No Strings Attached

Day 115

            "It's not, Damon, I promise. Am I not allowed to have a life outside of this relationship? It's just a friendship and—" Damon's eyes meet hers and she stops. Sign number two: That look. The one that's always reminded her of a wild animal or a man about to go on a vicious killing spree.

            "What did you just say?" His voice is chillingly calm as he steps toward her, each placement of his foot deliberate. Elena backs up instinctively, pressing herself against the counter as if to make herself disappear. "After you've messed up, you really have the nerve to talk back at me?"

            "No, I didn't—"

            "Stop lying!" Damon hits the cabinet on either side of her head, the plates inside rattling as Elena flinches. "No more lying! I can't take any more lying!" Damon hits the cabinets again, causing the cabinet doors to give way and plates to spill out around them.

            "Damon! The plates—"

            "I don't care about the damn plates!" To prove his point, Damon scoops one up and chucks it across the room, forcing it to shatter against the opposite wall. Elena takes her chance, rushing across the room to get away from him. "Hey! Don't you walk away from me!"

            A plate goes flying across the room, crashing into the wall mere inches from Elena's head. Her eyes stinging with tears, she continues on her path until she's out the door. But even the closed door doesn't stop the sounds of the kitchen being torn apart from reaching her ears.

            Not knowing what else to do, Elena instantly falls back on her crutch. In a matter of minutes Dean is pulling up in front of her, climbing out of the car and wrapping his protective arms around her fragile frame.

            "It's okay, it's okay. I'm here," Dean assures her, hands rubbing circles into her back. Elena winds her fingers into the lapels of his jacket, hiding her face in his shoulder to smother the sound of her crying. "I'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you, alright?"

            Elena just nods, her voice failing her as Dean continues to hold her. They stay like that for a long time, Dean's arms continuing to be a barrier between her and the world. The feeling of being safe remains until Dean asks a startling question.

            "Did he hurt you?"

            Elena stops sniffling at the question, surprised at how much tension and anger is in Dean's voice. It was an odd question to ask. Of course he knew Damon had been physical with her before, but as far as he knew it was a rare occurrence. It used to be, but now Elena was shocked when there wasn't a violent outburst.

            "No, no he didn't. He just..." Elena trails off into a puddle of tears and sniffles, causing Dean to tighten his grip on her and to assure her everything was going to be okay. He tells her lie after lie, telling her Damon will get better and he won't treat her this way again. And although they both know these words weren't true, saying them out loud helped Elena to calm down. "Thank you."

            "Of course. It's my job," Dean says, smiling down at her as he helps her into the car. Leaning down, he presses his lips gently to the top of her head. The connection is small and short lived, but it's there. That warmth that flows through Elena and reminds her of blooming spring. Getting in on his side of the car, Dean starts the engine and pulls away from the curb. "So what would you like to do sweetheart? I'm all yours."

            "How about that movie?" Elena offers a small smile, the feeling of heartache already fading. Only agreeing to take her to the newest chick flick because of Damon, Dean angles the Impala in the proper direction.

            The movie is horrible, full of cheesy pick-up lines and forced tears. There were plenty of couples in the theater, most of them making out or crying. Dean didn't even bother making a move on Elena today. Any other day he would drape his arm over the back of her chair or run a hand up the inside of her thigh. That was their deal after all. All fun, no strings. But Elena needed him.

            "That movie was really bad," Dean teases on their walk back through the parking lot. She laughs, catching his hand and intertwining their fingers. "I mean what even was the plot? And I swear that red head was just high the whole time."

            "Yeah, probably," Elena agrees, smiling up at Dean. He was everything she could ever ask for. There was never any drama with him. And yes that was part of their deal, but she couldn't help but wonder if this is what it would be like if they were really together. If there weren't any girlfriends or boyfriends to go home to. If it was just them. She could only imagine it would be all sunsets and rainbows, full of the relationship color she can no longer see with Damon. There certainly wouldn't be any blue; it was too sad a color. But there would be plenty of courageous green. "And did you see the way she ate those hot wings? She devoured those things."

            "Oh, I know! She was like a wild animal," Dean says, laughing along. Finally reaching the car, the two pile back in. The car is silent as Dean takes Elena home. He hated putting her back in Damon's hands, but she wasn't his girlfriend. Only now do they both realize how problematic that fact has become.

            Too late to turn back now.

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for reading this chapter of NSA! I hope you guys liked it. It's a little short by my standards, but oh well. Once again thank you so much for reading!

Please comment/share/vote!

Until next time!

~ spnjackles