A Chance Meeting

by sirimity16

First impressions mean everything, or do they. The first time they meet, their eyes lock onto each other and its magic...for about 10 seconds, then life starts up again and they end up on the wrong foot of each other. It's not until a couple of years later that the spark is reignited the way it should have. AU/AH Multi-chapter, Multi-character Klaus, Caroline, Bonnie, Katherine

4. Chapter 3

Okay guys, I am so sorry for taking so long. I'm trying to stay ahead as I post each chapter, so I don't want to post anything if I don't at least have something planned out. As for questions about when they're gonna meet; I have maybe 2 more chapters to go, then the 1st time jump, then they'll meet. I'm going to try to have them meet by the end of the time jump, but if it doesn't flow then it'll be the chapter after. Also, if you can't tell, the time lines are a little off. That's why I'm jumping around more in Klaus' timeline, while Caroline's is a bit more straightforward. I'm catching him up to her timeline, so you get a sense of what's gone on in his life. Caroline has pretty much always had a perfect life, even her parents divorce was amicable and the kids were better for it. Klaus has had to deal with much more so we're getting glimpses until they meet.

Okay, you waited long enough, here's the next chapter.

And thank you soooooo much for all the likes/follows/reviews. It really makes me feel great that I finally put this out there.

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The day of the exhibit opening, became one of the most nerve racking days for Klaus. Although he wanted to know what people thought about his work, he was also worried about it too. One of the pieces he'd chosen to show was the one he'd been working on when Henrik had gotten injured. He hadn't wanted to show it at first, but Elijah convinced him it would be a hit. This was his first big showing so he didn't expect much, but Klaus hoped people at least liked his work or found it interesting. All of his siblings were there except for Henrik because he was too young.

"Stop pacing Nik, everyone is going to love your work." Rebekah was looking around at all the other artists' work. She knew there would be a lot of media and art people so she planned on networking. To impress those that mattered, she wore one of her black vintage Mary Quant lace dresses with some Alexander McQueen heels, hoping to make it onto someone's best dressed. She had her pin straight blond hair parted to the side and pinned to the back and wore a natural fresh faced makeup.

Klaus couldn't really hear any of them; above everything else he would hear Mikael's voice, telling him he was worthless. "I'm fine, just leave me be sweetheart. Go mingle." Rebekah frowned but left, she knew he'd only get mad at her if she kept trying to comfort him. Klaus stood just a bit away from where his work was being displayed and kept trying to hear what people thought of it. He ran his hand through his hair and just kept pacing.

Elijah was talking to the Tessa about possibly getting more of Klaus' work displayed during the next couple of exhibits while Kol was going around flirting with every girl he found remotely attractive. Most of them could see him coming a mile away so they just brushed off his advances.

Klaus had drank a glass or two of wine and was finally able to relax half way into opening night. After a couple of hours, the place had become filled with all kinds of art enthusiasts. One person in particular became enamored with Klaus' paintings and sought him out.

"Nik!" Rebekah walked over to him, turned and waved someone over to them. "I want you to meet someone."

A man stepped up to them and extended his hand to Klaus. "Hello Mr. Mikaelson, my name is Alaric Saltzman. I'm an Art History professor at NYU and I was looking to buy one, if not all, of your pieces tonight."

Klaus's eyes widened and he looked at Alaric in shock. He really hadn't expected to sell any of his work that night, let alone all of them. He looked at Rebekah who was grinning at him. "Um, yes, of course. My brother is the one who deals with the sales but I'm sure we can give you a deal purchasing all three." Klaus turned to Rebekah and told her to bring Elijah.

"I think your paintings are absolutely amazing. Very emotional and complex. Your brush stokes are powerful and your use of minimal colors really brings out the turmoil." As soon as Alaric had seen the pieces, he knew he had to have them. He was very impressed by Klaus and the fact that he was so young, yet his paintings where filled with so much pain; he knew just by looking at his paintings that he'd had a hard life already.

Klaus was taken aback at how much Alaric liked his work, it made him a little self conscious. He even got a little flushed and started rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn't used to compliments from people, other than his siblings. "Thank you, you're too kind." He smiled shyly at Alaric. "So you're an art professor?"

"Yeah, I mostly teach art history and photography. I originally wanted to be a photo journalist, but decided against it and have been teaching for 2 years now. I still do photography on the side and own a small shop near NYU. Although I teach more about the classics, I personally love modern abstract art more. I love being able to make my own interpretation of what the artist is trying to convey." He placed one of his hands in his suite pocket.

Klaus nodded his head and turned when he felt Elijah pat his shoulder. "Elijah, this is Mr. Saltzman."

Alaric smiled and shook Elijah's hand. "Please, call me Alaric. You guys are going to make me feel old."

Elijah and Klaus chuckled. "It's a pleasure to meet you. So, you wish to procure all of Niklaus' work from tonights exhibit. We can of course negotiate the price for all three. I don't usually like to discuss sales in public but if you are looking to buy right away - I believe we can come to an agreement."

Alaric nodded his head then furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Well although you're a relatively new artist, I really like your work and I just know you will break through, I can just feel it in my gut, so I am willing to pay higher than most. On the condition that you seek me out when you have new pieces that you think I'd like."

Alaric just kept surprising Klaus. It's one thing to like one or two paintings, but to actually say that he believed he'd make it big. He looked at Elijah and nodded in agreement which made Alaric ecstatic so he gave them a huge smile.

"I didn't price them because I'm never sure what they're worth other than to myself. Elijah has been giving them a set price by size, but my latest is very important to me. If you want that one then it would be priced differently." Klaus was firm on this point.

"That's fine, that one is actually my favorite so I'd gladly pay more. Just give me a total for all three and we'll see if we need to negotiate."

"Well all three pieces are done with oil and are 30x60. Also, your favorite was done on wood instead of regular canvas. As we've priced them so far, the two regular pieces are $2500 each and the wood one is $4000."

Alaric thought about it a bit. "Well since I'm getting all three, how about we say an even 10 grand and you'll have the money by tonight. I'm giving you a bit more because I want first access to any new stuff you make."

Elijah looked at Klaus and they agreed. Klaus smiled at Alaric and took his hand. "Looks like we have a deal. Thank you, this was the most unexpected sell. I really didn't think anyone would even like my work."

Alaric smirked on at him and patted him on the shoulder. "Well I did, and I'm looking forward to your growth as an artist. I'm happy I'll be able to tell people that I have some of your first big pieces. Send me the account you want me to wire the money to and I'll have someone pick up the paintings when the exhibit is over later in the week." Alaric handed Elijah his business card.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you and we will most definitely contact you when Niklaus has any new work you'd find interesting. Enjoy the rest of the evening." Elijah shook Alaric's hand before he left then turned to Klaus and smiled. "Congratulations on your first big sale Niklaus. I believe this calls for a celebration with the family."

"Nik! Oh my god, Alaric just told me, I'm so proud of you." She threw herself at him and gave him a huge hug. "Alaric said he'd keep in touch, he even told me that if I'm ever in New York he'll introduce me to some photographers that would love to work with me. Guess you're not the only one who made a connection." She smirked at her brothers.

Elijah gave her a smile then looked around. "Where's Kol? We should go celebrate this occasion. Not only did Niklaus sell his work but Tessa says the owners of the gallery were impressed by all the good reviews and wish to place your work in a few more upcoming events."

Klaus was grinning like a fool. He very rarely shared one of his genuine dimpled smiles, but everything had worked out better than he'd hoped for and he couldn't wait to start painting some more.

Kol came up behind Klaus and clapped him on the back. "Congrats brother, I just heard. What are we still doing here? Lets go have a proper celebratory party or something."

Klaus and Elijah said their goodbyes to Tessa and they went home. Henrik was already asleep but Kol decided they should open a bottle of champagne in honor of Klaus. Even if he was planning on drinking half the bottle all by himself.

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"Care! Hurry up! Bonnie and Kat are already here!" Matt had already put his, Bonnie's, and Kat's bags in the car and they'd been waiting for her for the past 15 minutes.

Caroline huffed. She'd had everything organized until a few hours ago when she decided to recheck everything, which led to switching out some clothes. Now she was making them late, and she hated being late. "I'm coming!" Zipping up her bags. "Can you help me carry the heavy bag!"

Matt rolls his eyes and runs upstairs. He sees Caroline carrying one bag as she points to the other. He goes to pick it up expecting her to have exaggerated. "Jesus, what the hell did you pack Care? Bricks?"

Caroline smirks and smacks him lightly. "Oh, shut it. I'm taking some beauty supplies for us girls to get ready."

"Some! You girls are too high maintenance sometimes." Matt yells as he jogs down the stairs.

"Not funny Matty Blue-Blue." Katherine narrows her eyes at him. "We look good and you know it," she pokes his chest. "And this," she points to her whole body, "takes proper time and effort."

Matt scoffs at her and turns to the front door. "Come on, we gotta go if we want to make it on time."

As they head out to the car, Matt puts Caroline's bags in the trunk. The girls decided they would drive the first few hours and then Matt would take over until they got to New York. Bonnie took the first shift to get it over with. They didn't want to take anymore time than was needed to get to New York, so they only stopped to eat, use the restroom or switch drivers. The girls switched off about every hour until it was Matt's turn. By that time, it was already around 4 in the morning and the girls had decided to get some sleep.

After a couple of hours Caroline woke up and they were nearing the city. She looked at it in awe and pulled out her phone to take some pictures; It looked so beautiful.

"Hey sleepy head, you're up. Good, maybe you can help me with the directions. Can't drive and look at them around here, too many crazy drivers." Matt was focused on not crashing their car. Even though it was still early and there wasn't that much traffic yet, he had already had to avoid a couple of crazy New York cabs that flew by him.

Caroline chuckled and pulled out the map they had printed and then rechecked on her phone to make sure. "Okay, we don't have that much more. We just need to stay on East New Jersey Turnpike until it turns into 12th street then turns into Holland Tunnel. I'll give you more directions when we get closer." She looked up and searched for her camera to take some more pictures then turned around in her seat to look at the girls still sleeping. She smiled wickedly and took some pictures of them.

"You're dead if those ever see the light of day Care." Katherine yawned and glared at Caroline.

Caroline just started laughing and stuck her tongue out. "Yeah, right. Wake Bonnie up so she doesn't miss the bridge." She turned back in her seat to look out the window and check the GPS again. She heard Bonnie yawn and shift while she stretched. "Okay Matty, after the bridge we have to stay on Holland Tunnel until we go around this circle and we turn right on the second exit. Then we're gonna turn right again onto Hudson and keep going until it turns into 8th Ave. Kat we're gonna be walking a little since they don't have a garage. We have to park the car in a parking structure then walk to the apartment, so don't complain."

Katherine pouted and Bonnie giggled at her. They were all getting really excited as they crossed the bridge into Manhattan. Matt couldn't really take in the sights though because he was too focused on driving, but he was still just as excited. He wanted to park the car already so he could finally look at everything. Caroline rattled off a couple more directions and it didn't take them long until they were finally parked and out of the car.

Matt stretched and rolled his neck. "Man I'm tired. I'm taking a nap before we head out again once we're in the apartment." He fought off a yaw and opened the trunk. Each of the girls pulled out their small suitcase and Matt grabbed his large duffle bag and Caroline's bag of beauty products.

Caroline pulled out her phone and looked at the map once they were outside the building. "Okay, we only need to walk up like a block and we're there. Let me text the owner so he can meet us there."

Instead of booking a hotel and spending thousands of dollars for 3 days, Caroline had rented out someone's apartment for the weekend through a website. She thought it would make them feel like they actually lived in New York. They weren't expecting the place to be a five star accommodation but at least the girls each had their own bed. Matt would be sleeping in the pullout sofa in the living room.

As they walked to the apartment they all took pictures. Caroline made them stop and take a group self shot and she smiled. This would be their first picture up when they found their own future apartment.

They saw a girl waiting outside the address they were heading to and they assumed it was one of the owners. She seemed pretty young for someone to own a 3 bedroom apartment in Chelsea; she was probably no older than 25. She was wearing a black and white stripped tight t-shirt and black shinny jeans. When she saw them, she waved at them and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Meredith. So you four are the ones that are going to be staying here?"

"Yeah we're visiting to look at some apartments around the area, we're going to be attending NYU. I'm Caroline, these are my friends Bonnie and Katherine, and that's my brother Matt." Caroline pointed them all out and smiled at Meredith.

"Oh that's so awesome. My fiancé is actually the owner of this place, he's actually an art history professor at NYU, small world. He had to go to London for a short trip to help one of his protégés, that's why he couldn't be here to show you guys the place, so I'll be the one to take you up instead. There's no doorman but there are two doors you have to get through. You'll have two sets of keys in case you need to separate." They went through the entrance and walked through the lobby to the elevator and got in. "The apartment is on the 4th floor and there's only 6 apartments on each floor so you won't have a problem knowing which one it is." When the elevator dinged, they stepped out and walked to the first door on their left. She opened the door and they all set their bags down as soon as they walked in. "You have the living room with the pullout sofa, a TV that's hooked up to the internet so you can use it as a computer and you have your own full kitchen. The rooms are all pretty much the same except the master has its own bathroom. We have a laundry facility downstairs, which you don't have to pay for. We left you a folder with instructions for all the appliances and a card for the laundry, plus some recommended places for sight seeing and restaurants if you have time. If you have any other questions, we left you both of our phone numbers. It'll probably be easier to call me until he gets back from his trip. My fiancé should be back tomorrow night, so he'll probably be the one to receive the keys from you when you leave, unless there's a change in plans, but I'll let you know ahead of time." She smiled at them and they said their thanks and she wished them a happy weekend and left.

As soon as she was out the door Matt dropped onto the sofa and fell asleep while the girls took their things to the rooms. After putting everything away the girls decided to take a quick nap too.

At 10 the girls got up and changed into more comfortable clothes because it was getting hotter. When they were done they went into the living room and decided to get something to eat at the fashion district so they could shop a little. Caroline had made a list of things they could do and they all decided together that they wouldn't tire themselves out early since they wanted to go to a club later in the evening so they would only sight see a few of the more famous points.

They woke Matt up and he took a quick 5 minute shower and put on some cargo shorts and a loose t-shirt. As soon as he was ready, they headed out.

Since the Fashion District was really close, they decided to just walk there. On their way they stopped to eat at Spinelli's Pizzeria. They ordered a breakfast pizza with ham and sausage and for dessert they got cannoli's and some fried oreos. They were stuffed and glad that they would be spending the day walking off the heavy meal.

The Fashion District turned out to be even bigger than the girls imagined. They only went to a couple of stores since Matt was with them. After they shopped, they went to Times Square and took some pictures. Caroline was having so much fun with her new camera. They were all in awe of how many people there were and how tall the buildings were. All of them excluding Katherine had traveled by this point, but New York was something completely different. Everything moved at such a fast pace and they were so used to the slow life from Mystic Falls.

Bonnie turned and saw the wax museum. "Look! I want to go to Madame Tussaud's. We can take silly pictures with the wax celebrities." She grinned and pulled them along. After taking a bunch of hilarious pictures with the wax figures, they walked to the Rockefeller building and decided to do The Top of the Rock so they could take some pictures of the city. They decided their last stop would be at the MoMA and then they'd head back to the apartment to get ready to go out that evening.

Matt had never cared about art, but after backpacking across South America he had grown to appreciate what people created using their imagination. Of course he was much more drawn to the famous pieces more so than the modern abstract ones. The one piece they all loved and felt mesmerized by was Van Gogh's The Starry Night.

Katherine tilted her head and scrunched her face. "It's way smaller than I expected."

Caroline smiled and turned to look at her. "Yeah, but its still so beautiful and vibrant. The way he saw the world so colorful yet he was in so much pain, it's amazing. I think he's probably in my top five all time favorite artists."

"It's kind of magical the way he let the objects and colors flow into each other." Just looking at it made Bonnie feel at peace. Matt nodded and agreed wit.

They kept looking at it for another few minutes then started walking through the rest of the exhibits. Matt loved Jackson Pollock's piece and had Caroline take a picture of him in front of it. It was kind of funny because it made him look small for once. They had a late lunch at the MoMA's Cafe 2 and then walked back to the apartment. It was time to get ready for their first night out in New York.

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"Remember if any of you want to come over to New York, I would be glad to show you guys around and I definitely want to introduce you to some important people that could help launch your art career in the states Klaus. It may not be immediate but it would certainly be faster than doing it on your own. In fact, I think if you give me a few weeks to get in contact with a few people I could potentially get someone here to help you start." Alaric wanted to push Klaus out of his comfort zone and help him grow as an artist.

Klaus had been talking with Alaric ever since the day after the exhibit. He was grateful to him for not only buying his work but for believing in him and his potential. He had called Alaric to let him know that they had finally shipped the art to his New York home.

For Klaus, meeting Alaric was by far the best thing that had happened to him and his career so far. "I just don't know where to start with thanking you for taking a chance on me. I would gladly take any advice or help you could offer. And I'll be sure to take you up on that offer to visit as soon as I can. I've actually been meaning to explore the art world that New York offers. Elijah said that he personally saw to the pieces you bought. They should arrive by the time you land, and I do hope that you still love them once you see them again."

"Oh, I trust you guys and of course I'll still love the pieces. I'll call you soon to let you know about what I can do for you in London."

"Thank you again and I'll let you know when I'm done with a new piece. Have a safe trip and talk to you soon." Klaus hung up and just stood there. He smiled and turned when he heard Kol and Rebekah enter the house, bickering like children.

"I can't believe you did that Kol! Are you bloody mad?!" Rebekah stormed through the door, Kol following, and went into the sitting room.

"What?! You're my baby sister Bekah, did you really think I would let you throw yourself at that daft chav." Kol rolled his eyes at Klaus while he sat down on one of the sofas. "I mean really sister are you that desperate now." Kol shook his head.

Rebekah's eyes bulged. She was going to throttle him, she started towards him but Klaus stopped her. As entertaining as this was he didn't have time to deal with them. "Just let it go Bekah. Kol, go do something somewhere else, I don't want to be playing referee to your antics today, let Bekah be."

Kol sighed and pouted but got up and started to head out of the room. "Why am I getting booted, its not my fault our little sister is a strumpet."

"Argh! Self righteous wanker!" Rebekah huffed, grabbed a pillow and threw it at his head before he was out the door.

Klaus just shook his head and looked at her in a amusement. "You know it's your own fault for letting him goad you like that, Bekah."

Rebekah pouted and sat down. "I love Kol but I can only stand him for so long. When do you think he's leaving?"

Klaus laughed and sat down next to her. "Oh don't be such a brat, you know you'd miss him as soon as he left. We're all hoping he'll stay longer than last time, don't pretend like you haven't been having fun since he's been around." He pulled her into his side.

"I know but why does he have to be such an arse sometimes. Especially when it comes to me and boys, I hardly date anyone and yet he goes and makes a fool out of me in front of someone that actually likes me. He's the one that's always trotting around a different girl every other week." Rebekah sighed and then looked at Klaus and smiled. "Enough about him, how are things going with Alaric."

Klaus grinned and let go of Rebekah. "Things are going even better than I dreamed of, he's going to connect me with someone here in London to help guide me. Hopefully this will open even more doors than the exhibit did. Apparently Tessa has been talking to Elijah, the gallery wants me for at least another 2 more exhibits."

Rebekah smiled at him. "I knew you'd get there eventually Nik. I just wish you'd believe in yourself more."

Klaus sighed, he didn't want to get into this with Rebekah again. "Well, I think that's my queue to leave. I'm going to take Henrik to lunch, then he has an appointment to start his shoulder rehab."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Fine Nik, but don't think this is the last time I'll say this," she called out to his retreating form.

Klaus turned back around and looked at Rebekah. "And just so you know, any one of us would have done the same thing that Kol did. He may be a prat at times but you're our baby sister, our only sister. We're always going to be overprotective of you because we only want the best for you. If this dollop of a guy couldn't handle Kol by himself then how are we supposed to trust him to take care of you against the world. When you find the right man that deserves you, you'll know it because we'll know it."

Klaus turned back around and went upstairs to Henrik's room, leaving Rebekah stunned on the sofa. He came up to Henrik's room and nocked on the door and went in. Henrik was sitting at his desk looking at his laptop and turned to Klaus.

"Hey," he greeted Klaus.

Klaus sat on the edge of the bed. "Hey, get ready. You have rehab session so we're gonna go eat beforehand."

"Ok, let me just finish this, I'm making a playlist for April." Henrik grinned at Klaus and then finished choosing the songs and sent it to April.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I just don't understand what you see in her, she's quite bland from what I've seen."

Henrik scowled at Klaus. "You don't know her, you shouldn't make any assumptions, I think she's amazing. That's really all that matters, you're not the one trying to date her."

Klaus raised his hands in defense. "Well okay, I'm sorry if I offended you or your relationship with Miss Young."

"Whatever. I know you dislike being in a relationship Nik, but that doesn't mean I'm going to follow in your footsteps. I may get hurt in the process but I think it's worth it in the end."

Klaus became a little flustered being called out by his baby brother but he let it roll of him. He never wanted his brother to become as jaded as he was when it came to trusting in a relationship. "You're right, I'm truly sorry." He looked up at Henrik and changed the subject. "Now, hurry up or we're not going to have enough time to eat."

Klaus and Henrik got up and headed downstairs. Rebekah asked them to bring her something when they came back and were on their way home.

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When Caroline said they would be going out, they all knew what they where in for. So of course they where going to have to dress in style. She had chosen a fancy jazz club to go to, so they went for a sophisticated look.

Matt didn't truly care, as always, so he knew he would wear what Caroline packed for him. He knew his sister, she'd have a fit if he just wore whatever was in his closet, so she packed one of the best shirts and pants his dad had bought him for a special occasion. And although the girls had originally brought something to wear from back home, they had each found better dresses while shopping earlier, to wear that night.

Matt didn't start getting ready till after the girls had showered since he knew they would take long. He took a shower, put a little gel in his hair while it was still a little wet, then changed into his Armani slim fit black slacks and his dark blue grey buttoned down Armani shirt. He brushed his teeth and put some cologne on and he was done in under an hour, and still, he had to wait for the girls.

The girls had a routine to follow, so as soon as they had gotten into the apartment they had hung up their dresses and taken out all of the makeup and hair products to have them ready. They each took a shower, shaved, and then went into Katherine's room - it was the biggest. They dressed, fix their hair and then finally put on their makeup.

Katherine had been the first in the shower because she took the longest. Caroline and Bonnie would take less time because they had both washed their hair earlier. They were both done by the time Katherine came out. Katherine semi dried her hair then they began doing their makeup. Bonnie and Caroline went for more neutral colors and a vibrant lip whereas Katherine did a dark smokey eye and a light pink lip.

As soon as that was done they started working on each others hair. Caroline chose to put her hair in a messy low bun with a few curly tendrils pulled out in front to frame her face. Bonnie smoothed her hair and pulled it to the side and then added some waves to the ends. Katherine went for a messy half up-half down Bridget Bardot look. Once the hair and makeup was done, they put on the dresses they'd bought earlier.

Caroline had chosen a simple black semi-fitted Blumarine dress that fell right above the knee. The black fabric came all the way up creating a small sweetheart neckline and then turned into a very sheer black fabric with white dots scattered across that came to a quarter sleeve; it also had a little rueshing on the right hip. She wore it with her 5 inch black classic toe Jimmy Choo pumps.

Bonnie had wanted to buy a long black off brand dress but Katherine convinced her to let her and Caroline buy her the Calvin Klein slim fitted black sleeveless dress. It had a mock neck and was made of hand beaded knit silk. It had tubular beads applied in a chevron pattern down the center front that concealed back zipper. She paired it with some 4 inch Jimmy Choo black suede point toe pumps.

Katherine's dress was a little more daring. She bought a white skin tight mini-dress by Balmain that had a low laced up v-neck with long sleeves. It was made from textured material with a pattern that accentuated her tiny wait.

Outside the girls room Matt was starting to get impatient. "Are you guys ready!" He yelled and banged on the door. "It's almost 6, sheesh!"

"Shut it, Matty!" Katherine grumbled.

Bonnie laughed as she came out. "They're almost done."

Matt raised his eyebrows as his eyes widened. "Damn Bon, you look hot." Bonnie was like a sister to him so it was kind of weird seeing her in a different light. She never really dressed sexy like Katherine did. She was always a comfort over fashion kind of girl and he knew wearing those heels must not be comfortable at all.

Bonnie blushed and looked down shyly. "Thanks Matt. Katherine picked it out."

"Of course I did, you wanted to wear this hideous of label dress." Katherine said as she slipped on her 4 and a half inch Alexander McQueen white leather sporty lace up booties. "What about me, how do I look?" She spun around for Matt to see.

Matt shrugged. "You look fine." She looked extremely hot, even making him feel a little uncomfortable about thinking about her that way, especially since Elena never dressed liked that for him. But he didn't want to tell her that and let her ego get any bigger than it already was.

Katherine huffed and pouted at his reply. She knew he was being stubborn. "Liar! Caroline, get your sexy ass out here."

"Ugh, please don't call my baby sister sexy in front of me. It's bad enough I'm going out with you guys and there's probably gonna be guys trying to hit on you, and I'm going to have to try to not punch them." Matt was dreading the response of the male crowd towards the girls.

"Oh Matty you know you don't have to worry about us, well, me and Bonnie at least." Caroline stated as she finally came out looking fabulous and smiled at all of them. Katherine smirked and Bonnie giggled.

The girls grabbed their clutches and Katherine led them out. "Okay time to hit the road. And you should relax Matt, we're going to a jazz club not a club club. Besides I'm not planning on picking up any boys tonight, we have to leave early for our apartment showings tomorrow."

Matt locked the door and followed the girls into the elevator. Caroline took out her phone to check the time.

"Okay the car should be here any minute. I set it up when we got in, and like Kat said we can't stay up the whole night."

They only had to wait outside a few minutes; when the car got there and they filed in. The driver confirmed if they still wanted to go to the Flatiron Room and Caroline said yes. Her phone said it only took a little over 5 minutes by car but they were not willing to walk there wearing those dresses and those heels.

As soon as they entered the club a couple of guys turned to stare at the girls and Matt glared at them immediately. Caroline didn't pay attention, she was to busy talking to Bonnie about the ambiance and the look of the club; It was more of a restaurant and pub with some bands. Katherine smiled at some of the guys then turned to Matt and smirked. Matt rolled his eyes at her and led them all to a free booth. The girls sat down and he went to the bar to get them drinks. Since he was a bartender himself he knew how to sneak the girls some drinks.

He got them some regular diet cokes and himself a whiskey and the girls ordered some appetizers. One by one he switched their cokes for rum and cokes. They weren't trying to get drunk so they sipped their drinks and listened to the live bands. Matt got another whiskey neat, sipped it and then stuck to beers after that.

Bonnie was grinning at them while she swayed her head to the music. "I'm really loving this places, I think we may have found a good hangout when we move here. What time is the first apartment showing again, Caroline?"

Caroline turned around to face Bonnie. "At 11 am. We'll leave in about an hour or so and I definitely will want to hangout here." Matt agreed and she smiled at them.

"Yeah we're so doing girls night here, there's some pretty hot, and going by their clothes, rich and hopefully single guys here." Katherine stated as she eye flirted with one guy at the bar.

"Hey, you said you weren't picking up tonight!" Matt nudged her.

Katherine broke eye contact and turned around to look at him and laughed. "I can't help it. He's hot, I'm a natural flirt and I'm single."

Matt just shrugged and shook his head while the girls giggled. He started checking out some of the girls around but he just wasn't in the mood to deal with any more women. Although he had closed the chapter with Elena, he had been with her for so long that he thought a break from any relationship would do him some good. He wanted to just work on getting his life in order before he dove into any kind of relationship. But he was never one for casual relationships.

They ate the appetizers they'd ordered and listened to the bands that played and talked about when exactly they wanted to move. They knew they wanted to be moved in beforehand so they could find jobs as well. Matt needed to know so he could put his two weeks notice and look for another bartending job near their new apartment. They decided they'd start moving the little things as soon as possible and that Matt would help but he would only help during his days off until his two weeks were up.

Caroline and Bonnie ignored the couple of guys that tried to hit on them but Katherine took a few phone numbers and got a free drink. Most of the guys didn't try to come up to the table directly because Matt would glare at them. It was quite hilarious for the girls to watch and they tried to guess who actually had the guts to come up to them.

By the time Caroline looked at her phone again, it was already 10:30PM. "Matt can you go close the tab and pay so we can leave in a bit." Matt nodded his head and went to the bar to pay.

"Dude, you are one lucky guy to be surrounded by so many beautiful women." the guy next to him stated.

"Excuse me?" Matt turned to look at who was talking to him. The guy had dark hair that looked almost black and brown eyes. He was wearing an expensive suit and a big classic leather round Armani watch. Although he was wearing a suit you could see he was a well built guy and probably went to the gym every day.

"I said your lucky to be around all those hot women." He smiled at Matt while checking out the girls.

For some reason he actually liked this guy even though he was checking out his sister and her two best friends. Matt turned to look at his table. "Not really. The blonde is my sister and the other 2 are her friends since preschool, so their practically like sisters to me."

The guy's eyes widened a little then he laughed and smiled at Matt. "Oh man, sorry, and here I am calling them hot." He laughed a little more but kept looking over at the girls. "My names Tyler by the way." He extended his hand.

Matt shook his hand. "Matt, and don't worry about it, at least your not drooling over them like some of the other guys." They both laughed. Matt signed for the bill, said goodbye to Tyler and headed over to the girls. "Alright lets head out. I'm tired and haven't gotten enough sleep."

They picked up their things and went outside. Matt flagged down a cab and they headed to the apartment. As soon as they got in Matt pulled out one of his sweat pants to change into so he could go to sleep then went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and change. When he came out he set up the sofa bed and nocked out within a couple of minutes.

The girls had to help each other out of their many hairpins and dresses. They changed into some pjays, washed off their makeup and brushed their teeth before they each headed into their respective rooms. Caroline made sure to tell them to be ready by 10 am before they went to sleep and she set up an alarm for herself at 8 am, it was going to be another long day.