Damon Salvatore (darkcrow) wrote in landofatlantis, @ 2011-06-01 22:53:00 |
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Entry tags: | caroline forbes - awkwardsubtext, damon salvatore - darkcrow |
Who: Damon Salvatore & Caroline Forbes (~darkcrow & ~awkwardsubtext)
What: Meeting up, etc.
When: Beach party day
Where: Elena's beach party
Rating: PG for now; incomplete
Caroline had been blissfully avoiding Damon, but with Elena throwing a beach party, she had a feeling he might turn up. As Elena's best friend and the word 'beach' being involved, Caroline could hardly turn it down. So she went out and bought a hot bikini and decided she would go and live it up and avoid Damon in the process.
For most of the party, she had been mingling and socializing with everyone she could. She caught a Damon glancing her way a few times and it wasn't hard to tell that he was the one pursuing her. Each time she caught him looking at her, she turned her attention pointedly back to whoever she was talking to at the time.
After one conversation, she walked back over to the refreshments to get another beer. She picked one up and opened it, turning to lean back against the table, taking a long drink from the can.
Damon knew he was doing this 'by the book', so to speak. He was keeping his distance, as she requested. He felt guilty for basically forcing her to go out with him after his abundance of alcohol consumption. He had, therefore, done something he thought he would never do for a woman - he stopped himself from his pursuit. True, he sent her baubles and pretty flowers so she would know he was still interested, but he gave her the space she required. Was he truly such a bad vampire that she needed this much time?
He had been watching her, trying to be surreptitious. But Ric had pointed out that he was anything but... ogling seemed to be the word he used. After a glare, the former teacher had left Damon alone near the refreshments table, a cup of ginger ale in hand.
When she walked his direction, he nearly dropped his drink. But he knew she wasn't coming to speak to him, only for more alcohol. Did she require it to be in his presence? That made him sad, an emotion he wasn't used to feeling.
Instead of ignoring the fact that she was mere feet away, he sidled over beside her, his backside leaning against the table. "I like the bikini," he said, trying to not sound teasing or to leer at her. She really did look mouthwatering to the extreme. He chanced a smile, so she could see a hint of his sincerity.
Caroline hadn't even seen Damon near the table when she had come by for the beer. It also wasn't really about him. She honestly would have still been drinking if he hadn't been there. It was a party and that was what people did at parties.
When she heard the compliment, she turned her head to look at Damon. Of course he would approach her. "Thanks," she said, taking another sip from the beer can. She knew she looked good in a bikini. In fact, she had caught several guys staring. Not that any of them interested
her.
She turned to face him, her hands on her hips. "So best man, huh?" she asked him, her gaze glaring at him. "When did you plan to tell me?" She wasn't even sure if he knew that she was maid of honor, but it seemed entirely too coincidental for them to both be asked.
Damon was puzzled. Why was she angry that he was the best man in Elena and the other Damon's wedding? The Damon he felt closer to than the others... than to even Stefan. He placed his cup on the table and faced her completely. He hated games and desperately wanted to know how she felt.
"Yep, I'm the best man," he said smiling in that charming way only he could. "Why does that trouble you, oh fairest maiden?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and arching a brow at her.
Caroline couldn't tell if he knew about her part in the wedding and he was just toying with her, or if he really had no idea. Would Elena have even told her fiance who she had chosen for her bridal party by the time this Damon had been asked? How could it be that big of a coincidence? She pursed her lips together gently for a moment, thinking of what her next response would be.
Finally, she let out a sigh and dropped her hands from her hips before picking up her beer to take another sip. "Do you mean to tell me that you really don't know?" Caroline asked him. "This wasn't some twisted plan of yours to get closer to me?"
He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest sullenly. "Caroline, I don't know what you're talking about. Are you in the wedding too?" he asked, the light bulb going on over his head. He shook his perfectly tousled hair.
"I had no hand in this. Damon simply asked and I accepted. Done deal," he said, spreading his arms wide.
When Damon told her he didn't know what she was talking about, Caroline faltered, but only slightly. When Elena first told her that he was the best man, she had been so sure that he had somehow arranged it to violate her request for space once again. But maybe it really was a coincidence. "Yes," she said, her tone softening. "I'm the maid of honor."
She bit down on her lip gently. Even if he wasn't behind it, she had no idea how this was going to work. If they were other parts on the wedding party, if he were a groomsman or if she was a bridesmaid, it wouldn't be so bad. But the best man had to walk the maid of honor down the aisle. It couldn't be arranged differently. What it wasn't a coincidence, though? What if he didn't plan it, but Damon and Elena did?
Damon smiled charmingly. "I am glad that it'll be you I am walking down the aisle, then. Better someone I know than someone I want to rip to shreds," he said with a smirk. He was trying to ease the tension. But inside... he was swelling with joy. He was glad that they would spend time together.
"Listen," he said, leaning closer to her and speaking in a hushed tone, "I have been giving you space. And I will continue to do so. But if we're going to be spending time together for the wedding, maybe you can try to give me a chance... even as just a friend?" he offered.
Caroline smiled lightly when he mentioned that it was better her than someone he wanted to rip to shreds. "What if I want to rip you to shreds?" she asked teasingly. The truth was, they both knew she couldn't stand a chance against him. She was learning and coping with being a vampire, but the bottom line was that she was still a baby. Damon was much older than her.
Her expression turned more serious as he spoke again about giving him a chance for the sake of the wedding. He had a point. The last thing they needed to do was start arguing in the middle of the ceremony or reception. "It's not just you," she replied finally. "I mean, you have been giving me space. I've noticed it and thank you for that. But I've also been going through a lot of other stuff lately. I needed alone time." She pursed her lips together gently. "Maybe we can call a truce for the wedding."
Damon had smiled at her teasing, relaxing a degree. He was glad she could joke with him. But when he saw that sad, serious expression on her face, his smile melted.
"Being alone isn't all it's cracked up to be, believe me," he said, picking up a shot and downing it in a gulp. He was weary of being alone. "A truce would be good," he said, placing the shot glass back onto the bar. "I can be a good listener too."
Caroline glanced up at him as he spoke. It sounded like he was speaking from experience. And maybe he was. While she had been blind to it before being turned to a vampire, she could see, and actually even feel how Damon felt for Elena... though the latter part of that confused her. Since Elena was happy with Stefan, she could see how he would feel lonely.
"Maybe not, but after the things I saw in the mirror, I needed it." Even though things had been weird with Matt at the dance, it had been hard to see him break up with her. And the moment she saw with her mother, a part of her ached to actually live that. She missed her mother, a lot. "Truce, then," she told him, holding out her hand to shake his. "Really? Damon Salvatore is capable of listening?"
Damon watched the flurry of emotions cross her face. At the mention of the mirror, he pursed his lips and he believed in Carpe Diem, so he planned on doing just that.
With a smile in place, he lifted her hand to his lips and graced her knuckles with a soft kiss. "A truce," he said, his hand lingering in hers for only a moment before letting go. "Caroline Forbes, I would listen to you read Dr. Seuss all day if that if what you truly desired." He wasn't aiming for flattery, just honesty.
Caroline's eyes fluttered closed at the contact between her hand and his lips. That hadn't been at all what she expected when she extended her hand to him, nor was the emotion that ran through her at the contact. She opened her eyes again, hoping that he didn't notice any sort of reaction from her. Once he let go of her hand, she dropped it to her side, but her knuckles still tingled where his lips were.
She laughed at his comment about Dr. Seuss. "I think I'm just a little past that by now," she told him. "But seriously, thank you for the offer. I just don't know that there is anything to talk about."
He nodded, hoping he hadn't imagined her response to his impromptu kiss. Her positive response. He had to subdue his raging emotions before he jumped for joy, including a heel-click.
Returning his attention to the conversation at hand, he smiled. "You may be past it, and I may not wish to hear it ever, but that is how serious I am. I am here for you, and not just because I would like to be more than friends. I would like to start out as friends, actually," he offered, resuming his leaning position against the bar.
[to be continued]