Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing.
Note: Previously, in "Forbidden Fruit is Always the Sweetest," Caroline walks in on Damon and Elena shortly after they have sex.
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Klaus' Office – Later...
Klaus smiled to himself as he sat at his desk, his sketch book in hand. He had gotten inspired to do another drawing after the long dry spell he had been experiencing just before Dr. Martin hired him. Art was one of his passions, and several of his portraits were hanging in museums and art galleries. One particular piece of his was currently on display in the Hermitage, which was a great honor, even though Klaus didn't donate the painting for the glory.
He was just about finished with the sketch when he heard a soft knock on the door frame caused him to look up and smiled again when he saw Caroline. In fact, she was the one who inspired him to do the drawing, which oddly enough, was of her.
It was quiet for a minute or two before she said, "Was I interrupting anything important?"
Klaus shook his head. "No, not at all." He noticed that she looked a little frazzled. "Are you all right? You seem agitated about something."
Caroline hesitated. Did she dare tell him about the scene she had walked in on? "I'm fine. It's just that I saw something so totally gross that I wish I could get a lobotomy so I don't have to think about it." She noticed a painting on the wall. "Wow, this is nice." She looked at Klaus. "Did you do this?"
"I did, actually."
"No way," said Caroline. "So, you're an artist? Why the hell didn't they hire as an art teacher instead of the head of the Disciplinary Committee?" She looked at the painting again. "You're obviously talented. The art teacher we currently have sucks. She couldn't paint her way out of a paper bag if her life depended on it."
Klaus looked at Caroline as she looked at the painting. Even though she seemed to have calmed down, he could tell that she was still tense, even if she didn't specify the reason.
"Would you like to have dinner with me, Caroline?"
Caroline blinked at his question and turned to face. "Dinner?"
"Yes."
"Why?" said Caroline. "You barely know me. And I barely know you."
"That's why I asked," said Klaus. "It's obvious that you're still tense about whatever it is you saw before you came here, which will make concentrating on our tasks difficult. So, I thought that as a way to break the ice a little, we'd have dinner. Think of it as a way of getting to know each other."
Caroline didn't know what to think about that. Was it her imagination or did Klaus just ask her out? To her, it seemed unlikely, since she only just met him hours ago. True, he was undeniably gorgeous and his thick, rich British accent could make any woman worth her salt turn into a puddle of goo, but the truth was, she wasn't sure just what to make of it.
Oh, come on, Caroline, she thought. What's the harm in having dinner with him? It's not like it's a date or anything. Didn't he say that it was a way of getting to know him? And if you don't feel comfortable with him, just let him down easy.
"All right, Klaus, you win," she said. "I'll have dinner with you."
Klaus smiled. "Good." He got up from his desk. "I believe that the dining room is open all night, since they told me that students like to go there to have midnight snacks."
"Actually, I have a better idea," said Caroline. "There's a restaurant in town called the Mystic Grill. I've eaten there a few times, and they've even got pool tables so that if you want to shoot pool after dinner, we could do that." So much for it not being a date.
Klaus nodded. "Excellent."
Caroline forced a smile at that. She saw him approach her, and her heart skipped several beats, her breath catching in her throat. Keep your cool, Caroline. He might be incredibly gorgeous and his accent is like music to your ears, but try not to flirt with him.
Klaus offered her his arm. "Shall we?"
Caroline nodded and took his arm. "Yes, we shall."
Klaus smiled and they walked out of his office, arm in arm.
Mystic Grill – A Short Time Later...
The Mystic Grill was bustling with activity as Klaus and Caroline walked in. Apparently, it was quite popular and Klaus could see why Caroline picked it over the dining room back at the school. He heard some giggling and looked to see some girls looking at him, waving and smiling. Caroline scoffed at this. Honestly, you'd think these prissy little bitches had been living under a rock their whole lives and never saw a hot guy before.
She tightened her grip on Klaus' arm, as though to show possession. Klaus noticed this and smiled at her. "Why, Caroline, are you...jealous of those girls?"
Caroline looked at him. "Jealous? Me? Of them? Please, those bitches aren't worth my time." Bullshit, you're totally jealous of them, her mind scolded her. Why else do you have your arm around Klaus' in a death grip? Admit it, you don't want them to come anywhere near Klaus.
She saw a table near the pool tables and they went to sit down. Once they were seated, she grabbed a menu and looked it over. Truth was, she wasn't hungry, but she should at least get something while they were here.
"So, what was it you saw before you came to my office?"
Caroline looked up from her menu. "Huh?"
"You told me you saw something," said Klaus. "What was it?"
Caroline rolled her eyes. "You're still on that? Klaus, that's personal information."
"It obviously had you upset," said Klaus. "You don't have to tell me every single detail, just some tidbits. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone. What gets said between us stays between us, you have my word."
Caroline sighed. "Well, if you really want to know, I kind of walked in on my roommate just after she had sex with her boyfriend." She shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "I tell you, it wasn't exactly the prettiest picture to paint, no pun intended. Like I said, I'm tempted to get a lobotomy to erase the memory of it."
"No wonder you were frazzled." Klaus gently took her free hand in his. "I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable telling me."
"No, it's okay," said Caroline. "You gave me your word that you weren't going to tell anyone else."
There was a silence between them for the next minute or two, neither one of them speaking. Klaus then looked toward the pool tables and then back at Caroline, a smile on his face.
"I think I might shoot a little pool. Care to join me?"
Caroline blinked at that and then looked at the pool tables and back at him. "Okay, sure. Why not?"
Klaus smiled again and led her to a vacant pool table, got everything set up, and handed her a stick. "Ladies first, Caroline."
Caroline nodded and got into position, aiming the stick at the cue ball, and broke the pack, sending two balls into both the side and corner pockets respectively. Klaus was impressed to say the least, since he hadn't expected this.
"Your turn, Klaus."
Klaus was brought out of his reverie by Caroline's voice. Nodding, he got into position and aimed the cue ball at the one he wanted to sink. Caroline watched him carefully, biting her lip. Please let him make this shot.
Sure enough, when Klaus' stick made contact with the cue ball, it hit its target dead on and it landed in the same corner pocket that one of the balls Caroline hit went into. Once they went in, Klaus looked toward Caroline.
"How's that? Not bad for a newcomer, huh?"
"No, not bad at all," said Caroline. "You're better than I thought you'd be."
Yeah, keep telling yourself that, she thought. You're just trying to deny the fact that you want to kiss him savagely and rip his clothes off. Face it, Caroline, you want this man. You want him so badly that the rules you've obeyed up until now mean shit to you.
Several Hours Later...
Caroline tried to keep her cool as she and Klaus returned to the school. She may have wanted to admit it, but she had a good time tonight and she wondered if there would be any more like this. Wait, did she want there to be more like this? True, tonight was fun and all, but was she willing to risk everything just because she found Klaus irresistible?
She didn't say a word as Klaus walked her to the entrance of the girls' dorms. Truth was, she hadn't expected him to do it, but she figured that he was doing it to make sure she got there safely.
When they reached the door, there was another silence until Caroline spoke up. "I had a great time, Klaus. Thank you for dinner and the pool game."
Klaus smiled. "It was my pleasure, Caroline. I hope to do this again soon."
Caroline was about to say something, but she never got the chance because he leaned in and kissed her softly and passionately. When the initial shock wore off, Caroline returned his kiss, moaning against his mouth as their tongues collided. A few minutes later, she stepped back, reluctantly breaking the kiss.
"Good night, Klaus."
She walked past him and opened the door to the building. Klaus watched her as she walked, licking his lips, tasting the sweetness of the kiss they just shared, fully intending on there being more like it. Of course, he told himself not to rush things, mainly because he didn't want to scare Caroline off before he got the opportunity to really be with her.
Note: Damn, that was hell of a lot of Klaroline to put into one chapter, huh? Hope you enjoyed the kiss I threw in. This isn't the last time they'll kiss, not by a long shot. There will be more like the one that just took place. Stay tuned!
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