Reckless Love (Elena & Damon)

12 - Messy

It's all messy:
the hair, the bed, the words, the heart, life.

Elena wasn't so sure that going to the Hampton's was a good idea, and in the days leading up to the weekend, she had all but decided she wasn't going to go. It's not that she didn't want to go, she wanted to spend time with her friends, and desperately wanted to spend time with Damon, but she knew she couldn't do that without Caroline breathing down her neck.

After Caroline had practically begged Elena not to go out with Damon, flipping the switch back on that she thought had been turned off, Elena was seriously struggling with what the right thing to do was. She knew that going against what Caroline wanted for her own benefit was selfish, and she hated that, but she also felt that Caroline was being selfish too.

Caroline was happy. So uncontrollably happy that nothing could break that. Not Elena, nor Damon. Yet, she was so paranoid that it would break and shatter and crumble around her. Elena understood, she really did, she knew Caroline was scared to lose the best thing that ever happened to her, but Elena would never let that happen. Plus, Stefan and Caroline were immeasurably, irrevocably in love with each other— they wouldn't let Elena and Damon break that even if they could.

But Elena wasn't happy. In fact, these days, she spent a lot of time being sad. But not when she was with Damon. Damon made her happy. And all she wanted was to explore that more and see where it could go, if it could go anywhere at all. But Caroline, selfishly, didn't want her to. And Elena, also selfishly, still wanted to. It was a paradox of selfishness that Elena had no idea to escape.

And the Hampton's wasn't the right place to try and escape that. She couldn't try and sort things out with Caroline with Damon there, and she couldn't spend time with Damon with Caroline there. So she had decided she wasn't going to go, and that was that.

Until, Caroline called her on Thursday morning. She hoped it would be a simple call, just a quick catch up. But instead, it was an invitation to the Hampton's. When the words left Caroline's lips, Elena felt her body shiver, because now she was stuck in a predicament. Elena was never a good liar, and she especially couldn't lie to Caroline, she could see through her like she was cellophane and getting caught lying would only lead to Caroline getting suspicious, because as far as she knew, Damon and Elena were nothing, and as far as Caroline knew, they certainly hadn't kissed.

So thus, Elena had no other option but to accept the invite with apparent glee and promise that she would be there. As soon as she had agreed to, she felt nervous. She knew this weekend would be hard work as she would have to keep up the relationship with both Caroline and Damon, and with Caroline knowing nothing about whatever level of relationship Elena and Damon had, she was scared that they would suffer.

Early Saturday morning Elena began the drive up to the Hampton's on her own. Caroline was already up there having gone up late last night after she finished work. As for Bonnie, her and Enzo had taken the weekend to travel back down to Virginia, so Bonnie could introduce Enzo to her family, which undoubtedly meant that things were getting serious between them. But it also meant that Bonnie wouldn't be there for any support this weekend, which was a real shame and only made Elena more tense.

The drive felt longer on her own, but eventually she reached the monstrous house and let out a defeated sigh, realizing that she felt even less inclined to be here then she had the last time.

As Elena walked up the driveway to the house, she began to realize that she had no idea who she wanted to see first. Did she want to look into the shining blue eyes of Damon, or the luscious blonde locks of Caroline. Before she could over-think anymore, the front door swung open as Elena stepped onto the porch.