"You were ever that," Damon told her with enough conviction. "I knew right away that you were totally different from her. You were like the girl I always wanted her to be, but she wasn't. I was jealous of Stefan because he had you - not her." He clinked his glass against hers.
"Dream me and real me have a lot in common. Letting people in is hard. I'd rather they just walk in, make themselves at home and don't give up." That last bit hit home. People gave up, walked away after one mistake. "Stefan - I was there to see him, and I was kind of pissed, but there was a lot of history that most people don't realize. He was good, but never really the saint that he was made out to be." Damon was always the bad brother, even if he did the right things. He played to the image, even if it was incorrect. "When he needed me, I was there. I might have been an ass, but I showed up. He never showed up."