This was as close to Elena as he had ever been; there were...a million different reasons for that. Before, he wasn't the kind of person she would have been interested in, at least not when they were old enough to have an interest. Or there had always been someone else involved. No, in that moment, it felt like things were coming together, clicking effortlessly into place, guided by something stronger than coincidence. Her hips were moving perfectly with the song; transcending the music, to a rhythm that was only there for the two of them. It wouldn't have mattered where they were; at that point, the bar was just background and nothing more. Like it existed miles away, only the slightest glimpse that it was there at all. Confusing, overwhelming, perfect. He had never thought he would be swept away by Elena Gilbert; his desires for her before then had been...crude, at best. Lustful images that fueled fantasies he kept to himself. Now it was blossoming into something else entirely, wasn't it? And it wasn't unrequited. Another sign that her emotions were coming back. Just that squeeze to his hand, a small, intimate signal that what was happening wasn't lost on her.
“Maybe you do,” it wasn't arrogance in his voice when he spoke this time; but there was definitely a certain kind of will power in it. 'But you'd break them. For me.” Even just a year ago, no one would have argued if she had thought it was pure ego behind what he was saying. Tyler Lockwood always got what he wanted; spoiled, an only child...powerful parents, what he said went. In this case, that couldn't have been further from the truth. Elena didn't just bend to his will because of his last name. When he said she'd break them for hi...it was because he knew it was the truth. His hand was on the small of her back and he pushed her gently towards him, swallowing up a tiny bit more distance. She'd break them because they were all each other had; Jeremy was there now, but he knew if she spent more time with her brother because she was ready, the flood gates were going to come crashing down and it would leave her a sobbing mess on the floor. He had been there; when you felt so broken that you didn't want to move, you didn't want to do anything...it took all your strength just to live. To have a will to live.
And it was his own selfishness too; without her, he was just as likely to go back to the apartment and destroy everything in sight. Or run out into the night air and let the change happen. Free the wolf inside of him that was desperate to get out; to open its jaws and howl. Tyler...wanted to howl for completely different reasons when it came to Elena. He turned his head, his cheek lightly brushing against her forehead...anything for a little contact, just a hint to satisfying the longing that had been building. Even in the smoke filled room, her scent was the strongest, and when he breathed it in, he felt like his head was spinning. Waiting for the right time. “Because you know I would for you.” Tilting his head, his lips were closer to her ear. It was different...that feeling of being possessed to say something, that you might burst if you weren't able to get it out. The intensity. “It wasn't just a game.” He knew, with the switch flipped, she had enjoyed the thrill...pushing his buttons, setting him off. The predator and the prey. “I broke the door down because I had to see you. I needed to.”