The Key

5

EDITED

When I wake the sun is streaming through the windows and slanted on the red carpeted ground, which means it's very late in the afternoon.

Yawning silently I stretch my arms up as I sit upright in bed. I run a few fingers through my tangled black locks and sigh as I think about my life.

I don't have any memories of my time in New Orleans with Niklaus, yet my heart holds a strong fondness of him.
He killed me for his hybrid ritual. He quite literally ripped my heart from my chest, yet I know now with certainty that I'd rip it from my chest for him if he asked me to.
I used to hold such hatred for him.

I get out of bed now and walk slowly to the bathroom and start up a shower. I take off my pajama shorts and the t-shirt I'm wearing, along with my underwear. And I step into the hot water, closing the glass shower door behind me.

As I let the water run down my hair and back, I think of Damon now.

I don't know where we stand. We haven't talked much besides him telling me his experience in the prison world that he and Bonnie were stuck in all those years ago. And it's been a three days since our walk in the woods. 

I honestly don't know if I could start over with him, because I cannot get over this pull I have for Niklaus. And I don't want to try again with Damon until I address these feelings that I have for the hybrid that are brewing inside of me.

I wash my hair with the lavender scented shampoo and rinse it throughly. I shave my legs and wash the rest of my body. I feel clean and ready to start the day.

I get out and turn the water off. As I wrap a large grey towel around my body there's a knock on my door.

I wrong my hair out over the sink and then go to the bedroom door and open it a crack.

"Yes Damon?" I ask him slyly as I see his eyes go immediately to the hand holding my towel up and above my breasts.

Damon looks into my eyes now, clearly struggling to form words, 

"Stefan wanted me to tell you he went shopping for some human food if you wanted any. And he said to help yourself."

I smirk at the shyness his voice is holding, 

"Well thank you."

I go to close my door but he puts a hand up to stop it, his blue eyes burning into mine. A certain passion and undeniable chemistry between us flowing.

"Is there something else Damon?" I ask coyly, my eyes blinking innocently.

Damon smirks, seeing the game I'm playing with him now, 

"I know Stefan bought food, but would you want to leave the house today? Get a bite to eat in town with me?"

I think this over for a minute.
I don't want to lead him on.
But I have been stuck in the boarding house, besides a few walks in the surround forests, for six days now.

"Sure, but this is not a date, Salvatore," I tell him and narrow my eyes seriously.

Damon smiles playfully, 

"Whatever you say little wolf."

I roll my eyes and close the door and lock it after a second thought, to which I hear Damon chuckle at as he walks back down the hall.

Drying my body off I hang up the towel and then pull on underwear.

I then pull on a pair of skinny jeans with holes at the knees, I roll them up a bit and grab a bra and hook that on. I rummage through the drawers that Stefan thankfully stocked full of clothes for me. I see a tattered and dyed Pulp Fiction t-shirt that's mostly black, and yank that on. I lace up some tan sneakers and then go to the bathroom.

I look in the mirror.
I hardly recognize myself even though nothing about me has changed.

I look away from the mirror and brush my teeth, then blow dry my hair and comb through my wavy hair with my fingers.

Having neither cell phone nor purse, I just head out of the bedroom without anything else.

Damon is waiting for me in the living room, flipping through some old book.
He's in his classic black T-shirt and dark jeans, black boots.

"Are you ready?" He asks me, smiling a little.

I nod at him and smile, 

"Yeah I'm ready."

Damon gets up and heads to the front door, grabs his classic black leather jacket off the hook next to the door and holds the door open for me.

I step out of the house first and see his baby blue Mustang is parked out front. Damon closes the front door behind him and opens the passenger car door for me and I slip into the comfortable seat of this old fashioned car.

I see Damon super speed to the other side of the car, which is completely unnecessary but I ignore it.

When he gets in he starts it up with a roar.

"Buckle up little wolf, I don't need any tickets," Damon scolds me as we take off down the driveway to the road.

I groan in annoyance and reluctantly buckle my seat belt, and then look at him with a scowl, 

"Happy?"

Damon turns to see that I'm buckled up and smiles to himself, 

"Thank you."

We remain silent. Which is fine.  We never really needed words to talk in the first place.
The silence isn't awkward or heavy. It's actually quite comforting.

I watch the world around us as he drives and I take it all in.

The scents of the forest. To dampness of winter right around the corner.

When we get into town all the sounds overwhelm my lycanthrope ears.
The constant chatter between friends and family. The noise of cars. The shrill chirping of birds. The sounds of feet hitting the pavement as pedestrians cross the street.

I slowly and hesitantly get out of the car and go to stand with Damon on the sidewalk, as he's parked the car now against the street.

"You doing okay Debria?" Damon asks me cautiously, but his voice sounds muffled compared to the rest of the world happening around me.

I look around, my eyes trying to take in and calculate everything at once.

I feel a hand on my shoulder, and warmth spreads throughout my body at the touch.

This touch breaks me from being trapped in my mind, I look up and see Damon's hand on my shoulder. The first time we've really touched in over seven years.

"Debria, are you okay?" Damon asks me, worry evident in his eyes.

"I'm fine Damon. Just too many elements at once hitting me," I say and shake my head to clear my thoughts, I look back up at him, 

"Where to?"

Damon removes his hand form my shoulder, leaving it cold, and he smiles at me, 

"They rebuilt the Mystic Grill a few years ago, wanna head there?"

Shrugging I smile back at him, 

"Why not, and you can tell me how it got destroyed in the first place."

Damon throws his head back and laughs, a real laugh, which makes me smile.

Maybe relearning who Damon is, isn't such a bad thing.