FIC: I Told You So (4/6)
TITLE: I Told You So
CHARACTERS/PAIRINGS: Caroline/Damon, slight Stefan/Elena
RATING: T
GENRE: Romance/Drama
SUMMARY: After their breakup, Damon decides he wants Caroline back. Has she already moved on?
Part One || Part Two || Part Three
The next day, Caroline came by the boarding house early. She went straight up to Damon’s room, where he was sleeping, picked up a pillow that had fallen off of the bed and onto the floor, and threw it at him. He awoke with a start.
“What the hell, Caroline?” he asked, rubbing his eyes. She made a face.
“What’re you doing in my bedroom, Caroline?” Damon asked her, and she just grinned.
“Get up and get dressed,” she ordered. “You and me are going shopping.”
“What kind of shopping?”
“Clothes shopping. Tyler wants to have engagement pictures taken.”
He groaned, but got up anyway. He stood next to Caroline in just his boxers and watched her for a moment before saying, “You miss me.”
“What?” She asked. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Why else would you be dragging me all over the place with you? You miss being with me.”
She shrugged, “You’re good company, Damon, no matter what anybody else says about you.”
He gave her a knowing look, “Uh huh. Right.”
“I miss your company, Damon. That’s all.”
The look he gave her told her that he didn’t believe her, but he didn’t say a word.
After showering and dressing, Damon looked at Caroline, “Where are we going again?”
“Clothes shopping. You used to do this with me, remember?”
“Yeah, that was before. You know, when we were together. You have Elena and Bonnie now, I know you three. You love clothes shopping.”
Caroline smiled, “Yeah, well I want a man’s opinion.”
He was starting to suspect that Caroline was doing this just because she missed him, but didn’t say a word. As they drove to the mall, they sat mostly in silence before Damon looked at her and blurted out, “Do you love him?”
“Huh?” she asked, keeping her eyes on the road.
“Tyler. Do you love him?”
Okay, so this was a little awkward, but she took a breath before saying, “Yeah. I do.”
“I don’t know, Caroline. We’ve only been broken up for six months before you go and get engaged? I don’t know, it sounds like you were desperate to move on to me…”
“What do you want me to say, Damon? That I was really heartbroken, not to mention pissed off, when you broke up with me because we were getting into a routine?” She took a quick glance at him before pulling into the mall parking lot. “Yeah, I know why you broke it off.
Stefan told me. I was hurt when I found out, but Tyler was there for me when I needed him the most.”
For the first time in a long time, Damon was speechless. He wasn’t sure what to say, and after Caroline parked the car and they were on their way into the mall, he finally said, “I’m sorry, Caroline.”
“It’s fine, Damon. I’ve gotten over it.”
He had his suspicions, but he wasn’t going to start that again. He just had a feeling that Caroline missed him - it seemed that lately, she had been hanging around a lot. Why wasn’t she spending all that time with Tyler? She would probably say, because he’s working, but Damon knew better than that. He knew that if she really wanted to spend time with someone, she would make the time. Why else would she be dragging him all over town?
-x-
Three hours later, Damon was close to getting up and just leaving. They had taken Caroline’s car, but he figured he could get home just as fast with his vampire speed. He just couldn’t take this anymore. She had told him earlier that she wanted a man’s opinion and he had given her his opinion whenever she asked, which seemed like every five minutes. She was really torturing him, and part of him was wondering if he could handle much more of this. He felt like he was about to lose his sanity when he saw Elena walk through the door. She came over to him, “What’re you doing here?”
“I’m here with Caroline,” Damon said, annoyance present in his voice. Elena just looked at him.
“Caroline just called me to ask me to come down here and help her pick between outfits. Why would she ask me if you’re down here?”
“I don’t know, Elena, but I give. I give up on this; I can’t see her this happy with someone else. It’s killing me on the inside.”
Elena looked at Damon sympathetically, “Yeah, I bet. It can’t be easy.”
“If Caroline comes back out, tell her I had something important to do.”
“What?”
“I don’t know, make something up. I just…I gotta get out of here, and if I see her in any more new outfit, I’m going to be speechless. Again.”
Deep down, Elena felt sorry for Damon. He really loved her, that much was obvious just by the way that he looked at her. It was starting to make her a little mad at Caroline, to be honest. As soon as Damon sped out of there, Caroline came out of the dressing room, dressed in her normal clothes. She was carrying a couple hangers full of clothes and looked at Elena, “Where did Damon go?”
“Caroline Forbes, I’m mad at you,” was all Elena could say, and Caroline’s expression changed. She just looked at Elena.
“How could you do this to Damon? He loves you, you know. You can just tell by the way that he looks at you. He wants to be with you, and you’re flaunting this engagement to Tyler right in his face. It’s not cool.”
Caroline avoided Elena’s gaze, not sure how to respond. After a few moments, her gaze went back up to Elena’s as she said, “Damon has this coming.”
“Because he dumped you six months ago? That was six months ago, Caroline. He feels bad enough about it, and now you have to go around, flaunting your engagement to Tyler. I mean, dress shopping and clothes shopping? That’s not something you take your ex-boyfriend to do, whether you’re friends with him or not. You had all this time to grieve the end of your relationship, all this time to get over him. But you didn’t. You just got engaged to the first guy you have a relationship with after Damon, and then throw it in his face.”
“I told him when he broke up with me that I was going to do this -“
“You were hurt, Caroline. When people are dumped, they say things out of spite. But you didn’t have to actually do it. You didn’t have to actually throw your engagement in his face. It’s just ridiculous.”
“What did you expect me to do, Elena? When he came back, I was already engaged to Tyler. I couldn’t dump Tyler just because Damon had a change of heart. What if he had another change of heart and left me again? I just couldn’t handle that.”
“I know that you love him still, Caroline. I can tell by the way you two look at each other. But you need to rethink what you’re doing to Damon. He just can’t handle it, and I’m with him on this one. It’s just cruel.” And with that, Elena walked out of the store, leaving Caroline alone with her thoughts.
CHARACTERS/PAIRINGS: Caroline/Damon, slight Stefan/Elena
RATING: T
GENRE: Romance/Drama
SUMMARY: After their breakup, Damon decides he wants Caroline back. Has she already moved on?
Part One || Part Two || Part Three
The next day, Caroline came by the boarding house early. She went straight up to Damon’s room, where he was sleeping, picked up a pillow that had fallen off of the bed and onto the floor, and threw it at him. He awoke with a start.
“What the hell, Caroline?” he asked, rubbing his eyes. She made a face.
“What’re you doing in my bedroom, Caroline?” Damon asked her, and she just grinned.
“Get up and get dressed,” she ordered. “You and me are going shopping.”
“What kind of shopping?”
“Clothes shopping. Tyler wants to have engagement pictures taken.”
He groaned, but got up anyway. He stood next to Caroline in just his boxers and watched her for a moment before saying, “You miss me.”
“What?” She asked. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Why else would you be dragging me all over the place with you? You miss being with me.”
She shrugged, “You’re good company, Damon, no matter what anybody else says about you.”
He gave her a knowing look, “Uh huh. Right.”
“I miss your company, Damon. That’s all.”
The look he gave her told her that he didn’t believe her, but he didn’t say a word.
After showering and dressing, Damon looked at Caroline, “Where are we going again?”
“Clothes shopping. You used to do this with me, remember?”
“Yeah, that was before. You know, when we were together. You have Elena and Bonnie now, I know you three. You love clothes shopping.”
Caroline smiled, “Yeah, well I want a man’s opinion.”
He was starting to suspect that Caroline was doing this just because she missed him, but didn’t say a word. As they drove to the mall, they sat mostly in silence before Damon looked at her and blurted out, “Do you love him?”
“Huh?” she asked, keeping her eyes on the road.
“Tyler. Do you love him?”
Okay, so this was a little awkward, but she took a breath before saying, “Yeah. I do.”
“I don’t know, Caroline. We’ve only been broken up for six months before you go and get engaged? I don’t know, it sounds like you were desperate to move on to me…”
“What do you want me to say, Damon? That I was really heartbroken, not to mention pissed off, when you broke up with me because we were getting into a routine?” She took a quick glance at him before pulling into the mall parking lot. “Yeah, I know why you broke it off.
Stefan told me. I was hurt when I found out, but Tyler was there for me when I needed him the most.”
For the first time in a long time, Damon was speechless. He wasn’t sure what to say, and after Caroline parked the car and they were on their way into the mall, he finally said, “I’m sorry, Caroline.”
“It’s fine, Damon. I’ve gotten over it.”
He had his suspicions, but he wasn’t going to start that again. He just had a feeling that Caroline missed him - it seemed that lately, she had been hanging around a lot. Why wasn’t she spending all that time with Tyler? She would probably say, because he’s working, but Damon knew better than that. He knew that if she really wanted to spend time with someone, she would make the time. Why else would she be dragging him all over town?
-x-
Three hours later, Damon was close to getting up and just leaving. They had taken Caroline’s car, but he figured he could get home just as fast with his vampire speed. He just couldn’t take this anymore. She had told him earlier that she wanted a man’s opinion and he had given her his opinion whenever she asked, which seemed like every five minutes. She was really torturing him, and part of him was wondering if he could handle much more of this. He felt like he was about to lose his sanity when he saw Elena walk through the door. She came over to him, “What’re you doing here?”
“I’m here with Caroline,” Damon said, annoyance present in his voice. Elena just looked at him.
“Caroline just called me to ask me to come down here and help her pick between outfits. Why would she ask me if you’re down here?”
“I don’t know, Elena, but I give. I give up on this; I can’t see her this happy with someone else. It’s killing me on the inside.”
Elena looked at Damon sympathetically, “Yeah, I bet. It can’t be easy.”
“If Caroline comes back out, tell her I had something important to do.”
“What?”
“I don’t know, make something up. I just…I gotta get out of here, and if I see her in any more new outfit, I’m going to be speechless. Again.”
Deep down, Elena felt sorry for Damon. He really loved her, that much was obvious just by the way that he looked at her. It was starting to make her a little mad at Caroline, to be honest. As soon as Damon sped out of there, Caroline came out of the dressing room, dressed in her normal clothes. She was carrying a couple hangers full of clothes and looked at Elena, “Where did Damon go?”
“Caroline Forbes, I’m mad at you,” was all Elena could say, and Caroline’s expression changed. She just looked at Elena.
“How could you do this to Damon? He loves you, you know. You can just tell by the way that he looks at you. He wants to be with you, and you’re flaunting this engagement to Tyler right in his face. It’s not cool.”
Caroline avoided Elena’s gaze, not sure how to respond. After a few moments, her gaze went back up to Elena’s as she said, “Damon has this coming.”
“Because he dumped you six months ago? That was six months ago, Caroline. He feels bad enough about it, and now you have to go around, flaunting your engagement to Tyler. I mean, dress shopping and clothes shopping? That’s not something you take your ex-boyfriend to do, whether you’re friends with him or not. You had all this time to grieve the end of your relationship, all this time to get over him. But you didn’t. You just got engaged to the first guy you have a relationship with after Damon, and then throw it in his face.”
“I told him when he broke up with me that I was going to do this -“
“You were hurt, Caroline. When people are dumped, they say things out of spite. But you didn’t have to actually do it. You didn’t have to actually throw your engagement in his face. It’s just ridiculous.”
“What did you expect me to do, Elena? When he came back, I was already engaged to Tyler. I couldn’t dump Tyler just because Damon had a change of heart. What if he had another change of heart and left me again? I just couldn’t handle that.”
“I know that you love him still, Caroline. I can tell by the way you two look at each other. But you need to rethink what you’re doing to Damon. He just can’t handle it, and I’m with him on this one. It’s just cruel.” And with that, Elena walked out of the store, leaving Caroline alone with her thoughts.