The piazza was alive with people, birds and the occasional vehicle making its way through the narrow roads that only true Romans knew how to navigate. Plucking another coconut macaroon from the plate in front of her, Caroline observed from behind her sunglasses, the parasol above them in the café that they sat in not being enough to block out the beautiful European summer rays.
Smiling at the sight of a father driving his son through a street on a moped, she turned back to her husband who was still sitting for opposite her in the same position as he had been for the last 10 minutes. She had no doubt that his recent meeting with one of the city's werewolf packs and their Alpha was still playing on his mind, but she had been promised a day dedicated to her in one of her favourite cities and yet, here they were. Her, happily munching away and taking in the atmosphere; him, definitely planning something.
"You know, it's a good thing we can't change. Physically, I mean. 'Cause I've got to admit, I wouldn't be nearly half as attracted to you as I am now if you got frown lines. Not attractive, old man," she told him to break him out of his thoughts. Pushing her shades up into her hair, she caught his eyes from behind his (and what a delectable sight he made with his shades, tight henley and dark jeans) and raised a challenging eyebrow at him. Klaus smirked at her, sipping at the coffee that he had been previously staring at. "That is true though, right? We can't actually change. It's not a slow thing that catches up with you when you're least expecting it, is it?"
"You've been a vampire long enough to know the answer to that, sweetheart," he assured her, reaching out with his free hand to cover hers and squeeze affectionately in what she had come to know was a silent apology. The sun that escaped around the parasol glinted off his wedding ring as she turned his hand to clasp at it instead.
"Right, true. Good, because I've already had 19 of these macaroons and we've only been here for about 30 minutes," she said with a hint of concern even as she ate another one of the sweet coconut treat off the plate that was meant for them to share. So far, he had had none. Klaus chuckled at both her words and actions before clamping his lips closed when she glared at him for daring to do so. "Seriously, baby; I think I might have a problem."
"C'mon, there's somewhere I want to take you. You'll love it," he announced, pulling away from her hand and standing up while simultaneously dropping an absurd amount of money onto the table that covered their simple meal almost 5 times over. Taking the hand he offered her, she sighed and accepted it, looking down dejectedly at her leftover macaroons before allowing herself to be taken away.
She should have known by his sudden change in mood and smirk that it wasn't going to be good. They walked through the cobbled alleyways and backstreets of Rome, Klaus knowing every twist and turn as if he owned the city. In some ways, he did. He practically owned every city that was home to the supernatural. Regardless of how stubborn the current local Alpha was being. In the years they had spent together one thing that Caroline had learnt was that he always won in the end.
Stopping in front of another café in a small piazza that they hadn't been to, surprisingly, he ushered her inside and seated her in a chair by the open window before going up to the counter. Slipping off the shades that she had on again, she revelled in the coolness of the small restaurant, eyes coming to rest on Klaus almost immediately. He spoke fluent Italian in the same way he spoke every other language; beautifully and using it charmingly.
Caroline was looking outside when he came back to their table and placed a plate down onto the table in between them. She frowned at him when she saw the macaroons that neatly populated it.
"I wasn't kidding before, Nik. I haven't stopped eating these since we arrived. I might actually be addicted," she told him with a huff.
Klaus took off his sunglasses in enough time for her to see him roll his eyes at her."Just try these. They're much better for you," he winked seductively as he hooked his shades into the 'V' of his shirt and leaned forwards as he rested his arms on the table. Pursing her lips together, she couldn't avoid the tantalising smell of the fresh sweets in front of her and took a bite out of one.
"Oh, my god!" Caroline exclaimed in delight when the flavours exploded in her mouth. "They have blood in them?" she asked incredulously, finishing off the one in her fingers before popping another one in.
"Catered to our needs. Yours mostly in this case," Klaus smiled, enjoying the fact that he had brought such happiness to the woman in front of him. She shrugged when he shook his head at her offer of her half bitten macaroon she held out for him to eat. "Enjoy, my love. I'm not a huge fan of sweetened blood."
Caroline had to smirk at that. He might claim that now but he had most definitely enjoyed her blood last night in the midst of their lovemaking, and she was pretty sure her blood was practically diluted in sugar by now.