Chapter 12

"I have to go" she mumbled as she pulled her suitcase behind her down the long corridors "I just have to get out of here" she continued to ramble to herself as she past Klaus sitting in the living room, eating a bowl of cereal

"Where you going, love?" he frowned as he put the spoon in his mouth and chewed away. He evaluated her fully dressed state as she stopped for a moment and stared at the door, refusing to meet his glare

"Home" she said as she continued walking forward

"What!?" He almost spat out his cereal as he bolted to his feet but she was already out the door. He looked down his bare chest and pyjama bottoms as he shrugged his shoulders and leaped out the door after her. Some things were more important.

He ran out bare footed as he practically chased after her down the street

"Caroline, I think I heard you wrong, did you say home, as in -?"

"LA" his eyes widened, she was clearly hysterical. He had to defuse the situation and bring her back inside. She continued walking as he tried to keep up with her, jogging along side as he spoke

"So you've booked the plane ticket?"

"No"

"Then how to you plan on getting there, love? Surely, you don't plan on walking" she didn't dare looked at his face, although she wanted to. The number of times she had thought about a guy chasing after her and the one time it actually happens, she didn't want it to

"I'll...find a way" if she was going to do this, she needed transport. He was about to offer her a lift when he realised his car was still sitting firmly crashed into a wall. He sighed, she was determined that was for sure

"Why don't you go tomorrow, we can book you a plane ticket and taxi?" he stopped now standing behind her as his voice softened "Just stay one more night, love" she continued walked but then slowed as she realised he stopped.

And for the first time since their stroll, she turned and faced him, looking at his topless state and blushing. How she missed that earlier, she will never know

"Please, love" he repeated as she looked at him

"Fine" he sighed in relief, she's staying "but first thing tomorrow, I'm out of here"

"Deal" he walked over taking her suitcase as they both walked back to the house side by side.

Caroline was spooked.

That was the only explanation, she woke up with her arms around Klaus – clearly her subconscious self had more guts than her – she sat in the living room, staring at Klaus's laptop as he cooked her lunch.

She scanned for plane tickets, anything that could get her home quicker than tomorrow morning. But so far, there was no such luck. He hummed away to himself as he cooked what smelt like pasta. She had to constantly stop herself from smiling, she still had the image of his bare chest in her mind and whenever she looked at him that was all she saw. She scolded herself for doing so, but it was only natural.

He was kinda hot.

Of course, he now had a shirt on and was fully dressed but she still couldn't make that image budge. Instead she kept her eyes firmly on the laptop screen, scrolling up and down in search of something; Maybe a one way ticket to the solution to her problems?

"Any luck?" he called from the kitchen, secretly hoping that she never finds a ticket. She looked up from her screen to look at him again, before smiling as she saw that image again

"Not yet but it says it will email me if it finds any for today" she closed the laptop screen, staring down at her phone, waiting for that message but she was chasing unrealistic dreams. Last minute tickets were only in fairytales, she wouldn't get anything until tomorrow. She would just have to endure him.

He walked towards her carrying two plates in his hand as he handed her ones and sat down. She looked down at red plateful of Spaghetti Bolognaise as she raised an eyebrow

"Something wrong, love?" he looked from her plate to her face before taking a mouthful of his lunch. Was there something wrong with his food? He shook his head, definitely not this tasted amazing

"One minute you can't cook and the next you can just cook this without a recipe?"

"Firstly love, I never said that I couldn't cook you just assumed" she rolled her eyes, of course "Secondly, this is my mother's recipe" she took a bite before melting in the mixture of flavours. He chuckled as he looked down at her satisfied face before continuing to eat himself

"This is good, I think I just fell in love with your mother"

"You're not a lesbian too are you?" he chuckled as she nudged his arm

"I wouldn't like you –" she stopped realising what she was about to say. His face was eager as she subtly changed her words "your brother, if I was a lesbian" his expression changed slightly as he forced a chuckle

"That's very true, sweetheart" they locked eye contact before it was broken as their heads jolted to the jingle of a phone

"Oh that's me" she smiled taking the phone out her pocket and reading the message. By the look on her face, Klaus knew exactly what was on that text and he really wished he was wrong

"There's a flight tonight at 8pm" she yelped as she leaned over on the sofa grabbing the laptop off the coffee table and opening it. She went straight onto the website and found the ticket before her fingers start typing away

"That's great, love" he said but his voice was different, it was somehow softer. He looked at her excitement and couldn't help but feel hurt. He clearly felt an unrequited love for her, he couldn't be selfish. He had to let her go.

After all, what kind of man would he be going after his dead brother's girlfriend? He just kept smiling at her; that was all he seemed capable of doing, she was too good for him.

"I'm all set, I just need to print off these tickets and I'm good to go" she didn't know why she was so happy?

She was leaving Paris, where she had dreamed all her life to visit. She was leaving a place that she began to love over the week she had been there and here she was happy to flee, like it was the worst country in the world. Deep down, she knew why she couldn't wait to leave.

She had to avoid temptation.

She imagined what he thought about her, if she dated him, he would think he was her rebound after Tyler. An after-thought, it wasn't the case at all but she didn't want him thinking badly of her.

She had to go it was what was best for her and him.

It is things like this - that lack of communication - that can affect everyone's life decisions.

There are two sides to the story but here Caroline and Klaus were, reluctant to believe any other story apart from their own.

But that's the thing about fate and destiny, however much you try and escape,

it will always discovers a way of finding you.

© Ms Zola, Oct 2012