Early update this week! I work pretty much all day tomorrow so I decided to get this done a little early! Thanks so much for your reviews! I only hope you guys feel the same this week...

Enjoy!


She was terrified.

Caroline stared back at her reflection in the girl's bathroom mirror, inspecting herself. A scared looking blonde girl stared back, cheeks pale and blonde curls in a messy bun on the back of her head. She tried to tame top of her hair, soothing the messy locks with a damp comb.

It was Wednesday.

The Wednesday.

She was supposed to meet Klaus in the closet in about ten minutes to talk. Talking about Jesse and the arrangement was a given, but she had decided that she was going to bring up the sketchbook.

That part terrified her the most.

She had no idea how he was going to react. Probably angry and upset, but she still needed to know.

She need to know how he feels.

Because God knows that she still doesn't know how she does.

Caroline knows she's scared. Her parents weren't exactly the best example for love, her father dying two years after he left her mother for his life partner. Her mother shoved off love and fell into her work as sheriff of Mystic Falls. If her family's experience taught her anything, it was that love brought pain and problems.

That's one of the reasons she didn't want anything to change between her and Klaus. She had the best of both worlds with him. Sex without strings, and she didn't have to worry about falling for him because he didn't seem to care either.

That was until she found the sketchbook.

Now she can't stop thinking about him, reassessing every single moment between them. She felt completely stupid. How could she have not noticed it?

The way his eyes seemed to linger on her when she wasn't watching, or how he seemed to study her whenever she was talking. Klaus was listening, but there was something else to it. He was committing her to memory so that he could draw her, to capture that moment in time.

It was flattering.

But entirely terrifying at the same time.

They were so different. She was one of the most popular girls in school, and he was way too cool for her, at least in all of his friends' eyes.

Or so she heard Aurora in the bathroom earlier this week, complaining about "pom pom waving bitches" having the catty maturity of junior high schoolers. Caroline's first instinct was to lay the smack down on her, but she rose above it, not wanting to prove her point.

Speaking of Aurora, her and Klaus had been hanging around each other more this week. Not that Caroline had been watching.

She'd been stalking, nearly.

Every time they spoke during lunch, or he'd leaned over to write something in a notebook that the redhead had, Caroline's blood had thrummed with jealousy. Klaus rarely looked at the girl in the past, and now he spent half of his lunchtime talking to her while steadily ignoring Caroline. As much as she wanted to admit that she didn't care, she couldn't.

And it didn't help that dating Aurora wouldn't hinder Klaus' reputation. They ran in the same circles, so it was only natural for him to want her once he assumed Caroline had moved on, especially with someone so exotic, and attractive as the European beauty.

But she hadn't moved on.

Not even close.

Nor did she want anything to change.

Right?

Caroline sighed heavily and turned on the water faucet. She dampened a paper towel and pressed it against her cheeks, closing her eyes as the cool temperature offered a slight relief. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves to get the courage to leave the bathroom. The bell would ring any minute and Klaus would be waiting for her in the closet for them to talk.

Or so she hoped.

She skipped lunch that day, unable to sit and pretend that she wasn't completely freaking out around her friends while trying her damndest not to look over at Klaus. He did look at her this morning in the senior hallway, nodding briefly to reinforce the talk that would come that afternoon. Caroline was calling it a small victory as opposed to the entire ignoring from last week.

The bell rang and Caroline's pulse jumped, her stomach twisting into knots. The bathroom door

flew open, flooding it with girls who went to freshen their makeup before next period. Caroline pushed past a few, smiling at some of the fellow cheerleaders who called hello to her as she left.

Each step down the hall to the abandoned closet was slow and sluggish, her feet feeling like lead as her clammy hands smoothed down her flowered sundress. She passed by Elena, offering her friend a shaky smile. The brunette was completely oblivious to her friend's turmoil, offering her a wave before turning back to Stefan at her locker and shoving her tongue down his throat.

When she reached the empty hallway, Caroline's heart rate tripled. Her head swam with worry, that maybe he decided that it wasn't worth it. Her stomach was knotting nervously when she thought about confronting him over the sketchbook.

Her body was sizzling with need because it had been two weeks and she was dying without his touch.

Caroline reached the door and swallowed heavily, absently wishing she'd grabbed a drink of water for her dry mouth. She tapped on the door with her finger and held her breath. There was no response and Caroline's heart began to sink. She bit her lip and squeezed her hands into fists as she tried to rein in her emotions.

Maybe he really didn't want her anymore.

Maybe she messed things up too badly.

There was another pause and then she heard some movement behind the door before it swung open.

Klaus stood before her and Caroline felt a thrill go down her spine. He looked mouthwateringly handsome as usual, his gray henley clinging to his lean torso, and his dark jeans hugging his strong legs. His expression was unreadable, lips set into a thin line as he looked up and down her body. Stepping aside, he let her in wordlessly and Caroline accidentally-on-purpose brushed against him, smirking at the sharp intake of breath from him.

"Hello," she said, cringing at the formal tone of her voice.

Klaus snorted, closing the door with a quiet thud. Caroline chewed on her bottom lip, her fingers twisting into the fabric of her dress nervously as she watched him. He stood across from her, his arms crossed over his chest and arched his brows at her in anticipation.

"Hi," she greeted again, cursing herself for how stupid she sounded.

Klaus' lips twitched but he didn't smile.

"You wanted to talk?"

So he still seemed mad.

Caroline sighed, sliding down to the floor and sat cross-legged. She patted the spot next to her and looked up at him pleadingly. Klaus rolled his eyes, and she pouted a little, knowing he was unable to resist that. With a low growl, he stalked over next to her and situated himself on the floor, his back stiff with tension.

At least her charms still worked on him.

"I wanted to apologize," she started.

His eyes snapped over to hers. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. You seem mad about what happened two weeks ago. And I don't want you to be."

"I'm not mad," he quipped.

Caroline scoffed. "Seriously? You haven't talked to me in nearly two weeks, you ditched me last week, and you're acting like this is the last place on Earth you want to be right now."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I don't care that you went out with Jesse. We aren't together."

She tried to ignore the way her heart clenched at his words.

"Then why have you seemed so mad lately?"

"I'm not," he snapped.

Caroline snorted derisively. "Well you're acting like it."

Klaus pressed his lips together in a firm line. "I'm not."

"Fine," she muttered. "But I'm still apologizing."

"Well, fine," he shot back, pursing his lips in a pout.

"Good," she said snappily.

"Good," he echoed.

She cringed at how childish they sounded, and dropped her gaze to the floor.

This wasn't going how she planned.

"Why exactly are you apologizing then?" Klaus piped up, sounding genuinely interested in her answer.

Caroline sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "I didn't treat the situation right."

Klaus looked over at her, tilting his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I shouldn't have made it seem like I wanted to date him and still have the arrangement," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have said yes to him."

"You're free to date," Klaus said softly, edging closer to her.

Caroline swallowed, peeking at him. "I know. I made it seem like I wanted to have my cake and eat it too, and that's not fair to you or to him. I shouldn't have gone out with him, he's not my type anyways."

Klaus chuckled. "Sweetheart, he's a football player and one of the most popular guys in school. He's definitely your type."

Caroline elbowed him playfully, and he sent her a devastating dimpled smile.

"Maybe so," she agreed. "Doesn't mean I treated the situation right."

Klaus just nodded silently, his brow furrowed as he seemed deep in thought. They sat there in silence for a minute, Caroline trying to think of something to break the obvious tension between them.

"How was the date?"

His question was soft and hesitant. Caroline looked over at him, surprised to see the slight hint of jealousy in his eyes. Her heart stuttered and she found herself at a loss for words. Klaus took her silence as confirmation that the date was good, and he looked down.

"It was bad," she rushed out and he looked back up, arching his eyebrows.

"Oh?"

"Yeah," she chuckled, shaking her head. "I mean he's a nice guy and everything, but it was awkward and we didn't have anything to talk about."

"I'm surprised you didn't talk about football or how big his arm muscles are," Klaus cracked and she slapped his shoulder.

"Shut up," she giggled. "He's not Tyler."

Klaus rolled his eyes, but gave her a tiny smile. Her heart flipped over and she found herself scooting even closer to him.

"I apologize for last week," Klaus murmured.

Caroline bit her lip, looking down at her hands. He sighed, leaning his back against the wall of the closet. She remembered how awful she felt the week before when he didn't show up for their usual meeting, and the rejection that came with it.

"You didn't return the signal," she replied numbly. "I got the hint."

Klaus ran his hand across her thigh, reaching for her wrist where he massaged her skin lightly with his thumb. She marveled at how such a simple, affectionate gesture seemed to calm her heart rate, but still set her skin on fire.

"I was being childish," he responded, his eyes trained on the floor.

"I think we both were," Caroline supplied, looking over at him. "I was a bitch and you were an ass."

He smirked, raising his hand and cupping her cheek. She leaned into his touch, unable to keep her eyes from closing shut.

"We're quite the pair, aren't we love?" he murmured.

Opening her eyes, she licked her bottom lip at his soft expression. "You're letting me off easy."

He shrugged, grinning. "You're not biting my head off for blowing you off last week, so it evens out."

Caroline rolled her eyes good-naturedly and he chuckled. He brushed his nose against hers before pulling away, dropping his hand to his lap. Her cheek felt strangely cold at the loss of his touch, and she leaned her head back on the wall. A comfortable silence fell over them, but Caroline still had something nagging at her brain.

"What about you and Aurora?" she asked quietly, hating the sharp edge to her voice.

She was not jealous.

Klaus frowned, arching a brow at her. "What about her?"

"You guys have been hanging out more," she explained. "Not that I've noticed."

"I'm sure you haven't," Klaus said unconvincingly, rolling his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Klaus gave her a wry smile, his blue eyes dancing mirthfully in her direction. "Sweetheart, you aren't exactly subtle when you glare at her every day during lunch."

"I do not," she lied, scoffing as she flipped a stray curl that had fallen from her bun over her shoulder.

Klaus gave her a pointed look, and she struggled to keep her face straight. Her heart will still thrilling itself over the pet names he was using to address her, hoping it meant that all of the awkwardness and thick tension was over with. The scent of him being so close to her sent her body into overdrive, pushing her to move closer and closer.

"We are working on a project together," he said casually.

"A project or a project?" she asked carefully, ignoring the way her heart sank at the prospect of Klaus moving on with the redhead.

She knew their definition of "project" all too well. Klaus looked at her disbelievingly. Caroline just pressed her lips together and shrugged.

"It's an honest question."

"An art project," he snapped, looking entirely annoyed. "Aurora is bloody mad and so are you if you'd think I'd go out with the likes of her."

A smile tugged at her lips and she looked down at her lap, hands playing with a stray thread on the hem of her dress.

"I just figured since she was your type," Caroline said, smirking at the irritated huff he let out.

"Hardly," he responded. "She's talented in art, but is the furthest thing from my type."

Caroline bit the inside of her cheek to keep from outright grinning at his words. Klaus sighed, running a hand down the side of his face before rubbing at his eyes.

"So where do we go from here?" she murmured.

Klaus turned to look at her, his fingers reaching out to skim the soft skin of her shoulder that was left exposed by her dress. Caroline shivered at his touch, feeling a jolt of arousal settle between her thighs. She bit her lip, watching his eyes follow the motion. His blue orbs darkened, and she unconsciously leaned forward.

"Go back to business as usual?" he suggested, moving to cup her cheek with his hand.

"I'm game," she said coyly, licking her dry lips.

He groaned and leaned in, slanting his lips over hers. She sighed happily into the kiss, her tongue delving into his mouth to explore. Klaus gripped her closer, tilting his head to deepen the kiss as his hand moved from her cheek to her hair. Caroline nipped at his bottom lip, trembling at the low moan he let out. Her tongue soothed the sting, and he pulled her closer. She threw a leg over his lap, straddling him.

Oh she missed him.

Missed his touch, his lips, his taste, everything about him.

His hands skimmed down her back, settling on her ass as he squeezed her roughly. She bucked at the feel of his erection against her sensitive core, her knee hitting a stray box on the floor and knocking it over. Klaus moved his lips down her neck and she arched in his arms, panting heavily as he sucked on her skin. Her eyes slid open and fell on the box she'd knocked over, revealing the gray sketchbook she found last week.

Her heart rate tripled when she realized that she'd forgotten to bring up one major subject, the most important one to her.

"Wait," she gasped, sliding her fingers through the hair on the back of his head.

Klaus ignored her, nibbling on her collarbone. She moaned appreciatively, but scooted away as she pushed him off gently. His eyes flew open and looked at her questioningly.

"What's wrong?"

Caroline swallowed thickly, moving her gaze to the sketchbook on the floor. Klaus' gaze followed hers, shrugging nonchalantly when he realized what she was staring at.

"Sweetheart, I doubt anybody heard you knock that box over," he chuckled. "You've made far more louder noises before."

Her cheeks heated up at his insinuation, and had to bite her lip when he returned his mouth to her earlobe. She pushed him away again before he could distract her, and he huffed, annoyed.

"What's the matter?"

"It's not the noise," she started slowly. "It's your sketchbook."

Klaus' back stiffened and his jaw set. "What about it?"

Caroline looked down, swallowing before taking a deep breath. "Last week I found it."

"And?" he asked coolly, his eyes masking into a neutral expression.

"I was upset," she continued. "And I saw your sketchbook and was curious."

Klaus's gaze hardened and he pushed her gently of his lap. Caroline stood up, facing him as he snatched up the book. He got up, his jaw tightening in anger as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What did you do?" His tone was low and serious.

"I looked through it," she confessed. "I saw the pictures you drew of me."

Klaus' eyes flashed at her angrily and she cringed as the way he was looking at her.

"I'm sorry," she rushed out, reaching to touch his arm.

He flinched, moving away. Her stomach sank at the anger she found on his face, feeling suddenly sick to her stomach. His expression was one of betrayal, like he couldn't believe that she would do something like that. With her pulse racing, Caroline tried to think of something, anything to make him look less angry.

"It was just there, and I was so curious to see what you drew all the time, and I just couldn't help myself," she explained.

"Clearly," he snapped.

"Klaus, I'm sorry," she apologized, trying to touch his arm.

He moved away, turning his back on her.

"Did it ever occur to you that I kept those private for a reason?" he said quietly. "That there was a reason why I never showed you any of that?"

Caroline shrugged helplessly. "I just thought they were just random drawings."

Klaus laughed sardonically, the hollow sound settling in the pit of her stomach. "You invaded my privacy, Caroline."

"I was just curious," she tried.

"And I'm curious about what you keep in your locker half the time, but I don't go through it," he snapped, his cheeks flushing in anger.

"I'll let you," she supplied feebly and he rolled his eyes.

"I don't care," he said bluntly. "That sketchbook was private for a reason."

"But you drew me!" she burst out. "That has to mean something."

Klaus inhaled sharply, pressing his lips together firmly. "You weren't supposed to see those."

"But I did," she continued. "Why did you draw me?"

Klaus didn't answer, choosing to continue glaring at her. She shrunk back under his hard gaze, her brain clouding over with confusion at his reaction. Caroline had figured he'd be annoyed at her going through the sketchbook, but she wasn't expecting him to be so angry towards her.

"That sketchbook is everything I feel," he confessed after a beat, his gaze softening.

She sucked in a low breath, feeling her heart pound. "What do you mean?"

Klaus sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Isn't it obvious? I fancy you."

Caroline sputtered in surprise, not expecting him to outright admit it. "W-What?"

"I use that sketchbook to remind myself that even though you may be out flirting with some idiot jock, or ignoring me on a daily basis," he began, lowering his gaze to the ground, "that you still look at me a certain way. That I can bring the light out in your eyes, that maybe I could be enough for you one day."

Her heart thundered with this new reality, her brain spinning with his words, and she found herself at a loss for words. Klaus' eyes were on her, his chest rising and falling rapidly as the weight of his confession set in on them both.

"You're everything Caroline," he murmured. "You have been for a long time."

Her eyes filled with tears, feeling completely overwhelmed at his words. No one had ever said anything remotely that passionate to her ever. She felt confused, unable to find the words to respond to him. Her cheeks reddened with the heat of the moment and she chewed on her bottom lip, her thoughts spinning.

"I don't know what to say," she said finally.

Klaus sighed, his eyes hardening. "It doesn't matter."

Her head snapped up. "What? Why not?"

"You invaded my privacy, Caroline," he said again. "You think I'm happy that you found the most vulnerable parts of me? That I was coerced into telling you how I feel like this? It's pathetic."

"Klaus, I'm sorry," she said thickly, her throat clogged with emotion.

"I know," he said softly. "But that doesn't mean I forgive you."

Caroline fought back against the tears that threatened to fall. Klaus' face fell at the look on hers, but pressed his lips together and set his jaw.

"I don't think I can do this anymore," he said quietly.

Caroline's eyes snapped up to his. "What? No, Klaus-"

"I can't keep doing this with you," he continued, running a hand through his hair. "I can't keep hooking up with you and pretending I'm fine."

"But-"

"Do you want to be with me?" he cut her off, his blue eyes boring into her.

Caroline's breath hitched, and heart skipped a beat.

No.

Maybe.

Yes.

"I don't know," she said finally.

Klaus watched her for a moment, nodding. He went to leave and Caroline grabbed his shoulder, her fingers digging into the soft fabric of his shirt. He stopped, his gaze settling on her. Every part of her was crying out for him, for his touch, for him to stay.

But she couldn't find the words.

Klaus took a deep breath before pulling her near, laying a searing kiss on her lips. Her brain spun at his touch, heat flooding her body as she responded. One hand carded through her curls and the other ran across her back, as if he was memorizing every inch of her. It didn't take long for her to lose herself in him, feeling cold when he abruptly pulled away.

"Figure it out," he murmured. "Until then, I'm done."

He turned around and left, shutting the door in her face. Caroline's hands flew to her mouth, closing her eyes to fight off the tears that threatened to fall. Her heart was aching, her feet dying to run after him.

She took a deep breath, putting herself together before leaving the closet. Blinking at the hall lights, Caroline shakily walked towards her locker, feeling completely overwhelmed with everything.

Klaus broke it off.

She never actually thought he would be the one to pull the plug. Caroline always thought it would be her, either because of someone else or because she got too scared of falling for him.

But isn't that what her problem is now?

She's falling for him, and now she ruined it.

He asked her, and she couldn't answer.

It's all her fault.

"Caroline?"

She whirled around, taking a deep breath at the concerned blonde who was standing next to her. It was the last person she wanted to see, the sibling of the guy she was currently crushed over. The younger girl's forehead was creased in concern, and she placed a soothing hand on Caroline's arm.

"Are you okay?" Rebekah asked. "I called after you like three times."

Caroline tried to smile, but her lips wobbled.

"Care?"

She bit her lip, eyes welling up with tears again. Rebekah's own eyes widened and she pulled Caroline into her arms.

"What happened?" she asked concernedly.

The floodgates finally opened and tears streamed down Caroline's face as she buried her head into the younger blonde's shoulder. Her arms shook with silent sobs as she tried to figure out why she felt so broken-heartedly over losing him.

"I don't know," she sniffed. "I really don't know."


I'm sorry. I really am.

Only got a couple more chapters to go after this! Please please please review and I'll write you guys some smut for next week, promise :)

Until Next Time

Kaitlyn