Chapter 8

He waited for her in the car and she still hadn't arrived.

Girls

how long did it take them to get ready?

He began tapping the steering wheel impatiently before looking at the time. It had already been five minutes and there still wasn't any sign of her. He beeped the horn

"Hurry up!" he shouted from the car window when she finally emerged dressed in a blue flowered sundress. He had to admit she looked ravishing. He couldn't help but stare at her. They may not love each other but he couldn't stop his instincts.

She sat in the passenger seat of his Mercedes as she smiled, putting on her seat belt

"Am I late?"

"Just a tad, love" he began reversing the car as the gates opened and off they went on their wild wind adventure into the unknown – well for Caroline – Klaus smiled as he put on the radio listening to some classic French tunes.

It was a beautiful Paris day, the sun was shining and the cobbled streets glistened as they drove past. Every little shop that surrounded the house was open, getting ready for a new day. Caroline had never been in a Mercedes before and well there always is a first for everything. It had black leather button seats and the leg room was massive; definitely a change from her Chevy at home.

She rested her head on the head rest behind her, looking at the people go by. She heard Bonjour every so often as they waved into the car. That was something she liked in Paris, people were so friendly. They would say hello or good morning to you in the streets, back in LA all you got was miserable faces and the odd sales man, shouting down your ear to buy a magazine.

Paris seemed so old fashioned like time never moved on – well certainly the part of Paris they were in did – she knew there were places that were more modern but she somehow didn't want that. Living in the hustle and bustle of LA could put any one off the busy city life

"Where we going then?"

"If I tell you, I'd ruin the surprise"

"Okay, well tell me about it then. You know the back story" he smiled. She seemed to always find ways of getting him to confess and open up. There weren't many people that could do that. Generally Klaus was very close shopped about anything and everything but with Caroline he just felt like he wouldn't be judged as she knew Tyler and somehow knew him.

Of course, he was sure she didn't feel the same, she probably still had that same hatred of him since the day they met; he wouldn't be surprised. Although, she was a good actress, she disguised it well. It was more obligation to be nice than anything else, he knew it

"When we were kids, Paris looked very different than it does now. There wasn't really anywhere two kids could go and play, it was pretty boring but we found a place, not too far from here, where we would go every day after school. It was somewhere kids could just be kids, we could do anything we wanted, be anything we wanted" Caroline tried to visualise this magical place, she tried to think of a younger Tyler and Klaus playing there, making childhood memories that only the two of them shared

"I didn't know you went to school here?"

"Oh yes, when my parents got married we moved here shortly after. Tyler and I practically lived here until our parents died, then Tyler went his own separate way. He told me that living in Paris was like living in a memory but things had changed, they were no longer here and he couldn't keep living a lie and so he left" The window was opened slightly as Caroline's hair blew in the wind, she moved a piece of hair out of her face as she watched as Klaus drove

"I never knew that, I always assumed you all move to America and livedthere. I mean that's all Tyler every told me"

"Well turns out he didn't tell you an awful lot, love" that's for sure thought Caroline turning her head back to her side window as she stared out as they entered a more countryside area of Paris. The amount of shop houses decreased as the grass made its way into the scene.

It was about thirty minutes into the journey before eventually the car came to a complete halt as Caroline looked longingly outside then at Klaus

"Are we here?" she queried as she saw a dimmed look on his face, that couldn't be a good sign

"Nope. It looks like we're out of gas" Brilliant thought Caroline as she knocked her head back on the head rest. Yes, maybe they had been getting along better but that didn't mean that she was prepared to be abandoned in the middle of nowhere with him.

"Don't worry love" he put his hand out in a calming motion "I'll fix it" she rolled her eyes, Mr. Fix it to the rescue she opened the car door stepping outside. They were truly stuck in the middle of the beautiful French nowhere.

One road, No houses and a hell of a lot of trees, when you're driving through the countryside, everything looked lovely but when you're stuck in it, it was like living your worst nightmare.

"We're going to have to push" Caroline blinked twice before fully registering what he just said. Did he not realise that she was a girl? She looked down at the muddy ground and then her patent shoes and wondered was it really worth it?

She made an effort this morning but that all seemed to fly out the window.

"Sorry, did you say push?"

"I did" he had that sparkle in his eye that would normally make any girl weak at the knees but Caroline stood her ground. Was he always this perky? She laid her hand over her open door staring at him over the top of his car

"Are you being serious?" he cocked his head slightly as she swore he winked at her. Seemed to be one of his common traits

"Deadly" She looked down at his top of range Mercedes and then down at her shoes – now covered in mud – which was more important to her?

"Can't we just leave it here? I'd rather walk than push the damn car and ruin my shoes" Klaus put his hand over his heart and sarcastically gasped as though she really hurt him. He gently started stroking the rusty roof top smiling down

"We can't just leave my baby! Where I go, she goes. Got it Blondie?" she couldn't help but roll her eyes every time a word left his mouth

"So in theory I could just leave you here?"

"You could but I bet you any money that you'll walk to the end of this road, get lost and come running back to me"

"You wanna bet?" he walked round the car, so that he was now standing in front of her. This fiery attitude intrigued him as he leant in whispering in her ear

"Don't bother, love" she pushed his hard chest away from her with all her strength making him go back slightly as she walked past him. There was only one way she could get to this place on time. It better be worth it after all he put her through. She scowled, waddling past him. Her heels were almost embedded into the ground as she squelched in the mud.

Don't look down, don't look down she chanted to herself.

The less she knew about the state of her outfit the better. She stood behind the back of the car, hands on the boot as she looked up at him

"You gonna help me push or not?" he smiled standing next to her mimicking her position as he wiggled his bum in the gayest fashion possible. She wanted to laugh but she tried to hold her tongue. She had to remember she wasn't happy

"Ready when you are" on the count of three they pushed that car. She gathered all her strength, as she pushed hard, all the way down the small hill and straight into a brick wall – which seemed to appear out of nowhere – now was her time to laugh.

She looked from the wall to Klaus as she watched his jaw drop.

She shouldn't laugh, it wasn't funny – well maybe just a tad – she placed a hand on his shoulder as she straightened her face. She would never live this down, so she was going to make the most of it while she still could.

Thank you for all your reviews, I've tried to thank as many of you as I can :) Thought this chapter was classic, a bit of humour brings any couple closer right? Well we shall see about that :)

© Ms Zola, Oct 2012