This Is What I Want

We pulled into the Grill and hopped out, the girls leaving their bags in the car. In the short ride, I had taken an immediate liking to Bonnie. She made me feel accepted and welcomed, and from the way she acted around me, I could tell that she liked me too. Caroline was very forward, controlling, and way too perky. She made everything into a competition, but I could tell that we were going to get along just fine.

I left my bag in the car, and we entered the building, the noise and atmosphere of the place hitting me hard. I took a deep breath and smiled, already loving the feeling coming from the place.

I watched as Elena’s face suddenly paled, all colour draining quickly.

“Elena? Hey! What’s wrong?” I asked quickly, stepping in front of her. Her eyes did not meet mine but remained locked on whatever had caught her attention. I followed her gaze to see two men sitting at the bar, both extremely attractive.

“Um, excuse me,” she mumbled and ran off toward the two, leaving me confused.

“What just happened?” I asked Bonnie.

“That’s Stefan, her boyfriend. I’m not really sure what’s going on there though,” she responded. I nodded slowly and turned to watch the scene in front of me unfold. I watched as Elena approached Stefan, wringing her hands the whole time. She said something to him and he stood up, allowing her to lead the way out. I assumed they were going to have a private conversation. I watched as both of them exited out a side door and disappeared around the corner of the building.

The man next to Stefan turned to look at the three of us standing in the middle of the floor. His blue eyes met mine and a jolt ran through me. His head cocked slightly to the side, and I knew that he had felt it, too. I felt as if I were being drawn to him, so I excused myself from Caroline and Bonnie and headed toward the bar. I watched as his eyes raked me up and down, checking me out.

I sat down on the stool recently vacated by Stefan, Damon’s presence overwhelming my senses.

“Can I buy you a drink?” he purred into my ear, his hand resting lightly on my lower back.

I turned to look at him and the full impact of his gaze struck me again. He was smirking at me, and I smiled coyly and cocked my head.

“Can you?” I asked with a wink. He chuckled and motioned for the bar tender. She stepped over and poured me a drink, not interrupting the chemistry that was obviously flowing between me and the mystery man.

“Damon Salvatore.” He stuck out his hand.

“Delaney Fitzwilliam.” I shook his hand.

“So, Delaney,” he said, drawing out my name, testing it in his mouth. He arched an eyebrow. “Are you new here?”

I chuckled. “Sort of. My family just moved here a few days ago, actually. We lived here before and then moved away and now we’re back. I guess we just couldn’t stay away.”

He looked intrigued, his eyes flitting toward my neck and back to my face in an instant. I gave him a questioning look but didn’t acknowledge the action further. I noticed Bonnie and Caroline at a table looking anxious to hear what was transpiring and excused myself once more.

“Well, Damon Salvatore, I must get going, but I’ll see you around,” I said with another wink and stood up. He made a move to stop me, but I sauntered away before he could act. As I moved toward Bonnie and Caroline, I could feel his eyes burning into my back, a small smile playing about my lips.
I plopped into the booth next to Caroline, the smile still on my face.

“Okay, spill! Who was that gorgeous guy you were just flirting it up with at the bar?” Caroline gushed. I laughed and sat up, ready to tell them what had just happened.

“His name is Damon Salvatore-“ I began but was almost immediately cut off by Caroline.

“Damon Salvatore? That’s Stefan’s brother!” I looked at her as I tried to digest this information. I turned to the bar to see if he was still there. He was, his eyes trained on mine. I turned back to Caroline, confusion swirling in my mind.

“Stefan’s brother? What am I supposed to do? I can’t keep flirting with him, he’s Elena’s boyfriend’s brother! I would feel weird going for him,” I said with a groan. I heard a chuckle from behind me.

“You do it anyway because Elena’s boyfriend’s brother is nothing like Elena’s boyfriend,” he purred into my ear, his breath leaving goose bumps along my neck. There was something about him that I was undeniably attracted to already. I could hear Bonnie and Caroline breathing beside me. I could almost feel their hesitation and uncertainty. I quickly decided that he was right.

“And how do you suggest one would go about that?” I murmured back. I heard Caroline groan softly beside me and stood up.

“I’m sorry,” I mouthed before leaving with Damon.

“Well, I would think that the first thing to do would be to get the other person’s number, if I’m not mistaken,” he replied as soon as we were outside. He smirked which caused me to melt instantly.

“And then what?”

I leaned my back against the wall, one foot propped up behind me. I folded my arms, a smirk of my own appearing on my face. His arms were on both sides of my head in an instant, his face dangerously close to my own.

“Then I ask you on a date.”

Butterflies erupted in my stomach at his words, goose bumps covering my body once more. I took a deep breath and nodded.

“I think we’ve skipped a few steps here,” I said breathlessly, mentally groaning for his effect on me. I dipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out my phone.

“Step one, yeah?” I offered him my phone and watched his eyebrow arch.

“Step two. I’ll pick you up at 7:30 tomorrow. Don’t be late. We’re going someplace fancy,” he breathed into my ear, my phone suddenly back in my hand. I looked into his blue eyes and felt hypnotized.

“It’s a date Mr. Salvatore,” I replied before slipping out from under his arms and entering the Grill once more leaving him illuminated in the street light.