Two Less Lonely People
Chapter one
Summary: After graduating high school, Elena Glibert moves to New York City a few weeks before she is set to attend Colombia University. While she is moving into her apartment she meets a mysterious stranger. But somehow, he seems familiar. Damon/Elena. AU.
Elena Gilbert sighed in relief as she finally stepped into the crowded lobby of the New York Airport; the plane ride from Mystic Falls Virginia had been exhausting. She quickly glanced around at her
surroundings. Everywhere she turned people were moving. Some were talking on phones and others appeared to be texting. She sighed again; it was going to be difficult adjusting to life in the city.
She was so used to small towns and knowing everyone. Here, it was different. She knew no one. She had no one. Her parents had died in a car accident when she was sixteen. She had been in the
car with them, but she hadn't died. Instead she had been put in a coma, she had gotten lucky. Her parents hadn't, and she carried that around with her every day of her life.
"Elena Gilbert?" Elena heard a voice from behind her. She turned around to see a slightly overweight man dressed in a pair of baggy jeans and a sloppy looking white t-shit, with a gray jacket thrown on over it.
"Yes?" She asked hesitantly, not knowing who this man was.
"Hi. I drove the movers' truck over from Virginia." He replied motioning to her to follow him to the parking lot. "The company gave me your picture so I'd be able to find you."
"Oh right. Thank you." Elena said, feeling better that she knew he wasn't a serial killer.
The man dug into his coat pocket, pulling a set of keys out of it and handed them to Elena.
"I was only paid to drive the truck to the airport…so if you want help getting it to your place and unloading it…you'll have to pay me extra."
Great, Elena thought. She didn't have any extra money to throw away on that.
"Uh, no thanks…" Elena glanced at the name tag he wore, "Frank. I think I can handle it myself." She declared, smiling politely at the middle aged man.
Frank nodded. "Alright then. Well goodbye, Miss Gilbert." He then turned and walked off through the airport terminal.
"Bye." Elena said after him.
She picked up the one bag she had taken on the plane with her and walked off in the direction of the movers' truck.
After a few hours of tedious driving she finally managed to locate the right apartment building, and pulled into its parking lot. The owner of the building had already sent her the key to her room so
she pulled it from her coat pocket, deciding to check out her new home before moving in the things she's brought from her days in Mystic Falls.
She began walking towards the building, the cold winter winds whipping at her face, blowing her chocolate brown hair in all directions. Elena shuddered, pulling her crimson scarf closer to her, she
hated winter. It was always so cold.
She finally reached the entrance to the building and promptly dashed inside, eager for its warmth.
To her relief, she was warmed the moment she stepped inside. Elena took a minute to let her eyes wander around the empty lobby. The floor was tiled in gray marble and the walls were painted a dull shade of brown. Overall, the place looked pretty depressing.
Well this is what you get when you don't have a lot of money, She thought.
Elena continued into the lobby and made her way over the elevator doors, which opened right up. She stepped inside and found the button for the fourth floor. She pressed it as the elevator doors
closed and it slowly started to move up. It soon reached her floor and Elena carefully began to make her way down the hallway, noting that it looked just as lifeless as the lobby. She continued
walking down the deserted hallway, glancing at all the numbers on the white doors until she found the right one, room 414. Elena quickly unlocked the door and advanced into the room.
To her astonishment, the apartment actually looked kind of nice. It was a large sized open room with an accessible kitchen off to the side. Towards the back of the room were two white doors, which
she assumed were the bathroom and bedroom.
The living room walls were painted a deep red, and the floors were covered in a light brown wood.
A grin appeared Elena's previously grim face. She just might be able to get used to this. Although, she did already miss her brother, Jeremy. He was still in Mystic Falls with their Aunt Jenna. She hoped he would be okay without her. He had taken it pretty hard when their parents had passed.
And it didn't help that she had been in a coma for a while after the accident.
Satisfied with the room for now, Elena turned and walked back out to the hallway, locking the door behind her. She returned a few minutes later with one of the larger boxes from the tuck. She tried to hold the box in one hand and unlock the door with the other, but found the task impossible.
"Do you want some help?" A man's voice asked from behind Elena.
Without turning around, she mumbled, "No, I got it."
Jenna had warned her to be careful about whom she talked to here; that people in New York weren't necessarily going to be as nice as the ones in their small town.
Elena heard the man chuckle slightly. "Oh you do? Come on, let me help you."
Elena turned around, prepared to tell him off until her eyes landed on his face. He was beautiful; the tall, dark, and handsome type. Elena knew she had just only now laid eyes on him, but she somehow felt as if she already knew him; he looked familiar.
"Oh my god." He said. His face looked utterly stunned for some reason that Elena couldn't pinpoint.
She suddenly became very self conscious. "What?" she asked.
He must have noticed he was openly gawking at her because quickly composed himself, looking anywhere but at her face.
"Um nothing." He then reached for the box Elena was holding.
"Here. Please let me help you." He repeated in a softer tone.
Elena nodded, handing him the box. She then unlocked her apartment door, ushering him inside.
"Where do you want this at?"
Elena looked around the empty room, looking for a place to put it.
"Just set it on the counter over there." She finally decided, pointing to the counter in the kitchen.
He abided, moving and placing the box on the counter.
"My name's Elena." Elena said, after a moment of silence.
The man turned to look at her. "I'm Damon."
A small smile appeared in Elena's face as he walked over to her and took her hand. Starring directly into her eyes Damon placed a gentle kiss on her hand. The gesture reminded her of older times, when men acted like gentlemen. Of course she'd only seen that in movies.
Elena felt the blush begin to spread to her cheeks as he released his hold on her hand.
"I better go." Damon said, breaking the silence. "You know, work and everything."
"I guess I'll see you around then." Elena nodded. "Right?" She added. She didn't want to sound to forward, but for some reason she felt drawn to him, like she had meet him before and had forgotten their encounter. She didn't think it was possible to forget a man that looked like he did though.
"Yeah, you will." Damon smirked. "I live right across the hall." He turned and pushed Elena's door back open, pointing to the door directly across from hers, which was marked 415.
A noise suddenly filled the room and Damon pulled a cell phone from his jeans pocket.
"I have to take this, but maybe we could…meet for coffee later? Your new here, right? I could show you around maybe."
"That actually sounds like fun." Elena replied, smiling a bit.
"Great, I'll come by around eight."
Not waiting for her reply, he flipped open his phone and said, "Hello?" He waved at her and then disappeared down the hallway.
Hope you liked it! Review and let me know what you thought? Oh and You'll find out more about what's going on in the next chapter(: