Unexpected Chances

Chapter 1

A year had been too long to get over him, if she would have actually been honest with herself. Maybe, she would never really get over him and he would always be that one failed relationship that would sting in the back of her mind, every single time that she thought of him. Yet, it still hurt to see him walking around the office and flirting with the blonde that sat not too far from her view. The once lovable and wonderful ex-boyfriend had returned from his so called vacation, with a new lovely fiancée, Caroline Forbes and it was all to make her life miserable.

Elena Gilbert was sick of staring at his face every time that they would bump into each other at work. She desperately needed a change from working in such close proximity with her ex and she desperately needed to be as far away as possible from anything that reminded her of her two year disaster that she had called a relationship.

Damon Salvatore was wealthy and handsome. But, being the silly and naïve young woman that Elena was, she fell in love with him fairly quickly. If you asked her, it wasn't very hard for him to sweep her off of her feet and into the back seat of his car. His smooth words had an effect on her, or maybe it was the alcohol that fueled the desire for him to just shut the hell up and kiss her like he meant it in the back seat of his brand new Mercedes-Benz. Whatever it may have been, they had fallen into a fast paced world wind romance and Damon had made her believe that he loved her more than anything.

But that was two years ago and for some stupid reason, she missed him. Damon had carried himself like a real gentleman all those years ago, with his dark pressed suits and his polished black shoes. His mesmerizing blue eyes and dark hair had not only made Elena's heart skip a beat. But, his warm smile had been the first thing that had caught her attention when she had applied for the job of being the CEO's assistant at the Law firm office of Wilmington & Collins, over two years ago.

As Elena sat at her desk and watched Damon flaunt his new watch to the blonde and blue eyed, Caroline Forbes. She rolled her eyes at them as the blonde flipped her hair back and placed her left hand over Damon's arm, running it up and down the side of his muscular biceps and clearly showing off her pear cut diamond ring with the silver band that shined in the light.

"When the hell is this going to stop!" Elena muttered under her breath. She was sick of it because ever since Damon had gotten back from his vacation to god knows where; he was a totally different person. And it had only gotten worse, since he had announced that he was going to marry 'Miss Perfection' Also known as Miss Caroline Forbes. But, what had surprised Elena more was when Damon announced that he was leaving on vacation and having his younger brother, take over the firm for a while.

Damon's brother, Stefan was a successful lawyer, just a few months shy of finishing his MBA, when he had been promoted to being Co-CEO of the company that the two men had inherited from their late mother and father. Yet, it seemed to be a mystery to Elena that after working at the firm for so long that she had never really seen, Stefan. She had only heard about him from Damon on a few occasions. Damon had told her the basics, Stefan was newly single, he worked long hours and he was dedicated to his work. She remembered how he had also mentioned that his younger brother would barely leave his office which was on the fifth floor of the huge building that the Salvatore's owned, because he would be too tired to go back home to an empty house, filled with memories of his ex-wife, Rebekah.

Elena quickly glanced at herself in the small mirror in her office, making sure her makeup and hair were perfect. Before, she walked over to where Damon and Caroline where standing, clearly ready to give Damon a piece of her mind. "Excuse me! But, can I talk to you for just a second...Alone?" Elena asked in a serious tone as she walked over to Damon and deliberately stood right in front of Caroline, blocking her view of the two of them and of the pissed off look of annoyance on Elena's face.

Damon looked over at Elena, with a surprised look on his face. Maybe it was because she hadn't spoken to him directly in months and this was the first time that they had actually had any contact with one another since he briefly told her that his Uncle was sending him to France for a so called "business trip" but, Elena knew what it was really all about. Damon's Uncle wanted him to be far away from his ex-girlfriend, in hopes of cooling down any sort of desire Damon may have had in his head of ever getting back together with her. And by doing so, is uncle had sent Caroline Forbes with him to France, because he knew how much Caroline loved Damon and Paris's flawless shopping boutiques. When the pair had returned from their trip, just two months ago, they had announced suddenly to the whole firm that they were engaged.

Damon watched as Elena walked into an empty office room that was somewhat secluded from the rest, slamming the door shut behind her as she sat right on top of the desk and then she gestured for him to sit down on a chair across from her.

"Well this is awkward..." He commented with a smirk on his face as he glanced at her.

"Not as awkward as that display of PDA with your new girlfriend! What was that, Damon?" Elena asked as she crossed her legs and leaned back slightly onto the top of the desk that she was sitting on.

"Elena. I don't want to hurt you. So, why can't we just be civil about this whole thing? I am sorry for the shit that I put you through when we were together...I was out of line and...you're not the only one still hurting." He told her as he held her gaze.

Elena shook her head as she looked like she was on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry that I never told you how much I loved you before you just disappeared on me. Damon, you left me in the house that we bought together, with nothing but a damn note, explaining barely anything except for the fact that you and I were done. So, was I just another notch on your belt for you or was it real with me?" She asked him as her voice shook and she watched him swiftly get up from the chair.

Within seconds he was standing next to her, smiling a saddened smile as he leaned towards her and whispered against her ear."I have always wanted it to be you. I never wanted this life of having to be engaged to another woman. It was never my choice to make, Elena." Damon told her in a saddened tone as he leaned into her and kissed her lips gently, sending a shiver down her spine as she wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed him in, God she missed him. But this desire that she was feeling was suffocating her and it made her want to kill him and Caroline every time she saw them together.

"Damon, Damon. I can't do this. I still love you. But every time I see you with her. It makes me sick. I want to transfer out of this department; I can't work for you anymore, not as your assistant. Surely you can find me a different place to work in this company." Elena commented as she shoved him off of her and got up from the desk. Damon was stunned; his blue eyes were in shock as he watched his ex-girlfriend straighten out her red dress and walk past him, disappearing out of the room and leaving Damon empty handed.

He watched as she was half way down the hall, before he called after her. "Elena, wait!" He shouted as he ran up to her, placing his hand on her olive colored skin.

"What now? Damon." Elena asked as she stepped back from him and took him in. From her view, he looked exhausted and she wondered silently if he had maybe felt slightly guilty for letting her slip through his fingertips.

"Look, I still want you here. But, let's compromise. My brother works on the fifth floor of this building and he's looking for an assistant. If you want the job, I can-." Damon began to say right as Elena cut him off.

"I'll take it." Elena said confidently as she gave him a slight smile and gave him a pat on the shoulder, before walking away from him and going towards her desk, thankful that he somewhat understood her feelings for the need of a change of scenery.