Reckless Love (Elena & Damon)

5 - Fire

Friends don't look at each other like that. 

'I had a really nice time tonight,' Tom said, as he and Elena exited the restaurant and stepped into the cold nights air. Elena wrapped her arms around herself, tightening her jacket around her.

'Me too,' Elena offered with a smile.

Tom had initially been a blind date that Caroline had set him up with, and tonight was their second date. And he was nice, there was no doubting that, and she really did have a good time. But as always, there was something that was missing.

He had been her first proper date in nearly two years, and she didn't know if it was the nerves affecting her, but something had just felt off. She had, however, wanted it so desperately to be the nerves. So she had happily accepted when he asked to take her out again but unfortunately nothing had changed from the first date and unfortunately she still wasn't interested.

And it wasn't his fault at all, she knew that. Tom was the type of man that most girls would love to end up with. He always opened the door for her, pulled out her seat, acted in gentle-men like ways that were so foreign to Elena. And he was handsome, she couldn't deny that either. His blonde hair was swept back perfectly, and the casual white business shirt he was wearing accentuated all his muscles. He was gorgeous.

But there was no fire. When Elena looked into his eyes, she didn't feel a spark or a girlish flutter in her chest. When they talked, she didn't feel everything fade away until it was only them two. In short, she knew he wasn't the one. He was definitely somebodies future - but not hers. She knew that in ten years, if she happened to run into him, he would be happily married and happily in love with a girl who looked at him like he was the man of her dreams. And Elena wanted so bad for him to be the man of hers, but he wasn't. She didn't know who was.

'Did you?' He asked, lightheartedly but with a hint of sadness behind his voice. 'You seemed a little . . . detached.'

Elena sighed and took a small step closer to Tom. 'I'm sorry. It's really not about you. I've just had a weird couple weeks.'

Of course it wasn't the full answer, but she didn't know how to tell the wonderful man before her that he just didn't spark anything within her. And, anyways, it was slightly true. In the week's since Caroline had moved in with Stefan, things had been a little chaotic and a little strange. 

Recently she had found that she hadn't been seeing her friends as much, and she was starting to get serious withdrawals. Caroline and Stefan could not keep their hands off each other and seemed to be spending as much time together as they possibly could, whether that be locked up together in their apartment, going out for lunch or dinner, or even attending the prestigious parties Stefan's father held. And Bonnie, well quite frankly, Elena had no idea what Bonnie was up to. She had a strong suspicion that she was dating someone new, and not just messing around with them like she usually does. She too was always busy these days, doing something with someone, always leaving out vital details such as what and who.

In order to keep herself busy and distract herself from the constant thoughts of loneliness, Elena had been working overtime at the bar. It had come to the point were Matt was actively refusing to give her shifts, simply because she was spending far too much time there. Usually, she detested working late night shifts at the bar, but when she had nothing else to do, the bar didn't seem like the worst choice.

And in the midst of all that, Elena was trying to work out what the hell she wanted to do with her life. She had dropped out of college and seemed to have absolutely no direction. She was beginning to be afraid of where she was heading because quite simply, she had no idea where that was.