Imagination is the key (stefan, Damon love triangle)

Chapter Seventy-Eight.

"Lillie," a soft husky voice whispered in my ear. Their breath tickled my neck. My mind was still foggy from sleep and I choose to ignore them.
"Lillie," they repeated again. Fingers trailed slowly down my spine, they felt cold against my bare skin and they stopped at my lower back just above where the sheet was draped over me, before sliding back up again.
The movements was soothing and it made it even harder to wake myself up. I kept my eyes closed and let out a soft hum.
A deep chuckle sounded beside me and the bed shifted slight as he moved. I could feel him leaning over me just before I felt lips graze my shoulder. He began to leave kisses all over my exposed back, teasingly slowly making his way to my neck where his kisses changed from just a light brush of his lips to harder open mouthed kisses.
I couldn't suppress the giggle down and it erupted out of me as he kissed just below my ear on the edge of my jaw. I reached out blindly for him and his fingers quickly intertwined with mine, giving them a soft squeeze.
Keeping a grip in his hand I rolled over to face him, the bed sheet bunched up around my waist keeping my chest completely exposed but I could barely notice when my sleepy eyes connected with Damon's dazzling blue ones staring down at me softly. He was propped up on his elbow above me.
"Hi." I breathed out, a tired smile on my lips.
Damon grinned down at me, his free hand trailing down my arm slowly. "Hey." he replied, just as gently as I had. His hand curled around the sheet draped across my waist and pulled it up over me. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired." I groaned, trying to snuggle in closer to the pillows.
Damon laid back down beside me and gently tugged me into his arms My head ended up on his bare chest and one of his arms hooked just under my back to wrap around me before taking my hand back in his, playing with my fingers.
I let my eyes flutter closed again as I relaxed. I was afraid that last night was just a spur of the moment thing and that he was either going to have been gone when I woke up or he was going to continue being cold to me and kick me out. And I couldn't express how relieved and happy I was that it seemed to be the opposite.
"What are you thinking about?" He mumbled.
"Nothing really."
"You know I don't believe that, right?"
"Yes." I replied with a grin.
His fingers brushed against my back, soothingly. "When I asked how you were feeling earlier that wasn't quite what I meant."
"...I know...It's just; it's a lot to process. I don't know how I feel about everything that's happened."
His fingers stopped their movements. "What about what happened last night?"
"A lot happened last night, Damon." I said softly.
"You know what part I'm talking about."
I tilted my head up to face him and smiled. "That's probably the only part I feel truly comfortable with."
He resumed trailing his fingers against my skin and pulled me in closer...However that was possible. "I'm sorry." He said, his voice tense.
"It's okay, Damon...I am too."
"You shouldn't have to be. No one's treating Stefan the same way they're treating you. They're hesitant around him and maybe not all forgiving but they don't seem to want to even acknowledge you."
I let out a breath through my nose and bit my lip, because it was true...But- I mean, I deserve it, right? "It's just a lot for them to take in, give them time." I said.
"I don't think it's time they need." He commented.
I nodded in agreement. "It's not, but it's something, isn't it? They need to figure out where we stand themselves. Pressuring them into something that they don't feel ready for is just going to- it's not going to be good...For anyone."
We fell silent after that, my words sinking into both of us as we relaxed in each other's arms.
"I wanted to come and find you..." Damon started, breaking the new found silence. "and I tried. It was the one thing that kept me going over those four months you were gone. Knowing that there was a possibility that I could find you and bring you home, safe-"
"Damon-"
"No. You spoke last night. It's my turn to explain myself."
Damon pulled himself up so he was sitting with his back lent against the headboard. I rolled off of him and moved so that I could see him clearly. I watched as his face contorted slightly, trying to think of the right words to say.
"When I woke up later the night you left- I thought you'd just gone home, it wasn't until I found that note on the bedside table with my name written in top that I knew something wasn't right...But even with all the worst case scenarios running through my mind, that one never crossed it."
My mind flashed back to the last time I had seen Damon when I was human...But I can't bring myself to regret my decision because otherwise he'd be dead, I couldn't live with that.
He looked at me, his eyes sad. "You told me you were leaving with Klaus and Stefan in a note. You left me a stupid piece of paper saying that I'll never see you again. At first I thought you were joking -I mean, it's something you would do even if I was on my deathbed only a few hours before."
"Not true." I denied.
He shook his head. "It is and you know it. But I was..." He paused trying to look for the right word. "Livid...I couldn't believe that you would do something so idiotic...For me nonetheless, you sacrificed your own short lived life for someone who had outlived what they were supposed to."
I reached over and placed my hand lightly over his resting on his stomach. I gave a short squeeze. "I did it because I couldn't bare to stand by and let you die when I had a way to fix it. I did it because I'm in love with you, Damon."
"You shouldn't be."
"You're not the only one who thinks that." I said.
Damon twisted his head to look at me. "What?"
"No one liked it before -The fact that I was in love with you...even my best friend hated it."
"Hollee just hates anything that has to do with me." He replied with a roll of his eyes.
Those two were like cats and dogs, always going for each other's throats, throwing insults left and right. It actually gave me headache to be in the same room as both of them -although at certain points it can be amusing.
"I wish I could deny that."
Damon sighed going back to his quite self. "Lillie, what I had with Andie-"
"No." I cut in.
Damon frowned. "No?"
"No." I nodded.
"Look, I just-"
"No."
"It-"
"No."
"She-"
"No."
Damon growled and before I could comprehend what was happening he had pinned me to the bed. My arms were held against the mattress beside my head and Damon was hovering above me, staring intently with his body pressed up against mine, holding me in place.
"Let me talk." He said lowly.
I kept my mouth shut.
"What happened between Andy and I-"
"No."
Damon's eyes narrowed dangerously and he lent in closer, his nose brushing against mine. "Stop."
My lips twitched and I'm sure my eyes told him what I was already going to say. "No." I whispered.
"Ple-"
"No, Damon. I don't need you to explain." I said softly, gazing up at him. "I don't want you to explain."
Damon frowned. "Why?"
I smiled. "Because I forgive you," I grinned before speaking again. "I thought last night explained it all."
"There wasn't much said between us last night." He replied, smirking. "Although I do recall you," he lent in and let his lips brush my ear, "moaning out my name...A lot."
A chill travelled down my spine and I stiffened. He pulled back to look at me, a triumphant grin adorning his features. My mouth opened as if to say something but nothing came to mind and it closed again.
"I-I could say the same." I stuttered slightly.
Damon released one of my wrists and used his free hand to brush some hair out of my face. His smile was now soft as he looked at me. "You're so beautiful." I couldn't draw my eyes off of him so instead I lifted my head up and pressed my lips lightly to his. He responded immediately and completely took me aback by how soft he was being, how caring. This kiss was filled with nothing by love, he was showing me...Trying to tell me just what I meant to him.
"I love you." I mumbled against his lips.
"Me too." He murmured.
I pulled back from the kiss and gave him a disbelieving look before smacking his chest. "Ass!"