Damon didn't have the same qualms about telling her he loved her when he no longer had to compel her to forget it because he couldn't have her remember it when he knew that he could never be with her in the way that he wanted to. Now, everything was different. She loved him and he loved her. It was quite liberating.
And he couldn't deny that her being a vampire had made them closer.
He loved seeing that smile on her face. She had the most beautiful smile. It wasn't devious like Katherine's. It was warm and kind, just like Elena was and it always reached her beautiful eyes.
"Well, I think that I'm worth it. Don't you?" he asked, tossing his head a little, as if shaking his hair, jokingly. He liked being able to just play around with her, not take everything so serious.
Elena was special to him. She was the only woman he could see himself wanting to spend eternity with anymore. She had changed him in ways he could not describe and he was never wanted this to end for them.
"Well, that is high praise," he said. "And it's already very memorable," he said. He was going out with her, after all. "But I'm excited to see what you have planned for the evening."