Chapter two
I got dressed in the bedroom that was now mine too. Damon remained in the bathroom. He brushed his hair and his teeth and was completely dressed before I had even decided what to wear. He walked into the bedroom and laughed.
"What's so funny?" I asked
"Women; You all take too long to primp, and it's so not necessary." I shot him a look of 'that's just how we are' and he laughed yet again.
"Guess you'll never know! We do care about what I look like, you know. It's not as simple as rolling out of bed and shaking your hair around."
"Should be." He said and brushed his arm around my side as he passed me.
"Well, compare my long hair to yours," I do a dramatic hair flip "it's a lot longer and surprisingly, I do have to at least brush it or it turns into a rats nest." He smiled a half smile and raised an eye brow.
"I see." I looked at him with an 'I can't believe you just said that' face, letting my mouth gape open. I had not even brushed my hair yet and it in fact did look like a rats nest.
"Wow, thanks." I joked and he came up behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders as if to give a massage.
"You know I'm only kidding." He said with a grin that I could sense. I remained silent, not giving him the satisfaction. He let go and walked away. I turned to face him with a smile.
"You scare easily." I laughed.
"What?" He asked holding back a smile.
"You're pouting."
"I don't pout; pouting is so un-attractive for a man my age." I had heard that before, but not him admitting it about himself.
I walked over to where he stood and quickly gave him a kiss.
"Calm down drama queen." I teased more and laughed. He finally broke and laughed with me.
I walked out of the room and down the hall, nothing had changed here. I on the other hand had changed. Or at least I felt like a new person. I'm still having to get used to the 'new' me. I walked down the steps to find Stefan sitting on the couch, glass in hand.
"Good morning." He said with a quick raise of the glass. I smiled and walked over and poured myself a drink.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, but I didn't really feel the need to spill my guts over my new form, no need to tell him everything that I'm going through, so I decided to reply with the most generic of responses.
"Fine," I sat on the opposite couch. "How are you?" I added small talk. This was small talk. Ugh, I hate small talk.
He licked his teeth that had a small amount of blood lingering on them. "I'm great. No I'm better than great!"
Ugh, Stefan. A man I used to have so many feeling for, a man who I still loved after all he put me through, but now things were different. He was seriously a new Stefan, a new man. A man I was less attracted to and a man that I no longer loved. He offered me some blood, type O; the best in many opinions. I couldn't turn down his offer so I took the blood bag from him and finished it off. How was it that he was so weak? How was it that I could drink the bag of blood and control myself, but he couldn't? Damon strolled through the room and poured himself a glass, bourbon I assume. He came over and sat next to me. I feel the tension in the air, but choose to ignore it. I am so over this whole fight. I chose who I wanted, I chose Damon, and that's that.
"Hello, brother." Damon broke the awkward silence.
Stefan got up and walked over to pour yet another glass.
"Damon." He said as he sat back down.
I really didn't want this to happen today and thankfully it wasn't going to.
"I was hoping you and Elena would like to join me for lunch."
"Was it real lunch, or vampire lunch?" Was the first thing that ran through my mind, lately you couldn't predict Stefan.
"I mean, us three go out to the Mystic grill and spend some time; have some fun!" he added.
Stefan wanting fun? This was a joke, right? I looked over at Damon who looked just as surprised as I did. Before the moment faded, I quickly made the decision.
"We'd love to, Stefan."
He smiled and got up from the couch. Pleased, he started up the stairs.
"I need to change." He shouted from the top of the stairs, which was not necessary at all and he knew that, knew that we could hear even a whisper.
Damon looked at me with wide eyes, got up and took my hand.
"Why are we agreeing to do this?" he asked.
"Because, he is your brother and we all need to get along and move on. Please stop freaking out. I chose you, Damon, and I'm not changing my mind." I assured him and he took me in a long embrace.
The mystic Grill was more packed than usual. I guess it was a good thing for the business. Or maybe it was because the founders festivities were beginning soon and everyone felt the need to relieve some stress. Damon sat next to me in a booth and Stefan joined on the opposite side. We ordered a few rounds of drinks and settled on burgers; not my favorite.
"So, Elena any word from Bonnie?" Stefan asked. What did he care? His cares for anyone and everything were gone.
"Not in a few days, why?" I still didn't understand why he cared.
"No reason, I just wondered if you had heard from her, or if she was mad at you." Mad; why would she be mad?
"She's not mad." Damon cut in.
I looked to Damon who took my hand under the table. We'd been through a lot with Stefan recently. Stefan was going through yet another let down. He'd resorted back to his 'ripper' days. I didn't exactly know why, but I figured it may have something to do with the fact that I gave up on him and finally listened to my heart. Damon. He pretends not to care, but deep down I know it's hurting him. Hell, I'm hurt, but I do think it's for the best. I deserve what I want. After all I've gone through, after everyone I've lost. I'm not even trying to make myself sound pitiful, but it's true.
Stefan looked to Damon with a furrowed brow and smiled a grin that looked a bit scary.
"I see." He added
Matt was still working at the grill after all he'd been through too. Still set on his lifestyle of a in and out mom that he had to pretend to care for, still set on paying the bill for the house and still set on living his life to the best of his ability. I wish I didn't have to say that I know exactly what he's going through, but I do. And it makes me happy just to see that he can cope, and that he is doing fine.
A long moment of an awkward silence is broke thanks to Matt. He brought us refills and our burgers on a tray that he balanced so well. He sat down the food and lingered for a few seconds to attempt small talk.
"Hey, Elena," He said with a smile.
"Hey." I smiled back. Damon knew that the smiles that were exchanged between us were simply friendly smiles and nothing more. He understood me, possibly better than anyone anymore.
"How are you?" We hadn't really spoken since the night we went off the bridge, the night I chose to have his life saved over myself. And maybe that's one reason I don't hate Stefan. He did do what I wanted; he chose to save Matt for me.
"I'm fine." There I was again, sugar coating everything.
"Great." He smiled again.
"Well, you all enjoy your meal, I've gotta run, we're pretty packed." He looked around the room to show us as If we couldn't already tell.
Damon, Stefan and I all simultaneously smiled and nodded as he returned back to his work.
Stefan was the first to dig in to his burger. Damon and I almost sat with gawked mouths watching him tare through it like a true monster. It should have ringed a bell that he was a monster when he ordered the burger almost with a heartbeat, still bleeding. But we have Matt to thank for covering that one. I finally took a bite out of mine and Damon followed my lead. Stefan kept on with the small talk that I had no interest in.
I heard footsteps, clacking of the heels. Caroline. I knew it was her before she even walked in the door. With her peppy walk and the flip of her gorgeous blond hair she came directly over to our booth and forcefully scooted Stefan over to join.
"Oh my God, Elena." She said, and maybe the pep in her walk was just natural for her and she wasn't in such a good mood.
"What?" I sat what little of my burger that I had left back down on my plate.
"I'm in a terrible mess, and you're just the person I need. I really need you, please." She rambled on speaking so fast.
I looked at her wide eyed with an expression that read 'what?!'
"Two of the girls dropped out of the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant and I really need a fill in, and I know that you've already done it before and you can borrow some of my dresses and I really need you, please!" She got all of that out before I could even process it.
"But- ah, Caroline,"
"Please, Elena. For me! I really have no one else. You'd think every girl in this town would love to flaunt their beauty, but hey, not everyone can be as great as me." She said with a smirk followed my serious puppy dog eyes; even going as far as to pout with her bottom lip.
I looked to Damon who looked back to me.
"I'd love to be your escort, yet again." Damon said and that's all Caroline needed to hear.
"Oh my God, thank you!" she jumped up and was out the door before I could yet again process anything.
Me, in the pageant again? Is that even allowed? I really didn't want to, but I guess I don't exactly have the courage to say no to Caroline. I am the reason she is the way she is now.
Stefan remained silent and Damon took my hand from under the table. I tried to make the best out of the situation.
"Well, I guess I've got to go dress shopping." I said perky and with a full smile. It's better to convince myself that I'm happy, not saying I'm not entirely.
Damon got up and let me out from the inside of the booth; Stefan joined, and together we left leaving an extra generous tip on the table for Matt.
Later that night I sat by the window in the bedroom, opened my journal and began to write.
Dear Diary, if I had known that things could be so simple, so routine like, maybe I would have been more okay with this transformation. I'm not in any way saying that becoming a vampire is what I wanted, or that I'm exactly happy being who I am, but I feel that I'm becoming more and more strong, more and more a better person; definitely a new me. I feel that things are shaping out for the best. Or at least I'm hoping they are. Today Damon, Stefan and I went to lunch; nothing special, but Caroline waltzed in with the perfect smile on her face and her elegant peppy walk and I thought, even though this is not what she wanted, she copes so well and makes it look so easy, so okay. And in that moment I felt that I could be strong, I could do this; not that I have any other choice. Then I looked out of the corner of my eye to see Damon. He's been a better person and I know that it's hard for him. He told me once that he didn't like people to see the good in him, because then they would expect good. And that he didn't want to have to live up to anyone's expectations. Yet I feel like he's more of himself now than ever. I know that deep down when he was still human, when he was in love with Katherine, that was all he wanted, wanted to be consumed by her love; and he was. He was madly in love with her and for her he became a vampire. Thinking about that makes me feel that I can do this. I love him and I would at this point do anything for him. I don't know if any of this is making any sense, but it does to me. I guess all I'm trying to say is that If Caroline can do this, If Damon can do this and if Stefan can do this, than I can too. I will; because they're all I have now, they are my family. I guess I should also add the fact that I'm going to be a contestant, yet again in the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. -Elena