Irrefutable evidence that Damon was in love with Bonnie, but was oblivious to the fact (part 4)
Exhibit D
Season 7, episodes 14 & 15
Since I’ll be submitting a variety of scenes from 2 episodes, I will only leave the video evidence in this one:
Okay, this one is going to serve two purposes; one, to once again prove that Damon was in love with Bonnie; second, to use a controversial argument to do it. The argument in question: Damon’s decision to desiccate without telling Bonnie, or saying goodbye.
To put things into context, it is crucial to consider the previous events that took place before he made this decision. Bonnie almost died trying to protect Damon from Tyler in the armory. Why is this so important? Because Damon was absolutely terrified when this happened. Now, does this justify him desiccating and leaving Bonnie behind, not at all, but it is extremely relevant to understand his motive. What is the only thing Damon couldn’t possibly deal with? It sure as hell wasn’t not being able to be with Elena, he had been dealing with that the best he could. It was NOT being able to protect Bonnie. His decision to desiccate had NOTHING to do with Elena, and EVERYTHING to do with Bonnie. He couldn’t bear with the mere possibility of Bonnie getting hurt, much less if it had something to do with him. The Tyler situation was too close, it was at that moment when it hit him, as long as he was close to her, she would always be in danger.
Did he take the cowards way out? Maybe, but it is very understandable, and totally within his character. Damon always tries to avoid rather than confront; specially when it’s something that scares him. Another reason why he probably never faced the fact that he was in love with Bonnie. Point in place clearly being that Damon desiccated because he loved Bonnie, so much so, that he was willing to “loose” her, as long as that meant she would be safe. Damn, if that doesn’t scream out love, I don’t know what does.
Ironically, and despite the popular opinion, it was the most self-less act he ever did in the name of love; putting himself out of the equation (as he said it himself) was the only way for him to be sure that no harm would ever come to Bonnie at his expense. That is the core difference between his feelings for Bonnie vs. his feelings for Elena. With Bonnie; and I will specify that this is at this point in time, after they became close friends, because he obviously didn’t feel like this before; Damon cares about HER, he is willing to give anything up for her happiness and safety. With Elena, it’s more about HIM, what Elena represents to him, which in all honesty, is nothing more than catering to his obsession, and finally getting “the girl” (there is endless evidence to prove this).
But, why did Damon decide not to tell Bonnie, and to say goodbye in a letter? Because if he would have, he wouldn’t have gone through with it, and I will come back to this point, when we review the next exhibit, which is the letter. Think about it, he told Stefan, but he COULDN’T tell Bonnie. And, most importantly, he LEAVES his brother (although temporary as he states, since they are vampires), but he walks away from him (knowing he has that scar), to make sure Bonnie will be safe; which is something Damon has NEVER done before.
Then, when Bonnie shows up at the storage, notice how at first he tries to play it off as a no biggie, trying to build on their jokes/and insults dynamic; but when she cries and tells him that it hurts her, he completely changes his expression; trying to reach out to her (put extra attention on his eye expressions, and hard swallowing). But, why doesn’t he say anything? Because if he did, and Bonnie knew the real reason he was doing this, she would most definitely stop him from doing it. As long as she thinks he’s doing this for himself, he knows she will, although hurt and pissed, let him go.
To reinforce the point of just how much Damon loves Bonnie, I’m going to submit a second piece of evidence from a firsthand source, Ian himself, clearly stating this:
So, in closing, I think that we can all agree that Damon’s decision to desiccate was clear and irrefutable evidence that Damon LOVED Bonnie; and, as Ian pointed out, he loved her more than ANYONE he knows (Elena included).
Next hearing, coming soon! =)