And so the battleground with him had returned. She loathed him giving her all these materialistic things without even asking. However, she didn't want to fight him. She could rebel against him, but that would only lead to an argument and him feeling the need to defeat her. She would agree to wear his expensive clothes and accept his car ride.
"Fine." She spat. "Goodnight then Mr. Salvatore."
"Goodnight Miss Gilbert." Damon replied and rolled on to his back.
Elena closed her eyes even though she wasn't tired yet, but as she rested and all her muscles relaxed she drifted. She was fast asleep before she knew it.
The early morning sun peaking through his shades wasn't what awoke her. In fact, she wasn't sure if it was morning or not judging by how dark his room was. The small moans and the flinching were what startled her. This sort of behavior coming from him was odd. As she rolled over, she saw him fast asleep facing her. His face was contorted and his muscles twitched releasing an unnerving moan as they happened continuously. She had never seen like this. He looked so…vulnerable.
She hated watching and listening to him. A dream had taken the wrong path and she could only assume whatever was going on inside his head as he was asleep was painful. Not wishing to witness another minute of his agony she did the only thing she knew to do, comfort him. Her arm wrapped around him hoping he would not flea or awake in panic. She moved her body closer toward his and she held him as tight as he would let her. Damon twitched violently in her hold and she held him tighter. She knew if he was awake and calm this sort of action known as cuddling would never be allowed. The small steps she made tonight of being in his room, making love, and spending the night in the same bed as him was a lot for him. She was becoming very close to overstepping her boundaries.
Once she felt him ease and halt all further signs of suffering from a traumatic nightmare, she released him. As much as she wished to stay like this touching him in such a comforting way, she did not want to upset him more. Rolling over so her back faced him, she closed her eyes again. It was going to take her some time to fall back into a deep sleep after that. The thought of it was disturbing and she wondered what could have possibly made him unconsciously react that way.
As the minutes passed, Elena felt herself growing tired and her eyelids were heavy. Her body was sinking back into the bed and she felt at peace. Abruptly, her body jolted awake as the bed shifted and something snaked around her waist. Holding her breath and remaining still she realized what was happening. Damon was holding her. His arm lied loosely around her waist and the tip of his nose brushed the back of her head. Their bodies were touching and she pinched herself to make she wasn't dreaming. The sharp pain indicated she wasn't dreaming at all and that Damon was indeed holding her. Whether he would be alarmed or not in the morning by how he ended up this way she was enjoying every glorious minute of it before it would come to an end.
Chapter 38: Everything Has Changed
Completely rested and thrilled from last night, Elena awoke refreshed. After a night's sleep she had let her emotions and thoughts settle. The stomach churning idea of being in love with Damon was still new and she wasn't sure if she wanted to admit to it out loud quite yet.
Rolling over, she found an empty bed. No sign of Damon at all. She could still feel his arm around her and his body pressed up against her back. The memory was fresh on her mind and all she wanted was to relive it over and over again. The likelihood of him abandoning her due to his revelation of his actions she was sure he was sulking somewhere trying to understand it all. She accepted his troubles even though she wished he could be easier. However, he wouldn't be who he was if he was simpler. She wouldn't have probably fallen for him like she had if he was…normal.
The faint sound of what sounded like a classical piece came from the hallway. It intrigued her to find where it was coming from, but as she looked at the clock she knew her curiosity would have to be put on hold. The clock read seven and she knew she needed to get ready in order to be on time for her first day at work. She would be accounted for in an hour.
Throwing her feet over the bed and on to the cool morning floor, she hoped Damon wouldn't mind if she used his bathroom to wash up. She sensed he was lurking around in close proximity and she wouldn't mind a companion in the shower, but as her mind drifted again she snapped quickly back to reality. No time for her daydreams when she needed to be focusing on work.
His bathroom was modern once inside it. White marble counter tops brightened the dark, dreary atmosphere outside the doorway. A glass shower big enough for two was in the corner accompanied by a shelf stacked with of course black towels. Elena reached in and turned the shower on hot. The steam rose and it fogged up the glass giving her little, but some privacy. She stepped cautiously into the shower and let the warm water beat of her skin. It was soothing and therapeutic. Before even washing her hair or body she stood there letting the water run over her. Images of Damon on top of her kissing her the way she was meant to be kiss. Opening her eyes and wiping her face, she knew the memory had to stay that way. This idea of falling in love with him and having him in a moment of serenity was setting her expectations too high. This was all moving too fast. She couldn't be falling for him this hard, this fast. It wasn't right, but it didn't feel wrong either.
Once out of the shower and wrapped in a towel, Elena went back out into Damon's room. Still no sign of him, she sighed. Back in the shower letting every drop soak into her, she swore she wouldn't let her heart get ahead of herself. She needed to take this relationship one day at a time as much as she could. It wasn't going to be easy, but she had to, for Damon's sake.
As she held the towel close to her damp body, she turned her head to the right to find his dresser. The objects sitting upon it were in clearer view than from last night. The little pieces of Damon fascinated her. A stack of three books that looked like they were worn out and old were placed in the left corner. The photograph sat next to them. She moved closer to get a better look. She half smiled letting her heart drop into her stomach. The photo was in black and white. The edges were damaged and torn from time. The youthful faces of Damon and his brother, Stefan were staring back at her. He wore a grey uniform and a funny hate. As she looked closer she realized what he was wearing, a military uniform. She laughed to herself at his appearance. It was very different now. However, what astonished her the most was Damon's arm was around the shoulders of Stefan and they genuinely looked happy with one another. Funny how times have changed. Elena wondered if this photo was before or after Katherine. She could only assume it was before she tore them apart.
Katherine. She hadn't thought of her much, but when she did she loathed her. The conversation in his office about Katherine's manipulation and his dramatic life-altering situation made her boil with anger. She never wanted to be someone like her.
Looking at the clock, she saw that it read 7:30 and she had very little time before she would have to leave. With her focus back on work, she left his room and walked down the hall to the room Damon had assigned to her. It had been left exactly the way she had been in it last time. She paused for a moment hoping she would never have to stay in this room alone again. Once the thought passed, she went to the large closet and looked through the clothes for something she could wear. A pale pink dress hung in the back and she pulled it out. She held it against her body and looked back up at the line of clothes. A gray cardigan popped out at her and she pulled it off the hanger. This will do.
Elena threw the clothes on the bed and dug through the dresser assuming Damon had to have purchased undergarments for her too. As she expected, color coordinated the underwear was folded neatly before her. She picked a pair of nude bra and panties to match and quickly put them on. She threw the dress on over her and covered herself with the grey cardigan. Something poked her and she realized the price tags were still on both of the items she was wearing. Trying to find the source of the irritating scratching and poking, she yanked off the tags and looked down at the
price.
I'm going to kill him! She groaned at the triple digit amount on both the dress and the cardigan. This no time to complain as usual and he would win his materialistic war. Time was of the essence right now.
Going back into the closet she found a pair of flats to match and she finally felt relieved to be ready. She gathered her damp hair and braided it without any effort. It hung over her shoulder and she checked her appearance. For the first day of work she seemed presentable. Even Caroline would approve. She bent down picking up the wet towel not sure what to do with it until she spotted a clothing basket inside the closet. She tossed in there and scurried out the prison room.
The classical piece was still playing. She was drawn to it as she walked down the hallway toward it. A solo piano twinkled its keys sporadically and she drowned it. The melody was beautiful. It was an odd choice of music to hear within his home as she awoke, but as she listened it was fitting.
Elena heard the sounds of shuffling coming from the kitchen as she stood in the foyer and decided to explore. The kitchen smelled of freshly brewed coffee and Mr. Lockwood was hunched over the stove. Damon sat at the counter with a thick newspaper in front of his face.
"Good morning Miss Gilbert. Nice of you to join us on such short notice." He called out not missing a beat. He flicked the pages and continued to read.
"You're lucky I woke up on time." Her snarky comment reveled in his snippy tone.
"You think I let you be late on your first day of work?" He asked grabbing his coffee mug still not showing his face to her.
"I think a lot of things of you Mr. Salvatore, but tardiness isn't one of them." Elena joined him and he finally set his paper down. He was dressed in a navy blue suit, but his hair wasn't slicked back like usual. It was neat with hint of bad boy roughness. He looked dashing and soon she wasn't hungry for breakfast. She was hungry for him.
Damon blew on his coffee and lowered his voice. He clicked a remote on the table and the song changed. An iPod dock was located behind him on the counter. He spoke smoothly. "Those thoughts can get you in trouble Miss Gilbert. Be careful of what you think and say or you might have consequences."
Mr. Lockwood poured a cup of coffee for her and she placed her hands around the cup to warm them. "I'll take those chances." She smirked back at him. The coffee was hot and she nearly spat it back repulsed by the temperature.
He chuckled and got up from his chair. He took his place next to her as her marveled at her appearance. "You look beautiful and sexy. Two things you are very good at being."
"Quite the charmer this morning." She wiped her mouth letting the uncomforting sensation take over her mouth and tongue from the scalding coffee.
"You should eat before we leave. You'll need your energy." He demanded and picked an apple out of the fruit basket on his counter. Elena took it and played with it in her hand. Her appetite for food wasn't very prominent right now. She wanted something else. Something he wasn't going to give her though.
Her eyes fluttered upon him. She wanted to desperately ask him about last night, about his nightmare. It wasn't like she had forgotten and she knew he was well aware of what he had done by putting his arm around her. Something was different between them. Whether it was good or bad she wasn't sure. She wanted to interrogate the situation, but she knew it was best to let that topic of conversation come up naturally. Right now, she wanted to take in the wonderful sight of him before she had to depart.
"Here," he said pulling a shiny object from his pocket. It was the bracelet he had given her earlier. He took her hand and slid the bracelet on carefully. "To cover any suspicion."
The bite mark was still visible as she watched it disappear from the bracelet covering it. Just another friendly reminder of how messed up their relationship truly was. As the cold jewels and metal touched her wrist, she moved it up to view the bite mark. She held her wrist toward him knowing he would need his daily dose of blood.
"Not now." Damon shook his head and covered the wound pushing her wrist away gently. "We have to go. Eat!"
Grabbing the apple, she waved it and she followed him out the door.
"I'll have my driver drop you off." He insisted as he walked toward the black SVU parked in his driveway. The door swung open and he waited for her to get in.
She had none of her personal belongings. She knew there was very little time before her first day of work officially began, but she wanted to do this on her own. No need to hold her hand any longer. The recommendation, the set up, the job, she didn't any more handouts from him. Biting her tongue though, she graciously got into the car holding her dress to her legs. The morning had already started off good despite her eager thoughts to press him about last night. Once again she hated to ruin a perfectly good mood with him.
"Here, have this." Damon appeared next to her without her even blinking. The car swerved around the landscaping and took off on to the street. She was being handed a pale pink leather bag and her stomach flip-flopped knowing this wasn't something you would find at a department store.
Another handout. Another unnecessary gesture, she thought.
"Your phone, wallet, etcetera are all in there." He explained as she unlatched the material and looked inside. Sure enough, he was right. It was all there. "Thought you might need it."
"How…thoughtful." Elena sighed and sat the purse next to her.
The mood dropped drastically. "It's too much."
"You think?" She said raising an eyebrow at him. "One thing at a time would be nice. Not that I don't appreciate it."
"I'll try to work on that." He honestly responded as she looked at his contemplating expression. The sight of him struggling was painful, but if this was going to work, if this is was going to happen they both needed to make compromises.
The car slowed as it approached the twenty-story building with a concrete sign on the corner reading, Mikaelsen Publishing & Co. Nerves were settling in as she looked up at it through the tinted window. The thought of being sick to her stomach right about now seemed appropriate. Something was waiting for her behind those double glass doors and she knotted her hands together thinking about it.
"Elena," his voice reached her foggy reality. The touch of his hand upon her skin sent every nerve in her body to magnify. "You're going to do great. Trust me."
Simply nodding her head, her door swung open courtesy of Damon and she stepped out. She threw her purse over her shoulder and inhaled a deep breath. Distracting her from her mindboggling thoughts, he kissed her gently on the lips and smiled at her. She felt her body at ease and her smile grew. He had a way about him that had this great effect on her. She was grateful.
"I'll pick you up at six o'clock." He told her stepping back.
"Okay." Elena barely spoke and took another breath of life before she turned on her heel and headed into the building.
Inside it appeared just like it had when she came from her interview. White marble lined the floors and a sense of life, something Salvatore Corporations lacked. She walked up to the reception desk and explained her reasoning for being there. The dark haired woman handed her an official pass with her name on it.
Elena Gilbert, Intern, Mikaelsen Publishing & Co., it read.
She followed the instructed floor she was suppose to start on and when she arrived she was met with about forty cubicles all busy with chatter and typing. Blonde hair whipped around and Ms. Mikaelsen, Rebekah Mikaelsen to be exact, greeted her. She shook her hand and gave her a forced smile thinning her pink lips.
Her eyes examined her and Elena immediately caved in. She should have prepared herself to be judged. After all she was the new girl in the office. There was nothing worse than being the new person in a crowd.
Following her through the winding paths, she stopped at an empty cubicle where she would reside for her internship. Elena took her seat and Ms. Mikaelsen spread out a few pieces of paper in front of her. "This is the intern floor. I am in charge of every single intern and I do have high expectations, espe
cially from you considering your excellent knack for writing. Your job as an intern is to adhere to any revisions and e-mails I ask of you to complete. Deadlines are important. Miss them and well, there will be consequences. For today, I'll ask you to just revise a few articles from our clients. Send them to me via e-mail and if I accept I'll send you more. Mr. Mikaelsen will meet with you at one o'clock. His office is on the floor above. Don't worry its just standard initiation to the first day on the job. Your lunch break is at 11:30. If you have any questions please let me know, but I am very busy."
Her mind was swimming with every thing being thrown at her. She was convincing herself she was walking into a trap. She wasn't ready for this. Only an intern and she already felt like she had a lot of responsibility and pressure on her. Remembering to breathe, she touched the paperwork in front of her and looked it over. Ms. Mikaelsen was still hovering over.
"Um, thank you Ms. Mikaelsen." She gulped and sideway glanced at her.
Fifty Shades Of Dark - Damon Salvatore Page 28
