Author's note: Written for Klarosummer Bingo, this is Part 3 for Chapters 100 & 106 (Prompts: I Never Loved a Man & Speed Dating). It's the morning after Klaus' disastrous amateur stripping, and a miserable Caroline just wants to ride out her massive hangover in peace. However, her insistent visitors refuse to go along with her plan...
Prompt: Mojito
"Bittersweet? No, just bitter, the taste of your tongue. Words you can't have back, so they linger."
― Coco J. Ginger
Rum. Sugar. Lime. Mint. REPEAT. Caroline loved a cocktail that didn't taste like misery, and after she ran out of Kat's strip club last night, she holed up in her kitchen to drown in all the mojitos her pantry could provide. Which, according to her skull threatening to split open, must've been A LOT.
With a pitiful moan, she rolled onto her belly, wincing as she felt the too-sweet rum still sloshing around. She considered it a small victory when she managed to sit up, even though she banged the back of her head against the cabinet. Damn Klaus. It was hard enough thinking about him after their breakup, but then he kept showing up. Dealing with real-life Klaus was even worse than fantasy Klaus, because this version kept trying to apologize. If he started evolving, it was so much harder to hate him. And she desperately needed to keep hating him, damn it!
She blearily realized the banging in her skull hadn't magnified; someone was pounding on her front door. Hoarsely cursing, Caroline managed to pull herself to her feet, lurching to the door with all the grace of a Xanax-riddled wildebeest. The banging was relentless, and she grimaced, baring her teeth as she threw open the door.
"Holy shit, you look like a G-string threw up," Kat cackled, shoving her way into Caroline's condo and handing her a silver thermos. At her friend's skeptical expression, she explained, "It's coconut-ginger tea since you're too much of a whiny bitch to take a real hangover cure."
"Raw egg in rye whiskey with cayenne has the notable distinction of making me throw up more than our old tequila shot Tuesdays."
Kat steered her toward the couch, flopping down beside her with an annoyed huff. "Well? Are you going to ask about him?"
"Nope. I have some dignity left," Caroline stiffly replied. Seriously?! She was dying to know what happened at Sweet Cheeks after she bolted for the door. Did Klaus leap off the stage and run after her?
Snorting loudly, Kat mused, "Dignity. Sure. You have purple frosting smeared on one ear."
With an impatient swipe of her hand, Caroline childishly retorted, "It's fondant."
Smirking, her friend traced the wavy pattern on a throw pillow, coyly telling her, "Klaus stayed at the club and finished both sets. I have to say, that dimpled fucker impressed me — he earned the most out of all the amateurs. He was very popular."
Caroline took a cautious sip of her tea, willing away the churning feeling in the pit of her stomach. "I'm sure he's been enjoying his freedom and stayed behind for the speed dating."
Kat pounced on her obvious jealously gleefully. "I knew it! You know, when he begged me to put him on stage, I was against it because snobby fuckboys don't fuck over my bestie on my watch, but he was all wounded-puppy pathetic. So, I felt like I owed it to you to witness his tragic downward spiral." Her teasing turned serious as she confessed, "But this is just...sad. You're both miserable."
"It's just post-breakup angsty angst. It will pass," Caroline weakly insisted, refusing to meet her friend's intense gaze.
Kat shook her head, those perfect, glossy curls framing her face like a gorgeous Botticelli painting. Hungover Caroline was a rabid hyena painted by Goya. She might hate her friend a little in that moment, but a couple of aspirin and leftover pizza would tuck away her bitch — mostly.
"I think he's trying to unfuck what he did," Kat said unexpectedly. At Caroline's squeak of surprise, she waved her hand carelessly as she told her, "I know, I know — I thought it was bullshit at first too, but there was something in his eyes..." she trailed off, shifting uncomfortably on the couch. "I know regret when I see it. I live with it every day. And I don't want that to happen to you."
It was something they never talked about. In their last semester, Kat's too-frequent-to-be-completely-casual boyfriend, Mason, received a coveted internship across the country at Yosemite National Park. When he asked Kat to go with him, it was ridiculous — the furthest she'd ever been in the woods was the time they road tripped to that concert in Raleigh and pulled over to pee. Too much of a free spirit, Kat turned him down, and she stubbornly held out the whole summer before finally getting on a plane in September. But it was too late.
There were unshed tears in Kat's eyes when she abruptly stood up, gently squeezing Caroline's shoulder. "Whatever you decide, just make sure you can handle it." And then she was gone, pointedly letting her curls hide her face. Kat overshared everything — but never her tears.
Well, fuck. Wiping a hand over her face, Caroline sighed, realizing Kat was right. She slowly trudged to the counter where her phone was teetering precariously at the edge — and smeared in purple fondant. What the hell did she get up to last night?
With trembling fingers, she unblocked Klaus' number and texted before she lost her nerve. "Come by my bakery this morning if you still want to talk."
When the brass bell chimed, Caroline winced, trying to plaster on a smile before the customer noticed how pathetically hungover she was. She glanced up, her chirpy 'good morning' dying on her lips. Last night, her ex shoved his exquisitely sculpted ass in her face (that brilliant blue G-string would be guest starring in her dreams for the foreseeable future.) And now his mother was at her erotic bakery. Caroline pinched the bridge of her nose and wished for the patience to see this bizarre morning through. Without snatching Esther's imported extensions right off her scalp.
Esther gracefully swept into the room, tasteful pastel pink Ferragamos clacking away on the tile. She studied the ass cheek cake display, a perfectly shaped eyebrow raised quizzically as she loftily said, "Charming. The details are so lifelike."
Caroline shrugged, doing her best to sound nonchalant as she tried to figure why in the hell this uptight bitch would deign to come to her shop. "You'd be surprised how often I can repurpose the flower frosting tips to make ruffled trim for sexy lingerie."
At Esther's delighted chuckle, Caroline blurted out, "Today's special is a coffee cockcake with extra whipped cream — but I doubt that's why you're here." Crossing her arms protectively in front of her, she demanded, "Just say whatever horrible thing you want to say and then kindly fuck off on your broom."
The uncomfortable silence stretched far too long, and Caroline stubbornly bit her tongue to keep from saying more. Esther didn't get to know the kind of power she once held over her. Caroline still carried the sting of every barbed word and cutting glance Esther ever sent her way.
With a surprising nod of approval, Esther straightened, leveling Caroline with that familiar, icy gaze and she said, "I've come to apologize."
It started as an indignant snort, and then turned into a braying donkey laugh that Caroline didn't bother trying to hide. She thought back to being stuck at that pretentious ski resort with Klaus' awful family and inwardly shuddered. "For what? Insulting my career? Talking incessantly about Klaus' old girlfriend from a 'proper family' and her impressive Ivy League education? Or, how about Aurora magically started appearing at every meal we had at the ski lodge?!"
"I supposed all of it. You're not what I thought you were and I'm terribly ashamed by my rudeness." Klaus' mother paused, a note of respect creeping into her voice as she confessed, "I must admit, you took me by surprise that you were familiar with the de Martel family's charities and conversed so handily with Aurora."
Scoffing, she finished wiping down the counter, flippantly telling her, "I never go into battle without doing reconnaissance."
The corners of Esther's mouth twitched — or, they would've had the Botox allowed such frivolous movements, but whatever she'd intended to say was cut short when Klaus burst into the bakery, gray eyes nearly feral as he snarled, "I told you to stay away from Caroline! She doesn't deserve your vindictive, hateful words!"
"Um...she's actually here to apologize," Caroline explained awkwardly, feeling her cheeks flush as she recognized his familiar, protective tone.
Lightly tapping a perfectly manicured nail against her elegant clutch, Esther admonished, "Honestly, Niklaus, Rebekah isn't the only one who can turn over a new leaf. The family had a meeting and agreed that our behavior has been appalling and we should strive to make amends."
He paled, clenching his jaw as he stated flatly, "You managed to stop being at each other's throats long enough to have a family meeting."
"Oh, yes," she nodded, turning to Caroline to primly say, "And Elijah feels simply terrible about the rather thorough background check the lawyers commissioned. Although, he was quite impressed by the ribbon you won in the third grade for that clever solar system model."
.Fuck. Stunned, Caroline's mouth flopped open, suddenly feeling as though she'd stumbled into an Austen novel like Sense and Sensibility and the Audacity of this Bitch. Klaus quickly ushered Esther out of the bakery, his voice full of barely controlled rage as he told her, "Take your pitiful excuse for an apology far, far away and don't bother Caroline again until you can explain why nearly everything you just said should warrant a restraining order."
Esther's indignant sputtering as she was herded out of the bakery amused Caroline to no end despite her irritation at the woman's bullshit apology. "That level of paranoia and batshit crazy is seen as quirky and eccentric when you have the kind of money and influence your family has," Caroline told Klaus. "On anyone else, it would be a true crime made-for-TV movie."
Raking his fingers through his dirty blonde curls, Klaus hurriedly swore to Caroline, "I absolutely did not send my mother here to plead my case."
"Smart. Because Rebekah's approach was better — sort of," Caroline mused. "She actually custom-ordered a very pricey penis cake for her fancy luncheon."
Klaus winked, "One might say that took balls."
"And everyone knows I make the best ones." Fuck, she'd really missed this. That twinkle in his eye, the dimples peeking out just enough to tell her he was on the verge of a smirk.
Caroline poured him his favorite dark roast, adding a hint of raspberry syrup that he used to put on everything. If he noticed it was the brand he liked, he wisely didn't comment. He took a grateful sip, hesitantly sitting down across from her. Every glance, every breath, was fraught with meaning and the tension threatened to shatter whatever fragile peace they'd carved out for themselves.
He finally cleared his throat, murmuring, "I can't tell you how pleased I was to get your text. And surprised — you didn't leave me with the impression that my presence was welcome."
She lowered her lashes, unsure of what to say. Everything was so complicated. She decided to keep it light for now. "Kat said you were really popular last night. Sounds like you found a new hobby if you want."
"I'd grown desperate and seized any opportunity to put myself in your path." Shaking his head, he admitted, "But then, I saw the stricken look on your face before you fled, and realized belatedly that it wasn't right to pursue you after you'd made your feelings clear. I was a right bastard for trying to force a conversation you didn't want and I apologize."
That was unexpected. She'd never met a man who would apologize after steamrolling over her feelings to get to his own. Her heart beat faster as she realized what Klaus had left unsaid. Had she not reached out today, he would've moved on. Maybe not at first, but eventually he'd put to rest their broken relationship and carry on. The thought made her ill.
Caroline opened her mouth without any idea of what she was going to say. "I just...I don't want to regret anything. And what we were...are...it hurts so much, but I think it will just hurt more if we don't try to find our way back to each other."
Gray eyes widened in surprise, and a gentle smile touched his lips as he leaned forward to grasp her trembling hands. Nodding toward the chalkboard covered in her girlish script, Klaus' voice was hopeful as he said, "Then let's talk things through while having this coffee cockcake special. I suspect it's delicious."
