No Strings Attached

Day 5

            "Do I just give off an eggy vibe?" Chuckling, Dean plucks the menu out of Elena's hands, preventing her from debating it any longer.

            "Yes, actually, you do," he teases, causing her tinkling laugh to fill the air. He's caught off guard by the sound, his breath catching in his throat. Her laugh is a beautiful sound, the kind he would want to hear over and over again. He may have heard it the night they met, but the alcohol blurs the memory.

           Soon after their food is placed in front of them and they dig in. Dean was right. The omelet was definitely the right choice for Elena. Dean is very happy with his stack of waffles and soon both plates are wiped clean. Elena sits back, watching Dean shuffle the last specks of waffle into his mouth.

           "You eat like animal," Elena says, chuckling to herself.

           "So I've been told," Dean replies, leaning back in his chair and wiping his mouth. He eyes her warily, wondering if now was the time to start the conversation they were meant to discuss. "So..."

           Elena picks up her coffee cup, holding it close to her chest. The air around them has warmed up, the sharpness fading as the sun heats the ground. Elena no longer needs her scarf or sweater and they hang off the back of her chair. Dean, on the other hand, hasn't felt the need to shed any of his multiple layers.

            "I think we should just make a decision," Elena says suddenly, her thoughts trying to line up coherently in her scattered mind. Nodding, Dean waits for her to elaborate. "What do you want out of this?" Elena motions between them, giving Dean the chance to lay his thoughts out. Dean hesitates, not wanting to scare her off.

             "I'm just gonna be blunt, okay?" Dean leans forward, continuing only once Elena has given him a slight nod. "I think I like you. A lot. I mean, I like talking to you and I like... what we did in my car."

             "Okay," Elena says, nodding along with his words. She would be lying if she said she didn't want the same thing he's hinting at. "But what does that mean? What do we call this?"

              "Does it really need a title?" Dean works his jaw, Lisa making a surprise appearance in his mind. He doesn't want to think of her when he's sitting across from the woman he's about to begin a relationship with. That has disaster written all of it.

              "No, I guess not," Elena mutters, shrugging. "But we need to set some ground rules."

              "Alright," Dean agrees, picking up his own coffee. "What did you have in mind?"

              "Nobody can find out about us," Elena says pointedly, fear of being discovered seeping into her system. "If Damon or Lisa catch wind of us, it will end badly. So I think we should stay a secret."

              "I'm good with that. Secret love affair it is," Dean jokes, trying to make light of a serious conversation. Rolling her eyes, Elena continues.

              "Now that you bring it up, this is not a love affair. I love Damon, you love Lisa. This is nothing more than two people talking and sleeping together. No emotional attachment. Got it?" Dean chuckles, smiling around his coffee cup.

             "Yeah sweetheart, I got it. No gooy stuff."

             "And about the talking thing... there is absolutely no judgment. I won't judge you for what you want to talk about and vise versa. If I'm gonna be open, I can't be scared of you thinking less of me," Elena says, chewing the inside of her cheek. Dean raises his brows at this, shocked Elena thought it needed to be said out loud.