Silent Prayers

Chapter 6

Elena watched out of Damon's kitchen window, seeing Damon and Stefan tossing a football around. It was supposed to be a friendly game of touch football, but a few minutes into the game, both were tackling each other to the ground. They argued a few times about certain plays, but always seemed to work it out.

Damon had invited them over and Elena had offered to cook, since Stefan had raved about her cooking all week. In truth, Elena had looked forward to their Sunday gatherings. It was nice to feel like part of a close family, and she appreciated Stefan and Damon including her. After just one month of living with Stefan, she finally felt like she belonged somewhere, and that she had made the right choice, coming down to Charleston.

Since Elena had mentioned to Stefan that she didn't want to put rules in place regarding their feelings for one another, Stefan had seemed to relax some. He still liked to check in with her and make sure things were good with her. She just assumed it was his caring nature.

They had shared a few innocent kisses, usually on the couch or on their early evening walks. But he never invited himself into her room, and he never asked her into his either. It was probably for the best, but she caught herself wondering why he didn't seem eager to sleep with her. She continued to tell herself it was because he was a gentleman, and not because he wasn't interested.

The boys coming inside through the backdoor interrupted her thoughts. They were laughing as they tried to decide who had won their one-on-one game. "My little brother cheats" Damon announced as he and Stefan walked into the kitchen.

Elena smiled as she turned to see both brothers with their shirts wrinkled and their hair a mess. Evidence that they had clearly not stuck to their agreement for touch football. "You're just getting slower in old age" Stefan told him. It made Elena laugh, even though she tried to hide it. Stefan made her laugh often.

"Yeah yeah" Damon said, rolling his eyes. "I'm going to go and change my shirt" he informed them, leaving the kitchen.

Stefan looked around and saw that Elena looked like she had everything covered. But, he was still going to ask her if she needed help. "You need any help with anything?" Stefan asked.

"If you could grab the cheesecake out of the refrigerator, that would be awesome" Elena told him, turning down the oven. She grabbed the pan out and proceeded to make up a plate for each of them.

Stefan set the cheesecake on the counter and then stood behind Elena, watching her. "This all looks great" he told her, placing his hands gently on her hips. His fingertips slipped just under her shirt. His hands warmed the skin they touched.

Elena smiled, feeling completely at ease with Stefan being that close to her. "Thanks" she replied, adding one last scoop of green beans to the last plate. "Can you help me take these outside?" she asked.

"Yes" he said, turning her slightly. Elena leaned against the counter and watched his eyes search hers. He hesitated for a moment, but found his confidence easy enough and leaned down, capturing her lips in a tender kiss. The rest of his body kept a respectful distance as he focused on enjoying the kiss and not turning it into something more.

Elena lost count of the time he spent kissing her, but she was enjoying every second of it. Damon's sudden presence interrupted the kiss and both she and Stefan looked embarrassed to be caught.

"Sorry" Damon said, shooting Stefan an apologetic look. The smirk on his face told Stefan that he really wasn't that sorry. He was more amused than anything. "Can I help carry anything outside?" he offered.

"These" Elena said as she handed him two of the plates which he took. Stefan took the last plate and Elena followed him out of the kitchen with their drinks. Beers for the boys and lemonade for herself.