No Strings Attached

Day 266

            He couldn't believe how quickly Lisa had gotten their entire lives into boxes.

. . .

            Upon entering the restaurant, Elena was first struck by the deep shade of red on the walls. It was probably supposed to be romantic, some kind of mood setting, but Elena couldn't get the image of blood out of her head. It was like they had painted the whole restaurant in it, drenching the place in the romantic gore. Damon didn't seem to mind, so Elena kept her mouth shut as they were seated by the hostess and began to peruse the menu.

            "This is nice," Damon comments, smiling at Elena over the top of the menu. "We never go out anymore."

            "I know, work has really gotten crazy this month, huh?" Elena doesn't look up, keeping her eyes on the words in front of her.

            There was a type of heaviness around them nowadays, something that hadn't been there before. It had settled in the air, following them wherever they went. Elena could feel the weight of it whenever she looked at him. Something was broken between them, something that couldn't be fixed. It was all the things he was doing to her, things that left discoloring on her skin and a throbbing in her head.

            She hadn't told anyone, not even Dean, but he knew. She'd known the second she walked into that café with a big bruise on her face there wouldn't be any hiding it. Elena thought for sure he would have called her out on it by now, yelled at her or maybe even threatened to leave her. But after her lie, there was just nothing. Things had slid back into place, just like they did before.

            "How was work today, honey?" Elena asks the question stiffly, finally glancing up from the menu. No reason to dwell on things that hadn't actually occurred.

            "It was good, I guess. Friday nights are always crowded. But there were a few girls with fake IDs I had to bust," Damon tells her, licking his thumb to make turning the pages of the menu easier. Elena watches him for a moment, the action reminding her of the Damon she used to know. He was so careful compared to the man before her. "Nothing out of the ordinary, though."

            "Good, good," Elena mutters, returning her attention to the menu.

            "They've got a great steak, if you want to try that," Damon offers, trying to continue the small talk. Elena just nods and smiles weakly, saying maybe she'll give it a try. Motioning for the waitress, Damon proceeds to order for the both of them while Elena glances around the restaurant again.

            "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Elena hisses, sitting back in her seat as she watches Dean and Lisa get seated on the other side of the restaurant. "This can't be happening."

            "What? What's going on?" Damon glances around for a moment before looking back at Elena. She looks back at him, startled. For a moment she forgot he was sitting there.

            Dean looks really nice. He's wearing the tie Elena bought him a couple weeks ago. It would have been better if he paired it with the blue blazer instead of the black one, but Elena knew Lisa gave it to him for his last birthday. But it's not the jacket that bothers Elena—it's the eye-crinkling smile on his face as he sits down across from Lisa.

            "Would you excuse me for a moment? I need to use the restroom," Elena stammers, scooting back her chair so quickly she stumbles into a waiter. A tray of salad goes flying, the lettuce landing in Elena's hair. The commotion causes all conversations in the room to cease, all heads turning to get a look at the clumsy girl covered in salad dressing. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. This was completely my fault. I really am sorry."