And if it hadn't been for Elena's phone ringing, breaking the momentary magic descended between them, only God knows what would have happened. The stars, the sun and the moon knew what would have happened, but like the darkest cloud rolling over, everything got scrambled and Elena took her phone out of the pocket answering it, stepping away from Joel to take the call.

"Gavin- yes- I went to see Ansel's mom in the home. Yes, I've seen it. Aiden is handling it. Yes, in a little while. I went to - sure. All right. I will see you at the house. Yes. Of course. Love you."

Joel turned away, gazing out to the sea. Her uttering her fiance's name, was like someone had just poured a bucked of ice cold water over his head. A day of beautiful escape was done and now there was the harsh reality surged through.

"We need to go." Elena said as she put her phone in her bag.

"Yes, we do." Joel agreed.

"Thank you for- all this today- really."

"Anytime- I mean- you know" Joel bit a gulp back.

"Yes. Uhm- could we keep this to ourselves? I - with all the press at the moment and - I hope you don't get this wrong"

"Don't worry. I understand. Shall we?" Joel gestured to the car.

Elena's eyes looked at the man with infinite gratitude. And both of them slipped to their roles, walking out of the daydream.

Joel put the jacket suit back on and adjusted his tie. He was nothing else to her really, only her driver. And he should know his place, he thought.

They walked quietly to the car, and as they got to the car, he opened the back door for Elena. She slipped in giving him a small nod. All the way back to the house, they were quiet. Elena twirled the diamond ring on her finger and looked out of the window. She was a master of switching off and slipping back in the serious mode. The afternoon on the beach was just a sweet daydream. Now it was back to reality.

As they arrived at the house, Elena got out of the car, and with a small look exchanged, she walked to the house.

Joel stood just a few more seconds there, looking at the door closing. With a small sigh, he got back into the car and drove off to the factory. No matter how much he tried to get the moment of them standing there on the beach, her eyes gleaming at him sweetly, the way she wetted her lips nervously- ah- could not shove the thought of how it would have been like if they had kissed. No matter how hard he tried to keep his thoughts at bay, this woman had wedged herself into his heart and it seemed like there was no escape. And yet, she was not a free agent. She was engaged.

Arriving in Whitmore, he went straight to the gym. He needed to let a lot of steam out, and the punching bag was about to take it all.

💘

At the Gilbert Mansion

Elena, didn't feel any better. After a short drink with her fiancé and her mother, she went to the gym down in the house. Putting the boxing gloves on, she hit the punching bag as hard as she could. And then another one and another one - going in a full boxing mode, she punched all the anger, grief, frustration that sat deeo inside her.

Not long after she left the gym room, and went into the shower. Kicking all that was inside of her jumbled up helped a bit. And then, those strange feelings that crept inside of her were not letting her be. She flashed back to the moment of her standing near the Grill house in front of Joel.

You know him -what?- a couple of days? All these feelings - they don't make any sense. Stop this. You just - want to get away. You are just tired and this is just you feeling you are missing something out of the life. You love Gavin. He has been the nicest, most loving boyfriend - always there, always kind and supportive and you would destroy all of this, because for a second you felt a thrill of maybe kissing this guy, who, yes, has saved you from those thugs, who, well, has a strange kind of sweet warmth about him. A guy, who, yes, is - hot, but you are not Caroline, Elena. You don't have one night stands. So, stop it. This man is just your chauffeur. Not like any other you have ever met, but stop blurring the lines.

💘

At the Whitmore gym at the same time

I will get her out of my system. I am just a guy she has employed. There is nothing else. Fallen in love? No. I don't fall in love. Even if it is so. She is never going to be with a nobody like me. And as his thoughts rolled, he kicked the punch bag hard.

"Wow, someone must have really stepped on your toes." Joel heard a familiar voice say.

"Hayley" he uttered, taking a breather.

"Joel- someone really pissed you off" Hayley said stepping now into the cage ring.

"What do you want?"

"I just-the other night I - I am really sorry about the accident - and- Davina told me that you really had it bad."

"I am - we are all right. Got bored of New Orleans?"

"Well, sort of- yeah. Kind of missed the life here- everyone. This old gym, you and Klaus made for the young persective boxers." Hayley replied.

"That's us. Always trying to do something for someone."

"Do you have time to- ? Camille was supposed to come, but she cancelled on me." Hayley said fibbing somewhat. She walked to him, looking at him with her prowling eyes.

"Yeah. Can do." Joel agreed.

"I would like to learn some of the kick-boxing moves." Hayley said.

"Right." Joel said.

Joel's heart was pumping wildly- what the hell are you doing? This is playing with fire and you got burnt so badly once before. But, his frustrations got the better of him, and leaving his heart and his reason behind now, he let himself be led into the fire, not caring if it was going to leave him scared twice as bad as before. He now pulled Hayley to him.

💘

Elsewhere - in Whitmore

Caroline and Klaus got back from their little afternoon away test driving the Pontiac, that was in perfect condition.

"So, how about a drink now?" Klaus suggested as they pulled in front of his garage. "Do you have to return the Pontiac before daddy finds out it's gone?"

"You know very well that I don't have to be anywhere on time." Caroline tilted her head cutely.

"So, a drink it is." Klaus smirked.

As they walked into the bar just a few blocks away, Caroline's phone rang. It was Elena. They had a friend code and it meant that no matter what, they would always pick up each other's calls. "Hey."

"Sorry, I didn't call you back after we spoke this morning." Elena said.

"It's ok. Aiden told me that it was quite the madhouse today."

"I had to go to see and tell Ansel's mom. Even though she doesn't really get what was happening. She kept asking about him. Alzheimers is really such a horrible thing."

"I know. They will make sure she comes to the funeral, I suppose."- Caroline said.

"Yes. I've arranged everything." Elena replied.

"So, how are things at the house?"

"Don't ask. How about you? I guess you used the Pontiac excuse to see him?"

"I have. It was the best thing I could think of. I am the bar, with him still. I guess you can't come down." Caroline said.

"I- Gavin is here and we are going to have a quiet night." Elena said taking a sip of her energy drink. "See you tomorrow. Brunch?"

"You'll have tine for brunch?" Caroline was surprised.

"Yes. I need to talk about some ideas about the wedding."

"Wow - did you set the date?"

"Not yet - but I want to get some things organized." Elena said.

"Ok. Sorry - I need to go. Call you in the morning. I'll get some bridal magazines with me."

As both of them hung up, Caroline scampred to Klaus, who had already ordered the drinks.

Both of them were the absolute free spirits. Both set the rules that this was going to be casual, no strings attached. But, as Elena said to Caroline the night before as she gushed about Klaus- make sure you know exactly where the lines are, because if you start falling for this guy and we know how easy this can happen to you, and he doesn't, you might get broken-hearted again.

Caroline smiled at Klaus as he passed to her the glass with her favourite cocktail. Whatever, Caroline though, he will be the one.

Outside,Kol took the corner to the bar, and his eyes saw something he was not really happy about. There was Bonnie with her boyfriend, crossing his path.

"Mikaelson, what's up?" Kai said.

"Nothing much. You?" Kol put his hands in his pockets.

"My girl here got Pulitzer and it was time I put the ring on her finger and introduce her to my folks." Kai said.

Kol now looked at Bonnie, who kind of showed off her ring.

"Ah - well - congratulations - on the Pulitzer" Kol said."I'm sorry, but I got to go - have a meeting with my agent- got to sign contracts for the screen play for Silver Surfer and the Avengers"

"Oh, cool. You are going to write it?" Bonnie was elated. She, same as Kol were huge Marvel comics fans.

"Yep. My agent called me a couple of hours ago. So - got to dash" Kol gestured down the street.

He wished he could stay and talk to Bonnie about all the details of the screen play, but alas, she now is engaged to this jerk, he thought and he now just wanted to escape. He got lucky with the job, but his love life was in real dumps.

💘

In the Gilbert Mansion, Elena slipped into the bed next to her fiancé. She glanced at the man she has been with the last ten years. He smiled back at her now giving her a kiss on the forehead now.

"Good night," Elena slipped. Her heart not moving at all. She pulled the blanket up and stared at the ceiling. Her thoughts turned to Joel and her heart fluttered like the lightest of summer breezes as she now flashed back to the moment they stood so close to one another. No. Stop it. She commanded her heart. She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.

💙

In the Whitmore gym

"This was so good," Hayley purred,"just like old times."

"Yeah" Joel slipped, pulling away from Hayley, putting his pants back on.

His heart burnt. Why Joel? Why did you succumb to her again?

"Look - I - don't want to be a jerk - but - this" he started, but she stopped him.

"Hey - I know - the way I left - and everything- I totally get that we can't just slipped back into - but - hey - it's a start, right?"

"No, Hayley. This was just a one off. I just want to make it clear."

"I know I hurt you -but - you want me - I know - I could feel it." Hayley was pushy like she had always been.

Joel inhaled inwardly. Getting involved with her meant trouble. Always was.

"Sorry, I got to go" Joel passed by the brunette, who was left looking with a Cheshire cat smile on her face.

Ah, the heart of a man! like Vincent van Gogh said, 'The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too'

But also its terrible indecisions, mistakes, and foolish hopes.

■

Days, and the weeks that followed, saw Elena immerge herself into work, with Joel driving her from one meeting to another, to her house, to work, and so on. They both made sure they didn't cross the as employer- employee line they imposed. It was like they had never had the afternoon on the beach. But it was all a facade, as Elena would catch herself, on small breaks now and again thinking of the day.

It was no different for Joel, but he understood the message of her not wanting the lines to be blurred. And, although, it was costing him dearly, as watching her day in day out, so close and yet so far away, was the worst his heart had to endure. But not being near her was an even worst thought, and so he stayed on.

As for Klaus and Caroline, they were still seeing one another. Caroline had long gone over the line of it being a casual thing in her heart, but she insisted that she wasn't.

Kol decided to move back to Whitmore on a more permanent basis. He could write the screen play there. He also offered to help Joel and Davina with the loft renovation, Joel had bought in Algiers. Klaus was there giving them a helping hand any time he could. One other person, that was also constantly hanging around them and helping with the loft was Hayley.

Whitmore, bar

"It's none of my business, but are you and Hayley on again?" Klaus asked Joel.

"No. We- just - hooked up once. I made it perfectly clear that I - am not going there again." Joel said. "You and Caroline?"

"We are - not really together, if you know what I mean." Klaus clarified.

"Do you want something more?" Joel said.

"I don't know. I like her. I lot. But - we are keeping it what it is- sex that's on fire."

"And you? Ok, if you are not with Hayley, how come you are all - like something is going on?"

"Nothing is going on there. We just hooked up once." Joel said.

"You are not yourself." Klaus said."Now, you've sorted things out money-wise. The loft is looking great. The job is ok, whatever it is. So, what's up?"

Joel took a swag of beer. He knew very well what was up. He wanted to purge all that was sitting in his soul, but his phone rang and seeing Aiden's name on the display, he took the call.

"What is it, Aiden? Change in the schedule? I thought you would text me?"

"No. It's not about work - it's Elena- Joel - she had an accident. They are taking her to the hospital." Aiden was flustered.

Joel couldn't believe what he was hearing, "What? What happened?"

"Gavin and her were on the way to a dinner at his parent's house. It happened on A4. They are taking her to Fell's Hospital. See you there." Aiden replied.

"Right. I'm on my way." Joel mumbled and hung up. He grabbed his jacket rushing out of the bar, leaving Klaus with just one word -work.

All the way to the hospital, his heart had one thing constantly repeating,"Please be all right. Please be all right. Please"

💙
a/n: to be continued

xoxo