Silent Prayers

Chapter 25

"Take your time" Dr. Erickson encouraged. Discussing feelings was quite the challenge for Stefan, which is why Dr. Erickson was having him practice. "You can start by saying, "I feel" or "I felt" if that helps" he added.

Stefan nodded. "Okay" he said. "I felt like I upset her" he stated.

Dr. Erickson clasped his hands together. "You're describing how Elena was feeling. Let's try again and this time, tell me a feeling you were feeling" Dr. Erickson instructed.

Stefan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't much care for talking about how he was feeling, because it hurt. "I ... I feel empty" Stefan said quietly.

"Empty" Dr. Erickson repeated. "What does that look like for you?" he asked.

Stefan looked down at his hands, not particularly liking where this discussion was going. "Hell" Stefan answered. "It looks like hell."

XXXX

Elena had a day off. The first one in months. But instead of relaxing, she had spent the morning cleaning and running errands.

The last stop on her list was Damon's house. She had stopped by his work and they told her Damon was at home and would not be in until later. Elena envied Damon for his ability to pick and choose his own work schedule.

"Hello?" Elena asked, opening the front door and poking her head inside. The house was quiet, as usual.

Damon came walking around the corner, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. He was smiling, like usual. "Hey" Damon said, waving her in. "Don't you have the day off?" he asked.

Elena smiled as she let herself in. "Yeah" she said, nodding. "I umm ... I'm looking for Stefan, actually" she replied. She didn't know why she was so nervous to tell Damon that.

"Oh" Damon said, trying to hide his interest. "He's uh, he's not here. He bought a beach house about an hour up the coast."

"He bought a new house?" she asked curiously.

Damon chuckled. "Well it isn't new" he told her. "It ... needs a lot of work. But I think it will be good for him to have a project like that to keep him busy" he explained.

Elena nodded. "Good for him" Elena said. "I guess I'll catch him next time he's here" she told Damon. "I should get going." She was disappointed she would not get to talk to him after she had finally worked up the courage to do so. As she started to walk away, Damon stopped her.

"Elena" he said, causing her to turn around. "You can take my car" he said, grabbing his car keys and tossing them to her. Elena caught them, barely. "His address is on the table by the door" he added with a small smile before going back to what he had been doing. He was not entirely sure she would drive out to Stefan's new house, but he hoped she would.

XXXX

Elena stood beside Damon's car as she stared at Stefan's house. Damon had been right. The place needed a lot of work.

And yet, Elena thought it was amazing. The sea breeze was blowing in from behind the house and she wanted so badly to go down to the beach and kick her sandals off so she could feel the sand between her toes. It had been a while.

Elena blew out an anxious breath before she walked towards the front door. The stone walkway she followed was cracked but added character to the house. She knocked on the front door and waited.

He never answered. Elena tried her luck and twisted the door handle. It opened, and she soon realized why he did not come and open the door. He had his music turned up. She followed the sound and it led her up the stairs.