A/N: This is a fun side-story I've been working on for a while now. I had a lot of fun writing it, so I decided to post it for you to read and review. In this story, Elena is a waitress at Hooters. She's 21, and lives with her gay brother, Jeremy. Elena is working a regular night, and notices a rather mysterious individual at her restaurant.

I walk over to the mysterious man who was seated in my section. He has dark hair, and he's wearing exclusively black clothes. His face was pleasing, and his jawline was absolutely swoon-worthy. I didn't get very many attractive customers, to be honest, and it was always a treat when they sit in my section. When I get closer to the table, I realize that he has bright blue eyes. His eyes stopped me in my tracks, and I felt like was purposely trying to seduce me with them. His eyes were almost as blue as the gaudy ring he has on his finger.

He looks at me expectantly, as if he was waiting for me to say something. "Um. Hello, sir, can I get you something to drink from the bar?" I ask politely to the stranger, making sure that my cleavage was in check. I always hated when I had to wear these revealing tops for work. It was a white tank top, had the words "Hooters" written across the front, and was cut down the middle to emphasize my chest. I wore bright orange shorts with it. It wasn't exactly the most conservative job, but the tips I got were absolutely worth it.

"Do you have Bourbon whiskey?" he asks.

Usually, people just wind up ordering a beer and a burger. Barely anybody orders the heavy stuff when they come here. "We sure do! I'll go get that for you," I say nicely. He gives me a small smirk, and I head over to the bar. I ask the barmaid to get the Bourbon. She raises her eyebrows, and I point at the mysterious customer who ordered it.

"Oh, honey, he comes here all the time. I think he's a drunk," the barmaid, Jenna, says.

"I wonder what happened to him," I say absently, knowing that people don't drink their sorrows away for no reason. Usually, when drunks come in here, they get so drunk that they start to tell the waitresses about their hardships. Sometimes, we have to call up a taxi for them if we think they're too wrecked to drive.

Jenna hands me the glass of whiskey, and I carry it over to the stranger. I set it down on a napkin, and ask him, "Anything else I can get for you this evening?"

"I'm alright," he says, and I start to walk off. "Wait. Do you mind sharing your company with me?"

"I'm terribly sorry, sir. I have other customers waiting," It was a lie. We were actually getting close to closing time, so most of the tables were empty and most of the waitresses had already gone home. In truth, I was feeling kind of embarrassed around the stranger. I didn't know why, but I felt oddly drawn to him.

"Do you?" he asks, eyeing all of the empty tables, and catching me in my lie.

"I suppose they can wait," I reply smoothly. I sit in the chair opposite from his. "I'm Elena," I say, as I sit down.

"I gathered that," he says as he eyes my name badge, that was on my left breast. He eyes my cleavage momentarily, and I smirk. "I'm Damon. Pleased to meet you," he greets, as he reaches across the table to touch my hand. He brings my hand up to his lips, and kisses it softly.

"So Damon, what are you doing here, just twenty minutes before closing time?" I ask him, once he releases my hand.

He leans forward slightly, and folds his hands together in front of his face. "Boredom," he answers vaguely. I raise my brow at him, and he asks, "Are you southern?"

"I'm Virginian," I reply.

"I just got back from Mystic Falls."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "You've been to Mystic Falls? I was born and raised there! It's such a sad little town," I say, my voice becoming sullen. My parents died in a house fire, when I was very young. I had been at a party with my brother, Jeremy, and when we got back, there were fire trucks and flames ablaze. My parents died instantly, and Jeremy and I were lucky that we weren't at the house.

"I found Mystic Falls to be… charming, actually," he says as he takes a sip from his glass of whiskey. He makes a slight face as the alcohol goes down his throat, and finishes, "I go to Mystic Falls to visit my brother from time to time."

I nod, get up from my chair, and ask, "You sure there isn't anything else I could get for you?"

"I'm sure. Just sit, and talk with me." Reluctantly, I sit down again. "I like talking to you. You're not like the girls you work with."

Well, he had a point there. Lots of the girls I work with weren't very real. They had fake hair, fake nails, fake eyelashes, fake breasts, fake… everything. I seemed to be the only waitress who didn't bleach my hair, and drown myself in makeup. "Thank you," I reply, unsure on how else to take that.

"You're very welcome, Elena," Damon says sincerely. He puts the glass to his mouth, and tilts the drink back. He downs the entire thing.

I raise my eyebrows at him and ask, "Rough night?"

"You could say so," he replies vaguely. He looks around at the desolate restaurant. Jenna, Rebekah, and I were the only ones still working. "Is it closing time?" he asks.

I look at my watch, to find that it is five minutes past closing time. "Well, it appears that my shift is over. You have a good rest of the night, Damon." I send him a lingering glance, and slowly rise from my chair.

"Would you like to join me for a cigarette?" he asks, pointing to the smoking area that was outside of the restaurant. I nod, and tell him that I need to close for the evening, but I promised to meet up with him once I was done. He leaves money on the table and goes outside.

I closed up, and sure enough, he was outside waiting. He had a lit cigarette in his hand. The smoke coiled from the burning end, and disappeared into the air. He puffed on it a couple times before stomping it out on the ground. He offers me a cigarette, and I politely refuse. "Truth is, I don't smoke. I just don't want to go home right now," I say. He asks my why, and I reply, "My brother has a date. My bet is that he's still there at our apartment. I walked in on them last Saturday, and I'm too embarrassed to face him," I didn't know why I was telling a stranger about my living conditions, or my brother's promiscuity, but I felt a need to vent.

Damon seemed to find this amusing. "Sorry to hear it," he says.

"What's your excuse for being out here so late? Don't you have a girlfriend to get home to?" I ask, with a playful smile.

That comment made him lose his smirk pretty quickly. "Not anymore," he answers. I realized I'd struck a nerve, and decide not to ask any more questions. Surprisingly, he ends up explaining. "My girlfriend slept with my brother. She cheated on me, and I was willing to make things work, but she dumped me. I've been on the road ever since."

I actually gasp. "I can't believe that. I'm sorry," I say sincerely.

"Katherine broke my heart," he says, as he takes a flask out of his pocket, "what a fucking surprise!" He tips the flask back and gulps down some of the alcohol that was in the flask. He offers it to me, and drunkenly says, "Cheers to solitude."

I refuse the alcohol. I was untrusting of alcohol, and more so of unusual men. "I don't drink," I explain. Well, at least I don't when I'm around complete strangers. When I drink, it gets hard to differentiate between a good choice and a bad choice. That and, you never know what someone could slip in your drink. "I don't trust myself," I say. I give him a look that told him that I don't trust others either.

"Understandable," he mutters, before he downs the rest of whatever was in the flask. "You know, you're too beautiful to work at a place like Hooters. You shouldn't have to deal with demanding and perverted customers. It's such a degrading job. You could make a better living. You should be in pictures," he says drunkenly.

I was confused as to why he cared. "Thank you. I'm in school right now, actually. I'm going to be a writer. I like working here, I get tipped better."

"Doesn't it get obnoxious? Don't you ever get tired of it?" He took a step closer to me.

His closeness and the intensity of his words had me at a loss of breath. "Well, what else should I do?" I ask breathlessly, "I can't pay for school without this job."

"Get a different job. Anything else is better. The people who come to Hooters come to see trashy women, and you're not trashy at all. You're young and beautiful, and you deserve a better job." He says. I found it hard to take what he was saying seriously.

I laugh wearily, and say, "Well, it's the best job I've been able to get. Do you have any idea how good of tips I get here? Perverted old men may be rude, and demanding, but they sure know how to tip. It's all about money. That's why I have this job. I'm not here because I enjoy it, Damon. I can't pay for my college classes! My parents died, and I have no way to pay for any of it! I can hardly pay for my half of the rent sometimes. If I quit this job, I have no way of supporting myself!"

He was taken aback, and he asks, "Shouldn't your boyfriend be helping you with your expenses?"

I roll my eyes and say, "I don't depend on anybody to help me. I'm the one who wants to go to school, so I should be the one to pay for it."

"Fair enough," he replies calmly, "Sorry for bothering you." He begins walking to his car.

"No, I didn't mean to be rude," I say, "I appreciate the concern for my financial stability, but I really am fine. This new job is helping a lot. I may have to put up with a lot, but I'm so much more financially comfortable in this job." It was true. I made good money, and I didn't owe Jeremy as much money at the end of the month. I could finally pay for my half of the rent. I didn't understand why Damon was so concerned with it.

He walks over to me again. "I'm sorry," he apologizes, "I'll mind my own business. I just think that you're much too pretty to work at a dump like Hooters."

"T-thanks," I say shakily. He was really close to me again. "You're pretty handsome yourself. What's an attractive man like you doing at a dump like Hooters?" I ask, mocking his last comment.

He puts his hand over mine, and says flirtatiously, "Hooters is a dump. Why don't we get out of here?"

"And go where, your place?" I ask teasingly. I wasn't really being serious. His eyes widened, so he must have thought I was being serious.

He shakes his head, and answers charmingly, "As intriguing as that idea sounds, I think we should go to coffee to start." I was about to open my mouth to ask him what coffeehouse would be open at this hour. I was then reminded of the one that was across the street, which was open twenty four-seven. I nod, and let him buy me a decaf mocha.

Inside the coffeehouse, we got a few looks. I was still in my work uniform, which probably looked pretty questionable. The people that were in the store were drunk, and trying to fight a hangover with coffee.

Damon went over to the booth I selected, and handed me my coffee. It was odd to have a date at one in the morning. I wasn't even sure on if it was a date or not. "So, Damon," I begin.

"Elena," he responds.

I tried to think of some questions that you're supposed to ask when you go on a date, but came up blank. "How old are you?" I ask lamely.

"Twenty-three," he answers, "How old are you, Elena?"

"I just had my twenty-first birthday last week," I reply.

He glances outside momentarily and asks me, "Do you want to take our coffee to go? It's a beautiful night."

I glance outside, and smile. The stars were twinkling, and the moon was almost full. It was a wonderfully picturesque night. I nodded, and told him that I loved taking walks at night. We shared little details about ourselves, and realized that we had a lot more in common than we thought. We sit down on a bench in the park. We sip our coffee as we stargaze.

"I'm glad I sat in your section tonight," he says kindly, "I'm glad I met you." He leans in close, and I gaze at his lips in desire. He suddenly presses his lips to mine. His hand finds my face, and strokes my cheek slightly. I respond to the kiss after some hesitation. I bite his lower lip softly, and giggle. He smiles against my lips, and we hear heels clacking in the distance. He pulls away to see if anyone was going to interrupt our kiss, and we discover a woman in her mid-sixties.

"A romantic night," she mutters sullenly to herself, as she passes our bench.

We breathe sighs of relief once she is gone. I initiate the second kiss. His tongue enters my mouth, and I respond by twirling my tongue around his. Our tongues intertwine and dance, and I feel dizzy and at a loss for breath. We sit together, embracing, for the better part of fifteen minutes. I pull away to say, "It's near two, I should be going soon."

"Do you want me to walk you to your car?" he asks politely.

I nod, and we walk together to the parking lot. He writes his number down on one of the papers I have in my pocket, and I tell him that I'll call him after I get off work tomorrow. I get in my car, send him a wave, and drive off.

When I arrive at my apartment, Jeremy and Tyler are cuddled up in bed. I go to the bathroom, and remove my makeup. I go to bed almost instantly, having pleasant dreams. When I awake, Jeremy and Tyler are making breakfast. The smell of eggs and delicious fresh fruit consume my senses. I walk out to the kitchen, and Jeremy calls out, "Morning, sis!"

"Hey, Jer," I say, as I get a plate.

"You were out late," he notices, "I was going to wait up for you, but Tyler damn near exhausted me!"

I nod, and say, "I had a date."

He excitedly asks for details, which I give, and I excuse myself to get ready for one of my writing classes at school. My professor was happy with my newest poetry. My best friend and classmate, Caroline, was excited about my date. Later, I had to get ready for a long shift at work. I enjoyed working the afternoon shift because it was a lot less pressure, and the customers were happier.

Work was very uneventful, and I hurry home to call Damon. He answers on the third ring, and tells me that he wants to take me out on Friday night after I was done with my class. "I have something to tell you, and I have no idea how you'll take it," he said at one point during the phone conversation. He wouldn't tell me where we were going, but I was very excited. I liked Damon, and his presence was relaxing. I was willing to give him a shot, no matter what his little secret was.