The get together with Klaus went well. At first, the talks were slow, and nerve wracking (at least, for me), but after the third and fourth get together, we became easy conversationalists. We've dubbed these little meetings as "tea-time", which was more of a way Klaus found to make fun of me for the amount of tea I could consume in one sitting.
It was a lot.
It'd been about a month since we started having these little shindigs. Sometimes, Elijah or Rebekah would join us. We even had a surprise visit from Kol, mostly to nag us for help about something. Most of the time, it was just Klaus and I.
It was October now, the leaves were various colors of reds and golds, and the weather taking its turn for the autumn. I took the opportunity to dig out all of my sweaters from the closet, to Rebekah's disdain. She forced me shopping, granting me another box (or was it two?) of clothes she thought I'd look good in.
I couldn't lie, she had an eye for fashion.
Today, I dawned a long, green mock turtleneck with black, fuzzy leggings and black boots, mostly because I didn't want to attempt layers out of laziness. I stepped out of the apartment building, taking a deep breath of the chilled air around me with a smile before beginning my trek into town. Klaus would likely be upset about my lack of use of the company car, or even calling him, but I wanted to experience the weather before it got too cold to enjoy it.
It was nice to know, however, how much he cared about my well-being, even in the short amount of time we'd become close friends. He'd even stopped complaining about times I'd insist on paying for the drinks, or even food. He insisted for a week straight that he was fully capable of taking care of it, what with basically unlimited funds at his disposal, but I think he gave up trying to be a gentleman when I would start sneaking the checks.
He smiled more now. He laughed more. We discussed things, even when I could tell that things we talked about bothered him. It was nice that he even cared to listen at all.
He was a much different person than I anticipated.
As if on queue, or maybe getting a tingling that I was thinking about him, my phone began ringing, and I fumbled in my pocket to get it.
"You're late." He mused as I answered.
"I'm almost there." I grinned. "You are such a stickler."
"You said 5."
"I said about 5. It's 5:03. Get over yourself." I teased. He laughed on the other end.
"Fine, fine. Where are you?"
"A block away... Or so." I looked up at the building closest to me. "Another minute, maybe."
"...You're walking, aren't you?" I could hear the tone of his voice dropping into something more like frustration, seeing as he's told me a million times or so to utilize what I was allowed.
"Don't." I warned slightly, but was grinning. "The weather is fine, and I can't fully appreciate the season if I'm stuck in your car."
"I much prefer you didn't enjoy a season that could be the death of you." He sighed.
"Don't worry, mom," I mocked with a smirk, "I'll drink some tea and be perfectly able to take care of myself." He grunted.
"You know-"
"Hold that thought. I'll be right in." I said as I hung up on him. Through the window, I could see the audible sigh of his as he slung his arm over the back of the booth, likely annoyed with my aloof behavior. I grinned, stepping into the shop and heading to the one section in which we deemed our favorite: The back of the shop. We were barely bothered there, as everyone who entered wanted to be closer to the heat source. The booth we picked was next to the window, and while it was chilly, it made for a good people watching sight. I slid into the seat across from Klaus with ease, setting my purse down next to me.
"Took your sweet time." He smirked while pushing a cup towards me. I pretended to act surprised.
"For me? You shouldn't have." I smirked, and he rolled his eyes.
"Come now. You think I haven't learned?"
"So the training is paying off?" I said before taking a sip of the tea. It was my favorite, of course: Irish breakfast with a bit of sugar, and whipped cream on top. Klaus gave me a look that I couldn't read, but could guess was probably less than, and I snorted. "C'mon. Train you? Good luck." I laughed and he shook his head.
"You're fiery today." He sighed, slumping back into his seat. I stared at him for a moment before setting down my tea.
"You don't seem like you're enthused to be here." He flicked his eyes over at me and then turned to the window.
"Sorry... A lot on my mind, that's all."
"Care to share?" I asked, leaning into the table. He sighed again.
"We always talk about me." He turned his head to me, leaning into the table. "When do we get to talk about you?"
"What are you saying? you're constantly asking me about what's going on with my day. Now, c'mon... Tell me whats bugging you." He stared at me for a moment before retreating to his tea.
"Elijah and I got into a fight." He said over the cup before taking a sip.
"Oh... What happened?"
"Well, what typically happens when we don't see eye to eye on things?" I bit my lip slightly as I nodded.
"Right. Siblings."
"Right." He set his cup down. "I disagree with the new store's location, but he is... Insistent."
"May I ask why you disagree?"
"I think it's too soon to open up another one, personally. We've only just gotten hold of this one, financially, and he's dropping it right in the middle of our rivalry area." He clenched his jaw slightly as he stared down at the table. "I think something happened recently, but he won't bother to tell me. Pride, or... something."
"...Did you blow up on him?" I raised an eyebrow. The question was clearly not pleasing, as he flicked his eyes up at me, and his expression was pained.
"Well, I was hoping someone would be on my side."
"I'm sorry." I said, reaching over the table to pat his hand. "I'm not trying to pick on you." He groaned before nodding.
"Yes, I may have let my temper flare more than I should have."
"Boys." I grumbled. He glared at me gently, but I smiled. "You're both like dogs. The minute one of you raises your voice, its like a pissing contest." I leaned back in my seat while shaking my head. "Just give it time, Klaus. He probably will take your advice, he's just riled up from the fight."
"...You know, I'm not sure I like being compared to a dog." He tried not to smile while bringing the cup back to his lips. I laughed gently.
"Better than being compared to a cock." I mused, also picking up my tea. I could tell I'd hit a nerve, but the smile crept in as he scoffed.
"You're tongue is going to get you into trouble."
"That's what your tongue is for." I pointed out. I realized my statement as he raised an eyebrow, a wide smirk spreading across his features. "To... make up for..." His smirk only got wider as I failed to save my statement, and only furthering my embarrassment. I audibly sighed, shutting my eyes. "Alright... I walked into that one."
"That you did." He chuckled darkly. A shiver went down my spine, noting that the particular way he laughed just then left an intriguing feeling in the pit of my stomach. I blamed it on the chilly window.
"So," I said, clearing my throat and rubbing my hands across the cool ceramic of the cup before me, "Beyond your fight, how was the day?"
"Cold." He shrugged. "Boring. Mostly paperwork and phone calls. Oh, and this." He reach into his coat and pulled out an envelope, handing it to me. "I was asked to deliver this to you."
"To me?" I looked at it with skepticism before opening it. The letter was from Rebekah, officially inviting me to a Halloween party she was apparently throwing in her Mother's ballroom. At the bottom, is was adamant that I make the appearance in costume, and I sighed.
"What is it?" Klaus inquired.
"A gathering of fools in the den." I let the letter flop onto the table. "Rebekah wants me to play dress-up at her party."
"I may have heard she's throwing one." He shrugged. "Are you going to skip out?"
"Will I hear the end of it if I do?" We both laughed at the thought. "...Suppose I better find a costume then."
"You're going to dress up?" It was Klaus' turn to be skeptical. I grinned.
"You don't think I would?"
"I'm not surprised... More mildly amused at the thought." He grinned over his cup before sipping at the contents. I shook my head at him.
"Great." I grinned. "Does that mean I should expect to be ogled?" I teased. His eyebrow couldn't possibly get higher at the prospect of my words.
"By... me?" His expression was stern, but his tone led me to believe he was intrigued.
"You and everyone else there." I grinned. "I imagine you'll be curious as to what I go with. And seeing as how I don't play any form of dress-up, you'll be staring... And making fun of me, I imagine."
"Make fun of you? Never." He finished off his tea and set the cup down as the sarcasm poured off of his words. "It's like you don't know me at all."
"Hardy har." I rolled my eyes. "I rest my case." I finished my tea as well. He laughed.
"It's in a week, correct?" He asked. I nodded. "Need someone to take you shopping?"
"And get a sneak peak? Absolutely not." I laughed. "You'll have to show up at the party to see, like everyone else."
"Ouch. And here I thought we were friends." He mused. The waitress came with the bill, and he picked up the check without hesitation and handed it back to the waitress.
"Ah... Hey! I thought it was my turn." I pouted, to which he gave me a soft smile.
"You're something else, you know that?" He leaned forward onto his hand and sighed. "Well, I'll have to dress up if I show up at this party, wont I?"
"I imagine Rebekah won't be pleased if you didn't."
"Mm." he hummed an agreement. "...It might be fun to make you guess where I am then."
"You really think I wont recognize you?" I tilted my head. "And you think I can't make myself unrecognizable?" I raised an eyebrow to him.
"...I think I'd recognize you anywhere." he said this softly right before the waitress returned with his change, and he quickly distracted himself with returning it to his wallet. I felt a throb in my chest, and decided to put it away to think about later. "I'll take you home."
"I would say I'm fine, but I think you'll nag my ear off." I grinned as we stood from the booth. He shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, which meant I was right. I laughed as he led me out and to his car.
I had one week to figure out what I was going to wear to this costume party, and no idea how I was going to fool Klaus. The mere thought of the challenge made my heart pound with excitement as he drove me home, and I couldn't wait to discuss with my roommate, as well as Rebekah, on the plan of action.