I actually think that Elena is attracted to the fact that Damon is attracted to her.
Yes. IAWTC. But I think that is how her reciprocating attraction comes about. Because the type of attention that Damon shows her is quite specific. So, it would be very easy for the two things to become confused.
But you are right, Elena has to put SO MUCH EFFORT into not getting too close to Damon, emotionally; it's not about sexual tension, it's about the kind of emotional relationship she has with him.
This, basically. And it's why she often tries to treat Damon like she treats her other friends (~let us talk about your feelings~), rather than admitting that their emotional relationship is in some ways a lot more intimate than all her other relationships. (We've talked about this.)
She tried to be balanced (and all the other things from "Skinny Love")
HAHAHAHAHAHA ILU. But YES. And WORD--by choosing Stefan, she chooses the version of herself that she prefers. By choosing Stefan, she chooses the person who can be someone "new". This is why it's so important for her to be able to save Stefan.
YAY I AM GLAD MY NONSENSE MAKES SENSE. This: It's probably a bad example, but look how FANS are affected by Damon's feelings, how many fantasies are built on this image, how many people feel touched by this performance. -- Oh yeah. Oh yeah. (I don't really know what it says about me that I'm not particularly affected. Probably it's because I'm also a performer. WE PERFORMERS SEE THROUGH EACH OTHER, LMAO.) I think it's important to note that Elena wouldn't have this reaction if she and Damon didn't have that ~understanding~ though. Like, if this were some random dude chasing after her, it wouldn't be a problem. (Matt is a useful ~control group here, lol.) But because she has difficulty with separating herself from Damon in an emotional sense, she has difficulty with not getting caught up in his feelings for her.
Re: Elena's attraction to Damon in S2
Yes. IAWTC. But I think that is how her reciprocating attraction comes about. Because the type of attention that Damon shows her is quite specific. So, it would be very easy for the two things to become confused.
But you are right, Elena has to put SO MUCH EFFORT into not getting too close to Damon, emotionally; it's not about sexual tension, it's about the kind of emotional relationship she has with him.
This, basically. And it's why she often tries to treat Damon like she treats her other friends (~let us talk about your feelings~), rather than admitting that their emotional relationship is in some ways a lot more intimate than all her other relationships. (We've talked about this.)
She tried to be balanced (and all the other things from "Skinny Love")
HAHAHAHAHAHA ILU. But YES. And WORD--by choosing Stefan, she chooses the version of herself that she prefers. By choosing Stefan, she chooses the person who can be someone "new". This is why it's so important for her to be able to save Stefan.
YAY I AM GLAD MY NONSENSE MAKES SENSE. This: It's probably a bad example, but look how FANS are affected by Damon's feelings, how many fantasies are built on this image, how many people feel touched by this performance. -- Oh yeah. Oh yeah. (I don't really know what it says about me that I'm not particularly affected. Probably it's because I'm also a performer. WE PERFORMERS SEE THROUGH EACH OTHER, LMAO.) I think it's important to note that Elena wouldn't have this reaction if she and Damon didn't have that ~understanding~ though. Like, if this were some random dude chasing after her, it wouldn't be a problem. (Matt is a useful ~control group here, lol.) But because she has difficulty with separating herself from Damon in an emotional sense, she has difficulty with not getting caught up in his feelings for her.