Destined Chapter 6
"I just don't get her problem, why does she have to choose? There is no comparison" Bonnie rolls her eyes and leans forward for a handful of popcorn from the large ceramic bowl on the coffee table, she's sitting on the floor with her knees hunched up to her chest.
"She's not choosing, she knows what she wants, she's just a little torn, and she clearly doesn't want to cause any conflict or hurt anyone" Elena waves her hand in the air as she states her opinion then reaches forward after Bonnie for her share of the sweet and salted snack. She's seated on the arm chair just to side of the coffee table where there's a range of calorific goodies and refreshments.
"Yeah but Vampires are obviously better than Werewo…" She's cut off by the abrupt silence in the room as Caroline clicks the pause button on the TV remote and turns to stare at the back of Bonnie's head, stopping the movie just before the pale brunette punches the hot wolf boy.
"Uh-oh" Elena sing songs with a smirk and raises her eyebrows to Bonnie as if to say 'you're gonna get it.'
"And what exactly is wrong with Werewolves Bonnie?" Caroline asks whilst sipping on her home-made cosmo, one eye-brow is raised and her mouth is set into a thin pout but a small smirk is playing right on the edges. She's sitting behind Bonnie on the couch with her legs crossed and cushion resting on her lap. Bonnie rolls her eyes at Elena then turns her head and the top half of her torso round to look guiltily at her blonde best friend.
"Oh come on Car, you know what I meant I was only kidding, they're both hot and strong and, wait..I-I thought it was over between you and Ty.."
"It is, it is…god I don't know what's going on with him, I don't even know where he is, I don't even think I care even more.." Bonnie sighs lightly and gets up to sit by Caroline's side, her arm entwining with Caroline's and careful not to spill her cocktail. Elena gets up and picks up the pitcher on the glass table and the two other empty glasses and sits on Caroline's free side with her feet up resting on the cushion on Caroline's lap.
"Are you ok Caroline?"
"Yeah we're worried about you, you've been kind of distant this past week,,"
"Yeah we haven't even seen you outside of school all week… like at all."
It was true, Caroline had gotten home just before curfew on Monday night, she'd already sent her mom a text to say she was doing some early prom and graduation prep with the student council and they all went for pizza after. On Tuesday she was lucky enough to find a note on the side unit in the hall when she got home from school, it explained that her mom had been sent out of town on some kind of last minute conference and training course with work and would be home on Sunday. Naturally she made good use of the privacy of the empty house and as if on auto-pilot her fingers glided over the familiar letters in her cell-phone address book, calling up the only name, the only thing that occupied her brain in that moment. He was at her door as soon as it was dark enough for the neighbours to draw their blinds. They spent the night huddled together on the floor pouring over old books from her mom's bookcase, Klaus pulling the words on the pages apart and offering his own phrasing, whilst drinking cocoa, yes really that's what they did, and it was fabulous.
Wednesday she made good use of the 'Stefan helping her mom on a lead' thing and told the girls she was over at the Salvatore's doing some research with Stefan, Elena was at home anyway occupied with Damon and Jeremy doing some 'hunter training'. So whilst everybody was blissfully oblivious Caroline and Klaus were lying side by side, face up on the hood of his SUV, tucked away between hilltops and trees and staring up into the navy blanket of the night sky which was dotted by silver swirls and clusters. They stayed like that for hours, pointing at the constellations, sharing stories and knowledge of astronomy and then somehow got onto the subject of Astrology. When it got too cold Klaus gathered her up in his arms, close and tight, and then when it was no longer possible to stay out any longer or later he regretfully delivered her back home, making sure to hang back down the street while he watched her enter her home, just in case.
On Thursday she decided to not make up any more lies, they were getting harder to keep track on, and just settled for not saying anything at all. Lady luck really must have been on her side as she had study hall all morning, where she could ignore her friends and point to the passing teacher with a finger on her lips, at lunch she went off campus saying she had to do run some errands for her mom while she out of town. Last lesson of the afternoon she almost kissed the substitute teacher who was 15 minutes late and disinterested whilst explaining that Mr Harts's wife went into labour. She batted her lashes and gave her carefully revised 'Senior, student council, prom committee and even Miss Mystic' speech and she was out of there without another word or look of concern. She backed her car into a free space at the lakeside diner a half hour out of town.
She was expecting to have to wait a little while but as she glanced up out of the front wind screen window she was met with the beautiful, reflective glimmer of the water and before that the even more beautiful sight of Klaus hovering over her car, hands pressing down on the hood and the most cheekiest, dazzling of smiles on his face. They walked around the whole of the water's edge with take out polystyrene coffee cups and bags of seeds and crumbs of bread to throw for the waiting ducks and birds. Sickly sweet, rom-com style Klaus situations like this were becoming a familiar, pleasurable experience, that Caroline had to admit she couldn't get enough of. When they got back to the car lot the sky was grey and the air cool with the wind picking up, the area was quiet with only one other car parked beside theirs and the tell-tale signs of rain drops were starting to spatter on the concrete at their feet. They ate dinner tucked away in a booth right at the back, feet and ankles curling around each other under the table and hands fumbling, stealing from each other's plates. They stayed until the elderly waitress with bags under her eyes marched over with their food bill, which they hadn't yet asked for, she looked utterly bored as she pulled a large ring of keys from her apron and jingled them impatiently in her fingers.
So Friday came and she knew she couldn't hide from Bonnie and Elena any longer, she invited them over for a girls night, this is good, this is what she needs, her friends, some space, her mind completely averted from thoughts of him, that is until tonight's movie was decided.
"Yeah, I-I'm fine, really I am, I'm just, just dealing you know? Graduation, prom, blah blah blah.." The girls nodded and took sips from their replenished glasses, waiting for her to carry on. "I think, no I know I'm over the whole Tyler thing, I'm ready for something more now, something real and permanent" She scoffs and takes another gulp from her glass. She looks up to the TV screen. "A-and I just think that why should she have to choose between a Vampire and Werewolf I mean not that I'm pro-cheating or anything but, but sometimes people can be both you know?" She points her glass to the frozen image of the on the flat screen on the wall, causing the contents inside to slosh around and not noticing the strange looks she was receiving from her friends, she was on a roll now, mixed with a little Dutch courage. "I-I mean, sometimes people can be both what you expect and what you don't, they can be exactly who you need and who you don't need and there shouldn't be anything wrong that right? As-as long as they are who you know you should be with, somebody who you can trust with your life no matter what, even though you know you shouldn't.." She cuts herself off with a sigh, unspoken words lingering on her lips.
"Caroline this isn't about the movie is it?" Bonnie tilts her head and leans in closer. Without even thinking she slowly starts to shake her head, her walls crumbling, ready to admit the truth, she doesn't want to hide anymore. The bond is growing stronger everyday, and it's harder to deny and control the feelings. Bonnie and Jeremy and most bonded couples cope ok with being apart because they have nothing to hide, they're love is out in the open and they can be honest about they're feelings. That's the hardest part of the bond, trying to dampen the urges and what you say and what you're body wants to do. Bonnie and Elena exchange looks and lean in closer, getting comfortable for the story that they've been waiting to hear from their best friend.
Then a thought suddenly comes to Caroline, no this isn't right, he's been hiding for me this whole time, acting like a proper gent, for me, he should be here, we should be together when people see our marks. She quickly sits up straight and brushes a hand through her hair, disguising the little head shake as a way to flick her curls away from her face.
"Aaah I'm being silly, of course it's about the movie I just really love the sparkly guy and the tanned, tattooed shirtless guy ok.." She lets out a nervous giggle and leans forward to pick up the pitcher.
"Caroline come on, it's us, you can't keep doing this to us.."
"Look, I'm sorry you guys, I know I've been in my own head this past week, but if I told you that I'm fine and I know I'm going to be a lot happier in the foreseeable future, and that you have to trust that if and when I have to tell you something I will, will you guys accept that?" They look at each other, faces exasperated then reply with a nod of the head. "Good, thank you, and if I told you something that genuinely makes me happy but may not be the most perfect scenario at first, would you guys be as good of friends as you have been this week and support me anyway?"
"Yeah but Car.."
"Ah, would you?" She holds up a finger, silencing any further questions or comments. The two other girls nod again. "Good, I love you guys." She gives them a bright, beaming smile and tops up all of their glasses then rises hers and waits for her friends to join her in a toast. Whilst obviously biting their tongues and swallowing down any complaints and concerns for their friend, they decide to trust Caroline on this, this one time and move their glasses towards her.
"To, good times and good friends and hope and love and.." She's disrupted by the burst of laughter coming from the girls and joins them, giggling at how ridiculous she sounded, the realisation settling in that this actually could all be ok, and she could be happy and have what she wants, and actually admit to wanting it at the same time. They clink their glasses together rather excitedly and messily, causing some of the red liquid to slip over the side and down onto Caroline's cream, baggy bed shirt.
"Oh shoot that's gonna stain.." The three girls stumble to get up off the couch quickly, Elena rushing to the kitchen to grab a wash cloth for the spill and Bonnie taking the glasses and setting them down as Caroline immediately peels the shirt up and off over head. "I'm just gonna go put this straight in th…" A small crash and smash makes her look down to find Bonnie hunched over the coffee table, one of the glasses in pieces on the table top, her fingers are spread wide as if the glass just slipped straight from her grasp, but her head is up and eyes focused on Caroline, well Caroline's chest. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Elena standing in the doorway, she turns to look at her, the wash cloth hanging from her limp fingers, and her mouth wide open. "What? Like we all haven't seen each other in worse states of undress before." She rolls her eyes and scoffs and moves forward to go to the laundry room but not before catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror hanging on the wall beside the TV screen. OH. MY. GOD, this is sooo not the way this was supposed to happen.. She tries to swallow, her throat dry as her eyes find Bonnie's behind her in the reflection as she stands up and watches Caroline cautiously.
"The movie.. my ass"