Caroline was so excited when she got our fake IDs, saying we would have so much fun, enjoy cocktails and meet boys, but right now I would like a refund.

I don't understand why people enjoy clubs. Overpriced drinks, loud music that makes your eardrums sore and sweaty strangers brushing up against every side of your body. My skin crawled just from the thought of getting groped by someone. Maybe when I'm older clubs will be a different experience because clubbing at 16 is awful.

Once I'm outside, the cool spring air of the night hits my warm skin and it feels refreshing. My blue dress is snug but it made me sweat while I danced for the two hours that I could manage. The cool air is a relief, but I still have a 15 minute walk in these shoes before I get home. If I take that restaurant alleyway as a shortcut, it could be 6 minutes.

I walk down the street and come to the restaurant and I notice it's closed. It's been closed for weeks while it was on the market, but since it was bought recently, during the night there has been a single light inside, but it was off. It must be really late.

I turn left up the alley as I pull my purse to my front and pull out my phone to read the clock. Almost 2am. My aunt Jenna is gonna be furious if she catches me like this.

I turn on my flashlight app, like I've done many times before so I can see any obstructions in my path. Further up the alley I see a silhouette of what looks like a car sandwiched between the buildings. There was easily enough space for me to walk past. I begin to smell the waste of the restaurant as I near the car and it makes the alcohol in my stomach churn more. I make it to the car and I use my only source of light to check both spaces on both sides again. My hand suddenly slips and I almost drop my phone, but I manage to catch it with my fingers, but doing so I accidentally turn off the light. The alley is quite dark without it. You would think they would put some lights up to make things easier.

I regain control of my phone and find the flashlight again. Once I turned it on and looked up, I jumped back in shock, seeing a dark haired man standing in front of me. I assume it's the owner of the car.

"Sorry." I say.

"It's alright. You shouldn't be walking through poorly lit alleyways." He said softly.

"It's a shortcut to my house." I explained. "I've done it before." I replied, my voice a little shaky with fear.

"You would think they would put some lights up to make it easier." He replied and I couldn't help smile that we shared the same thought. He is quite handsome for a stranger in an alley, square jaw, dark hair and gray eyes or they could be blue, it's hard to tell in this harsh lighting.

"Would you like a lift home? I was just leaving my restaurant." He asked.

At first, the offer surprised me, but then it scared me. Getting into a car with a strange man was never a good idea.

"It's okay, it's not far away." I replied, begging that he doesn't ask me again.

"I'm sorry." He said and then pulled out his phone and switched on his light too. "I'm Damon." He smiled at me and with both our lights on I see his eyes are blue, like ocean blue. I hesitated for a second, but then I replied.

"I'm Elena." I say but I don't offer a handshake.

"Nice to meet you, Elena." He said in a voice that sounded kind. "I just moved here and bought this restaurant." He gestured to the building beside us. "There, we aren't strangers anymore." He finished and it feels like he's being genuine.

"Nice to meet you too but…" I trail off.

"Ah, don't worry, I get it. Doesn't feel right to get into a stranger's car." He said, understanding my fears. "Can I at least walk you the rest of the way up this alley. You shouldn't be walking by yourself when it's this late." He offered as he made an excellent point. For some reason I don't hesitate in my next reply.

"Okay, this alley does creep me out." He lets out a small chuckle and agrees.

"It is creepy, but now I own the restaurant, I'll get some lights out here."

He leads me past his car and we walk side by side using our phones together to light our path.

"You look young to be dressed up and out this late." He commented and I let out a sigh.

"Yeah, fake ID." I admit with a shy smile. "My friends brought me to the club up the street, but I didn't like it." I'm actually surprised that I'm straight up honest with him.

"Oof, I agree with you there. There's nothing good about nightclubs." He smiled over at me before continuing. "A restaurant with amazing food, fine wine and good company is way better than getting wasted on 15 dollar cocktails while getting deaf at the same time." I couldn't help but laugh at his comparison and to be honest, the restaurant idea sounded way better.

"You're the new owner of Marie's?" I ask, knowing it's a stupid question, but I want to know more about it.

"Yes. The reconstruction is complete now and the new menu is almost ready. I decided early on that I was keeping the name of the restaurant."

"Good, I've been coming to Marie's diner since I was a kid." I told him.

"Really? What was your favorite dish on the old menu?" He asked.

I take a moment to think of all the amazing comfort foods that were available. The fried chicken sandwich was a guilty pleasure, the Mac and cheese was heavenly and they had about 6 different kinds of fruit pie.

"Hard to pick, but probably the blueberry pie." I answer and all this food talk has made me hungry. "I had it a lot when I was younger."

"Comfort dessert, I can understand that." He replied with a slight smirk. I look up and notice that we've almost made it to the other side of the street and surprisingly it saddens me because I want to keep talking about Marie's.

"It might be tricky to put it on the new menu, but I promise I'll try." Hearing him make this promise warms my heart for some reason, maybe because the memories I have attached to it.

"So you're not opening a diner?" I ask, wondering what the new menu will be.

"I do love the appeal of an American diner, but my dream has always been an authentic Italian restaurant." He answered. "It'd also be great to sell my family's wine to the people of Mystic Falls." I wanted to ask what he meant by that, but I realized we walked out into the illuminated street that completed my shortcut. We both shut off our lights and then he turned to me, his blue eyes floating over me.

"Get home safe, Elena. I'll see you around." He gives a warm smile. With the street lights over us I was able to take in his full appearance. My first impression is 'bad-boy restaurant owner'. He's wearing mostly all black except for the dark blue shirt underneath his leather jacket. His dress sense is just as handsome as his face, but I can't think like that. I subtly shake my head and just focus on the two more streets I have to walk down before I'm home.

"I will, thanks for walking me." I say with a small smile. He nods at me and then waves before turning back up the alley and disappears into the darkness. I catch myself blushing from our last exchange and I notice my heart is pumping like I've been jogging. What is wrong with me? Am I coming down with the flu? Or a parasite?

It doesn't take me long to reach my house and I notice the porch light is on. I can't be sure if my aunt Jenna is waiting for me or not. I decided to risk the front door because there's no way I can climb up to my window in this dress and heels. Surprisingly I'm not ambushed when I enter the house quietly. I'm up the stairs and in my room in less than a minute and undress from the awful shoes. I text Caroline saying I made it home without getting in trouble and then try to sleep.

But my thoughts are all about the kind, dark-haired man that escorted me through that dark alley to make sure I was safe. Talking about Marie's with him was nice because I had many great memories of my parents at that diner. For a moment, I wondered if I would see him again, but then I realized he was the new owner of Marie's, the best eatery in town. I mean, if you want a decent burger and fries you go to the Grill. But the Grill was also a bar so it wasn't the ideal place for intimate dates. An authentic Italian restaurant sounded perfect for that sort of thing. I'd have to convince Jeremy and Jenna to go there sometime after it's open. The way Damon talked about food was quite something, a passion no doubt, so his food must be of high quality.

I hope I see him again. I can't explain what I was feeling after he left, but I know seeing him again would make me happy.