6
So Close, yet so Far Away
Klaus and Willow had decided where they were going. They were about to walk all the way to Florida. Willow knew it lived Indians there, who maybe could help them. Klaus thought it was a good idea. He said that those people always knew more than you could possibly expect they would.
"Do we have to walk? Enough that I'm a vampire and all, but still? It'll take forever" , Caroline hissed as they already had walked for one whole day. She also started to get really pissed about walking around in heels, so she stopped and took them off in frustration. Her dress was also fucking annoying, and there was nothing to look at. Just trees, trees and trees. How did they even live in this time? It was so boring! But then, in all the angry thoughts she remembered she had plenty to look at – Klaus. It was so strange looking at him and feel the way she did. Feel that those feelings … were good. She saw how his chest moved up and down as he chuckled at her move with the shoes, and how his hand then made its way up to his mouth to cover the big smile. He was insanely cute when he did that.
"If we would to find one horse each. Wild horses are good runners. They're incredible" , Willow said as they all had stopped to discuss it. Caroline didn't take her eyes off him. He saw her looking and looked back with raised eyebrows and a smirk. Her heart skipped a beat as their gazes met. She couldn't stop thinking about what he had said. It was so truthful.
"Why didn't that cross my mind?" , he said with a fake disappointment while changing his gaze to Willow. "Let's find us a pack. Horses often are where there's a water source and I can hear the river over there." He instantly changed direction to where the river flowed. They all followed his lead as always.
It didn't take long before they saw the clear, blue water. Tyler didn't speak. He kept himself in the back, silent. Caroline hadn't talked much either this past day, actually, none of them had. The Klaus-confession was spinning around in Caroline's head like crazy and the fight with Tyler felt like it had made them loose each other even more.
On the other side of the river on a glade it stood a herd of up to twenty horses. They peacefully stood grazing the green grass. The sunlight fell on their fur so it shined like silk. Horses really were incredible animals. All they had to do was to cross the river. That would be pleasant ... not.
She glanced one more time at Klaus before she took a step out in the water, meeting the cold, wet stones underneath it with her bare foot and feeling the water pushing on her leg like it wanted her to fall. The stream was strong, but it didn't affect her that much. She was a vampire, they wouldn't fall for just a little water shoving them.
Suddenly she felt a hand on her waist and then how someone swung her up in their arms. She looked up and found Klaus' face grinning down at her. He run over in vampire speed, with her in his arms, in just a second and then let her down on the other side. Caroline smiled at him and then burst out in a laugh when she saw Willow on the other side with wide eyes. "Go get Willow" , she said.
"When will you stop worrying about everyone, love?" , he said before leaving her to pick up Willow on the other side.
I don't know, she said to herself. If you didn't care about anyone but yourself, you would probably end up just like … him. Klaus was actually very lonely. In fact it might have been the main reason he even started liking Caroline. Maybe he was desperate and not at all falling for her because it came naturally? The thought hurt like a knife through the heart. What if it wasn't real? Maybe Tyler was right after all. She watched Tyler who now was on the same side as her. He kept a good ten feet away from her. What if?
When Klaus and Willow was back and Klaus had gone to pat one of the horses, Caroline went over to Tyler. She felt bad for doubting him.
"Can we start talking again?" , she said as they stood opposite. "I miss you."
"All I want is to go home" , he answered shortly and then left her.
Was it really that bad? Was she really that bad? No wonder she started to like Klaus. Tyler didn't stop pushing her away. Neither did he seem to even care anymore.
"Fine" , she shouted after him and then followed his footsteps to get a horse herself. As she was there, Klaus was already sitting on a majestic, black horse. His fingers entangled through its mane.
"I've never ridden bareback before" , she said joyfully as she watched Klaus on the horse. It would be fun trying it out.
"I've never ridden a horse at all" , Tyler said as he looked at them with disgust.
Klaus laughed scornfully at Tyler who made a grimace back at him. It crossed Caroline's mind that probably Klaus had ridden his whole life, and how funny it was that Tyler hadn't done it even once. She herself had done it a few times when she was younger, so she knew how to do it. But she had also had a saddle and halter, now she wouldn't. Although it would be fun. She loved horses.
She took a jump onto a bronze horse as she took a glance back at Klaus. "Just get on a horse, already" , she said to Tyler and Willow. Tyler jumped onto one and Willow climbed up on the one next to Caroline. "Everyone ready now?"
"Let's move" , Klaus said and took a leap with the horse off into the trees. Caroline followed his lead with the greatest speed she could manage. It wasn't difficult to ride bareback, actually. She took a hard grip into the horse's mane and moved with it easily.
If she was to be truthful, she didn't care how it went for Tyler, clearly he didn't care about her so she just went away not looking back after the other two. She came up beside Klaus' and his horse and he smirked.
"Fun isn't it?" , he shouted as they blew by trees and felt the wind in their hair. "You feel free."
She cracked a big smile and then laughed. It was wonderful. Despite the dress and all the trouble it was absolutely wonderful.
After the whole day and night, they stopped in the dawn to eat breakfast. Or, well, feed. Caroline was starving and felt a bit weak. She caught a bunny and ate it, so did Klaus', surprisingly.
"I can't see any human here around, so I decided to join your diet" , he said as he found her staring with fascination at him.
"Good for you" , she responded.
"Can we rest?" , Willow said with a small voice.
"Of course" , Caroline said and sat down in the grass. Tyler sat down beside her, which also was surprising. "Aren't you hungry?" , she asked him.
"Not really in the mood for eating" , he answered while looking away from her.
"You're not in the mood for anything" , she said and then turned her back to him.
Klaus sat by the tree opposite her and smirked at them two fighting. "Like a married couple" , he said and chuckled at himself.
Caroline laughed sarcastic. "I don't think we're anything anymore."
Behind her she heard Tyler snort at her. "Oh, you know it's true! You're the one who keeps pushing me away, Tyler" , she shouted as a respond.
"Pushing you away? You're the one who's falling for a psycho who don't even like you at all. It's all bullshit and you're blind because of our slip in our relationship to see that he's-"
"He's what, Tyler?" , she interrupted him. "Don't you dare tell me what to think! You don't own me!"
"You're my girlfriend! I'm supposed to care, be jealous and all that! Get real for fucking sake!" , he screamed back at her.
Caroline took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Not anymore" , she said and then got up and left them.
"I hate to see you cry" , Klaus' voice spoke behind her back as she then felt his hand stroking her hair.
"I love him, still" , she said between the tears. "It's just-"
"You don't need to tell me, love. I don't care that much about your feelings towards him, other than it hurts me to see that he is hurting you and that I know that you feel for him more than you do for me."
She turned around and wiped a tear of her cheek. She looked down at their feet. He was always there to comfort her, making sure she was okay. He made her feel better in these situations, he always did. "I just don't know" , she said.
He cupped her chin and raised it with his hand so that their eyes could meet. "It's okay to not know what to do right now" , he said and smiled gently at her. "I can help you. I'm here to help you. I'm here for you and will be your rescue whenever you want me to."
"I know" , she said and showed a smile. He was gorgeous. Such a gentleman, unlike any other guy she had ever met. She always forgot about his dark side. It wasn't so hard to forget – he didn't show it. Not to her. Not in this whole journey had he been Klaus the hybrid, he was nice. Much better than Tyler.
"Now that's better" , he laughed. "Don't think too much about this. Just let it flow. I'm a master myself of letting things flow, even though I'm pretty good at making plans too..."
"Don't ruin the moment, you prick" , she said and smiled at him. This was really happening. She felt how she could be herself around him, laugh and have a bit of fun. It wasn't uptight or anything, just relaxed. Because they liked each other and they saw past the horrible sides, to see that beautiful side of the other one. That side Klaus had well hidden and didn't show to anyone, but he showed it to her, because he trusted her just like she felt how she started to trust him.
As she knew things were going their way, she didn't want it to go too fast, therefor she took a step back and made a nervous laugh. "You and me" , she started.
"Let it flow."
"Yeah, I know, but … you know. It's complicated. I'm not sure whether to do this or that" , she flung out her arms in ignorant gesture of not knowing what to say or what to do.
"Calm down, will you?" , he said and chuckled at her behavior. "Close your eyes."
She closed her eyes at once.
"What do you wish? What do you wish for right now, in this very moment?"
Caroline let out a giggle. She couldn't say what she really wanted. "To change clothes."
Klaus guffaw at her. Hearing his laugh she opened her eyes and found him in tears of joy. "What? , she said as she joined his laughter. Every time they had a chance to laugh with each other or just talk like this, it made her forget about all her problems and forget all about Tyler. He didn't seem to exist at times when she was in the presence of Klaus. It was just the two of them. And they were so close to each other, yet so far away. This couldn't happen now. She wasn't ready. Neither did she knew much about him at all, maybe she should find out some more things before this got any further.
"I will find you some new clothes, I promise."
