Prologue:
Caroline was smiling as she was entering the Grill. Today had been her last day of the semester and officially the last day of her first year at uni. She couldn´t be more proud of herself. And today she could finally let loose and celebrate with her friends. A little hooray before she would go home to visit her mom for a few days and later start her internship at one of Chicago´s finest event planning companies.
"Come on Matty blue blue" she heard her best friend Katherine Pierce whine before she even made it to the bar.
"For god´s sake, you she-devil. No more free-booze. If my boss finds out I give you more than one free drink per night" Matt looked around, to see if his boss was around, before adding: "And you already had two, he might fire me."
"But Matty" she whined and was about to add more. That's when Caroline decided to announce herself.
"Hello guys. Matt one tequila sunrise for me and for that bossy lady a martini. I´ll pay. It´s a congratulation I survived my first year of uni gift for me, by me. And to you two."
"You are too kind" Katherine purred and stuck her tongue out at Matt. It seemed she would get another drink after all, without having to pay.
"Good to see you Care. Congrats by the way." Matt wished her, while he was shooting her a smile and made her drinks. He was proud of her. Sure their romantic liaison didn´t work out, but they made great friends and cared for each other. Sadly, she came with Katherine now a days. When he first met and dated her at the beginning of the year that hadn´t been the case.
"So tell me, how does it feel, being a successful student of one year?" Katherine asked Caroline with a wink.
"Good, better, the best. But I am sure you know Ms. Successfully working after Uni." The blonde replied with a playful smile.
Today was a good day she thought. A year ago she couldn´t have seen herself sitting in this chair, being friends with an ex-boyfriend and Katherine Pierce, the older sister of her High School best friend. I guess a new beginning and Chicago did that to you she mused.
"Here you guy" Matt said and put the drinks in front of the girls. "Don´t" he said as Caroline was reaching for her purse.
"Hey Matty blue blue, why does she get it for free?" Katherine yelled at him in a shocked way.
"Because we are here to celebrate her end of the year and not yours! That´s 6 bucks for you."
"Not fair" she huffed.
"Has no one told you, life isn´t fair" he laughed while he put her money in the cash register.
"Do you see him? The one who is putting the money in the till" Rebekah pointed the blonde bartender out to her brother. They were sitting in one of the red leather seats at the other side of the bar. Far away, to be able to have a good conversation, but not too far off, to be ignored by the staff and still have an eye on them.
"I do have eyes Rebekah, of course do I see him." He ridiculed his sister. He only agreed to come to this place because she successfully finished her first year of university. Damen Avenue was not his scene. He hated to admit it, but he was too old for a bar filled with students. Most of them were probably underage, like his darling sister. However, he couldn´t say when that had happened; one day he woke up and was too old. With his 32 years he was established and a full grown adult, unlike all the people who were in their twenties and still busy "finding" themselves. An act in itself ridiculous and only an invention by people who had everything their entire life, like his darling sister. He could see why she liked the place.
"So what do you think of him?" Rebekah brought him back to the bar and his focus on the blonde bartender. He seemed like an ordinary American boy chatting and laughing with a brunette and blonde. Sadly, he couldn´t make out their features. Beautiful women could maybe turn this awful place a little less awful.
"What can I think of some bartender whom I do not know" he answered. Irritated with his sister. Why did she care, why should HE care?
"Because I want to ask him out. And since you always hate everyone who I choose I wanted to make it a little different this time. I get your approval first, so you can´t ruin it when it actually is good."
She looked him dead in the eye. He could tell she was serious."He is flirting with two girls at the same time right now." He simply replied. His sister just couldn´t see or pick good guys.
"What?" she turned around with a speed he didn´t know was possible. "Oh no" she laughed. "That are only Katherine and Caroline. Sure Care is his ex, but actually they are just friends. And believe me when I say, that we all think it is the best this way." She could see her brother was about to tell her no.
"Look Nik, I know that you think no one will ever be good enough for me. And that is sweet and your job as my brother, but I do believe there is someone out there for me. Maybe that won´t be Matt, maybe it will. The thing is, I will never know if I don´t give it a shot and I can´t do that, when you scare him away the first time you see him. So this is more or less me not asking your permission, but giving you a heads up. I am not fourteen anymore. I am nineteen and I can handle getting my ego bruised should he say no when I ask him out. Also I like to think, that I can handle getting my heart broken." She gave him the look. The one where she furrowed her brows and bit on her lip. He sighed.
Just because she thinks she could handle her heart getting broken, didn´t mean that she actually could handle it. But he knew he had to let her experience things on her own. He couldn´t be her protector anymore, or maybe not for everything.
"Just don´t come crying to me when it is over."
"Ah Nik, thank you" she squealed and hugged him. "Come on, we are saying hi, I think you can meet my friends now. Just be nice"
With that she yanked him towards the trio at the bar. Only barely did he get a hold of his beer to take it with him.
Caroline did notice that Rebekah was coming by Matt´s panicked face and fidgeting with her hands.
"Seriously!" she teased. "I can tell a certain blonde is coming this way, without even looking."
"I just don´t get what you two see in her, she is just so, so naturally blonde" Katherine exclaimed while lazily plucking the olive of the stick.
"Hey watch it. Being blonde is not an insult" Caroline playfully hit her.
"Well if this isn´t the unholy trinity." Rebekah greeted the three.
"Oh shush it" Caroline interrupted her laughing and hugged her. "You love us, you just don´t want to admit it."
"She may love you, but she better not love me." Kathrine joined the conversation.
"I wouldn´t dare" Rebekah replied in her posh accent. "This here" she pointed to a man standing beside her. "is my brother."
Oh my, oh my. Caroline thought. He was one fine man. Tall, slight stubble, blonde locks and devilish handsome dimples. The best part though was that he was a man. Not one of these boys who didn´t know what they wanted. He knew what he wanted, that she could tell.
"Well as nice as it is seeing the elite of tomorrow getting drunk in a hipster bar, the elite of today has more important places to be. I wish you all a good night." He said and placed his beer on the counter, before he shared a nod with the group and left. Well never mind, Caroline thought. He was not a man, just another douche.
Out in the fresh air, Klaus shook his head. He had had to get out of there. The blonde girl looked ravishing in that yellow dress and jeans jacket. He couldn´t start flirting with one of his sister´s friends. Because one thing Klaus was sure of, flirting would have led to sex. Even he had to admit that it would be too inappropriate. The age difference was just to enorme.
Hello everyone,
I hope you liked the Prologue. Please let me know if you have kind words, ideas for improvement or just something you want to happen. I do have the story outlined, but I am always open to new ideas and making it maybe a bit better.
I really hope you can leave me a litlle remark and I will post the next chapter by the middle of the next week.
Thank you! :)
-thahappiestsunflower
P.S.: If someone is good at editing and would like to create a cover, I would love you forever :D
