Here's chapter 2, everyone! Wonder what happens on Klaroline's dinner together? Keep reading to find out! Caroline's gown in this chapter is based off a picture of a beautiful dress I had found online! I'll put that up on my profile ASAP so you guys can see it, but in the meantime, enjoy! (;
After spending an hour longer at the Grill, it was 6pm, so Caroline decided to head home and get ready for the long night ahead of her. Once she entered her bedroom, she realized Klaus had not lied. Right on the bed laid a gift box similar to the one he had given when he invited her to the welcoming ball that took place at his mansion. She unenthusiastically walked over to the box and tossed the lid to the side. But right when the contents caught her eyes, a soft gasp escaped her lips.
The most beautiful dress she had ever seen, even more beautiful than the first one given to her, lay neatly folded in the box. She lifted it up, letting the bottom flow onto the floor in order to get a better look at it. It was a champagne colored full length gown. The top half was embellished in silver with a beautiful intricate design that was similar to the one on the dress she had worn to the Mikaelson ball. It had a mermaid-styled skirt, which was made of the same tulle material that had been used on the straps. It was the lace that covered the top half that really made the dress so eye capturing with its flower design that created a very vintage and elegant look. It was breathtaking, and Caroline gently laid it back onto her bed next to the gift box. Inside the box, she noticed a few more things had been hidden behind the gown. A necklace rested neatly before her with chandelier earrings on either side of it. Of course it was none other than diamonds; she shouldn't have expected anything less from Klaus. They matched perfectly with the bracelet he had already given, which he hoped she would notice so she would wear that as well. The sight of the jewelry caused her to stare in adornment, and she almost didn't notice the envelope that lay directly above it. Opening it up, she read:
It was a difficult task finding a gown that would do justice to such a beauty as you, but I figured this one will have to suffice. I look forward to tonight.
-Klaus
Caroline looked once more at the stunning gifts he had given her, but quickly snapped herself back to reality. There he goes again, trying to buy his way into her heart. With a roll of her eyes, she grudgingly walked over to the bathroom to start getting ready.
After getting out of the shower and allowing her hair to dry, Caroline perfected her curls and made them appear to fall effortlessly in beautiful cascades from the top of her head. She carefully applied on just the right amount of make-up without overdoing it and slipped on the dress Klaus had chosen for her to wear. She looked into the mirror and a smile found its way onto her lips, because even with her insecurities, she could not deny how flawless she looked in this moment. The gown hugged her curves in all the right places and the skirt flowed beautifully to the ground. She put on the necklace and earrings that were in the box and admired how they glimmered off the lights in her room. Lastly, she made her way over to her jewelry box and opened it up to find the bracelet he had given her. After securing it onto her wrist, she slipped on some silver heels and took one final look in the mirror before heading out the door.
Just as Klaus said, a chauffeur was waiting outside of her house in front of a limo. Once he saw her step out, he opened up the door for her and she made her way inside.
"So where exactly are we going?" Caroline asked the driver as he began making his way onto the road.
"Klaus has sworn me to secrecy. He wants to keep it a surprise."
Caroline crossed her arms in front of her as she leaned back into the seat. She wasn't enjoying a second of this, but she knew he must've been feeling pretty triumphant. And she was right, because soon enough the driver pulled into to their destination, and there stood Klaus with a wide grin on his face. She wanted to smack it right off.
He was the one to open the door for her, and in a very gentlemanly manner, he stepped to the side and extended her a hand. Caroline ignored it and got out of the limo, stepping past him and looking around her. They were at the Mikaelson mansion.
"You got me all dressed up just so we could have a date here? At your house?" She questioned incredulously, looking back at him.
"So it's confirmed then? This is a date?" A smiled played along his lips.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Let's just get this over with."
He chuckled, offering his arm to her. "Glad to see your enthusiasm." She reluctantly wrapped her arm through his and he led her towards the backyard.
"Beautiful..." She whispered aloud, though she hadn't meant to. She had never been to the Mikaelson's backyard, and beautiful was an understatement. It was as if they had their own private garden, with twinkling lights everywhere. There was no need for stars, because they might as well have had the whole night sky in front of them. He smiled over at her reaction as he lead her deeper through a stone path that was surrounded with fields of exotic flowers on either side of them.
Soon, they reached a table set up underneath a tree. To the right of them was a lake where the moon and stars reflected brilliantly and all was serene and calm. The table was set with fine china and the plates were already filled with food that Caroline couldn't place a name on, but it looked delicious all the same.
If this date was with anyone other than Klaus, she would have truly enjoyed it. The setting was incredible, and it had all been such a romantic gesture. But it was with Klaus. And she had to keep reminding herself that in order to not do anything stupid like falling for his sweet act.
He pulled out a chair for her, motioning towards it. "I'm delighted that you could make it tonight."
Caroline narrowed her eyes and gave him an icy glare. "Don't act as if I had a choice." She shot back before taking a seat.
"Ah, but you did." Klaus took the seat in front of her and gave her a playful smirk. "I didn't compel you." He reminded her.
"You might as well have. Bribing, compelling, it's all the same thing. Especially if it consists of you getting you off my back with the creepy letters."
He seemed to be amused by this. "What makes you think that after tonight you won't have fallen head over heels for me? It could take one night, Caroline. One night may be all I need."
She scoffed in pure disgust. "Please. You and I both know that's never gonna happen."
"I suppose we'll find out. You look absolutely exquisite. It seems that I was right about that dress." He changed the subject, giving her a charming smile. "And I see you're wearing the bracelet I gave you as well." He added, gently taking her hand in his as he inspected the shimmering diamonds that hung on her wrist.
"It matched." She replied dumbly as she snatched her hand back.
He laughed. He always found amusement in the simplest things she said. "As it should."
Caroline decided that it would be rude to not compliment him on how he looked as well, considering it appeared as if he worked hard to try and make himself presentable for her. Plus, though she'd never admit it out loud, he looked incredibly handsome right now. "You don't look half bad either." She spoke indifferently.
Klaus seemed pleased with the compliment. "Thank you, love." He gestured to the plates in front of them. "Please, let's not keep this food waiting any longer." And with that, the two of them began to eat.
The first bite she took was ambrosial. "Oh my god," she spoke with her mouth still full, "what is this?"
"Is it not good?" He asked, a little nervous that she had been dissatisfied.
Caroline shook her head, taking in another bite and allowing herself to finish swallowing it before responding. "No, this is delicious! Did you make this?"
Klaus smiled brightly at the second compliment she had given him tonight. "I did. It's a type of fettuccini that I added my own twist to. I was able to learn thing or two in Italy after living there for quite some time." Caroline had already taken another bite, so he went ahead and followed with a question. "Have you thought about what you're going to do?"
She looked up at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
"You can't stay in Mystic Falls forever. 10 years down the road, someone is bound to take to notice your immortality. Have you thought of where to go?"
In truth, it had never crossed her mind where she wanted to go next. She was always used to living in the now.
Klaus leaned closer to her as he lowered his voice in the same captivating manner he used when he saved her life. "When you were on your deathbed from that werewolf bite, I told you of all the beauty this world had to offer. That alone is what made you want to live. Clearly you want to see the wonders around you, but where to begin? If you could start in this very moment, where would your curiosity lead you?"
Caroline thought for a moment. She had never been asked this before, so it threw her off guard. After a minute of contemplating, she finally replied. "I'm not sure, to be honest. There's not any specific place. I just want somewhere exotic, somewhere close to the ocean with countless flowers all around." She slightly smiled, glancing towards the garden around her. "Kind of like the ones here. I want a place where I can wake up every day and not feel so damn angry for being a vampire. Because that place⦠it would be so beautiful, that I wouldn't mind waking up to it every morning. I'd be grateful to wake up to it. And when the day ends, even after 10 more years of waking up to the same thing and staying stuck in the same age, I want a place where I'd be happy to do it all over again." She stopped then, envisioning her dream getaway and getting completely lost within it as if she were in a trance. She was smiling with longing as she began to wonder if such a place even existed. But from the corner of her eye, she noticed Klaus gazing at her, so she cleared her throat, looking to the side.
As Klaus listened to her description, he hung onto every word. She never spoke this way to him, with so much honesty and passion. It captivated him to see this side of her, and he knew it wasn't going to last very long. He was right because soon enough, she cleared her throat, breaking off the moment. But he kept his kept his gaze on her, giving her a smile. "That sounds lovely." He said gently in response.
Just then, a butler came over with a tray of two champagne glasses. "Go on, sweetheart." Klaus said after taking a glass, encouraging her to take one as well. Seeing as she probably didn't have a choice, Caroline sighed and grabbed the glass from the tray.
"To this wonderful evening we've had." He said pleasantly, lifting up his glass to join hers in a toast.
She clanked her glass lightly against his. Thank god, she thought to herself, flustered. I really need a drink after that. He took a sip from his, but she downed hers completely. And that's the last thing she remembered before blacking out.
Dun, dun, dun! What's Klaus up to now? Guess you'll need to wait for the next chapter to find out (; send a review to let me know what you think so far, and until then stay tuned! xoxo
