Wayward Heart: Book 1

Part 3

Emma sighed, "He was friends with my dad and eventually became like that uncle that is just always around."

Damon could tell he was pushing the conversation in a direction that would lead to a road that Emma may not want to relive at the moment so he steered it away, "So I do happen to know a good diner in the next city over."

"Let's go then," Emma smiled at him, partially because she was well aware of what he was doing with the distraction and partially because spending time with him seemed like it was going to be fun.

Once they hit the highway Damon let the engine open up and pushed the speed limit, Emma rolled down her window and Damon did the same. Damon wished he could drive for hours just so he could keep the smile that she currently had on her face. She liked a bit of trouble and he liked that about her. Just off the highway was the small diner that Damon had mentioned and he reluctantly pulled in and parked the car. The diner was very old school, like it never quite made it out of the fifties.

As they got out Emma asked, "On the way back can we put the top down?"

Damon let out a small laugh and a grinned happily, "Careful or you may become my favorite person in the world too."

Emma winked at him and tossed her bag over her shoulder before confidently walking past him, purposely letting her hair swish almost into his face as she passed. The smell of her cocoa butter shampoo smacked Damon in the face and he felt momentarily intoxicated, he quickly recovered and rushed to catch up to her.

They sat across from each other at a booth by the window, neither of them bothered to open the menus that had been sitting on the table already.

A bouncy woman with dark hair came up to the table and spoke to Damon first, "What can I get for you?"

"Two cokes and two cheese burgers please," Damon ordered for both of them, he looked over to Emma before letting the waitress leave, "Wanna make this a date and share a milk shake like they did in the fifties?"

Emma thought for a moment, "Chocolate?"

"And a chocolate milkshake please," Damon finished the order and the waitress promptly left.

"So now this is a date?" Emma raised her eyebrow.

Damon gave a side smirk, "Only if we were in the fifties."

"Well, you have your Greaser jacket on but I forgot my poodle skirt so I guess not," Emma said sarcastically.

"You are more like the end of the movie version of Sandra Dee, and I can't see you as a prep."

"There is no way in hell I would ever wear leather pants."

"I wouldn't mind seeing it," Damon couldn't help but flirt slightly and wink at her, it was nice to relax for a while with everything with Klaus and Stefan going on.

"Alaric is going to kill you,"

"Nothing new there," Damon shrugged as their drinks, food, and milkshake all arrived at the same time.

Emma looked over her burger by peeling the layers back and checking each one to see what the quality of each one was, "Ooo, homemade pickles."

"You take your burgers seriously," Damon observed.

Emma looked up, not sure if she was embarrassed or not, "American classic, what's not to like? Besides, I haven't been able to find one as good as the ones my dad used to make."

"I'm sorry," Damon said genuinely.

"I'm the one who asked you to find me a good burger, all you did was bring me to a place you like," Emma gave him a reassuring smile.