"Hey."
"Hey." Bonnie and Elena walked past Y/N, furthering into the girls condo, straight to the dining table.
Y/N let out a chuckle, closing the door behind her new friends, close behind them. Apparently Bonnie and Elena had something important they just needed to tell Y/N about. Something important that for some reason Caroline needn't know. Bonnie dropped the big bag of take-out the three had ordered, immediately unpacking it and setting up the table.
"So, what do you guys need to tell me?" Y/N asked, reaching for the dish she asked Elena to grab her.
"Very fun stuff," Bonnie mentioned, rounding Y/N's kitchen passthrough for some cutlery,
"Yes. Very fun, very fun," Elena nodded, "so, Caroline's birthday is October 10th, Bonnie and I started thinking of maybe a surprise party this year? Wanted your take." Elena took her seat, Y/N too, a wide smile spreading her face no matter how hard she tried to calm it. Bonnie returned back to the table, each of them digging into Mystic Grills great meals.
"What are your thoughts so far?" Y/N asked, leaning forward a little as Elena whipped out her notes app.
"Well, Bonnie and I decided a few months ago that an expensive or formal pink and white theme would be the vibe,"
"Okay, yeah," Y/N nodded, images of Caroline in dozens of different pink dresses flashed in her mind.
"But we really need help with details, and being in the squad now we rest easy we know we have a third opinion," Bonnie chuckled, taking another bite of the only tofu dish The Grill offered.
"Great, yeah. What are you guys stuck on?"
"Well..." Elena started, glancing at Bonnie for a moment, "everything, honestly. We don't really know what to do. Decorations, venue, cake, all that stuff. It's always Caroline doing the parties..." She sighed.
"Alright, well let's start with venue," Y/N nodded.
"We were thinking the Boarding House, it's big, pretty nice inside," Bonnie shrugged. Even she sounded unconfident in the suggestion. A certain tug from her mouth told Y/N that the Boarding House was their only option. And yeah it was big inside, and pretty nice. But from Bonnie's tone that certainly sounded like someone trying to convince another of it's state, regardless of how beautiful the Boarding House really was.
"It's pretty dark in there for a pink and white themed birthday," Y/N shrugged.
"Yeah, but we can make it lighter looking," Elena said, uncertainty pulling at her tone.
"Well, what about the ramen place on Main street? It's literally just white panelled walls and marble floor," Y/N shrugged.
Bonnie and Elena looked at each other then back at Y/N. "See, Y/N, this is why we desperately needed your opinion," Elena said, looking up the ramen bar on Safari.
'Wait, wait." Y/N held her hand out slightly, the girls looked up. "Why don't we just do it here?" She asked.
"At your place?" Bonnie asked.
"Yeah. Why not?"
"I don't know, you saw Caroline's Back to School Bash..." Elena mentioned,
"Sure but that was everyone in senior year, a few strays here and there. I feel like we could fit like fourty people here. And, if we're doing that formal theme, should be easier clean up than a regular party," Y/N shrugged. Elena's brows furrowed for a moment as she thought it through. Y/N couldn't imagine any type of combat to her suggestions, and eventually Elenas face lifted into a small smile and she started nodding.
"Well I guess the venue's decided. That's great, Y/N. Thank you." Elena smiled.
"Of course. What do we need to make it a true pink and white theme?" Y/N asked, pushing her finished plate away from her slightly.
"Here, I got this Pinterest board..." Elena said, pulling up yet another app. She handed her phone to Y/N, an impressive array of pink and white themed party things filled the board. A little over one hundred pins saved, according to the board Elena showed her. There were images of pink drinks, pink cakes, pink cupcakes, white or pink tulle curtains, heart balloons, pink LED lights, just pink and white stuff everywhere.
"Okay, maybe we can decide on things that are definitely a yes then go from there?" Y/N shrugged, glancing between the girls.
"Yeah," Bonnie nodded, "I really want that polaroid wall," she pointed,
"Me too," Elena nodded,
"Okay, polaroid wall is a yes," Y/N nodded, opening her notes app and typing down 'polaroid wall', "I feel like we'd need at least five packs of film..." Y/N mentioned,
"That's already like a hundred dollars," Elena glanced at both of the girls.
"What if we just get disposables?" Y/N asked, "we can get two or three, similar price but several more exposures," Y/N nodded.
"Okay I'm very down for disposables," Bonnie said, "no polaroid wall though... I liked the idea of having a space to take pictures or something."
"Well, I saw that Max's on 33rd does like 24 hour pictures? We could get a bunch of photos of Caroline and friends, you guys and stuff and develop them for the party?" Y/N shrugged.
"Oh my god." Elena said, jaw dropped at Y/N's suggestions. She covered her face, elbows planting on the table, "this is so perfect." She said, earning a laugh from Y/N, "literally weight after weight is being lifted from my chest," she joked, earning another laugh from her new friend.
Through a laugh, Y/N spoke again, "okay, so disposables and photo wall is decided. What about balloons? I feel like the dollar store would have some heart ones. At the very least some pink and white ones."
"Oh yeah, definitely," Bonnie nodded, standing from her seat and strolling to Y/N's couch. The girls followed. "Elena and I got a couple packs of white and pink balloons. Fifty in each pack. I'm pretty sure I saw a few heart helium balloons there when I was picking up the packs."
"Okay, okay, nice. I think on the day of we can go get the balloons filled? Maybe see if we can get the heart ones?" Y/N suggested,
"I mean, the heart ones aren't super required, pink and white colour are, though." Elena pointed out.
"Okay, well, if the balloons are covered, we can just figure out the details later." Y/N shrugged, "how about food? Dessert?"
"We did figure out the cake and cupcakes," Elena nodded to Bonnie,
"Both, huh?" Y/N asked,
Bonnie shrugged, "yeah, the cake's super expensive and not big enough for the crowd. Better Caroline just has it for herself and just cheaper cupcakes from, like, Safeway or something for the rest of us."
"Sounds good," Y/N nodded, "what cake are you getting?" She asked, eager to see its design from what Elena showed off on her Pinterest board.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just finding the DM now..." Bonnie muttered, scrolling through her Instagram and finding the right message. "Here." She said, reaching across Elena and handing Y/N her phone.
"What..." Y/N whispered, a smile widening her face even more as she glanced at the cake Bonnie requested. "This is so perfect." Y/N said, handing Bonnie's phone back, "I haven't heard of Mei-Li's Menu."
Bonnie chuckled, "she's quite local, my Grams used to babysit her and I so I may be getting a discount," the girl winked.
The cake Bonnie showed her was just perfect. Very much Caroline. It was heart-shaped--of course--all pink and had red icing on the top saying 'Libra Baby!'. There were some candied cherries across the heart's borders, stuck into some thick pink frosting, and Y/N was very much looking forward to seeing it in person.
"I'm assuming there will be drinks too?" Y/N asked,
"Well of course," Elena shrugged with a certain smile, earning a smile back from the other girls.
"I know Damon'll boot for us, so no worries about that. But what do we want?" She asked.
Y/N ignored the glance Bonnie and Elena exchanged at the mention of Damon's name. "Caroline can get real down with some tequila so definitely some Cuervos, unless Damon is willing to spend more on something better," Bonnie smirked.
Elena piped it, "honestly, make that joke to him when you ask,"
"Make that joke?"
"Yeah, like, let him know he is well within his rights to upgrade to better alcohol," Bonnie shrugged.
Y/N chuckled, "I will certainly try to remember that. What else? Other than tequila,"
"Rum, for sure," Elena nodded, "honestly let's keep it strictly happy drinks. Rum, tequila... Coolers too, with said liquors... Should there be a bar?" Elena asked, looking between Y/N and Bonnie,
"Bar would be cute," Y/N nodded.
-
-
Bonnie and Elena left Y/N's condo nearing 11:30. Each of them feeling ready, confident and excited for Caroline's surprise birthday party in just under a month. They'd need to meet up once more to finalise the details and make sure everything was ready and ordered, however besides that, the two girls left Y/N's place with a much stronger disposition than when they arrived.
Now, Y/N sat upstairs in her bedroom, at her desk. Her fingers drifted over her laptops trackpad as she skimmed different websites. Some she'd turn into a new tab, some she'd ignore and some she'd smirk at.
School had been easy enough those first two weeks. Each of her teachers seemed relatively easy and relaxed--though, it could very well have been the fact that Y/N had at least one friend in all of those classes. She and Elena had come up with a routine coffee date during their morning spares every other day. Certainly compared to her other schools, it was pleasant having something to look forward to such as that. Knowing she'd be meeting some she not only was friends with but someone she truly cared about, and who she knew cared about her as well.
Sitting at her desk, finally clicking on one of the dozen tabs she opened, she scribbled a note down in her book.
Mr.Saltzman had assigned them a small essay, which in Y/Ns opinion, felt very much like an English class assignment. Though it was perhaps more educational than any of the homework her English teacher had assigned as of then.
Mr.Saltzman--or, Alaric as he permitted them to call him--asked the class to complete a small essay on their studying or project making abilities. What they did and how they went about it. Upon giving each student a list of a variety of subjects in their curriculum that year, they'd need choose one and provide a step-by-step essay on how they went about forming a paper.
'If no knowledge on topic, watch at least three videos from varying channels' she wrote down. Then, 'upon obtaining basic info, search up a generic idea, read multiple articles from varying sites. '
She skimmed through one of the tabs she opened '--have performed seemingly vampiric rituals upon their victims--' Her phone vibrated on the table. Peeling her eyes from the Wikipedia site--no matter how many times Alaric urged them to avoid such a site... Never in a million years could she see herself avoiding Wikipedia. She wasn't that ridiculous. She glanced at her phone. It was Damon.
A rush of butterflies flew down her chest, overwhelming her belly. They formed a smile on Y/N's face, a crinkle by her eyes and maybe even one of her dimples started showing at how wide she smiled.
Yet another simple ask from him, and still she couldn't stop that overwhelm.
'Going to Woodbridge for some home stuff, come with me?' She shook her head, smile still wide on her face, and put the phone down. Woodbridge? For home stuff? And he wanted her to go with? What a completely ridiculous assumption, however, Y/N certainly took notice at how she began typing her response regardless of her initial defence of those butterflies.
'I'm so down' she sent back, grinning at her screen as if she wasn't just in the middle of a History assignment.
"Takes a couple hours to get there--would you be down to leave soonish so we make it back before tomorrow?' A giggle left her beaming smile at his message, and then she caught herself.
"Jesus..." She whispered to herself, her hand holding the phone relaxing slightly as she looked off and truly thought of her reactions. Because... Who exactly was she? Acting all giddy and giggly at simply some man messaging her. Though however, who was she not to? The man had been nothing but kind and lovely to her, and here he was offering a free trip--in his old Mustang--to Woodbridge.
'I can leave whenever! Just gonna change and pack my tote before' She texted back, standing at once for her closet. Her hands ran along of the shoulders of her hoodies and shirts, deciding on something comfortable for their just under three hour drive. Very long drive, Y/N might have added, though to her friends and perhaps Damon, it was just one of those average trips.
Her phone buzzed again as she pulled up her fresh sweats and hoodie and like a true teenage girl she raced back to her phone to see.
'Be there in thirty' He texted. She liked the message and ran to her bathroom for a few adjustments. She pulled and gelled at her hair where necessary, giving her face a quick wash to preserve that usual glow she perfected.
Y/N shook her head at her reflection. "Girl, what the fuck," she said, "a simple man has asked you to drive to Woodbridge. NOTHING MORE!" She exclaimed to the mirror, "get over yourself," she said, tapping in her moisturiser a little more, "get the hell over yourself," she said under her breath.
He pulled up to her house those thirty minutes later, knocking on her door a little less sharp than that first time she heard it.
"Hey," she smiled, snatching a quick glance at his fit. That day, he wore a black crew neck t-shirt over some black wide-leg denim. Those same Blundstones that she saw him where last time, and--near expected at that point--his blue and silver ring.
Damon led them to his old car, parked right out front. A 65' Mustang, in icy blue. She smiled, liking its oldness and ignoring its striking resemblance to Damons eyes. He unlocked her door first, then rounded the vehicle to the driver's. She sat herself in the bucket seat, eyeing the interior at once. Seemed his centre console was slightly modified, though in all honestly that aux port he'd added could have very well gone unnoticed. She wondered just how much the change must have cost, but it seemed that money was no object to the Salvatores.
Nothing lay between the front seats, only the stick shift and an E-brake that too seemed a more recent addition. Glancing behind her, the seat behind were incredibly small. Could squeeze in a couple people, sure. But it certainly wouldn't be that fun of a ride.
Her nose filled with the smell of old leather, as well as some of that sweet and cool cologne Damon seemed to always wear. There was a certain comfort she felt among all of it.
Damon turned the ignition, letting the engine rumble for a couple minutes. "What's on your list?" He asked, glancing over.
She pulled her phone from her pocket, "I need some boxes for storage. Small ones," she nodded, finding her photo gallery to show off some ideas, "here," she said.
He nodded at the photos, scrolling through a few she'd offered, "mostly stuff for bathrooms and the kitchen. Little things," she shrugged, taking back her phone as Damon pulled from his parking spot, "but what about you?" She asked, half-expecting him to mention something quite grand. She'd seen little of the Salvatore mansion, but what seemed like a pattern, she noticed how the wealth they had.
He shrugged. "They've got some decent clothing trunks," he nodded, "wanted to check out their plates as well," he shrugged.
"Plates?" She asked, another smile setting her lips.
He glanced over, "can't go wrong with a good plate."
-
-
Windows rolled up, the two of them sitting and chatting filled the cold car up with some decent heat. Listening to some old hip-hop, bumping their heads and chatting about too many things. They'd just started talking about her school. She got through all of the 'school sucks', 'school's school' and 'it's whatever' statements, but Damon was ready to hear more. Not only ready, she might even say eager. He wanted to know her day-to-day. Wanted to know her opinions on said day-to-day. Wanted to know what she'd change about it and why. Wanted to know her favourite class so far. But eventually, once she mentioned what her History class was focusing on, he let out a scoff. "Sorry, how long have you been discussing vampires?" He asked, glancing over with a look of utter incredulity.
Her head shook, tongue waving off a chuckle, "three weeks." She sighed.
His tongue clicked and eyes rolled, "lord, is there nothing else in the curriculum?" He asked.
She turned to him almost fully, keeping her head in his direction, "what do you mean?" She asked, smile still wide on her face,
"Oh please, how is that at all relevant history? Why aren't we talking about..."
She tittered quietly, "about..." She repeated, watching his hand waved off as if hoping certain topics would just spawn in his mind.
"Well, about black history? The colonisation of the Americas? Current events that also tie in with said atrocities. And, you know, more." He shrugged, wearing a face as if it was just so obvious.
"Okay, well obviously I agree, however that can also be added to a further discussion about each states school curriculum and how the education system in general is directly tied to colonialism and white ideals, which---I hate to say it--is besides the point," she nodded.
"Well, what is your point?"
"I don't know, that it's fun? Mr.Saltzman always gives homework, and at least now I can watch Twilight for good grades," she shrugged.
He gave a scoff, "don't even get me started on Twilight."
"Wh-What?" Y/N laughed, "what do you have against Twilight?"
He rolled his eyes, waving his hand, "it is so unrealistic."
She let out another laugh. "Okay so you don't want us learning about vampires in school but you're also an expert on what is and isn't realistic for vampires?" She bantered.
"Those are two, completely separate conversations that have absolutely no correlation," Damon said, Y/N laughing as he did, "besides I am allowed to enjoy vampire media and have firm beliefs on what characteristics they would have," he shrugged.
"Fair enough, fair enough," Y/N said, putting her hands up in surrender, cheeks aching a little from smiling so much.
"Speaking of vampires..." He said, glancing over to her for a moment, "would you be a vampire if you could choose?" Damon asked. Y/N looked over to him, "actually no, if you could be any supernatural creature, what would you be?" He rephrased.
Y/N smirked and looked off, out the window as she thought. "Do witches and wizards count?" She asked.
"Yes. But not in a Harry Potter way, just like a one with the land, herbal kind of way," he nodded, "and no angels or demons either," he added, pointing over to her.
"Hmm," she said, "okay well what about vampires? What are the rules?" She asked,
"What're you thinkin'?"
"Well, I feel like it's only natural to have the inability to go out in the sun, just to keep things fair," she said.
"Okay, yeah. So no sun," he nodded,
"No sun, what about garlic?" She asked,
He shook his head, "pfft, too children's book."
"Okay, death by silver or wood?" She asked
"Yep," he nodded,
"Oooh, what about mind control?" She suggested, "Or, like in Twilight, each vampire has their own ability,"
"No, no, definitely mind control," he said.
"Obviously inhuman strength and speed," she said,
"Obviously,"
"Okay so: No sun, mind control, speed and strength and death by silver or wood," she listed, "honestly I'd choose vampire out of all of them," she said,
"Really?" He asked, looking over.
She shrugged. "Yeah. Why? what would you pick?" She asked, looking at him as well.
He turned his eyes back to the road, "shapeshifter's always sounded cool," he shrugged, "you could be anything, anyone... You could turn into a fly on the wall, see everything one couldn't..." He said and Y/N nodded. "But, someone could kill you a lot easier as a fly," he shrugged, looking at her for a moment, "why did you choose vampire?"
She shrugged too, knowing her answer maybe too well. "You have an eternity to do whatever you want," she said, looking out the window on her right, "you could learn every language, visit every city, every town, every village," she day dreamed travelling to such extents, turning back to Damon, "you could read every perspective from every history book in the world," she continued, "and you could be anything, be anyone--much like a shapeshifter but with several more perks in my opinion. Get anything and everything you ever wanted..." She smiled.
"Yeah but no sun?" He asked, raising his brows and looking at her for a moment. She shrugged,
"I'd sacrifice the sun for immeasurable knowledge,"
"Okay but how could you do anything or be anyone if you can't go out during the day?"
"Well that would be an issue to deal with as a vampire, but in short, I'd simply explain that I'm one of those people who prefers working at night," she shrugged and Damon snorted.
-
-
All in all, the furniture shop was quite nice. Ranges of aesthetics in all kinds of furniture and decorations. There was some chaos to it too; chests of drawers, mirrors, side tables, partitions all scattered the shop at random. Not one thing alike. The common theme however, regardless of how different each wooden piece looked from one another, there was a certain darkness to all of it. Not in an eerie or spooky way, but there was a coolness to each piece. Something about each one that Y/N for some reason knew would look good in the Boarding House. Despite how little she had seen of it.
The cashier that rung them through still used an old cash register, from the late 70's or 80's, Y/N guessed.
"Debit, please," she smiled, flashing her card to the man.
"Sorry, dear, cash only." He sighed.
Her brows furrowed, glancing for a moment at the man, then Damon, then her wallet. "Shit, I don't got any. Is there an ATM around?" She asked, pointing behind her with her thumb. Among the randomly places of furniture and decor, Y/N had found a small collection of ceramic storage bins. Four of them and near exactly as she was looking for. There was no way she was leaving Woodbridge without them.
Damon stepped forward, wallet open already, "don't worry about it," he shook his head, speaking only to Y/N. He pulled out a Grant bill and offered the man to keep the seven dollar change.
"Thanks," she said, shaking her head, "I never have cash on me. I'll transfer you when I'm around wi-fi."
He shrugged. "Anytime. And don't worry about it." He shook his head.
The old bell clanged sharply as Damon pushed open the door once again, the rain unstopping. Somehow even worse than before. It thundered down on the pavement, streetlights shining the drenched roads and sidewalks. Raindrops against cars echoed about the carpark, almost soothing.
"What? No, you're not paying for it..."
'Why not? I'm offering." He looked at her, both of them standing under the small overhang of roof.
She sighed, rolling her eyes, "well I don't want you to pay for it," she tried.
"Too bad, I already did, I won't accept your money. Let's talk about the weather," he glanced at the pouring rain, "it's not lettin' up, we should grab dinner," he raised his brows, earning a laugh from her.
She shook her head at his subject change. She'd let him pay for it this time. Why not? "Fine, dinner, but I'm paying."
"If you can in time," he shrugged, "let's go." He said. She smiled, giving him a sigh before bracing for the cold rain. They took a moment, and jogged out from under the cover. They raced to his Mustang, Damon so politely unlocking her door first.
Y/N flopped in her seat, locking the door and pulling on her seatbelt. Her hand rubbed together, warming as best she good under her too-thin hoodie. He sat next to her, giving a sigh. His hand reached up to his hair, slicking it back slightly. Raindrops bounced from his jacket as he shrugged it off, tossing it in the backseat before starting the engine and it's A/C. He turned over the engine and Y/N spoke again, "know any restaurants nearby?"
He nodded, taking his phone from his pockets. On it, he searched up a french place.
"I remember this place being good," he shrugged, handing Y/N his phone and pulling out of the stall. 'Oliviers' she read, scrolling and seeing plenty of good reviews. "I remember it being decent," he said.
-
-
"Hey, for two?" Damon held up a couple fingers to the host.
The host nodded, taking a glance at the little screen in front of him. He gave another nod, "for sure, you can follow me." He smiled, leading Y/N and Damon through the quaint dining room.
"Thanks," Y/N smiled at the host, taking her seat.
"Thank you," Damon nodded. He peeled off his coat, hanging it on his chair and took his seat. "Well, what else is there for us to talk about?" He asked, pulling out a drink menu from the middle of the table.
She snickered, "uhh, I don't know," she shrugged, glancing around at the old furniture about the restaurant, the formal attire each server garbed, "well, earlier today Bonnie and Elena came over to plan a surprise party for Caroline," she said.
He looked up from the menu, "surprise party?" He nodded, "I guess her birthday is coming up..." He looked off for a moment, eyes narrowing for a moment before relaxing his face once again and giving Y/N a small shrug. "Well, what's the plan so far?" He asked, dropping the menu back on the table and leaning back in his seat, comfortable.
"You'll be happy to know my place is the venue," she pointed out, earning a small laugh, "just a whole pink and white theme," she nodded,
"Well, of course. It's Caroline. Anything but a pink and white theme would just be absurd," he joked.
"And we'll be ordering this very Caroline-like birthday cake. Heart-shaped, pink icing, some candied cherries and stuff."
"Very nice, very nice,"
"Oh, actually I meant to ask you,"
"Yeah?"
"It's a birthday party so we obviously need booze, would you be down to pick some up for us closer to?--"
"Hi, welcome to Oliviers," a server smiled, placing a menu in front of each of them, "may I start either of you with a drink?"
Y/N smiled, "just water for me."
"Sparkling or still?"
"Sparkling, please."
"And for you, sir?" The server turned to Damon.
"Yes, I'll have a Rémy Ginger." Damon nodded. The server offered a smile and departed for their drinks. "Anyway," Damon sighed, "I'd be happy to. Do you guys have a date?"
"Not yet, but I imagine it'll be same weekend as her real birthday,"
"Okay, yeah I can do that." He nodded, "what are you guys gonna get?"
"We decided mostly rum and tequila."
"Ah, yes. The happy drinks," he smiled.
"There were some photo on Elena's Pinterest of some pink cocktails but we also decided that would just be too messy," she shrugged, "so shots will be the way to go."
"Mmm, so what you're saying is that you need a barman."
"I mean yes, a bartender, or, barman , would be great but unfortunately we cannot afford such a luxury," she sighed.
He chuckled at her verbiage, "which is why you can hire me. For free," he raised his brows once.
"You wanna be the bartender?"
"Hell yeah," he nodded, almost proud, "I make one hell of a cocktail," he shrugged,
"Well if you're serious we would love your cocktail expertise," she smiled.
"I am very serious."
｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟﾟ･｡
Strolling out of the restaurant, the rain hadn't stopped. Still pouring and pouring from the near pitch dark sky. "This is gonna suck to drive in," Damon said, sat in the drivers seat and turned the ignition. He pulled out of the stall, the lot had emptied plenty by then. Rain thundered against the hood of his car, wind scraping at its sides. Y/N could already tell Damon was a skilled driver, feeling a certain at ease despite the disagreeable weather. They turned onto I-66, only at the beginning of their journey. Surely it would take over three hours back; This rain's heaviness, unforeseen.
It was closing in on 7:00 pm when he slowed his Mustang. A couple cars in front of him and a fireman speaking to the drivers. Each car in front made a U-turn.
Finally, curious as to what the man had to say, Damon pulled forward. "An accident!" The fireman spoke loudly over the rains and winds, "roads are too slippery, we weren't ready for the storm!" He said, "should have it cleared in a few hours!"
"Thanks," Damon nodded and pulled a U-turn himself, driving back where they came.
"Damn," Y/N said, sighing as Damon rolled up his window. She usually loved the rain, but not when it was this inconvenient.
He pulled over into the shoulder, engine still rinning. "We've got a few options," he started, "get into the other shoulder and wait those few hours, take another route that would total six hours back to Mystic Falls."
Y/N sighed, "or..."
"Or, we can get a room at the Moonlight Motel." He said, looking over at her.
She rolled her eyes at the options, at this point in their trip wanting nothing more than to get back to her warm and comfy home.
"Waiting's definitely off the table... And I don't wanna spend another six hours in here—no matter how nice the car is," she smiled, earning a smirk from Damon. "Let's just get a room," she decided.
"Alright." He nodded, changing gears and pushing on the gas.
'Moonlight Motel' glowed bright from a tall sign, the words 'vacancy' much smaller underneath it. It shone pretty through the countless raindrops, Y/N saw a small fog rolling through too.
They pulled into a shabby motel car park, the entire lot dimmed that moonless night besides a single tall lamp, placed surely next to the check-in building. He parked the car as close as he could, a short four metre jog for them to race for undercover.
He sighed, reaching for his leather jacket in the backseat. "Ready?" He asked.
She pulled on her hood, "yeah," she said with a smile. They pulled the door latches and stepped out of the car. Rain thundered on them, unstopping. They shut the door and at once ran for the thin strip of overhanging roof.
"Jesus Christ," Damon said, slowing his pace under the cover. She tittered at his comment, following him into the warm building. A woman, maybe 30, sat behind a desk. She had blonde hair cut untrendy and wore a boring sweater and boring jeans.
"Hey," Damon raised his brows once at the woman, "two queens for one night, please," he pulled out his expensive wallet, and fished out two bills.
The woman smiled kindly as she accepted the cash, "only full beds. Room 11," she said and handed them a key. He turned back around to Y/N, shaking the key as he walked past her and out the door. They walked back into the cold and wet night, air smelling strongly of cigarettes and wet concrete. They furthered away from the single light on the lot. None of the rooms had their lights on, or at least had their curtains pulled. She could barely make out the outline of Damon in front of her as they approached wicked darkness.
As if he read her mind, he spoke. "Here," he said, and faintly, Y/N saw his hand reaching behind him for her. She reached for his hand too, their fingers lacing together, his hand much bigger than hers, and he guided them to their room. His hand was warm compared to the chilled air, something so cozy about it. Especially if she added the waves of cologne she could smell every once in a while.
They stepped carefully through the night, cold wind knocking some even colder raindrops on them once in a while. Finally he slowed to a stop, letting go of her hand. Something Y/N wished he didn't do. It was truly quite nice to have a hand to hold. She shook her head at the thought as Damon turned the keys and pushed open the door.
"Here," he said, holding the door for her.
She stepped past him, "thanks," she said, slipping off her bag at once and heading for the lamp between the beds. She twisted the turn-knob, warm white light filled the room—dim at first. Damon closed the door behind him and peeled off his soaking leather jacket. Y/N crouched in front of the radiator, cold fingers messing almost desperately with the dials. She barely noticed Damon going to the restroom and leaving with a small rag. She heard him swipe the cloth against the aged fabric, drying as best he could she assumed. Though, after a few minutes of pressing and turning the dials and buttons on the heater, she stood with a defeated sigh. "And it's busted," Y/N said, crossing her arms tightly across her chest and turning to Damon.
He glanced back at her with a fake smile, "what a lovely day this had ended up," he said, turning back to finish drying his jacket.
"I know," Y/N said, sitting on the edge of the closest bed and lying on her back, ignoring the biting chill seeping through her wet hoodie. Certainly better than taking it off, she thought. Damon straightened and walked to his bed, sitting on its edge and laying down just like the girl. "Well," she said, turning to her right side and propping her head up with her hand. She laid on her side toward Damon. He turned his head left to look at her. "We could order a pizza and watch whatever's on," she shrugged. He stared at her for a moment, letting his eyes trail down the curve of her waist then her hips.
His eyes snapped back to hers. "Sure," he nodded. Y/N pushed herself up and stood for her tote bag. She pulled out her phone and walked to Damon's bed, eyes on her screen. She sat beside him, opening Safari to search up nearby pizza places. Finally he sat up too, sitting next to her on the edge of his bed.
"Dominos? It's like twenty minutes away," she suggested.
He shrugged. "Sure."
"They do deliver to motel's right?" She asked, now uncertain.
"Yeah, everywhere does," he said, offering another shrug.. She made quick work of ordering their pizza. Only a couple minutes later she got the confirmation call.
"Okay, thanks!" Y/N said, hanging up her phone, "like half an hour because of the rain," she told Damon, sliding her phone into her pocket. He nodded, glancing at Y/N's hands. They looked paler than usual. He took hold of her left hand and his eyes widened.
"You're freezing," he exclaimed with some dramatics.
"Well the heater's broken, so," Y/N shrugged, her face falling into an expression of dissatisfaction.
"So, we'll improvise," he said with a small shake of his head as he stood up. Butterflies flapped their wings against her stomach when he looked at her like that. They were friends now, and Y/N liked that. She liked sitting close to him. It was nice that they travelled to Woodbridge that day. And no matter how inconvenient, she too liked that they needed to stay the night. And all because of the rain.She stopped a giggle and Damon pulling the comforter down his bed. From the foot of the bed, she watched him slide underneath the covers and once fully seated, he looked at her.
"Well come on," he beckoned at the empty space next to him. She laughed, head back slightly, but she still stood. Y/N slid underneath the covers too, sitting closer to him than she ever really had. And no matter the butterflies in her belly, she was glad she did. That motel room was quite cold.
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It was late. Pizza had come and gone, a handful of episodes of whatever was on had played and Y/N was tired. "We should wake up early. Get home in the afternoon," she suggested, glancing over at him.
"8? Or 7?"
"7." She nodded, clicking off the TV and dropping the remote on the bedside table. "Well, thank you very much for the warmth," she nodded, peeling off the toasty covers and meeting a rush of the cold motel air.
Damon chuckled, "what?" He asked, watching her stand from his bed, "just stayed here," he shrugged.
Y/N shrugged, "it's okay. I don't wanna take up your bed."
"So you're not cold anymore?" He asked, glancing at her slightly stiff posture.
She rolled her eyes, "what you want me in there?"
He smiled, "I don't wanna call the police saying that my friend froze to death in her sleep," he shrugged.
Her eyes narrowed at him. "Okay. It would be silly to say no."
"Exactly," he raised his brows once. With a sigh, and a fast heart, she sat back in his bed, getting comfortable right next to him. Alarms set for 7, she reached for the turn-knob, and shadowed the room in darkness. She settled in bed, facing away from him, and let her mind drift away with thoughts she was glad he couldn't see.
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✧༺♥༻∞A/N∞༺♥༻✧
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