Notes: Here's the beginning of January. Where we sort of begin to get somewhere, Klaroline wise. In my notes December's theme was 'Friends, then?' and January's more about them actually being friends. I'd like to thank everyone once again for all the review/alerts and general support for this story! It's really grown far beyond what I initially expected and I'm really enjoying it.
JANUARY – THURSDAY
CAROLINE:
Caroline spots Kol immediately, when she walks into the restaurant where he works. There's a woman latched onto his arm, old enough to be his mom (possibly his grandma – it's so hard to tell when the upscale clientele, that frequents the Salvatore's hotels, has access to the best plastic surgery money can buy). Kol's got a charming smile in place, but Caroline can detect the faint trace of 'kill me now' in his eyes.
Seeing Kol at work is always strange. He's good at it, the maître d position Stefan had set him up with. Kol's a natural people person, charming and funny when he needs to be, can make people feel at ease. But Caroline knows Kol, would call him a friend. And she can see through the persona he's putting on, how fake and empty it is. Witnessing it always freaks her out, makes he want to start an argument, just to see the real him bubble to the surface.
Caroline gives Kol a small wave and slips into the bar to wait for him to be done. His shift is supposed to end in fifteen minutes, the dinner reservation are for a half-hour after that. Rebekah will probably be late. It's her habit, and she's less than enthused about this evening, and the joint vacation she was taking with Damon and Elena Gilbert, neither of whom Rebekah liked all that much. Caroline hadn't initially been planning on seeing Damon and Elena on their brief stay in the city. But Rebekah had made Caroline agree to come. "I have to spend ten whole days with them, Caroline!" Rebekah had whined, "don't make my torture start before in has to. I need you!"
Caroline had reluctantly agreed. She and Elena had been good friends, once upon a time, even if Damon was a dick, a (free!) dinner wouldn't kill her, and left unchecked Rebekah might very well make Stefan an only child. But Caroline wasn't willing to suffer alone so she'd cajoled Kol into joining them, because being the fifth wheel (and probably the designated awkward moment smoother) was never fun.
Glancing around at all the head to toe designer in the room, Caroline looks down at her own outfit with a little self-consciousness. She probably should have grabbed a slightly fancier dress and changed before coming. But it's just Damon and Elena, and she saw them a couple weeks ago at Christmas. Why bother trying to impress them? Competing with Elena Gilbert had taken up a lot of her mental energy, back in high school, and Caroline was kind of relived that the urge had mostly passed. Made her feel like a real grown-up.
Caroline ditches her coat and blazer, before she snags a seat at the bar, catching the eye of the bartender. She's been here enough that her usual drink in placed in front of her a couple of minutes later. She takes a grateful sip, and nods her thanks, making a mental note to leave a tip. If there's one thing her interactions with wealthy clients had taught it was that they often weren't sufficiently appreciative of good service, though they were the first to complain about any flaws.
With time to kill, Caroline fishes her phone out of her purse, planning on indulging in her Kim Kardashian: Hollywood addiction (which she might have spent actual, real life money, on. Curse the tiny, adorable outfits!). But a text from Klaus has come through since she'd last checked, drawing her attention.
Klaus has been gone for nearly two weeks. He's in Los Angeles consulting on the hiring of the writing staff for the television adaptation of The Originals. But he and Caroline have been texting. A lot.
Caroline had sent him the first one, asking about his flight. She was a worrier, okay? And yeah, flying was safer than driving, blah blah blah. Whoever thought that whipping that out was supposed to be comforting was clearly an idiot.
But he'd replied to her jokey, 'Please tell me you haven't died in a fiery plane crash text' immediately, with a funny rant about airport security, and things had kind of snowballed from there. She'd stayed up late that first night, tucked into bed, phone in hand, not wanting to say good-bye. Klaus had to be the one to do it, finally realizing that 10PM Los Angeles time was 1AM New York time, and that Caroline had to be at work in the morning.
Klaus had apologized for keeping her up, wished her a goodnight, and mentioned that he'd like to continue the conversation at a decent hour, if she felt so inclined.
And she had. Mindful of the time difference, and not wanting to seem too eager, Caroline had managed to keep herself from texting him until her lunch break.
That had been last Monday. Since then they'd barely gone an hour, save for when they were sleeping, without contact. Caroline managed to hide it well enough from Rebekah, Stefan and Enzo. Kol had cottoned on quickly (but they lived together, so he saw her for way longer stretches of time) and Megan from work was back on her 'Caroline's got a secret boyfriend!' kick.
She'd weathered Kol's teasing with as much grace as she could (she might have hidden his spice grinder in retaliation – petty, but satisfying!) and brushed off the pointed inquiries at the office. She knew that getting them all to back off was a simple matter of ungluing her phone from her hand (and ceasing to smile and giggle to herself like a lunatic when she checked the screen).
But Caroline couldn't.
And she'd tried. Several times.
Because while things with Klaus were back on track, Caroline still didn't spend much time with him, one on one.
Next Monday would mark exactly six weeks since their official declaration of friendship (was it creepy that she knew that? Maybe. But Caroline chalked it up to her general appreciation for anniversaries and occasions of all kinds). Klaus had started showing up again, easing back into her life, like the two weeks of avoidance had never happened. But, like before, it was usually for group activities. He'd popped into her office with food and coffee a couple times, but Megan or one of the other women she worked with would often invent something that needed Caroline's attention, mostly to gawk at Klaus and ask him pointed questions. About what he did, and where he was from, and oh, how long have you known our Caroline, Klaus?
Super embarrassing, and usually left her slightly pink and glaring in a way that promised retribution.
Klaus took the prying well, with a smirk and knowing eyes, and had pretty much everyone that worked with Caroline ready to throw their panties in his direction at the slightest provocation. He'd even found out about 'Dimples McAccent,' overhearing it from people who didn't know the meaning of the word 'whisper.'
Klaus had brought it up later, in that flirty goading way he'd perfected to rile her up, asking if Caroline had been the originator of said nickname. "I'm ever so flattered, love," Klaus had said, 'that you chat about me when I'm not around." He'd been so freaking smug about it, that Caroline hadn't been able to resist informing him that no, nicknames weren't her department. She took no credit for 'Dimples McAccent" nor the other moniker, the dirtier one, that the girls used when not on company monitored emails or IMs.
His eyes had lit up in interest, though Klaus had masked it quickly. But Caroline had caught it and, of course, refused to disclose the other name. Because it was far more entertaining to leave Klaus curious and guessing. And she was pretty sure he'd get fed up eventually, and ask Megan point blank. And that would be payback enough for all of Megan's nosiness, as well intentioned as it was.
Save for those few office visits, and the times he showed up early, before Kol got home, all the time Caroline had spent with Klaus had been in the company of other people, including at least one of his siblings. He was more guarded, in a group. His wit a little more biting, and he always looked as if he was observing more than he was participating. And, when he was right next to her, Caroline often caught herself being distracted by the energy that hummed between them.
The attraction, that lingered, that Caroline hadn't quite decided what to do with.
There were still weird moments between them, from time to time. Where Klaus looked at her for too long, or Caroline caught herself ogling his lips, of his hands, or the moles on his neck, and had to shake herself. It wasn't exactly conducive to the platonic thing she'd asked for. Caroline usually found herself making a dumb joke to break the tension, in those moments, or straight up running away to collect herself.
Klaus had been completely respectful of what she'd asked for, only ever letting things slip into mildly flirty territory. They didn't really talk about their love lives (probably another sign that they weren't that great at the 'just friends' thing just yet) but both Rebekah and Kol took great pains to inform Caroline that Klaus was going through, what they seemed to think, was a pretty extreme bought of singlehood
Caroline had made absolutely no comment on that. Klaus didn't owe her anything, and she didn't want any reaction she made, or didn't make, to get conveyed to him secondhand in a weird game of emotional telephone.
Things were comfortable, and she wasn't ready to jeopardize them.
But Caroline would be a liar if she claimed that she wasn't really enjoying the texting they'd been doing since Klaus had been gone. She wasn't distracted by the fact that she was attracted to him, or the fact that he smelled really good, leaving her to appreciate his words. He was more open and Caroline felt like she was learning all his little secrets, small, intimate things that made him happy or annoyed or amused. She found herself memorizing each new fact and quirk, keeping them close.
Klaus had once told Caroline, so sure of himself, that she enjoyed him. And the more they texted, the more sure she was that he'd been right. Caroline was contemplating how to finagle hanging out with him solo, without making it look like she was asking him out. Because friends did that, right? She had plenty of male friends, who she did all manner of non-date things with. But she got kind of tongue tied, just thinking about inviting him somewhere, with just her for company. Which was so stupid. They got along fine in groups, and she had every confidence that things would be great without other people around.
So why was it so hard?
Maybe if she did it via text? That way he wouldn't be able to see her squirm like she was an awkward teen with a crush.
Reading his latest texts, a riff on all the terrible types of tea he was constantly offered in LA, Caroline takes a deep breath, forces herself not to hold it, and carefully types out a reply.
Caroline:
[THURSDAY 5:54]
You're English. Just own that you're picky about tea. If it's any consolation, you're slightly less snobby than either Kol or Rebekah. Or Elijah, from what I've heard. Don't tell him, but sometimes I make it in the microwave solely for the horrified face Kol makes
Klaus:
[THURSDAY 5:54]
I won't. But that's appalling and you should stop it.
Caroline:
[THURSDAY 5:55]
Do you want to get dinner when you get back on Sunday? Bekah and Stefan will be gone, and Kol has a date.
Klaus:
[THURSDAY 5:56]
Knowing I'm a consolation prize is terrible for my ego, sweetheart.
Caroline:
[THURSDAY 5:57]
Your ego can take it. But you're not. A consolation prize, I mean. You're my friend and friends get dinner to catch up when one of them returns from a business trip. It's totally in the manual.
Klaus:
[THURSDAY 5:57]
Only teasing, Caroline. I'd like that. Pizza? It's sort of terrible out here. Avocado on a pizza? An abomination, in my opinion.
Caroline:
[THURSDAY 5:58]
Ew, agreed. Pizza sounds good. We'll figure out a time later. Depending on your flight and how long it takes you to unpack.
Klaus:
[THURSDAY 5:59]
Can't say I'm overly concerned about unpacking. I hate it. Almost as much as packing.
Caroline:
[THURSDAY 5:59]
Shudder. You shouldn't have told me that. I love packing, and I'm awesome at it. I will not be able to resist taking over next time you go away.
Klaus:
[THURSDAY 6:00]
Whatever makes you happy, love.
And that's how Kol finds Caroline, biting down a giddy grin, like a sap, at absolutely nothing, once again. She really needs to stop doing that.