Unstoppable | The Vampire Diaries

102. The Proposal

"No," Riley answered automatically. "It's Damon being impulsive, and reckless, and... and..."

"Romantic?" Elena finished for her, gleefully taking a bite of her burger. Knowing that taking the cure and being a human again was an option for her filled Elena with undeniable happiness. Now she wanted everyone else to be as happy as her.

Riley grimaced and put her head in her hands.

"Don't you want Damon to take the cure?" Bonnie asked, confusion written on her face. "Because he thought you'd be thrilled."

Still with her head in her hands, Riley shrugged her shoulders. "Damon's doing what he thinks he has to do to make me happy, but I was happy before any of this even came up. I was happy just being his best friend."

"Well, he wasn't," Bonnie told her firmly. "Riley, I was trapped in 1994 with the guy. Do you know how annoying it was to hear him talk about you and not realize his feelings? I mean, I had to tell the guy how much he liked you, because he couldn't see you as anything but a best friend until he died."

"Neither could I," Riley told her. "He'd been with Elena for so long, how could I think about him in that way?"

Jo smiled knowingly. "So neither of you wanted to fall for each other, but you did anyway?" she asked. When Riley nodded, she continued. "Look, you and Damon know who you are, and what you want. Love is always gonna require a huge leap of faith. A big, scary leap over a hot pit of lava. And, you might end up heartbroken, but you might be the happiest person on the face of the earth. It sounds like Damon is ready to take that leap."

"And this has nothing to do with me erasing the memories," Elena added, holding her hands up. "I think Damon had feelings for you long before he died, Riley. Even if that means that he liked you when he was still with me."

Riley looked around at the three women and sighed. "I have to go talk to him, don't I?"

They all nodded immediately, silently wishing her luck.

She left the diner, walking up the street with her phone to her ear. She had no idea what she was gonna say to him, but they owed it to each other to have this conversation.

"Either you dialed the wrong number, or Elena's idea of a bachelorette party sucks," Damon said, answering on the third ring. She could hear the smirk in his voice. It was like, no matter what was going on, he was always able to put on a sarcastic front.

"We need to talk," Riley told him. "Unless you're gonna run away from me like you did before?"

"I'm not running," he promised. Then, as if by magic, he was standing in front of her. "I just thought we could have this conversation with a view." He looked up, and Riley followed his gaze to the top of a clock tower in the town square.

Riley couldn't help but smile. "And how are we gonna get up there?"

He smirked, putting an arm around her waist and holding her tightly against his body. Then she felt like she was flying through the air, getting closer and closer to the sky. She couldn't take her eyes off of everything around her, and Damon couldn't take his eyes off of her. Then they were standing at the top of the clock tower.

"I want to do that 100 times," Riley grinned breathlessly. "Why have we never done that before?"

Damon shrugged, sitting precariously on the edge and holding out a hand to help Riley down. "I save these views for special occasions."

Riley swung her legs, looking at the ground below her and wondering how long it would take her to get to the bottom if she didn't have a vampire with her.