Closer than Most 1
A/N: I didn't proofread this chapter, I wanted to post it before I had to get to class. If there are mistakes let me know! And if there is anything that seems weird, let me know that too! I hope you enjoy!
Elena sped along the highway, pushing her fully loaded car as fast as it would go. She was a fresh grad from NYU, finished in an impressive three years, including graduating from school early. She glanced over to her passenger seat where her fresh diploma lay. She graduated with honors in creative writing. After graduation, she decided on a whim to pack up and move back home.
Mystic Falls was her home for her entire childhood. She loved it there, but a few months into her senior year she decided that she just needed a change. She’d never gone back since. She hadn’t even wanted to. Even now as she sped closer and closer to Mystic Falls, she still felt uneasy, like she should turn around and go back. Find somewhere- anywhere- else to live. The years before she left Mystic Falls were a blur to her. Her Aunt Jenna had passed, leaving Alaric in charge as their pseudo-father. But if she thought about it hard enough, she didn’t even remember Jenna’s passing or funeral. Sometimes she felt guilty about it.
To say the last few years of her life passed normally would be an overstatement. In her mind, she was a normal girl, but something was nagging on the edges of her mind telling her something was wrong. She’d have dreams of a mysterious man telling her that he loved her. He looked like he had more to say, but that was all her mind would give her. Over the years the dream would become more vivid, she saw his dark hair, she saw her bedroom, she heard the musical tone of his voice, but that’s as far as she’d gotten.
The closer she got to Mystic Falls, the more the anxiety in her chest rose. It was the same feeling she got every time she thought about going home. Something in her mind would tell her not to, so she didn’t. But now Ric was getting married and she was done with school and New York City for that matter.
No one knew she was coming, she figured they’d tell her not to. So she quietly packed and decided to move back and be there for Ric while he got married. Maybe if she surprised him, he wouldn’t feel obligated to have his wedding outside of Mystic Falls. Besides, he was marrying a woman who came from one of the founding families.
Her foot unconsciously hovered over the breaks as she neared the “Welcome to Mystic Falls” sign. She fought to gain control over her thoughts and finally pushed her foot down further on the accelerator. Once she passed the sign she immediately felt the bands around her chest fall away. It was the strangest thing she’d ever experienced. She didn’t pay much more attention to it as she pulled into the Mystic Grill. She was in desperate need of an afternoon drink.
She tried to lay low and blend in as she crossed the familiar restaurant and sat down at the bar. The drive home had done a number on her between the amount of miles she drove and fighting herself the entire way.
She plopped down on a barstool and ordered a Scotch on the rocks. After long days it was her go to alcoholic beverage, she didn’t know when she decided that it was the only thing that did the trick. But it often relaxed her more than any drink could, it made her feel normal.
“Long day?” A melodic voice chimed from the other side of her, she turned to face the voice and was accosted by a pair of the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. Or had she seen them before? She shook her head to clear herself of the thought.
“Perhaps, why do you ask?” She asked him after she got her heart to calm a little. He was clad in all black including the mass of messy dark hair on his head. He looked like sex in dark denim and leather. She almost slapped herself to keep from drooling.
“Not your typical ‘lady drink’,” he chuckled as he gestured to her half empty glass.
“Well, I’m not your typical lady,” she shot back before turning to her drink again.
“No, you certainly are not,” he said, almost to himself as he sat down next to her. She internally rolled her eyes, he was one of those guys.
“So are you new in town? I’d certainly notice a beautiful girl like you around here. Need a refill?” He said after a few moments of silence.
“I’m sorry, I’m really not interested,” she snapped at him before finishing off the amber liquid in her tumbler.
She wasn’t lying when she said she wasn’t interested. Sure he was like walking, talking sex, but it didn’t matter. She didn’t date or hook up. Every time she tried to get close to someone, something in her heart prevented her from falling. It was like it belonged to someone else, which was preposterous considering she’d only ever dated Matt. That was in high school and she’d definitely gotten over him. But her heart was in the business of protecting itself. She knew relationships only led to pain. But there was something about this guy that made her heart rate pick up and her hands get all sweaty. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like it one bit.
She was damaged goods. She was so messed up in the head. Her heart was pledged to a fictional man that she only saw in her dreams and she’d never even seen his face. It was ridiculous.
She pushed herself away from the bar and dropped enough cash to cover her drink. She turned to leave but his voice stopped her in her tracks.
“You could at least give me your name so I know who rejected me,” she turned back to see an infuriating smirk on his lips. He was too cocky for his own good. She was glad she turned him down and she’d do it again in a heartbeat. Which currently, hers was picking up at the sight of him.
“Elena, Elena Gilbert,” she said finally. He rose from his stool and sauntered over to her.
“Nice to meet you Miss Elena. I’m Damon,” he said extending his hand to her. She looked at it for a few moments before turning her gaze back to his handsome face. She was momentarily distracted by the prominent curve of his jaw and how soft his lips looked. Get it together, Gilbert, she thought to herself.
“Funny, you looked more like an ass to me,” she smirked right back at him before turning on her heel and striding out of the Grill.
She half expected him to follow her to her car and try a new line on her, but he never did. Her heart fell a little when she glanced around and he was no where to be found in the parking lot. She chastised herself for being so affected by a pretty face.
She jumped in her car and threw it into drive before heading straight to her childhood home, a pair of ice blue eyes haunting her the whole way.
---BREAK---
Sometimes he wondered why he ever decided to come back to this town. Maybe because it was his only true home. Maybe because he missed her and when he was here he felt closer to her. Sure he’d tried to find her over the years, but it was no use. So he threw himself into other activities, the biggest he achieved finally. Maybe if he could be what she wanted then she’d come back and find him.
Shit. He was turning into Stefan. Well, the old Stefan. He hadn’t seen much of his brother after that night, which was probably best for both of them. He wanted to kill him for what he did, but he knew that wasn’t what she would want. So he threw himself into things other than revenge.
He felt for the folded piece of paper that held a permanent place in the back pocket of his jeans. For as much heartbreak that paper brought him, it also made him feel like she was with him.
He looked around the almost empty restaurant from his usual corner booth, still wondering why he ever found this place appealing when his heart started pounding and he felt a lurch in his gut. It was a strange thing, usually he got that feeling when he thought of her, but never this strong. He looked toward the bar and almost dropped dead when he saw a young woman at the bar. Her hair was long and shiny. The chestnut locks hung straight around her shoulders and fell to her mid back.
He shook his head to shake off the thought, it wasn’t her. It couldn’t be. But when she turned on her stool, looking around the room he caught sight of those big doe eyes and that confirmed it for him. She was back. He didn’t waste much time mulling over how it was even possible, instead he chose to cross the room and stand right next to her at the bar.
“Long day?” He asked after he took a few breaths to steady himself. She jumped hearing his voice before turning to face him. God, she was beautiful. She had grown so much over the years. She was more a woman than he’d ever dreamed she’d become. Her breasts filled her shirt and she had a little cleavage peeking out from under her v-neck. Her waist was still tiny as ever, but her hips rounded out and all he wanted to do was put his hands on them and pull her closer. In a word, she was sexy. Sexy as hell.
“Perhaps, why do you ask?” She asked coyly. Her brown eyes were dancing with playfulness, but there was something lurking on the edges. Fear? Anxiety?
“Not your typical ‘lady drink’,” he laughed pointing to her drink. Scotch. His favorite. His mind flashed with images of her and him bonding over that drink. Her taking his glass from him and drinking it herself, or her getting him a glass of it after he killed Rose, and that fateful night when Klaus drained her like a blood bag for his hybrids and he gave her a glass of it to calm her nerves.
She clearly didn’t remember him, so how had she broken through the compulsion and gotten here in the first place? There were so many things he wanted to ask her, along with the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. He missed her, he missed the stubborn tilt to her chin when she was mad, or the soft feel of her lips against his, he missed that small smirk she would get when she outsmarted him. He just missed her. So damn much.
“Well, I’m not your typical lady,” she snapped at him. Still feisty as ever. He missed that too.
“No, you certainly are not,” he mumbled to himself. He wasn’t sure if she heard because she turned all of her attention back to the drink in front of her.
“So are you new in town? I’d certainly notice a beautiful girl like you around here. Need a refill?” He finally spoke, he didn’t want her to leave. He felt like if he could keep her talking she wouldn’t walk out of the bar and back out of his life. He wouldn’t be able to handle that.
“I’m sorry, I’m really not interested,” she shot at him, before finishing off the contents of in her tumbler, rising from her seat, and dropping cash on the bar to cover her drink.
He went into panic mode, he couldn’t let her leave, he couldn’t lose her.
“You could at least give me your name so I know who rejected me,” he called out to her, just wanting to see her eyes one more time.
“Elena, Elena Gilbert,” she said finally. He rose from his stool and walked over to her, enjoying the way her lips parted slightly with his close proximity.
“Nice to meet you Miss Elena. I’m Damon,” He smirked at her as he held his hand out for her to shake.
“Funny, you looked more like an ass to me,” the corner of her mouth turned up into the smirk he wore almost all the time. It was his Elena alright. She was back. With that remark, she turned and left the bar. He considered following her, but then he caught sight of her car, filled to the brim with all her belongings and he almost did a happy dance right then and there. She was moving back.
Elena was back.
Elena sped along the highway, pushing her fully loaded car as fast as it would go. She was a fresh grad from NYU, finished in an impressive three years, including graduating from school early. She glanced over to her passenger seat where her fresh diploma lay. She graduated with honors in creative writing. After graduation, she decided on a whim to pack up and move back home.
Mystic Falls was her home for her entire childhood. She loved it there, but a few months into her senior year she decided that she just needed a change. She’d never gone back since. She hadn’t even wanted to. Even now as she sped closer and closer to Mystic Falls, she still felt uneasy, like she should turn around and go back. Find somewhere- anywhere- else to live. The years before she left Mystic Falls were a blur to her. Her Aunt Jenna had passed, leaving Alaric in charge as their pseudo-father. But if she thought about it hard enough, she didn’t even remember Jenna’s passing or funeral. Sometimes she felt guilty about it.
To say the last few years of her life passed normally would be an overstatement. In her mind, she was a normal girl, but something was nagging on the edges of her mind telling her something was wrong. She’d have dreams of a mysterious man telling her that he loved her. He looked like he had more to say, but that was all her mind would give her. Over the years the dream would become more vivid, she saw his dark hair, she saw her bedroom, she heard the musical tone of his voice, but that’s as far as she’d gotten.
The closer she got to Mystic Falls, the more the anxiety in her chest rose. It was the same feeling she got every time she thought about going home. Something in her mind would tell her not to, so she didn’t. But now Ric was getting married and she was done with school and New York City for that matter.
No one knew she was coming, she figured they’d tell her not to. So she quietly packed and decided to move back and be there for Ric while he got married. Maybe if she surprised him, he wouldn’t feel obligated to have his wedding outside of Mystic Falls. Besides, he was marrying a woman who came from one of the founding families.
Her foot unconsciously hovered over the breaks as she neared the “Welcome to Mystic Falls” sign. She fought to gain control over her thoughts and finally pushed her foot down further on the accelerator. Once she passed the sign she immediately felt the bands around her chest fall away. It was the strangest thing she’d ever experienced. She didn’t pay much more attention to it as she pulled into the Mystic Grill. She was in desperate need of an afternoon drink.
She tried to lay low and blend in as she crossed the familiar restaurant and sat down at the bar. The drive home had done a number on her between the amount of miles she drove and fighting herself the entire way.
She plopped down on a barstool and ordered a Scotch on the rocks. After long days it was her go to alcoholic beverage, she didn’t know when she decided that it was the only thing that did the trick. But it often relaxed her more than any drink could, it made her feel normal.
“Long day?” A melodic voice chimed from the other side of her, she turned to face the voice and was accosted by a pair of the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. Or had she seen them before? She shook her head to clear herself of the thought.
“Perhaps, why do you ask?” She asked him after she got her heart to calm a little. He was clad in all black including the mass of messy dark hair on his head. He looked like sex in dark denim and leather. She almost slapped herself to keep from drooling.
“Not your typical ‘lady drink’,” he chuckled as he gestured to her half empty glass.
“Well, I’m not your typical lady,” she shot back before turning to her drink again.
“No, you certainly are not,” he said, almost to himself as he sat down next to her. She internally rolled her eyes, he was one of those guys.
“So are you new in town? I’d certainly notice a beautiful girl like you around here. Need a refill?” He said after a few moments of silence.
“I’m sorry, I’m really not interested,” she snapped at him before finishing off the amber liquid in her tumbler.
She wasn’t lying when she said she wasn’t interested. Sure he was like walking, talking sex, but it didn’t matter. She didn’t date or hook up. Every time she tried to get close to someone, something in her heart prevented her from falling. It was like it belonged to someone else, which was preposterous considering she’d only ever dated Matt. That was in high school and she’d definitely gotten over him. But her heart was in the business of protecting itself. She knew relationships only led to pain. But there was something about this guy that made her heart rate pick up and her hands get all sweaty. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like it one bit.
She was damaged goods. She was so messed up in the head. Her heart was pledged to a fictional man that she only saw in her dreams and she’d never even seen his face. It was ridiculous.
She pushed herself away from the bar and dropped enough cash to cover her drink. She turned to leave but his voice stopped her in her tracks.
“You could at least give me your name so I know who rejected me,” she turned back to see an infuriating smirk on his lips. He was too cocky for his own good. She was glad she turned him down and she’d do it again in a heartbeat. Which currently, hers was picking up at the sight of him.
“Elena, Elena Gilbert,” she said finally. He rose from his stool and sauntered over to her.
“Nice to meet you Miss Elena. I’m Damon,” he said extending his hand to her. She looked at it for a few moments before turning her gaze back to his handsome face. She was momentarily distracted by the prominent curve of his jaw and how soft his lips looked. Get it together, Gilbert, she thought to herself.
“Funny, you looked more like an ass to me,” she smirked right back at him before turning on her heel and striding out of the Grill.
She half expected him to follow her to her car and try a new line on her, but he never did. Her heart fell a little when she glanced around and he was no where to be found in the parking lot. She chastised herself for being so affected by a pretty face.
She jumped in her car and threw it into drive before heading straight to her childhood home, a pair of ice blue eyes haunting her the whole way.
---BREAK---
Sometimes he wondered why he ever decided to come back to this town. Maybe because it was his only true home. Maybe because he missed her and when he was here he felt closer to her. Sure he’d tried to find her over the years, but it was no use. So he threw himself into other activities, the biggest he achieved finally. Maybe if he could be what she wanted then she’d come back and find him.
Shit. He was turning into Stefan. Well, the old Stefan. He hadn’t seen much of his brother after that night, which was probably best for both of them. He wanted to kill him for what he did, but he knew that wasn’t what she would want. So he threw himself into things other than revenge.
He felt for the folded piece of paper that held a permanent place in the back pocket of his jeans. For as much heartbreak that paper brought him, it also made him feel like she was with him.
He looked around the almost empty restaurant from his usual corner booth, still wondering why he ever found this place appealing when his heart started pounding and he felt a lurch in his gut. It was a strange thing, usually he got that feeling when he thought of her, but never this strong. He looked toward the bar and almost dropped dead when he saw a young woman at the bar. Her hair was long and shiny. The chestnut locks hung straight around her shoulders and fell to her mid back.
He shook his head to shake off the thought, it wasn’t her. It couldn’t be. But when she turned on her stool, looking around the room he caught sight of those big doe eyes and that confirmed it for him. She was back. He didn’t waste much time mulling over how it was even possible, instead he chose to cross the room and stand right next to her at the bar.
“Long day?” He asked after he took a few breaths to steady himself. She jumped hearing his voice before turning to face him. God, she was beautiful. She had grown so much over the years. She was more a woman than he’d ever dreamed she’d become. Her breasts filled her shirt and she had a little cleavage peeking out from under her v-neck. Her waist was still tiny as ever, but her hips rounded out and all he wanted to do was put his hands on them and pull her closer. In a word, she was sexy. Sexy as hell.
“Perhaps, why do you ask?” She asked coyly. Her brown eyes were dancing with playfulness, but there was something lurking on the edges. Fear? Anxiety?
“Not your typical ‘lady drink’,” he laughed pointing to her drink. Scotch. His favorite. His mind flashed with images of her and him bonding over that drink. Her taking his glass from him and drinking it herself, or her getting him a glass of it after he killed Rose, and that fateful night when Klaus drained her like a blood bag for his hybrids and he gave her a glass of it to calm her nerves.
She clearly didn’t remember him, so how had she broken through the compulsion and gotten here in the first place? There were so many things he wanted to ask her, along with the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. He missed her, he missed the stubborn tilt to her chin when she was mad, or the soft feel of her lips against his, he missed that small smirk she would get when she outsmarted him. He just missed her. So damn much.
“Well, I’m not your typical lady,” she snapped at him. Still feisty as ever. He missed that too.
“No, you certainly are not,” he mumbled to himself. He wasn’t sure if she heard because she turned all of her attention back to the drink in front of her.
“So are you new in town? I’d certainly notice a beautiful girl like you around here. Need a refill?” He finally spoke, he didn’t want her to leave. He felt like if he could keep her talking she wouldn’t walk out of the bar and back out of his life. He wouldn’t be able to handle that.
“I’m sorry, I’m really not interested,” she shot at him, before finishing off the contents of in her tumbler, rising from her seat, and dropping cash on the bar to cover her drink.
He went into panic mode, he couldn’t let her leave, he couldn’t lose her.
“You could at least give me your name so I know who rejected me,” he called out to her, just wanting to see her eyes one more time.
“Elena, Elena Gilbert,” she said finally. He rose from his stool and walked over to her, enjoying the way her lips parted slightly with his close proximity.
“Nice to meet you Miss Elena. I’m Damon,” He smirked at her as he held his hand out for her to shake.
“Funny, you looked more like an ass to me,” the corner of her mouth turned up into the smirk he wore almost all the time. It was his Elena alright. She was back. With that remark, she turned and left the bar. He considered following her, but then he caught sight of her car, filled to the brim with all her belongings and he almost did a happy dance right then and there. She was moving back.
Elena was back.