BLUE BANISTERS ➥ Damon Salvatore

TWENTY-THREE ◦ Back to the Old House

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AS I STOOD IN MY ROOM, CAREFULLY PACKING MY BELONGINGS TO PREPARE FOR MY MOVE BACK TO THE FARMHOUSE WITH MY SIBLINGS, I couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. The decision to live with them was difficult to make, but ultimately, I needed a place to stay where Damon couldn't watch my every move.

But when I turned around from retrieving a few items from my drawers, I was met with an unexpected sight. There, sitting atop my suitcase, was Damon, a mischievous grin on his face. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight, the levity of the moment lightening the weight of my emotions. Damon had a knack for appearing when least expected.

"Planning to hitch a ride?" I teased, a playful glint in my eye as I approached him.

Damon's smirk only widened, and he leaned back on his hands. "Well, I figured you might need some company on this little adventure of yours."

"You know, Damon, I'm actually excited to go live with my siblings again. And I want you to know how thankful I am for everything you've helped me with." His brow furrowed the more I talked, his confusion finally settling.

"Wait, you're not planning on leaving this place for good, are you?" Damon's question carried a hint of paranoia, a reflection of the uncertainties that had become an integral part of our lives. His concern was palpable, and it gave me a pause as I considered my response.

After a moment of hesitation, I shook my head, a reassuring smile on my lips. "No, Damon. I'm not leaving for good. Just spending some time with my siblings, that's all." Absentmindedly, his rough, calloused hands rubbed circles on my back. "Give a girl some room, she has to live a little after being locked up forever," I laughed. He grabbed my waist, and pulls me closer to him so that his head was tipped up to look at me as he sat on my bed. I leaned in and placed a tender kiss on his cheek. As I pulled away, I met Damon's eyes, a strange swirl of emotions in his bright blue eyes. Before I could stand straight, he yanked me by the arm until my soft lips met his chapped ones. His other hand found my neck, deepening the kiss as far as he could so he could savor every single moment.

We pulled away, out breaths mingling in the air as our eyes met. "Just in case, y'know," he panted out, his head still tilted up toward me as I stood in front of him.

I began to wheel my suitcase out from the room, but Damon sped in front of me to block the doorway. "I'd make you stay if I knew how," he admitted with a grin. "But you're so impossible to read."

"Then maybe I've been hanging around you too long, because ditto," I said as I opened the front door with my free hand. "Damon, if you want me to be transparent with you, be transparent with me. It's not that hard."

"But I have been," his voice was strained as he talked. "I told you I'd always protect you, Lana-Beth. I mean, what is there not to understand?" He laughed out of disbelief.

"Say it, Damon," I encouraged him, my face clear of any emotion. "Ask me out on a date or something at least. But... Damon, courtship doesn't work like this-

"This isn't the 1800's anymore. You have to get over the way life use to be. I'm not that man anymore, Lana. I try for you, but I'm just not. And I'm afraid I'll never change." His voice was loud, hoarse, and echoing off the walls of his colonial styled house. "I brought you flowers every single day while you were entombed. If flowers are what you want, I will get them for you... But..."

"If commitment is what scares you, that's fine. I... Just can't handle that in my life right now that's already unstable. So please, Damon. Be my protector and friend, or be my boyfriend. But I won't fit anywhere in-between."