Chapter 13

[6.00pm]

"Guess this is it" it was that awkward moment. They stood just in front of the parked taxi as they looked face to face. You would think after two weeks, they would have more to say to each other but turns out they were speechless.

They had some many decisions, were they close enough to hug or was it a hand shake? Would they keep in contact or would it just be a one off? Caroline knew what she wanted and so did Klaus but they were both too scared to admit it instead, they smiled at each other.

"I guess it is" he tried to stop smiling but it seemed impossible, if he didn't smile he may have cried. But that was the manly thing to do he didn't know why he felt so emotional. It felt worse than knowing Tyler died. Tyler left him unintentionally and Caroline was leaving him by choice.

It hurt.

He frowned remembering he wanted to give her something as he grabbed out an envelope from his pocket and gave it to her as she looked inside. Her eyebrows rose as she saw all the money "It's what you made" she shook her head as she looked up at him

"No Klaus" she opened his hand, placing it back into his palm and closing his fingertips "I don't want it, what good is a load of euro's to me anyways" she smiled as she let go of his hands and walked away, taking her suitcase and putting into the boot of the car.

Klaus looked down at the passive white envelope in his hand. He didn't want it and he really couldn't accept it. He didn't deserve it, like he didn't deserve her. He eyed her handbag in the passenger seat as he leaned over, wedging the envelope into the side pocket. He bolted upright as she came back round pretending he never moved a muscle as he continued to grin

"It's been lovely meeting you Klaus" she said formally as they shook hands. She didn't know she was acting like he was her business partner. Surely, they were now more than that. Maybe even close enough to class themselves as friends

"And you, love" she smiled getting into the car. He shut the door as he waved into the open window and watched as her car drive away down the road. He waited until the car became a dot and disappeared before he moved. He put his hands into his pockets as he stared at his feet as he dawdled back to the house.

He was alone, like he had been the majority of his life. He stopped just outside the empty house and looked up what had he done?

"It's for the best, Caroline" she mumbled "For the best" she waited five minutes before she turned round, saying goodbye to the road that she was starting to love. She tried to fight the tear leaving her eye, she felt like she was having a conflict with herself. One side of her wanted to stay but the other side needed to go.

She sighed it was going to be alright. She would move on and so would Klaus. She would be forgotten within a week and that's how she wanted things to be. That's the way it should be. She did what she had to do. She sold Tyler's stuff and that was really all her intentions. She formally handed over the house to Klaus so he could do what he liked with it. Everything was tied up she was ready.

She was going home, to her family, to her old life, everything would be back to normal. She tried reassuring herself but all the words in the world couldn't change the way she felt. Maybe lipstick would?

It was known fact that Caroline always felt better when she looked better. She rummaged around in her bag searching for the small canister, it was typical how whenever you needed to find something you couldn't instead she found something that she wasn't expecting

"Klaus" she mumbled shaking her head as she began looking down at the envelope in her hands. He just couldn't accept it could he? She wasn't sure she was happy that he didn't take it or if she mad that he should taken it but didn't?

When it came to Klaus, her feelings were never sure. It was always a debate between two options. Another reason why she had to leave, she was indecisive as it was. She didn't need another contributing factor.

Her brow furrowed as she thought back to her last moment with him, she didn't even see him go to her handbag, never mind put the envelope it. She knew if she saw him, she would have slapped his wrists and made him take the money but it was too late for that. She didn't want the money it was like dirt money, a reminder of everything. Good and bad.

It was then that she saw the sign by the side of the road

"Excuse me, can we just stop a second? I need to see something" the driver nodded as he pulled over by the nearby kerb. She stepped out the car, leaving her door slightly ajar as she began walking over to the man standing by the sign as he attempted to greet her.

He evaluated her and came to decision that she didn't have much money there wasn't much point him wasting his time with her. Instead he rolled his eyes and continued staring at passing cars

"How much?"

"€19,000" he said bluntly, she can't afford it he thought as he gave her the one over and looked back his sign. He scoffed, it was typically the only person was a broke American, Typical.

He spat on the road as he rubbed in with his shoes, Caroline had already lost interest in him, all she was interested in with what he was selling. She took out the envelope in her bag and handed it to him as his eyes widened

"Keep the change" she smiled, she began to walk away before having a thought "Actually could you send it to this address" she wrote down the address on a piece of paper. He took it obligingly as he smiled, suddenly very nice to her

"Anything else Ma'am" she thought for a while

"Actually..." she took another piece of paper writing a small note on its contents

"Give him this"

© Ms Zola, Oct 2012