Say You Love Me Damon Salvatore

“Whoa….”

I nodded mutely. “Yup.”

“No way…”

Again, I nodded. “Mmm hmm….”

“That’s just….”

I sighed. “I know.”

Alex, Jewels, and Steph were either staring at me or their feet, in utter shock. I’d just told them about Simon. This is their reaction:

“Guys, I have something to tell you….” I say. Alex says he thinks I’m pregnant. Jewels and Steph know better, so they don’t comment. I go on. “I have a brother.” They give me space to elaborate before talking. Hence the weird “conversation” we were just having. No one knew what to say.

Juliet cleared her throat. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

Everyone stared at her in astonishment.

“What?” she said defensively. “You were all thinking that.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Oh, brother, Jewels…”

Uh-oh, lover’s spat. “Um, you guys,” I said when Jewels opened her mouth. “This is about me, remember?” I reminded jokingly.

“Oh, yes, hail you,” Steph mumbled, equally jokingly.

I shrugged. “Well, there’s my next complaint. My life gets worse.”

“Worse than, say….a vampire’s?” Juliet asked pointedly.

I glared at her. She still wasn’t happy about Damon and I dating again—yeah, I’d told them. It was too much to keep it from them, after everything that’d happened to me and all.

Alex laughed, though. “Jewels, you’re such a nerd!”

“No, wait, think about it,” Steph said, joining in on Jewels’s bashing. “If a vampire dates a human, than their life pretty much sucks. Especially if the vampire is a cold blooded killer.”

“And if the human knows and keeps dating the vampire, it just gets worse,” Juliet added.

I leaned forward, getting angry. “But what if that vampire was changing, little by little, because of the human?”

“What if the vampire wanted to change the human to a vampire so thehuman won’t ever be able to be with her friends?” Juliet rounded.

“What if the vampire understood that’s not what the human wanted?” I snapped.

“If the vampire loves the human enough, why should the vampire care as long as he has the human forever?” Steph added.

Alex stared at us, from Juliet, to me, to Steph, all confused. Then he sighed. "You girls and vampires," he pointed an accusing finger at me. "Didn't you say you hated vampires?"

"I do!" I blurted out, without thinking.

Juliet and Steph smiled triumphantly.

I realized my mistake and backtracked. "I mean, not all vampires are bad....I mean, they're really quite interesting and.....funny..."

Alex stared at me. Then he burst out laughing. "You know, you're right. Absolutely right. In fact, you should write a story about vampires on those creative writing sites. What're they called? Quizmibble?"

Juliet rolled her eyes. "No, you dufus, quizilla and mibba."

Alex just shrugged. "You know what I mean."

"Thanks," I said awkwardly. "but I'm no story writer. Especially not about vampires."

"But you just said--"

"You know what, forget it, Alex," I said, exasperated. "Someone, please just put in a movie or--"

There was a knock at the door. I bit my lip nervously, praying it wasn't who I thought it was. After all, we'd narrowly avoided a nasty conversation about him.

"Excuse me, guys," I said, getting up reluctantly. I ran for the door when I saw Aunt Moira heading for it. No way was she going to get there before me! I thrust open the door."Look, now's not the...." I stopped speaking. My eyes became large and my jaw clenched. "Dad...."

Dan had a weary smile on his face. "Heya, Livy."

He always used to say heya to me. Then I'd say, 'heyoo' to him, usually with a wide grin and some kind of sticky substance all over my mouth and hands. Memories from when I was a little girl just started rushing through my mind, nauseating me. Years I'd planned on what to say when I saw him again; I'd cuss him out, chew his ass right up. But now, standing before me, I was speechless and I just wanted to run into his arms and have him hold me. I always knew I hated him; but I never realized how much I honestly missed him.

The moment was killed when I noticed the lanky, toe head blonde standing next to him, an awkward smile on his full lips. His startlinghazel eyes stared at me and, it seemed to me, he looked older than eleven just in his eyes. If I didn't know how old he was, I'd guess he was at least thirteen.

It felt so weird, staring at this kid--my brother--who looked nothing like me and nothing like my dad, except for the eyes.

I took in a deep breath and did the bravest thing I think I have ever done. I smiled. Genuinely. "Hi. You must be Simon."

He nodded shyly. "Yeah....you must be Olivia."

Yeah, Olivia, not Rachel. "Yeah....Oh. Here, come in. Um....I'll take your bag if you want?"

Simon immediately clutched the bag tighter. His knuckles loosened their hold, however as he nodded and handed the bag to me, which was surprisingly heavier than it looked. "Thanks..."

"No problem," Completely ignoring Dan now, I said, "Oh, follow me. You'll be sleeping in my room."

Simon blinked up at me as we walked toward my bedroom. "Where will you sleep?"

"Couch city," I smiled. "And I don't have a girly bedspread, either," I opened the door, revealing the plain, silky indigo bedspread. "And the sheets and everything have just been washed, too..."

"Okay..."

I set Simon's bag on my bed, a little awkwardly. "So...you live with Dan, or...."

"I switch," Simon said quietly. "But I live with Mom, mostly...." He studied his hands for a long moment. Then he looked back up at me with those determined hazel eyes. "Dad really wanted us to meet, you know...."

I tried to keep the resentment out of my tone when I said, "Yeah."

I must not have done a convincing job, because Simon said, "He's different, than he used to be....That's what Mom says. He left when I was four and then, when I was nine, he just wanted to talk....Be buds, I guess. I think it's cause his wife can't have kids."

Don't worry, he's probably got other kids scattered across the globe, I thought bitterly. "Oh....So, how long are you guys staying for?"

There was a soft rapping on my open door. I turned my head to see my dad. "Can I come in?" he asked.

I shrugged.

He took that as a yes and stepped in. Simon, though, awkwardly ducked out of the room. I wished he'd stay. I wanted to talk to my little brother...not my dad...

He sighed deeply, sitting on my bed. "Can we talk?"

A part of me wanted to cross my arms, say no, and stomp away. I sat at my desk chair, not saying anything.

Dan sighed. "Livy, I know you probably hate me, and I—"

"Probably? I probably hate you, Dad?" A bitter laugh escaped me. "You left us, Dan, and you don't even stay with the tramp you left us for!"

"Olivia, I never meant to—"

"To hurt me?" I finished for him angrily. "You know, it's funny you should say that. You never meant to hurt me. I don't know what's worse; leaving us and getting married to another chic, thanks, by the way, for letting me know you were married again. Or the fact that I have an eleven year old brother!"

Anger flashed in my dad's hazel eyes. "Simon is a good kid."

"I never said he wasn't. He seems like a great kid and would have loved to grow up with a baby brother." I choked back a sob. I shook my head angrily, not bothering to hold back the tears in my eyes and the shake in my voice. “Why? Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you leave us? Why wasn’t Mom ever good for you?......Why wasn’t I ever good enough for you? What did I do wrong….?”

Dan was silent. “You didn’t do anything wrong….Don’t ever say that, Livy.”

“Then why?” I sobbed.

Dan was shaking his head, staring at his hands. “I…….was young. Stupid. Thought I was in love.” He looked back up at me. “By the time I figured out how much I loved……It was too late. The damage was done. Livy, I wanted to come back so many times. But I couldn’t do that to your mother….And you. You hated me, you both did. And I don’t blame you.”

“I should have hated you,” I said quietly. “I thought I did. But…..A girl needs her daddy….And you left….I never realized….I thought it was because the other lady was better, maybe she had a better daughter…..You could relieve the mistake of marrying Mom and having me….”

“No, Livy,” Dan grasped my hand gently. “No, I love you.”

I was shaking my head. “You can’t just make it disappear….”

“I know. I don’t expect it to. But I’m sorry. I’m so, so….” There was a hitch in his voice and he was gone.

So was I, I realized, as I let go of my pride, let him hold me and we were sobbing together.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~

“You’re lucky, you know.”

I looked up. “Yeah, how so?”

Damon shrugged. “Even if he left, you can see how much he loves you. You’re lucky that you guys could salvage what you used to have.”

“We still have our issues, but…..I’m willing to try and have a relationship with him. Especially since my mom….”

It had been two days since Dan and Simon came. I was taking Damon to meet them. My dad and I had cried, laughed, and talked all day long. I had never seen him so emotional, and it was a little overwhelming. He really was changed.

And Simon, oh Simon. He was a little genius. I adored him already. We hit it off really well. I could tell he liked me, too. I think Damon would like him, too.

I opened the front door. “Hey, we’re here.”

“Wait, wait!” Aunt Moira said panicky. She insisted on making dinner, to make a better impression than her first with Damon: of the evil ‘no boyfriends allowed’ aunt. She was a great cook, too. “Alright, come in!”

I laughed and walked, hand in hand, with Damon. I glanced over to the kitchen and smiled. She made sour chicken. I don’t know exactly what she put on it, but basically it was a lot of lemon juice. I usually called it chicken warhead, but we all loved it sour, though she probably toned it down for Damon. One word: delicious. I’m speaking of the chicken, of course, not Damon.

“Hello, again,” Aunt Moira greeted Damon.

Damon gave her that dazzling smile.

“You’re Damon?”

I bit my lip.

“Yes, sir,” Damon said to my dad.

My dad held out his hand and Damon shook it. “Nice to meet you finally. My daughter is quite smitten with you.”

Despite myself, I blushed. “Dad, no one says smitten anymore,” I scolded jokingly.

Dinner was great. Everyone loved Damon…… Of course. Simon and he played video games while my dad told me how he approved. I figured he would have given me the be responsible speech, but we weren’t quite there, dad or no dad.

“I’ll be right back!” I called to the family. I was walking with Damon to his car.

“Okay, that was pretty fun, I have to say,” Damon admitted.

“See? Not so bad?”

“Mmm, neither is this,” Damon leaned down, holding my face, and kissed me.

I kissed him back longingly, wanting nothing more than to go further. It seemed that’s all I had been wanting lately. But I was torturing myself, hoping I was torturing him as well. There would be no “fun” until he said it to me.

I pulled away shortly, as per usual. “Alright, well, goodnight…” I started walking back to the house, but Damon still held my hand stubbornly.

“What’s wrong with you lately?” he asked.

I blinked innocently. “What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” he countered. “You’ve been deliberately distant. Did I do something to offend you?”

“It’s nothing you did,” I admitted. “but something you haven’t done.”

Damon sighed irritably. “And what’s that? What haven’t I done or said?”

I took a deep breath. “You haven’t said anything.”

“Said what?” He was getting annoyed. “What am I s’posed to say to you that I haven’t already?”

“Say you love me.”

Damon stared at me, much like he did the first time he did when I said it. “Olivia….You and I….I mean….We just—”

“Rachel!” Aunt Moira called from the front porch. “Say goodnight an let’s go! You have dishes to help me wash.”

I sighed. “Goodnight, Damon. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Damon’s grip on my wrist gradually loosened, though reluctantly. I turned to see him hotly throw the door of his car open, slam it, and drive away way too fast.

Ugh. Damn my stupid, prying aunt!

“C’mon in,” Aunt Moira repeated. “We’re going to see your mother tomorrow. Early.”