A/N- Enjoy
One of the downsides to achieving gainful full-time employment which nobody ever mentioned, was that spontaneous catch-ups with friends became a thing of the past.
These days, with everyone on different schedules or scattered across the city, anything that wasn't booked a minimum two weeks in advance wasn't likely to happen.
Especially on weekends, when people already had plans, events to attend or had promised themselves two solid days of relaxation.
So, the fact that Marcel and Bonnie had managed to get a group together with only a few hours' notice, and only a vague 'come out for drinks' plan, was nothing short of miraculous.
For the first time in ages, Caroline was actually checking the clock, waiting for it to strike five pm so she could leave when usually, if she wasn't putting in overtime, Genevieve was kicking her out of the office.
She left her car in the parking lot, deciding that however the night went, she probably wouldn't want to be trying to drive home after a few drinks.
She couldn't remember the last time she had socialised on a weeknight, excluding work events, she and Tyler once had made a point of doing a date night out every month but after a while, life had got in the way.
It had been easier to go home and crash with her fiancée then to drag him out somewhere and deal with him preferring to be on the couch instead.
Her phone is running hot in her hand, her mind landing in the gutter as it buzzers with the consistency of a vibrator. Messages from a newly created group chat detailing everyone's journey across the city, determining whether they would cross paths or wait to meet up at the bar.
Caroline Forbes knows that she's way too much of a control freak to read those messages and not immediately start trying to organise everyone, so she merely glances at the occasional update to ensure the whole thing hasn't been called off and then forcing her thumb against her palm so she didn't type out instructions.
The day was coming to a slow end, the sky still light blue though shot through with streaks of gold, the sidewalks filled with people hurrying home, headphones in and eyes down. Caroline inhales deeply and pretends to be admiring a window display when in fact, she was admiring her own good looks.
Vain yes, but in spite of everything, she looked good dammit.
Okay, maybe a few sleepless nights had taken their toll on her eyes, she was starting to get bags under them, and maybe her face was a little bloated, her skin a little pale, her hair a little…
No. No, she looked amazing considering she was dealing with a lot of stress, and there was nothing she was experiencing right now that a quick trip to her favourite day spa couldn't fix.
When she could afford it.
Maybe a new wardrobe as well?
For her life post-Tyler.
Although the dress she was wearing now must have been good enough, because when the crowds begin to thin out and she gets closer to the bar, she notices that she's drawing appreciative glances from the women on the street, those headed out after work just like her and admiring her outfit like she admires some of theirs.
Though she has a moment of sympathy for the women wearing the very high heels, knowing they'd be sporting blisters at midnight.
When she enters the restaurant, she immediately glances to the bar and is disappointed not that she doesn't see Sage there, having hoped for the thrill of the familiar face but she gives a small shrug of her shoulders and glances around, scanning the crowd for Bonnie when she spots Klaus instead. He's bracing his hands on the back of a chair, chuckling at something and she starts making her way towards him, shifting through the crowd.
The place is quiet but not dead, people clearly there to chill and catch-up rather than party and hook-up. There is music playing but only for ambience, not to drown out the conversation being had three inches in front of you.
Klaus straightens up and beams when he sees her, "Hello, sweetheart."
She flashes him her own smile and studies the other occupants at the table, Bonnie is sitting with a contented expression on her fresh face, barely betraying the fact that she might not have been home for a few days.
Marcel sitting next to her looking more casually comfortable and dressed than she'd seen him when booking him to cater her wedding and she has a moment where she overthinks about how that fact could hinder any non-professional relationship they try to have moving forward but he has a charming smile and reaches over to shake her hand, making some polite comment about how lovely she looks before he's distracted by Klaus offering to grab the first round.
His back is barely turned before Bonnie is giving her a pointed look and they have a moment of silent communication before she distracts her by asking Marcel how his business was going during wedding season and he launches into a story about one uber-rich wedding he'd catered where they'd demanded all the desserts be painted gold that carries them over until Klaus returns with beer, ciders and another friend of his.
Lucian barely catches her name before he begins flirting outrageously and Caroline counters every remark of his with a sassy shutdown, knowing that when Katherine finally turned up, she'd pull focus immediately.
She leans back in her seat and is content to enjoy the atmosphere, aware of Klaus next to her and she feels a warm pleasure in her stomach when he nudges her slightly with his elbow while reaching for his drink,
"How is work coming along, love?"
"I may have broken a cake decorator today," she admits, "But don't advertise that you do children's birthday cakes unless you have a heart of iron."
He laughs, tilting his head back, "I would love to hear more."
And she believes him, so she's reaching into her mental filing bank for the best catering horror stories she can recall when she realises that she doesn't know what he does for a living.
"Tell me about your job first." she prompts, and he grins,
"Lucien and I do illustration for graphic novels…comic books," he adds, for clarification, "So people assume we are good with children too…"
"Which we are definitely not!" Lucien interrupts, "Terrible with the little buggers."
"We're not with Marvel or DC, any of the big companies," he continues, "Our firm does illustration, publishing and marketing for authors, independent groups, those who would be stuck only publishing online if it weren't for us."
"Nik and I head up the illustration department," Lucien elaborates, "I do the wholesome, progressive stuff and Nik does the women in tight outfits bent over in impractical positions."
Nik threw a wadded-up napkin at Lucien, "He's lying of course," he says to Caroline hurriedly,
"Our CEO is a woman, who started the company to provide options to authors where women aren't drawn or written as they traditionally have been."
She perks up in interest and Nik grins, "Of course, I collect client horror stories with the best of them."
And that sounds like a challenge to Caroline, one she accepts gladly and the two of them spend a good half hour trading ludicrous tales featuring persons who must have completely given up on the concept of reality years ago.
Then Nik goes to the bar for the next round and Bonnie grabs her hand, leading her to the bathroom, and they've barely pushed through the doors before she's staring her down expectantly.
"What?!" Caroline argues, a little defensively as she checks her make-up in the mirror, rearranging her hair while Bonnie's smile grows more and more satisfied.
"Seriously?!" she cries, "What?"
"Katherine said he was gorgeous," Bonnie smirked, "You two seem to like each other and look good together."
"We look good together?" she echoes incredulously, "Um hello? Tyler? He and I broke up like five seconds ago, I shouldn't be looking good with anyone right now!"
Bonnie gave a quick shrug, "And if this had been a regular break-up, I'd be telling you to take some time for yourself, but honestly? The hell with Tyler, Nik is into you, so go have some rebound fun."
Some rebound fun.
It was tempting, Caroline had had just enough alcohol that her inhibitions were lowered but she could still consent, she needed to get over Tyler and the best way to do that would be to have sex with someone else, someone new, and Nik was attractive.
Except…he was also someone she had learnt to trust in the span of a few hours and that was something new for her, she had walked through an area of town she didn't know with him and no means of escape, she had gone home with him completely drunk and vulnerable and known that he wouldn't hurt her.
And he had proven her right.
Yes, she was attracted to him, because he was charming and handsome, and that accent did wonders but she found herself cherishing their relationship too much to throw rebound sex into the mix.
"He's my friend," she declares decisively, "If that changes, I'll let you know, but right now…I'm happy as we are."
Katherine Pierce wouldn't know how to have a low-key night at a bar if her life depended on it.
Which, if Caroline stopped and thought about it for a second, it probably did.
At the very least, her liver could probably do with a break.
Still, when she shows up it becomes a party, even if it's just confined to their table, somehow the alcohol becomes stronger, the laughter louder and every word just a touch funnier and more flirtatious.
Caroline knows this about her friend, she should have developed even the slightest immunity to it by now, but she wants to pretend that it's this factor, combined with Bonnie's hand very obviously on Marcel's thigh that has her leaning against Nik, has her lowering her voice so that he has to duck his head to hear her, has her leg pressing against his and relishing in the sensation of his rough denim against her skin. His arm is slung over the back of her chair and his knuckles graze her arm when he wants her attention in the few rare moments its not on him.
Around midnight, they find themselves staggering out into the chill night air, Caroline wearing his jacket and she doesn't even register how the group breaks up, only that she and Nik get into an uber alone and sit in the back of the car alone and end up at her front door alone.
She pushes the key into the lock and closes her eyes, her head dropping forward as she takes a steadying breath,
"Tell me this isn't a mistake," she pleads, closing her eyes in shame, unable to look over her shoulder.
"Please."
She hears him shift on his feet slightly, "This is whatever you want it to be, Caroline," he murmurs,
"I let you sleep on my couch, it's only fair that you return the favour."
A stab of anxiety tears through her tipsy haze as she tries to remember whether her couch had a pull-out bed in it.
Seriously, was she the kind of woman who didn't buy sofa beds?
Or just the kind of woman who drank until she could no longer remember what kind of furniture she owned.
She exhales, trying to lean into the fact that she was tipsy and not let her anxiety sober her up as she pushes open the door and walks inside. The light switch is to her left and she blinks as it comes on, bright LED bulbs casting away every shadow in the immediate area.
There's the slight chill of a house that's been empty all day, a sterile feeling and she feels self-conscious even as she knows that her living room is pristine and immaculately designed.
"I'd offer you a drink," she says, simply to break the pregnant silence, the heavy anticipation,
"But we both have work tomorrow."
"Have you tried being British?" he jokes, "We can turn up anywhere clearly hungover or still plastered from the night before and provided we aren't actually drinking in the office, get away with it."
"So that's what I've been doing wrong," she replies, snapping her fingers, "All this time spent sober, what a waste."
He chuckles and heads towards her bookshelf, studying the titles and in the light, his hair is especially golden, he looks soft and attractive and…Caroline does have the excuse of being tipsy.
He picks up one book, "Microbiology?" he queries, and she smirks,
"Someone told me I couldn't do microbiology in college, so I took it as an elective and aced it."
He smirks and places it back before picking up another book, "Astrophysics?"
"Different someone but same story, only I had to take the course online because I'd already graduated summa cum laude."
He laughs, turning his face away to try and hide his amusement, but she can see the mischief in his stupidly blue eyes,
"Does that mean whenever someone challenges you, you have to prove them wrong?" he asks, his voice low and his tongue darts out to wet his lips, and that definitely influences Caroline's heart rate,
"Maybe," she teases out the word, sidling over to him, her shoulders back, her hip jutting out and she's watching him through half-closed lids, "Give it a try."
He watches her for a few seconds, studying her before he speaks,
"I bet you can't kiss me," he suggests and even though she had anticipated his words, she still giggles,
"I…" she trails off, shaking her head in amusement before stepping closer, into his space and surrendering to the moment, to the chemistry between them, the attraction that had been there since the first moment they'd had time to consider each other.
She leans close, tilting her face towards his slightly, letting him close the distance and kiss her gently on the lips. There's no immediate surge of crazy, clothes ripping passion, and he doesn't deepen the kiss, or even stick his tongue in her mouth, instead, their lips brush and they continue to share kisses around their smiles, he slides one hand into her hair, another on her hip and she covers the last bit of space between them, resting a hand on his shoulder, feeling his shirt beneath her fingers.
Unfortunately, the lack of clothes tearing passion allows her anxiety time to rear its ugly head and she comes to the realisation that she's kissing another guy in the place she had planned to live with Tyler, who should have been her husband by now and she has to break the kiss, so she can breathe.
Nik is frowning in confusion, pulling back until he sees that she's trembling and puts his hands on her shoulders,
"Breathe sweetheart," he orders, waiting until she's obviously inhaled and exhaled before continuing, "You're safe, it's okay, we're friends and I have no expectations tonight."
She knows this, she understands this on a theoretical level but part of her can't stop thinking about Tyler and she swears that she can see him in the corner of her eye, sitting on the couch watching a football game.
"It's not you," she swears, swallowing back a nervous laugh, "I'm just…I'm not in the right place to be doing this right now."
He nods, stepping back, "Alright, should I put on a pot of tea or call an uber?"
Does she have any tea in the house?
Her anxiety is replaced by exhaustion and she runs a hand through her hair, trying not to yawn as her eyes start to go blurry.
"I know this isn't fair of me to ask," she admits, "But…I want you to stay and this is going to sound crazy but…do you mind sharing a bed with me?"
He exhales, rolling his eyes dramatically, "Well, I was hoping to earn a spot on the couch, but if you insist."
She scoffs and turns around, leading him to her bedroom and dropping onto the bed to take off her shoes,
"I know this is usually the other way around, but I have some shirts and tracksuit pants you could wear."
His eyebrows shoot up, "Should I wear his skin too?"
She snorts, "It's not Tyler's, I buy my sports shirts in men's sizes, a professional NFL player could fit into them."
He seems suspicious but when she opens the drawer to show a sports shirt clearly tangled amidst her other nightwear and has a faint scent of frangipani from her laundry soap, he accepts it and heads into the ensuite to change as she begins removing her makeup with wipes.
He emerges just as she's settling in between the sheets, ready to turn off the bedside lamp and he climbs beneath the duvet with a grunt of relief.
"Goodnight Caroline." He mumbles, closing his eyes.
She smiles into the darkness, enjoying the sense of security and comfort of having another person with her again, "Goodnight Nik."
A/N- Thanks for reading!