No Strings Attached

Day 17

            Dean waits in his car, tapping impatiently on the steering wheel. It wasn't like Elena to be late. In the two weeks they'd been seeing each other, she had always been very punctual. Not today, though. Today, on this chilly November afternoon, Elena was fifteen minutes late.

            Dean had spent most of the morning counting down the minutes until he could find some relief. He was suffocating, the pressure put upon him by the people around him drowning him. He was used to being the leader, to being the savior. He'd done it countless times before, but it was beginning to become too much. And although their relationship was still new, Dean was ready to dump some of the built up stress on Elena.

            Just as Dean was about to climb out of the car in search of her, he sees her round the corner. He was parked a block away from the hospital, assuring no one would see the brunette get inside the black Chevrolet Impala. Once she was seated, she let out a sigh of relief and turned to face Dean.

            "Sorry," she mutters, shoving her bag down by her feet. Elena was still in her scrubs, her hair tied back in a loose ponytail. Dean's eyes travel down her bare neck, lingering until Elena speaks up again. "Surgery ran long." Nodding, Dean pulls away from the curb and starts toward their destination. "Where are we going?"

            "I thought we could have a picnic," Dean says, leaning forward to watch the road signs. He was taking her to the falls, but he didn't exactly know how to get there. He'd been there once as a kid, and from what he could remember it was beautiful. He thought it was a fitting place to take Elena for their midday rendezvous. "Ever been to the falls?"

            "No, I haven't," Elena says, ripping her hair out of its ponytail. She was still dressed in her scrubs, but she was grateful Dean wasn't going to judge her. It was one of their rules, after all, and it allowed Elena the chance to feel free. She would never dare come home to Damon dressed like this. "Why is it we always go to places you know?"

            "'Cause I grew up around here, genius," Dean points out, making the last turn. "You're still relatively new." Scoffing, Elena waits until Dean has put the car into park before hopping out. Dean grabs their picnic basket and leads the way through the woods. The hike is short and soon they come across the raging waterfall.

            "It's beautiful," Elena breathes, gazing up at the rushing water with adoration. It really is a magnificent scene before them, complete with crystal clear water and trees painted with leaves of red and orange. The vibrant colors of fall set the scene perfectly, surrounding the flowing water in a masterpiece. It looked out of place in this small town, as if it were plucked from a fairy tale and dropped into their quaint little college town. "I take it you came here with Lisa?" Dean chuckles to himself as he places their picnic basket on the crunchy grass.

            "No, actually. Not once," he tells her as he lays out their blanket. "I wanted to, still do actually. But she's a busy woman, as you know." Elena sits down beside Dean, watching as he pulled small containers out of the basket. He had gone full out for this and it made Elena's heart swell uncomfortably large.

            "The best ones always are," Elena says, taking the beer Dean had just passed her way. "How are you two doing by the way? Still fighting about Ben?" Finally done pulling out their lunch, Dean settles back against the blanket.

            "Yeah," Dean says softly, passing her a sandwich. She takes a small bite, waiting for him to elaborate. "This morning, Lisa was supposed to drive him to school. Then she got all pissed at me 'cause I didn't offer to take him. It made no sense! If she said she was gonna do it, why would I then have to offer to do it for her?"