a c t i o n »
[ Damon can hear her heart pounding in her chest. Two separate statements. Two different wants. His brows furrow slightly. ]
No. I can't. [ His features grow soft and he nods, agreeing. As much as he wants to, he knows that he can't. He shouldn't. But he's not going to deny himself this opportunity; this possibility to be more. ] But I will. [ He whispers almost wistfully as he brushes his thumb across her cheek. ]
Just not right now.
[ There, Elena. This isn't over. It's not going to be ignored and they're not going to pretend it didn't happen. He can't. But he'll do this: he'll give her the space (lies) and the time that she needs to process this; to figure this out. She might not know what she wants right now, but there's the slightest chance that he could win her heart and he's not going to give up on that. ]