"Elena? What is going on?" Gavin came up to Joel and Elena.

Elena got out of Joel's arms and steadying herself a bit told her fiancé that the butler had died.

"Oh! When did that- why didn't you call me?" Gavin took her hands.

"They said that it was a massive heart attack and they couldn't do anything." Elena said.

"I am so sorry," Gavin now embraced the brunette,"I know what he meant to you."

Joel moved away,  walking down the corridor, all of him inside screaming. For the first time in his life, he was all lost. Never were his emotions running on such high, like they were when he was holding Elena in his arms.

Taking this job was not a good idea. It was actually, the worst idea possibly. But he could not walk away. Something was impeding it. None of it made sense. There has never been a woman that had robbed his heart the way this one did. And he was someone else's fiance. Not that in the past it mattered. He would just go with the moment, be with a woman, had an affair. Not think twice.

With her - it was different. And he couldn't quite understand where these strong feelings were coming from.

He can't be in love?

Joel took a deep breath as he got outside the ER. He need to cool down.

To get Elena and his jumbling emotions out of his mind, he now got his phone and called the realtor.

💥

Elsewhere

Davina had done some packing, and then, having received a call from her friend Monique, she left the apartment and went to meet her. And though, she didn't like Whitmore much anymore, the new bar that had opened was a place to be at.

Having arrived there before her friend, she sat down at the bar. The bartender, a person, she had known all of her life now greeted her.

"Hey, Caleb. You work here?"

"Yeah. Had enough of Downtown. You? Still hanging around with the old crowd?"

"Just Monique." Davina said.

"I- just - sorry about your dad. I heard that he- died." Caleb said.

"Yeah. Thanks." Davina sighed.

"I didn't want to - ok- what are you having?"

"Beer." Davina said.

"Right. One beer coming up." Caleb said, smiling at the brunette.

💥

At Fell's hospital

After dealing with all the formalities, answering all different calls, Elena was ready to go home. She rang Joel to bring the car around to the exit.

"I have an OP scheduled. Otherwise I'd go with you." Gavin said as he now walked out with Elena.

"You are fine. I am all right. There is a lot of things I need to do. I will see you tonight."

"Yes. I will be there as soon as possible." Gavin said.

He walked her out if the hospital. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, the surgeon went.

She glanced at Joel, indicating that she was ready to leave. Joel nodded a little at her, opening the back door ready for her.

"Thank you" Elena muttered slipping in.

Joel nodded a little.

"I am really sorry for your loss." Joel said as he got in the car.

"Thank you. Ansel was - like a father to me. I can't believe that he is gone. Last night, we - talked so long about Jeremy and - life - and - this morning- I had no time to even say bye. He gave me a the bag with the bagel in the hand, and I was on the phone. I didn't even say thank you."

"I bet he knew that you appreciated it." Joel said.

"Yes. But- all is so- I so depended on him. He coordinated everything at home. He knew how to deal with my mother. I'm sorry. I should not bother you with all this."

"You're ok. It's no bother. I - know how it is to lose a loved one." Joel said thinking of his own father that died a few months earlier.

"You - said you had a sister. Is she your only family?" Elena asked.

"Yes." Joel replied."My mother died when Davina was three years old. And my father, recently. To cancer."

"I am so very sorry to hear that." Elena said in the most compassionate manner possible.

"Thank you." Joel said appreciatively.

Elena's phone rang again. It was Caroline.

"I need to - can we please go?!" Elena gestured with her phone that was buzzing incessively.

"Of course." Joel turned around and started the car.

Elena spoke to Caroline briefly, and as she hung up, she spent the journey staring out of the window. Pictures of the butler and her conversation with him played like a movie.

Arriving at the house, gazed out of the window. Ansel would be there, always.

She inhaled deeply as she stepped out of the car, and stood for a second, giving Joel a serious look.

"Will you be all right?" he asked.

"Yes. Can you be here at 12 p.m. I will not be going to work. But there is a place I need to be tomorrow."

"Of course. Anything else I can do - I mean - sorry for beingvso forward-"

"It's fine.  Aiden will let you know about the schedule for the rest of the week." Elena said and with a small nod turned to the house.

She dreaded going in. She knew that her mother's histerics will be tremendous. She wished she could escape. Get in the car and drive away. But that was not her. She was responsible to the core.

Joel went back to the factory as he was instructed.

He could not think of anything, but Elena. And this was not good. He knew that his heart would bleed. Damn her warm chocolate eyes.

💘I can do what I want,
I'm in complete control
That's what I tell myself
I got a mind of my own,
I'll be alright alone
Don't need anybody else!
I give myself a good talking to
No more being a fool for you
I remember how you made wanna surrender

Damn your eyes
They're taking my breath away
For making me wanna stay
Damn your eyes
For getting my hopes up high
Making fall in love again
Damn your eyes💘

Not long after, he walked in the Whitmore dinere, where Klaus and Kol waited for him.

"Where are you? Last night you bailed on us!" Kaus said. "Today, you're not answering any calls? Wearing a suit? Did someone die?"

Joel took his tie off and put it in the jacket pocket. "Yes, someone died, but this is not why I am wearing a suit. I got a job. Hey, it's good to see you, Kol."

"Same here, mate." Kol said.

"A job?" Klaus cut in.

"Yes." Joel nodded.

"What's the job?" Kol asked.

"Driving. A chauffer's job." Joel replied.

"What?" Klaus couldn't believe his ears. "You said you will never do that!"

"I know, but this is - different." Joel said.

"Different? How? You didn't say you are looking for anything? You could have worked at the garage."

"As what? I am no mechanic." Joel remarked.

"True," Klaus said," but - we would think of something. Anyway, who is it with? And how is it different?"

Joel shared all that had happened the night before, how he met Elena, and all that had occured since.

"You are kidding me?" Klaus couldn't believe the extraordinary story.

"Elena Gilbert! Wow!" Kol exclaimed.

At that moment, Davina got in, and as they were sitting in the first booth, she heard Kol's exclaiming.

"Elena Gilbert- what?" Davina sat down next to her brother, her eyes widened awaiting an answer.

"He is driving Miss Elena" Klaus replied before Joel could.

"This is a joke, right?" Davina could not believe.

"I am." Joel confirmed.

How, what, when - questions ensued again. And Joel had to explain to his sister how it all came about.

"This is wild!" Davina was elated."OMG! I got to tell Monique!"

She got her phone out and immediately texted her friend. Her friend called her right back and Davina went out to take the call.

Klaus changed the subject  of Elena to the question of Joel's interest in the loft.

Kol's attention turned to a woman who had walked in the diner. It was Bonnie Bennett, his friend from college. He had not seen her for years. His heart fluttered. She looked as gorgeous as ever.

Kol suddenly got up, making his way to the rest room.

He stopped at the booth, where Bonnie made herself comfortable.

“Kol? Hey- how are you?” Bonnie curled a small smile up.

“I’m good. How are you? What are you doing - here?” Kol said.

“Uhm- my boyfriend is from Whitmore. We are visiting his parents.” Bonnie replied.

“Your boyfriend?”

“Yeah. Kai Parker.” Bonnie said.

“Kai is your boyfriend?” Kol said with a tad of surprise and disappointment in his voice.  He saw Kai walk in, and not wanting to meet up with him he now said see you around maybe to Bonnie and went to join his brother and his cousin.

Both Joel and Klaus  asked him why his mood was suddenly so very off. He now told them about Bonnie, and her date.

“Haven’t seen him here for ages. Or any of his sisters.” Klaus said.

“I can’t believe she is with him.” Kol said.

“Seriously, what’s up with you and her?” Joel asked.

“Nothing. I just fancied her like hell in college, but she always managed to be with one or the other jerk” Kol replied.

“And never gave you the time of day” Klaus remarked.

“Anyway, what’s up with you and Gia?”

“We broke up," Kol said,”she wanted to go to California, and I just was not up for leaving at the West Coast. Can we talk about something else? Tell us more about Elena.”

“There is nothing to tell” Joel tucked into his food.

“Oh, come on. You can do better than that" Klaus said.

“As I said. There is nothing to tell.”

Hayley Marshall walked in the diner.

“Here comes trouble.” Klaus slipped.

Seeing the brothers and her ex, Hayley strolled up to them, greeting everybody. And the way she was, she sat down next to Klaus and started chatting to them as if everything was like the old times.

All three of them were happy to see Davina return and one by one they excused themselves and left the diner. But before Joel could escape, Hayley kind of grabbed him by the hand asking him to  have a drink some time.

“Yeah, maybe” Joel muttered and swayed his look to his sister, telling her not to stay out too long.

D

avina assured him that she'd be home in a little while.

Walking to the apartment that was only a few blocks away he only had one one woman oh his mind. And that was Elena.

But he must stop. He needed to shut these rising feelings down.

He thought of his father and what he once told him.

"One day it will love will cime crushing down on you. Because love is an involuntary act. You never step mindfully into love. Falling in love is a whirling feeling, spinning inside, defying all rules of logic."

He breathed in deep. He had to find the way to stop this whriling feeling taking over him fast.

💙