Chapter 7: New Year, New Us

Caroline returned to her apartment around 11 o'clock that morning. It was a very different walk to her building from his then she had taken a few weeks ago. Of course it had been a very different night, and at least she remembered all of this one.

Despite herself she let out a laugh as she walked down the street. Several people looked around at her but in the moment she didn't care. She knew she must have looked crazy, walking down the street in last night's dress, laughing to herself, wearing a black down winter jacket and the big clunky gum boots Nik had wrestled out of the back of his closet. She carried her heels from the previous evening in her hand, and despite all the odd looks she was receiving from her passers by, she didn't care. New year's had definitely not gone as expected for Caroline. She definitely hadn't planned on kissing Klaus, or having a panic attack immediately afterwards. She couldn't believe everything she had said to Klaus that morning and all that had come from it.

Walking down the street she felt lighter somehow. Before this morning there was only one other person in the city who had even the slightest idea what had happened in massachusetts was her roommate Elena. Caroline had worked with Elena's twins sister Katherine at Petrova Publishing, and when she had confided in Kat about needed to leave the city, katherine had mentioned her sister in new york who was looking for a new roommate. Elena knew that Caroline had moved to the city in a hurry, and that she had had a bad experience in boston. Caroline hadn't spoken to anyone about what had happened in Boston. She had told her parents that she had moved to new york because she needed a change, and that Boston just wasn't a good fit.

Klaus was the only one that knew the truth, and he didn't even have the whole story. She had wanted to tell him everything, but she didn't think she could stand if he started looking at her like she was some sort of fragile broken doll. Before she went out to talk to him in the living room that morning she had beat herself up about falling apart in front of him the night before. She had told herself since moving to new york that she could never appear weak or vulnerable, that if she acted calm and confident again the way she had when she first moved to Boston she would eventually feel that way once more. After sitting on Nik's bed for several minutes inwardly cursing herself she pulled herself together. If she was going to fall apart in front of someone Klaus was the best person for it. Caroline had made plenty of friends in her life, but she had never been extremely close to someone, not enough to call them her best friend. Nik was the person that she had confided about everything else in her life with, and it had been time for her to come clean about her past.

The words had tumbled out of her mouth before she could think them through. She couldn't bring herself to look into Nik's eyes while she spoke, but could sense how tense he was sitting across from her. Caroline's breath had caught when Nik reached across and took her hands in his own, and the rest fell into place.

Caroline unlocked the door to her apartment and quietly slipped into her room, hoping Elena wouldn't hear her come in and get together with bonnie to get on her case again. She didn't know how to break it to her roommates that there actually was something going on with Nik after having denying it for weeks. Not that she really knew what was going on with Nik. Sure they had somewhat clarified their feelings but there was a difference between saying that you have the ability to be in love with someone and deciding to be in a committed adult relationship.

Caroline had tried to leave in a bit of a hurry after their conversation. She had insisted that she needed to get going and Klaus had sprung into action. At first he had tried to insist on walking her home, but she had shoved his arm and tried to pull her heels back on. Klaus scoffed at her.

"Are you planning to make it back to your apartment with all ten toes?" He asked as he disappeared into his den. Caroline rolled her eyes to herself, before replying sarcastically.

" Yes, i'm sure fast acting frostbite will set in by the time i walk the whole half a block to my apartment." Caroline could hear Klaus rummaging around in the spare room and was about to get up and see what the hell he was doing when he emerged with a grin on his face and the heavy rain boots in his hand. Caroline couldn't help but laugh.

"What are those?" Caroline's shoulders shook as she tried to contain her amusement.

" Rain boots! I used to use them when my father would take my brothers and i duck hunting in Scotland." He explained, amused at Carolines amusement.

" So naturally you brought them with you to New York. For all the duck hunting you do here."

" Look do you want them or not?"

" No not really." She stated, trying to keep the laughter out of her voice.

" Well too bad!" she put her arms out to catch them as he chucked the boots at her.

" Now where's your coat?" After checking the weather on his phone and seeing that the temperature was thirty below, Klaus had tried to convince her to wear a pair of his sweatpants over her dress. He had been rather frustrated as she continued to refuse, laughing all the while.

"Nik!" she placed both her hands on his shoulders and stared into his eyes, unable to keep the grin from laughing off her face.

" If i succumb to the cold on my way home, feel free to say i told you so at my funeral and dance on my grave." Klaus cracked a smile, jokingly rolling his eyes at her.

Once caroline was at least somewhat dressed for the weather, it was time to make the long trek home. She had originally been in such a hurry to get back to her apartment in fear that those moments after their conversation would be awkward, but it was like any other time she had spent with Klaus before, easy.

He walked her the few steps to his door, and as she stepped out the door Klaus turned to her and pressed a kiss to her lips. It was a simple goodbye, nothing fancy, as if they had done it a thousand times before, but at the same time as if he had been waiting his whole life just to press his lips to hers.