"He what?" Elena gasped.
"He bit Katherine," Stefan shrugged.
"And where's Katherine?" she asked frantically.
"She staggered off somewhere," Damon said, seemingly happy. "Hopefully, the bitch has left to die."
Elena sighed - almost with relief - and sat down beside Stefan. She didn't even mind the fact that her leg was only centimetres from Damon's. I guessed that she was just glad that Katherine was supposedly dead - or, at least, sentenced to death by the werewolf bite. I know that I was glad Katherine was gone, and I barely knew the jackass.
After the episode at the masquerade ball, we'd all made our way back to the Salvatore boarding house. Stefan, Damon and Elena were all sat down on the long sofa, while Jeremy and Bonnie were in the kitchen, making coffee. I was just lingering wherever I was wanted.
"So, what now?" I inquired.
Damon considered this. "You know; this and that. Now that the evil slut vampire is out of the picture, we can have a bit of fun," he smirked after a long pause, rubbing his hands together. I saw Elena roll her eyes. Stefan rubbed her arm sympathetically. I love how she subtly manages to piss me off.
"I better get going," she said, standing up.
"I'll drive you," Stefan insisted.
"Thank you, Stefan," she smiled, bending down to kiss him. He cradled her face in his cupped hands and held onto her lips. Ugh. Disgusting. Mind you, they were probably only doing it just to piss off Damon.
Yet, as I openly glared at them, I saw passion and adoration in Stefan's eyes, and noticed the feeling was mutual between the two of them as Elena's fingers lightly caressed his jaw bone. It was like watching a Gothic version of "Cinderella". Elena's the poor, little girl who's parents have passed away, while Stefan's the handsome prince who comes to her rescue. It's kind of sweet, really.
But, it would never be like that between Damon and I. It could never be like that between Damon and I. I'm a million miles away from being sensitive, for a start. I mean, just look at the way I handled my mother's death. I cried for a couple of hours, but I somehow got over it within a day or two. And then, I'd just never be able to cope with all of the worry and fear. I'd never be able to handle it all. The pressure of not being to look at a buff guy's arse just because your boyfriend is sitting next to you. The thought of knowing that, at any minute, your boyfriend could just turn on you without any warning, just because you laughed at some other guy's joke. To me, it all seems like too much. But, I guess that's the kind of things you put up with if you truly love someone.
Then again, I suppose that with Damon, it would be different. He seems more laid back, and not so uptight. He's lived through a lot, and he just needs a bit of love. I've seen how Elena treats him, and if that's anything like how Katherine's treated him, then I would truly hate to be in his shoes.
Although I was dying to know more of Damon's past, I was slowly going off the idea of asking him. What if he couldn't handle reliving it in his mind? I mean, he may be strong, and act like he doesn't care, but it can't be all that easy. On the outside, he doesn't give a damn, but, on the inside, he's just as vulnerable as every other human being on this planet; whether they're the living, supernatural, or the living dead. Everyone suffers from vulnerability, whether they care to admit it, or not.
Oh, Hell. Here I am, mentally talking to myself, while Damon had to endure the fact that Elena and Stefan were still kissing.
I cleared my throat, though it was never blocked. "Ahem."
"Elena," Stefan murmured. "We're being rude."
"I suppose," Elena said, letting out a long breath. "Jeremy," she called. "We're going now."
Bonnie and Jeremy came slowly walking into the living room, hand in hand. They both looked a little flustered. Jeremy wiped lipstick off of his mouth. Huh. I wondered why making coffee was taking so long for them. Naughty, naughty. And, in the Salvatore kitchen? Nice one, guys. Nice one. One hundred percent original. Unless Stefan and Elena have had a make-out session in the kitchen before - because, if so, I'm never going in that kitchen again.
"Please can I come back with you, Elena?" Bonnie pleaded with puppy dog eyes. She sounded drunk.
"Yeah, please can she come, Elena?" Jeremy joined in. Young, teenage love. Wait. Isn't Jeremy, like, younger than Bonnie? Like, one or two years younger? Toy boy, much. Well, actually, he's not exactly a toy boy, but it's still gross.
I suppose you could say the same for Damon and I. While he's got to be close to two hundred, I'm seventeen. I have to admit it; the age difference there is even worse. But, Damon's forever young. Twenty four, maybe? I don't know. I just know that he's not.
As I snapped out of my unwanted thoughts, Stefan was ushering Elena, Bonnie and Jeremy out of the door. God knows how they would all fit into his tiny sports car. Something told me that Stefan would be gone all night. That means that Damon and I...
"Fancy a drink?" Damon asked.
"Again?" I groaned. "You have an obsession with getting me drunk."
"I like my girls drunk," he confessed. "It makes them weaker."
"Oh, yeah. Because it's so hard for you to bed girls when they're sober," I scoffed, slightly offended. He just had to mention that, didn't he? He felt the need to bring it up. I was perfectly fine and happy, being here in this big house - just Damon and I. But then he decided to start being sarcastic. And now I was fucked off. Completely and utterly fucked off. Thanks a lot, Damon.
I slouched into the armchair and curled my knees up to my chest, scowling.
"What's up with you?" Damon frowned.
"You've pissed me off," I growled.
"And what've I done now?"
"Offended me."
"How the Hell have I offended you?"
"By saying that you need your women drunk to enjoy their company."
"I didn't mean you, dick. You're cool. That's why I only compelled you twice during the brief moments that I knew you when you were human. You're nothing like the other girls I've been with, Lizzie. I've only ever been with them for the blood. Unless they were already vampires... You know what? We are not having the awkward exes conversations right now. Let's just say that I've fucked a lot of women, and you probably weren't a virgin when I met you."
"Actually," I said matter-of-factly, "I was a virgin before you fucked me. Thank you very much."
"Come on, Lizzie. Calm down. You're so stressed out. Have a Bourbon and chill out."
"I'm not in the mood for more Bourbon," I surrendered. "You got anything else?"
"Scotch?"
"Do you have an obsession with whiskey?"
"No...It just tastes better than that other crap. Hey, how about I get you some blood? You must be starving."
"I'm not, though. That's the thing. You're here, telling me that I should be craving blood, but I honestly couldn't care less about the stuff."
"You're wierd." Damon flashed a smile that I'd never seen before.
"Don't I know it," I grumbled.
"Please, just have one Scotch for me, and I won't pester you about drinking alcohol for another week," he attempted to compromise.
"Fine," I gave in, letting him pour me a glass.
That's how my evening continued. Stefan never returned. He was probably shagging Elena. Nice one, Stefan. You like to spend your evenings with that bitch. But, it's none of my business. Though, I think being with Katherine would be much more entertaining. Then again, she's either dead or dying right at this moment.
And it turned out that I was actually in the mood for alcohol. I tipped back several glasses of Bourbon and Scotch before Damon and I turned in. (Well, we didn't exactly go to sleep, but you know what I mean.)
I was slowly liking the sound of an eternity with the Salvatore brothers. It started out tough, but with Katherine gone and Elena visibly committed to Stefan - with no chance of swaying over to Damon - things could turn out alright.