Hello everyone! A few things have changed since the last update though. For starters, there's a wonderful new cover courtesy of the incredibly talented romanoffsbite over on tumblr! If you guys ever have the chance, you should check out her other stuff too. She does a lot of wonderful covers for fanfics and that's actually how I've also come across some really great stories. :)
Another new thing is that this story has been nominated (!?) for the Klaroline Awards over on tumblr as well for Best Underrated Fiction and I'm just shocked and over the moon about it! I never thought any of my work would ever be noticed enough to be nominated so thank you so much to everyone who made this possible! I really can't express how much it means and how grateful I am for your continued support, whether it be through follows, favorites, reviews, or surprise nominations like this one, thank you so much! I would also like to give a huge shout out to my wonderful new beta, the lovely Sophie (justanotherfiveminutes) who's been a great source of encouragement and really helped me clean up this mess of a chapter.
Anyway, I think you all have waited enough for this, so I'll shut up now. Hope you enjoy!
"I'm sorry. I hope we're not interrupting anything," Stefan said in a quiet but tense voice as his gaze flickered back and forth between Caroline and Klaus, not missing Caroline's flushed look and the way she was trying to avoid meeting his gaze directly.
"Not at all," Klaus was the one to answer in a tone that almost sounded sarcastic. "Just Caroline telling me about that Kriss Kross phase of yours."
"I'm sorry, what?" Elena asked with a laugh that didn't quite ease the tense atmosphere. "Why haven't I ever heard about this?"
Stefan rolled his eyes but managed to give her a small smile.
"What else have you been hiding from me?" she asked, narrowing her eyes playfully. It was almost enough to ebb away some of his irritation. "Caroline, you're gonna have to tell me all about it."
"Elijah's been trying to reach you for the last hour," he continued in that same tense voice, as he turned back to Klaus who merely tightened his jaw in irritation. "He says he needs to speak with you and that it's urgent."
At this, Klaus turned to look at him, his interest and irritation certainly piqued. He felt a knot twist in his stomach as he tried to think about what Elijah could have to tell him no doubt having something to do with Mikael's appearance tonight.
He ground his teeth and stood to head back to his room where he had left his phone charging, not before sharing a quick look with Caroline, letting his gaze linger for a brief moment but he was unable to decipher what he saw there.
"Excuse me."
As he made his way out of the living room, he also met Stefan's hard gaze and under other circumstances, Klaus might have found it amusing but at that moment, he was more annoyed than anything else.
So much for his evening improving.
As he made his way down the hall, he could hear Elena and Caroline chatting but he didn't catch what they were saying before he reached his room and shut the door behind him.
He picked up his phone and saw the missed calls and messages from Elijah and for some reason, he felt that pit in his stomach grow even deeper.
Caroline was getting ready to go to bed, letting the events of the night replay in her mind, particularly the memory of Klaus' velvety smooth lips against her own. She smirked as she thought about how there was a reason they looked so damn kissable. They totally were!
When she realized she was absentmindedly touching her lips with the tips of her fingers, she scowled at herself. Why was she acting like a love struck schoolgirl?
She sighed, thinking about what had happened after they had been interrupted.
She could practically feel Stefan's tension, no doubt because of what he had inadvertently stumbled into. She wasn't naïve enough to think he didn't know or at least have a very good idea of what she and Klaus had been up to. Even Elena had been visibly uncomfortable despite her effort to hide it, but before she had a chance to talk to Stefan, he had excused himself claiming there were some emails he had to catch up on.
She was typing a quick message to Bonnie when she heard a knock on her door.
"Stefan," she greeted him, mildly surprised to find him there.
"Can we talk?" he asked in that same quiet voice from earlier.
Nodding, she stepped back to allow him to come inside.
"Caroline, what exactly is going on between you and Klaus?"
Despite the fact that she was expecting it, she still momentarily froze like a deer caught in the headlights.
"We didn't just interrupt a trip down memory lane tonight did we?"
She sucked in a deep breath and shook her head.
"No, you didn't," she answered, trying not to visibly wince when she heard him release a small but frustrated sigh.
Why did she suddenly feel like a child caught stealing from the cookie jar?
"What are you doing with him?" he asked, frustration evident in his usually calm voice.
"I don't know," she blurted out, feeling herself begin to grow frustrated also, and well, it was the truth. "I don't know, okay?"
"Well that's stating the obvious," he retorted in a quiet voice that still managed to anger her more than if he had shouted at her.
"Excuse me?" she snapped with a hard edge to her voice. "Look, I know you're upset or annoyed or whatever, but that doesn't mean you get to patronize me like I'm a child."
He looked at her but didn't answer, releasing another sigh.
"I know this is weird and unexpected, trust me I wasn't planning on any of this at all, but can we please not do the overprotective brother routine like I'm still in high school?" she tried to ask more calmly.
"Caroline, we're talking about you and Klaus Mikaelson. How do you think this is going to end for you? This will end worse for you than it did with Tyler."
He knew the second he said the words that he shouldn't have, but his frustration was getting the best of him at the moment.
"Care-"
"You don't get to talk about my relationship with Tyler," she snapped now angry. "You weren't there when it fell apart, you couldn't even really pick up the phone. You don't know about why my relationship with him fell apart so you don't get to talk about that."
She glared at him and watched with a tiny bit of satisfaction that he at least had the decency to look a little ashamed before looking back up at her.
"I'm not trying to argue I'm just trying to tell you the facts when it comes to Klaus. He has his fun and then he leaves. He's not going to commit to some kind of long-distance relationship when you leave."
"I never said I was expecting him to," she countered defensively, trying to ignore the sting from his words and watching as his eyebrows shot up causing her to in return run her hands over her face in even more frustration. "It was just a kiss Stefan. Neither of us planned it. It just happened. But it's not like I'm expecting to skip off into the sunset with him or whatever."
"So you're just planning on sleeping with him?" he deadpanned, an angry edge to his voice.
"No!" she almost shouted, her frustration definitely getting the best of her and God why did it feel so tempting to wring his neck right about now? "I'm not planning on anything. God what do you want me to say to you Stefan? Do you want me to apologize and say that I regret it? Look, tonight…none of this was supposed to happen okay? None of it!"
They both stood there silently for a few moments, trying to calm down, neither one hearing the sound of retreating footsteps outside in the hall.
"I don't want to see you get hurt," Stefan finally said in a much more calm voice.
"And I appreciate it but you have to trust that I can look out for myself too," she replied in a calmer but still audibly tense voice. "I'm not a little girl anymore."
He nodded his head silently before replying in a quiet voice just above a whisper.
"I know."
The next morning, Caroline was walking out of her room, set on getting some coffee while she waited for Stefan and Elena to return with the breakfast. Stefan had suggested they all go out for breakfast, but she could still feel the awkward tension between them so when she had declined claiming she was still tired, he had opted for bringing something back so they could eat there instead.
She walked out at the same time that she saw Klaus emerging from his room and she felt her heart rate quicken. She hadn't expected to run into him like this and she noticed him pause for a moment before he started walking down the hall as she did the same.
"Hey, uh, good morning," she greeted with a small and almost nervous smile when she reached him, both stopping at the middle.
"Good morning, sweetheart," he replied with his signature smirk but his gaze was unreadable. Gone was the teasing glint she had grown accustomed to.
"Going out so early?" she asked curiously, noticing the heavy jacket he was wearing.
"Yeah, some family matters to attend to," he answered, his smirk disappearing and reminding her of what Stefan had told him last night about his brother needing to get in contact with him.
"Is everything okay?"
He nodded his head curtly.
"Everything is fine."
She didn't like this weird tension between them that was unlike any previous tension she was used to around him. She noted he was being almost distant toward her for the first time since she had arrived.
Was this because of what happened last night?
She nodded her head, not sure what to say but knowing they needed to talk about the obvious elephant in the room.
"So um, you're obviously busy right now but maybe we could talk later?" she asked, looking up at him.
"About last night?" he inquired with that same impassive tone and expression.
She gave him a look that conveyed it should have been obvious and he subtly nodded his head.
"Right," he replied, meeting her gaze. "Don't worry about it, love. There's nothing really to discuss. I think we can both agree we indulged in a little too much to drink last night."
Whatever she had been expecting him to say, it certainly hadn't been that.
She felt the surprise showed on her face but she quickly tried to mask it, noticing a hint of something she couldn't quite identify in his eyes but it was gone as soon as it appeared and she slightly shook her head, trying to clear it.
"Right," she agreed with a small smile just as he was opening his mouth to speak again, making him quickly shut it. "Yeah," she nodded. "Yeah, I blame that fancy tequila of yours," she tried to joke.
She could've sworn she saw a small frown appear on his face but he took on an impassive countenance once more.
"Right," he agreed. "Well, I'd best be heading out. As you're well aware, my family can get a little moody."
"Yeah, have fun," she said with a convincing smile.
Thank you Miss Mystic Falls training.
He looked like he wanted to say something else but simply nodded instead, and left with a quick goodbye.
She heard the door close and stood there for a few moments longer, fighting back that surge of disappointment she suddenly felt coursing through her.
It had been three days since the ball and things had been…interesting. Caroline had spent most of the last two days with Stefan and Elena, when the latter got off work, and she had hardly seen Klaus since their little talk.
Things were still a little awkward between her and Stefan, but it was nothing compared to the tension between Klaus and Stefan during the few instances they saw each other in passing.
Klaus still appeared to at least be friendly to her but she still felt him being distant and part of her wondered if he really did have all these family matters to attend to or if he was simply trying to avoid her. Maybe it was both.
She truthfully hadn't regretted kissing him that night. It had all been unexpected and she hadn't known how to react or what to think, but she had honestly not regretted it because despite knowing all the reasons he should be off limits, kissing him felt right.
Now that she saw how things had changed between them, it was enough to make her regret it and wish that it had never happened if it meant things would go back to how they were.
But she had learned long ago that there was no use in wishing. Her only option was to make the best of the circumstances and so that's what she did.
"So Caroline Forbes is going on an adventure?"
"Now you're just making me sound like I'm in The Hobbit movie," Caroline laughed and Bonnie conceded her point with a laugh too.
"Are you sure it's a the best idea for you to be going around New Orleans on your own when you don't know the area?" her friend inquired and Caroline had to refrain from rolling her eyes despite the fact that Bonnie wouldn't be able to see it through the phone.
"Worst case scenario, I use Google maps to get me back," Caroline reasoned. "I have Stefan's address, there are plenty of cabs. I sent Stefan a message letting him know I'd be checking out the parade, I'll send you plenty of pictures throughout the day so you guys will be able to determine where I went missing. It'll be fine."
Bonnie made a noncommittal sound before changing the subject.
"So Stefan's gone for the entire day?"
"Yeah, he had to go upstate for some work emergency so he said he probably wouldn't be back until late tonight," she answered with a small frown.
"Are things still weird between you guys?" Bonnie asked curiously.
Caroline had filled her and Enzo in on what was going on, and after they got past all the teasing that had her blushing bright red, they had been as amazing and supportive as they always were, especially after that morning she and Klaus had their last real conversation. Needless to say after all that happened and not seeing them for so many days now, it made her that much more anxious to see them again that weekend.
"Yeah, sort of," she admitted with a sigh. "He's fine most of the time, he just gets all tense and weird whenever we see Klaus."
"Which I imagine is often considering they're roommates. Or is Klaus still MIA most of the time?"
"Yep," Caroline replied, popping the 'p'. "Ughhh this is why I never take vacations. I end up doing stupid things like kissing my brother's hot best friend only to basically be rejected the very next day. Now he's weird, Stefan's weird, everyone's weird. Creating weird tension between my brother and his best friend, and then making said best friend feel super weird, was so not part of my plans when I came out here."
"And you've only been there how long? This has to be a new personal record for you," Bonnie joked, making Caroline scowl. "It's not all on you Care. You're not responsible for how Stefan and Klaus choose to act. And maybe it's better that it worked out this way with Klaus. You're going to be leaving in a few weeks anyway so unless you were looking for a fling…it sucks being rejected but maybe it's all for the best in the long run."
Caroline sighed, knowing Bonnie had a point but it didn't change things regardless.
"Can you guys just hurry up and get here already?"
"Don't let Enzo hear you saying that," Bonnie laughed. "The last time you said told us that, he wouldn't stop singing Anna Kendrick's 'Cups' for the rest of the day. If he does it again, I might actually have to kill him this time."
"If you do, you'll have to drive all the way to New Orleans by your lonesome," she giggled.
"I'll add that to my list of cons. It was starting to look a little sad with the only one being that I would go to prison if I got caught."
The two friends laughed and after once again telling her not to worry about everything so much, they said goodbye and Caroline continued on her little excursion.
She may have been completely on her own for the day, unless she and Elena did end up meeting for dinner, but she was still excited as she roamed the crowded streets regardless.
The streets were busy with people lined up along the edges, hoping to catch the best view of the parade. There were also plenty of street performers and vendors that Caroline could only walk around in awe at how lively and colorful a city could be.
There were people wearing fun and colorful masks, plenty of beads, children running around with their faces painted, adults walking around with bright wigs and feathers sticking out of their hair and groups dancing to music that seemed to be coming from just about every direction.
She laughed and recorded a group of older police officers dancing along to a popular song with a group of what appeared to be teenagers and young adults and she got a small knot in her throat thinking about her mom and trying to picture her doing something like this.
Would she ever stop missing her?
Forcing herself to push those melancholic thoughts away, she kept exploring, making the best out of the situation like she always did.
She had spent the last hour walking around taking in the sights and doing some, okay a lot of shopping, when she came across a small shop that sold beignets, making her lips curve into a smile and her mouth water.
She was in the middle of enjoying those delicious treats and contemplating taking a cooking lesson while she was here so she could learn how to make them herself, when-
"Caroline?"
She froze at the sound of that familiar accented voice and silently cursed his timing.
Of course he would show up as soon as she had stuffed her mouth with a beignet!
She turned to the side almost hesitantly and spotted Klaus looking at her with a mixture of surprise and amusement.
She waved to him sheepishly, her mouth still full and her face growing increasingly flushed.
"Are you here all by yourself?" he asked, looking around for Stefan perhaps?
She nodded forcing herself to swallow down the half chewed pastry before turning back to him.
"Hey," she said with a weak and embarrassed smile, trying not to check him out in his grey Henley and dark jeans with his curls mussed just the way she liked.
DO NOT go down this road again Caroline Forbes.
"Yeah, just doing a little exploring, hoping to catch the parade. What are you doing here?"
"I was on my way to the bar," he replied pointing down the street.
She had no idea how she had even ended up near his bar. Had she really done that much walking?
She noticed an amused grin appear on his face just then, making her furrow her eyebrows.
"What?"
"Nothing, you just have a little powdered sugar on your face there," he answered with a chuckle, pointing to where it was on her face.
She frowned a little as she made to wipe it off.
"You missed a bit here," he said, moving to clean the rest off for her without thinking.
It was only when he felt her soft, warm skin underneath the pads of his fingers and felt her gaze boring into him that he realized what he was doing but it was too late now.
He met her gaze while he gently wiped the remaining sugar off, so softly and gently it was almost a caress. He may have let his fingers linger a little longer than necessary before she suddenly stepped back.
"Thanks, uh, I'd better go try and find a spot if I want to catch the parade," she said, looking away from him.
"So you're trying to catch the parade, hm? Come with me," he replied with a hint of a grin.
"What are you doing?" she asked, arching an eyebrow when he gently took her hand and began leading her in the opposite direction she had come from.
"Taking you to the best spot in the city to catch the parade," he answered with a dimpled grin.
"Klaus," she protested weakly, her curiosity clearly getting the best of her.
When he continued walking, she decided to go along with it for now anyway. When they ended up back at his bar, she knew exactly where he was taking her.
"Ah there he is," came Marcel's voice as soon as they entered the bar. "Hello there ma cherie," he added with a bright smile when he noticed her beside Klaus. "Getting started on the drinking early today, huh? Can't blame you. I can go through a few bottles a day too dealing with this guy."
Caroline laughed while Klaus scowled.
"Your wit is truly the gift that keeps on giving mate," he said sarcastically, making Marcel laugh as well.
"I'm glad you appreciate it," Marcel replied smugly before turning his attention back to the gentleman that had just joined them. "Anyway, Caroline, this is Jesse. Jesse, this is Caroline."
"Pleasure to meet you," Jesse said with a bright smile that almost made Caroline do a double take.
"Likewise," she replied with a smile as well.
"Klaus you remember Jesse?" Marcel continued, begrudgingly pulling Klaus' attention away from the two. "He's going for his Master's in Tulane and I told him we could hook him up with a job here or one of our other bars."
Klaus' initial reaction was to say hell no. He had not missed the way Jesse had been checking Caroline out since his eyes landed on her or that charming smile he had flashed her just now. Surely Caroline wasn't buying into any of this was she?
"We'll see," he replied curtly, making Marcel roll his eyes. "Now if you'll excuse us gentlemen, the parade's about to start."
He led her upstairs, stopping to get a chair and she noticed him hesitate as he made to get a second one.
"Mind if I join you for a bit, love?" he asked
She looked taken aback, but after a brief pause that felt much longer for him, she shook her head with the faintest of smiles that appeared tense, even to him.
He had been kept rather busy as of late with family affairs now that Mikael had returned to stir up trouble, but truth be told, he may have also been avoiding her since their conversation.
It was hard being around her knowing that he couldn't have her, especially now that he had had a tiny of taste of her. The memory of her soft lips was seared into his mind but she had regretted it. She didn't want him.
"None of this was supposed to happen okay? None of it."
He didn't know and didn't want to think about why those words stung more than he would have thought possible. He didn't want to acknowledge that they had nothing to do with a bruised ego and it had almost made him wish he had not gone to try and check on her that night after the way they were forced to leave things. It made him wish that he hadn't gone so that he wouldn't have heard what he did, standing outside in the hallway and listening like some gossip-deprived fool.
Almost.
When he thought of the alternative had he not heard, of being blindsided by her rejection the next morning, he felt his stomach clench unpleasantly. Whoever said ignorance was bliss was a bloody idiot. He would rather know and be prepared, it was the only way he could protect himself.
In this case, he protected himself the only way he knew how. He beat her to the punch and didn't give her that opportunity to reject him, yet when he thought back on their last actual conversation, he could've sworn he heard a hint of disappointment in her voice but then he convinced himself that it was just him projecting onto her.
Still, there remained that small nagging voice in the back of his mind that he was wrong but then Stefan's words would come to mind.
Things had been strained and awkward to say the least after Stefan had come knocking on his door for a little chat the morning after the ball. It had been a few days, but Klaus would still get irritated when he remembered their talk but there were some things that Stefan said that kept creeping to the forefront of his mind since that morning.
"You're looking for meaningless fun. You said so yourself, you don't date. Caroline's looking for the real thing and she deserves better than that she deserves better than…"
"Me?" he offered in a voice that betrayed nothing. "You're saying she deserves better than me."
Stefan looked away briefly and he knew he had his answer.
"What would you say to that?" Stefan responded quietly. "You've been my friend for many years now, Klaus but she's my sister and I know what you do and I'll protect her from anyone including you. So if you're really not trying to hurt her, let her be."
Stefan's words, coupled with what he had overheard Caroline say that night of the ball, kept replaying in his head like on some kind of infinite loop and it was maddening and enough to help in his resolve to just avoid them both altogether.
That resolve however, seem to have crumpled today when he saw her alone for the first time since that night. He couldn't help but grin to himself at the memory of her mouth stuffed with beignets and the way her eyes widened when she saw him and all he could think about was how he just wanted to spend some time with her again.
He missed her and that was an incredibly sobering realization that frightened him.
"Is it always this alive?" she asked just then, drawing his attention back to her. He turned to look at her and saw her taking in the crowded streets below them. "Or is it just because of Mardi Gras?" she added.
"Mardi Gras is the most popular time of the year but New Orleans has always managed to draw people in with its rich history and culture," he answered fondly, making her turn to look at him with a small smile.
"You really like it here don't you?"
"It's one of my favorite places in the world," he responded truthfully.
"Where else have you been?" she asked curiously.
He started naming all the places he had been and she noted it was actually quite an extensive list. He answered all of her questions with a small grin that grew steadily as he took in her eager curiosity and excitement to learn more about these places.
He knew. She may be a small-town girl but Caroline Forbes was born to travel and experience the world.
Small-town life. Small-town boy. It wouldn't be enough for her.
"How about you?" he asked, tired of talking about him when all he really wanted was to learn more about her. "What's your favorite place?"
"Well, considering that I've never really been anywhere, it's not hard to pick," she responded with a light laugh.
"I'll take you," he responded, not even sure why he said it and quickly tried to cover it up with a smirk. "We have established that I make an excellent tour guide."
She rolled her eyes, not surprised by his ego but then something else he said caught her attention.
"Take me where?" she asked with furrowed eyebrows.
Well, he already said it-
"Wherever you want," he replied simply.
She shot him an incredulous look and shook her head with a laugh.
"Sure. Why don't we start by backpacking across Europe," she joked.
"I never would've pegged you as one for backpacking, love but they say you learn something new everyday."
She rolled her eyes but was unable to fight back a small smile.
They both fell into a silence as they looked down at the parade, and his lips would curl up every now and then, watching her fumble with her camera excitedly, trying to get the best angles for her pictures.
He was the one to break the silence after a while.
"I apologize for any additional strain I may have placed between you and your brother," he said in a low voice, his gaze still fixed on the parade below him.
She turned to look at him in surprise, wondering if she had actually heard him correctly but his stiff jaw was the only indicator she needed.
"Don't be," she shrugged after another pause. "I mean, it wasn't just you…it took two… it's fine," she finally got out. "It was a one-time thing that was the result of too much alcohol, he'll get over it."
"Right," Klaus agreed in a quiet and stiff voice.
"Sorry I helped make things awkward between you two also," she added with a frown.
"Don't be," he repeated her words with a slight shrug. "He'll get over it."
So long as I stay away from you.
"Is that why you've been gone so much lately?" she forced herself to ask. "Or is it because of something else?"
She didn't have to elaborate for him to get what she was asking.
Or is it because of me?
He looked at her and for the first time since he met her, he genuinely had no idea what to say. What did she want him to tell her? Did she want to hear that he missed spending time with her like some pathetic love struck schoolboy? That even now all he wanted to do was hold her and kiss her?
"It's nothing like that. I'm afraid Mikael has kept my family and me rather busy as of late," he finally replied.
He wasn't technically lying…
"Klaus, your brother left his damn bike in the delivery bay again," came Marcel's annoyed voice just then. "We've got another shipment coming in after the parade and Kol's nowhere to be found."
Klaus released an exasperated sigh and had the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, though part of him was thankful for the sudden interruption.
Why was it always Kol?
"I'll take care of it."
Marcel nodded and excused himself, leaving them alone again.
"I suppose I should go move Kol's blasted new toy," he said sarcastically. "One of these days I'm just going to let that thing be towed away and the imbecile can figure it out on his own."
"What kind of bike does Kol ride?" she asked curiously, silently thankful to have something else to talk about.
He smirked and motioned for her to follow him.
After stopping at his office and grabbing the spare key he had stolen from Kol for situations like this, he and Caroline walked out back to see where the black bike she recognized to be a Harley-Davidson by the logo, stood parked.
"It's nice," she commented, walking closer to get a better look. "Definitely has Kol written all over it."
He smirked as he moved to mount it and Caroline would be lying if she said she didn't find the sight of Klaus on that bike incredibly sexy.
"Have you ever ridden one before?" he asked her as he picked up the helmets behind him, absentmindedly wondering who Kol was trying to seduce this time, before turning his attention back to Caroline.
"Uh that would be a definite no," she replied with a smirk. "When your mom is the town sheriff, it's not very easy for her teenage daughter to be running around on the back of a bike, clinging to some hot bad boy and by the time I got to Whitmore, I don't know, I just never got around to it."
"Would you like to?" he asked with a smirk as he offered her one of the helmets.
"What? Like now?" she asked almost incredulously.
"No time like the present," he replied with that smirk turning into a full-blown smile.
He could practically see her internal debate, knowing she was no doubt making a list of all the pros and cons by the way she eyed the bike and bit her bottom lip.
Did she have any idea what the sight of her biting her lip like that did to him? He imagined himself being the one to bite down on that exact spot she was before soothing it with his tongue.
"Don't you have to have a license to drive one of these?" she asked, breaking him out of his little fantasy.
"You do if you're the one operating it and don't worry love, I'm licensed," he answered.
He could tell still she wasn't entirely convinced so he decided to try and tip the scales in his favor.
"It's just one short ride, love," he said with a barely there smirk, his eyes trained on her as he gauged her reaction. "I dare you."
She turned to glare at him but he could see the corners of her lips curl up as she tried to fight back a smile.
"That's not always going to work you know."
"Is it working this time?" he asked amusedly, chuckling when she grabbed the helmet from him and told him to shut up.
The moment she sat behind him and realized she would have to hold on to him throughout the entire ride, she almost reconsidered but then thought of what that would look like.
You are not a slave to your hormones Caroline Forbes. You control them. They don't control you.
Reciting this over and over again in her head like a personal mantra, she hesitantly placed her hands on the sides of his waist.
See, it's not so bad, you can do this. It's like doing the Conga Line-
"You might want to hold on a little bit tighter, love," he said, moving her hands so that she was now wrapping them around his waist.
She wasn't sure if he heard her suck in a breath or what, but he gave her hand a gentle squeeze before starting the bike and moments later, they were weaving out onto the packed street and in between traffic. She wasn't sure where they were even going but she found she didn't exactly care.
The moment the bike had started to move, she had tightened her hold around Klaus and tightened it a little more as they picked up speed the further away the got from the traffic, a part of her hating how safe she felt with him.
She forced herself to push those thoughts away however, and focused on the cool wind hitting her face and the city they were speeding past.
They rode through the city and along the side of the Mississippi River where she got such an incredible view it made her want to never leave this place.
It was so different from Mystic Falls but she loved everything about it. The food, the art, the culture.
She let out a cross between a scream and a laugh when he suddenly went faster, and tightened her hold on him even more.
She couldn't see the smile that appeared on his face and it almost made him want to go even faster if it meant having her hold on to him like this.
They stopped at a small place that overlooked the river and Klaus said was one of the city's hidden gems. They ordered some food that Caroline eagerly dug into, much to Klaus' amusement, and it wasn't long before he received an angry call from Kol demanding he get his motorcycle back.
Klaus hung up completely unfazed and would have no doubt continued their conversation and ride for a lot longer had Caroline not insisted they head back before Kol killed him or gave himself an aneurysm, laughing at the way he pouted.
The Mikaelson's really did remind her of children sometimes.
For the ride back, he offered to teach her how to ride, making her adamantly shake her head with a laugh.
"I think we've fulfilled enough of my high school fantasies for the day," she retorted before she could stop herself, only realizing what she had implied when she saw his eyebrows shoot up and that shit-eating grin that appeared on his face.
"Have we now?" he asked smugly, making her roll her eyes as she furiously fought back that blush she could feel settling on her face.
"Just shut up and drive or ride or whatever," she huffed as she moved to get on.
He laughed and it was such a light and carefree sound, it made some of her irritation ebb away.
They arrived back at the bar to see that it was crowded, obviously it was a popular place for people to hang out at after the parade.
"Nik you son of a bitch!" came Kol's loud voice from a booth across the bar from where they stood. "You'd better not have gotten a single scratch on that bike!"
Klaus rolled his eyes and motioned for her to walk ahead as they made their way over to the booth where Kol sat with Marcel, Rebekah, Katherine and Jesse.
"Have you no integrity man?" Kol all but shouted as soon as they reached their table. "You can't just go around taking another man's prized possession like that!"
"Then perhaps you shouldn't leave said prized possession blocking the delivery bay despite being told repeatedly not to leave it there," Klaus shot back.
"Klausy don't be rude," Katherine interrupted with a smirk. "Introduce us to your new friend here."
Klaus rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what Katherine was up to but Caroline spoke before he could say anything.
"Hi, I'm Caroline," she introduced herself before quickly adding on, "Are you and Elena twins?"
The others, except for Jesse, chuckled, making Caroline furrows her brows in confusion.
"We get that a lot," Katherine explained. "But no, we're cousins with a really freaky resemblance though I still think I'm cuter," she shrugged unabashedly.
Freaky resemblance was an understatement.
"So why don't you sit and join us guys," Katherine suggested with a devious smirk as she moved over and patted the now empty spot next to her. "Caroline?"
Klaus had to fight back an exasperated sigh when he saw Caroline hesitantly take the seat next to his sister-in-law. He was hoping he could spend some more time with just the two of them but trust Katherine to manage to throw a wrench in his plans.
He took a seat across from them next to Marcel and ignored the smug and triumphant expression Katherine wore.
"So Caroline, tell us a little bit about yourself," Katherine said, turning to look at the blonde.
"I hope this isn't going to turn into an interview of some sort," Klaus interjected with a smirk but the warning in his tone was clear.
"She's visiting Stefan," Rebekah said in a bored voice. "She's Stefan's sister."
"Really?" Katherine asked with obvious intrigue. "I'm assuming that's how you know my dear cousin then?"
Caroline nodded but they were interrupted when one of the bartenders came over with a fresh round of drinks for everyone.
The next few minutes consisted of Katherine asking Caroline question after question about herself, quickly making Klaus lose what little patience he had to begin with.
"So, any boyfriend or current interest?" Katherine asked coyly, making Caroline blush and let out a light but uncomfortable laugh.
"Who has time for that?" she responded jokingly.
Klaus was opening his mouth to speak when Kol beat him to it.
"This is boring," he complained. "Enough with the Caroline inquisition and let's talk about more important things like how I still don't have a proper wingman or wingwoman."
Everyone at the table collectively rolled their eyes except for Caroline who giggled, making Klaus smile at the sound until he noticed the way that Jesse was looking at her and smiling too.
"Caroline, tell me you're not as hopeless as this lot as a wingwoman," Kol continued.
"I've actually never been a wingwoman before," she admitted. "Bonnie and Enzo have never needed one."
"I don't need one," Kol scoffed offended, making everyone at the table laugh. "It just makes things more fun and interesting."
"You just keep telling yourself that," Rebekah said with mock sympathy, making Klaus smirk amusedly.
Thankfully enough for Caroline, the conversation shifted away from her and onto Kol before they all just started talking and joking about various things.
At some point, Dean came up to their table to let Klaus know he had transferred a call to his office and Caroline watched as he reluctantly got up and excused himself.
It wasn't long after that when Rebekah stood up and told Marcel to dance with her, leaving the rest behind.
"Would you also like to dance?" Jesse asked her just then and she looked at him in surprise.
"Uh," she started, noticing both Kol's and Katherine's curious stares boring into her. "Sure, why not?"
"Don't sound too eager now," Jesse laughed and she felt herself begin to blush in embarrassment again.
She laughed too and stood up, following him out to where the other couples were dancing. As the two started dancing, she tried not to let her gaze wander around looking for Klaus and reminded herself that there was nothing there between them.
Klaus may enjoy flirting with her, but he wasn't interested in her.
"Just so you know," Jesse said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "I didn't find that first conversation boring at all. I would like to know more about you Caroline."
She gave him a small and slightly embarrassed smile and the two continued to dance and make small talk after that. She may not have been interested in Jesse like that but there was no denying how attractive he was and he did make good company.
She reminded herself what Bonnie and Enzo had kept telling her. You're there to have fun. So that's exactly what she was going to do.
Soon enough she lost track of the time and it wasn't until she felt someone's stare boring into her that she turned and spotted Klaus looking at her but then she noticed the other two women currently standing by, talking to him and Kol.
She noticed the way one lightly brushed her hand down Klaus' arm and was looking at him with a sultry smile as she leaned in closer to him and Caroline had the sudden urge to go all alpha female or something on this woman but she shook those thoughts as soon as they came.
Nothing going on between you two remember? And he's clearly not fighting off her advances…
"You alright?" Jesse asked.
She turned away from Klaus and nodded before she could answer.
"Yeah, fine. Just fine."
She forced herself not to look back at Klaus again after that.
After dancing for a while, she felt her feet really begin to ache as everything she had done that day began to weigh down on her. She walked back to the booth where Rebekah, Katherine and Marcel were sitting, with Jesse close behind her.
"Where's Klaus?" she blurted out. "And Kol?" she tried to quickly add.
"Haven't seen them since they were talking to some floozies a while ago," Rebekah shrugged. "This is the part where we don't see them again for the rest of the night."
"Oh," she replied, trying to remain impassive even though she felt like her heart sank to her stomach at Rebekah's words. "Well I hope they're having fun," she added on, and she wondered if it sounded as unconvincing to them as it did to her.
Before either of them could say anything however, she quickly continued.
"Well, I think I'm going to head out too," she announced. "It's been a long day and my feet are seriously hating me right now. Just need to make a quick bathroom stop."
"They're down toward the back, turn into that hallway and they're the first two doors on the right," Marcel said.
She excused herself and made her way back there but no sooner was she stepping out of the small restroom when somebody was knocking into her, spilling their cold drink down her front.
She let out a loud gasp and stepped back when she felt the person being shoved away from her and heard Klaus' annoyed voice shortly after, telling the guy to get out of there and motioning for one of the security guards standing watch, to escort the drunken idiot out.
"Great," Caroline sarcastically groaned when she looked down at her now blue stained and soaked top and peeling it away from her skin. "Fucking great."
"I might have an extra shirt in my office you can change into," she heard Klaus say, looking up to see him motioning for her to follow him.
She was going to say it was fine and she would just try to clean it up on her own but he was already walking away down the opposite hall from where she came.
When she stepped into his office, she looked around curiously, trying not to focus on the weird vibe she was getting from Klaus. He had hardly looked at her and the way he was acting, distant and even a little cold reminded her of the previous interactions they had before today.
So he was back to acting like this around her again?
"Your office is nice," she commented, unable to stop herself from trying to break the awkward silence.
He acknowledged her compliment with a curt nod, his back still turned to her as he rummaged around looking for that extra shirt.
"Did you have fun tonight?" he asked in a tone that made it sound more sarcastic than anything else.
"I did," she answered in a clipped tone, starting to lose her patience with him.
"Yes, Jesse seems like makes for quite some company," he remarked snidely.
"He does," she retorted in a voice stiff with annoyance.
He certainly makes better company than you right now.
"What about you?" she asked. "Seems like you and Kol were enjoying yourself with your lady 'friends'. I thought you had gone home with one of them."
At this, he turned back to look at her, arching a brow.
"Jealous are we, love?"
She scoffed and laughed humorlessly.
"I didn't think you had noticed between all the dancing and hushed conversations you were exchanging with Jesse," he continued darkly.
"Jealous are we?" she shot back, arching an eyebrow as well.
"By all means sweetheart, if you want to spend the rest of your time here in New Orleans with the world's dullest and sappiest guy, then who am I to stop you?" he countered sardonically. "Tell me, did you already exchange numbers?"
She glared at him not wanting to tell him that they had. She wasn't even sure how it had happened but even if they did exchange numbers, what was wrong with it?
"You have haven't you?" he asked with a humorless laugh. "Well he certainly doesn't waste any time does he? Between us girls, what was it that did you in? Was it those pretty green eyes or the broad shoulders?"
"You know what? Whenever you decide to stop acting like a total ass, maybe we can talk and you can tell me what the hell your problem is," she snapped.
She made to leave but had taken no more that a few steps when she felt him tug on her elbow and spin her around and to face him and she barely had time to meet his gaze before his lips suddenly came crashing down on hers.
She was taken by surprise at the sudden feel of his soft lips on hers so suddenly and she was still annoyed with him that she didn't immediately react, something he quickly noticed because he pulled back almost just as suddenly and she him open his eyes and look at her with a clearly apologetic look and almost defeated look in his eyes.
"Caroline-" he started as he took a step back.
She wasn't sure what it was exactly that made made her act next but in the next moment, she was wrapping her hands around the cords of his necklaces and pulling him back to her and now it was her crashing her lips to his. This kiss was not soft or gentle, it was fiery and full of frustration on both their ends. Frustration with each other, frustration with their situation, but it was also filled with a longing that had only seemed to grow over the last few days.
There was so much to talk about but in that moment, Caroline was tired of talking. She was tired of the confusion and irritation that had been a constant over the last few days. Kissing him again, it didn't feel confusing or hard, it felt good. It felt right. So when he pulled her closer to him, she eagerly wrapped her arms around his neck, relishing in the feel of his hands running over her back and down her sides, holding her close against him while his lips molded with hers.
They stood there, kissing more fervently and hungrily like they would never be able to get enough of one another, and this time, there was no one there to interrupt them.
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed even a little. Fun fact: I rewrote this chapter 3 times and still not sure how I feel about it, but I promise, I wasn't trying to slack off on getting this done. For those that have been asking, Bonnie and Enzo will be making their appearance soon in upcoming chapters so stay tuned.
If you feel so inclined will you please share your thoughts with me? :)