the truth

Chapter eleven

Two days later, Aurora sat on the phone consoling Bonnie on the death of her grandmother. The other day, her grams had passed due to an overwhelming amount of power. Apparently, according to Elena, they performed a spell to let Damon in to get Katherine - but Stefan and Damon both ended up getting stuck since it was a one way spell. Bonnie begged her grandma to lift the spell to release the Salvatore brothers and they did but it overwhelmed her too much and she ended up passing shortly after. Aurora wasn't there for the tomb, knowing that she couldn't lie to Damon so she wasn't part of the plan. After a thirty minutes talk on the phone with her friend, they ended up biding their goodbyes when Aurora got a text from Damon.

 Come to the house - D

Aurora furrowed her eyebrows, confusion etching lines on her forehead as she gathered her stuff. She had been worried about her friend, Damon, who was going through a difficult time with the whole Katherine situation. She knew him well and was aware of how he tended to take out his anger. Determined to offer support, she headed for the door.

Once Aurora arrived at Damon's place, she pulled into the driveway, parked her car, and turned off the engine. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and made her way to the front door. After a brief moment, she knocked.

The door swung open, revealing Damon, who looked like he had just rolled out of bed as his chest was bare. Aurora couldn't help but stare at him for a moment. Damon, noticing her gaze, smirked.

"Like what you see?" he teased, making Aurora swallow awkwardly.
"You knew I was coming over.... You invited me over." Aurora paused before adding on "What did you want, Damon?" Damon rolled his eyes in response and stepped aside, letting her into the house. Once inside, Aurora glanced around the living room, noticing the scattered remnants of a once tidy space.
"I needed a distraction, and you seemed like the perfect candidate," Damon said, his tone sharp but his eyes revealing a hint of turmoil. Aurora sighed, understanding that Damon was grappling with the aftermath of recent events. "Damon, you can't keep bottling everything up. It's okay to talk about it," she said, concern evident in her eyes.

Rolling his eyes he then moved to the other side of the room, running a hand through his tousled hair before reaching over and grabbing two crystal glasses and a bottle of bourbon and pouring two fresh cups. 
"Talking won't change what happened, Aurora. Katherine played me, and Bonnie's grams paid the price." Damon shrugged walking over to the girl before handing her one of the glasses making Aurora glance at in uncertainly. 
"No one's going to tell, besides after everything that's happened I think we both deserve a glass... or twenty." Damon noted making Aurora accept the glass as she watched Damon take a sip of his drink as he trailed over to the couch and sat down. Aurora approached him, hesitantly placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You're not alone in this, Damon. We're all dealing with the fallout. Bonnie lost her grandmother, and you... you lost someone too."

Damon's gaze met hers, a mix of gratitude and pain in his eyes. "I know. That's why I called you. I need a distraction, something to take my mind off the chaos for a while."
"Alright, what do you have in mind?" Aurora nodded understandingly.
"How about a game of poker? I could use a challenge, and beating you might just be the distraction I need." Damon smirked, his usual cocky demeanor returning. 
"You're on, Salvatore. But just so you know, I play to win." Aurora chuckled, appreciating his attempt to lighten the mood. As Damon set up the cards, the tension in the room began to ease while Aurora walked over to the record player they had set up. She shuffled through them for a while until she found an album from the Black Keys, 'Brothers.'