Chapter 18
[2 months later]
The room was empty. Everything was either packed in shipping or sold. It was weird looking into a plain white room. That red stain gone just like Tyler and in itself place was perfection. It looked like show house. But she had to keep reminding herself, it was a place where she once lived. It looked so sterile. No one could live in somewhere so emotionless. She was surprised she was able to last three years – that was a miracle in itself – she was sure that she was living in some bubble that made her oblivious to the outside world. In those years, she never batted an eyelid of question Tyler's tactics, she just went along with it, like his little lap dog. She finally came to some conclusion, three years of her life, wasted just like that. Maybe Tyler's death was for the best – she cringed slightly – what would happen if he didn't die? Would she still be living a lie, pretending that they loved each other, staying unmarried for another five years? Klaus was convinced that Tyler did love her, but the more she thought about their time together, she wasn't so sure. She was treated like she was just a trophy that he could buy off with expensive gifts. There was no romance there, no love, it was just appearance. But Klaus was different, she knew that now. He was nothing like Tyler. In fact he was the complete opposite. Sometimes, she wished she met Klaus first
"Ready, love?" he walked over to her, taking her hand as he looked at her waiting for a response. She looked around the room, once more before nodding and following his lead out of the room. Goodbye she thought as she left what seemed to be her old life. As she shut the door behind her, she never looked back.
It wouldn't be long until the new tenants arrived in the house but by then she would be on the first plane out of there. The last two months were more productive than half her time with Tyler. They planned what the future would hold. Klaus stayed with Caroline every step of the way, helping her move her furniture and selling majority of it. Now the time had come where she would say goodbye to LA and hello to Paris - her new home. Of course, Klaus kept all the details about Paris a secret. He refused to tell her what they would be doing there or where they would be living. Even after all her attempts at seducing the information out him, he kept his mouth tightly shut, claiming that he wasn't doing anything. But she knew he was planning it, those nights when he would curl up in the corner of the room, typing rapidly on his phone, he was up to something she just didn't know what yet. Frankly, she just assumed that they would live in his house – not that she had ever been there – but there was always a first for everything. They endured the flight to Paris but this time she was happy, sat next to the love of her life. The universe was just giving them more time to bond. She learnt things about him that she didn't know. They went through stages, those two weeks in Paris, she learnt about Tyler. The two months in LA, he learnt about her and now the plane trip back, she learnt about him. But the bit she was looking forward to the most was when they learnt about love.
"Open your eyes" he whispered in her ear, as they got out the taxi. She could feel his arms around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. She spent the whole taxi journey with her eyes closed, in the fear that she would somehow recognise the way – some hope that was – she smiled now, feeling the warmth of his breath at her neck as she slowly opened her eyes, seeing those familiar white gates. She gasped, spinning around to face him
"I thought you sold it!?"
"I couldn't" He paused, taking both her hands "It's where we first met. It's where we had our first memories and I hope it's where we'll make plenty more" she was kind of speechless. She was thinking the same thing, the other day. Yes, it may be Tyler's house but she never saw it as that. She never went there with Tyler, he never spoke about. Even his belongings weren't really him. It was like their house, they made their own and now they were going to be living in it. And they could actually now call it theirs. She took him in an embrace as he lifted her slightly and spun her round. It might have been one of many, of his happiest moments in his life
"Can we go inside?"
"Of we can, love. It's ours remember" he let go of her as she almost ran off like a little toddler in a toy shop "I may have changed a few things" he yelled after her but it didn't look like she heard so he just chuckled and followed after her. She'll see for herself
He could hear her squealing from inside as he opened the door. It wasn't what he expected it was so much better
"Klaus!" she ran over again, hugging him with a full force, he nearly toppled over "All my furniture is alright here!" it filled every room and free space that once contained Tyler's stuff. Now it was hers, it looked completely different. Even Klaus's belongings were there, it was no longer, Tyler's it was theirs
"How did you-"
"I know a few people they sorted it all out" he chuckled, it knew more than a few people. They were more than obliged to sort their house out for him. They even managed to put his house on the market, now it was up for rent. They took Caroline's stuff from shipping and organised around the house. He even got some French interior designers to completely revamp the house. And this was done all by text, if he was being honest, he was rather proud of himself. Two months were more productive than Caroline knew. She walked in running her fingers over her cabinet by the doorway. She thought about how different it looked in its new home, how the white seemed to compliment Klaus's furniture. For some reason – she didn't know whether it was the decor or the layout – but the house seemed more like a home than her old house. Even her furniture seemed happier in its new environment. Klaus was having an effect on every aspect of her life.
He scooped her up into his arms as he toured her around the house. Everything looked different than before, even though somehow they still knew it was the same house. Appearances could definitely be deceiving. As they walked through, she gawped in awe at everything, they way her furniture blended so well, and she looked at the new furniture – which she assumed was Klaus – they came up to the bedroom, now as she smiled at the red ribbon blocking off the entranced to the door
"My lady" he chuckled, passing her a pair of scissors as she cut the ribbon "I now declare this bedroom open" she looked up at him as he winked "and ready for use, immediately" he dropped her on the bed as shuffled in towards the pillows on her back. He loomed in upon her, kissing her like their lives depending on it. She pushed him away as she sat on top of him. Her hair framing her face as she looked down upon him, they both smiled as he laid his hands on the smalls of her back. Caroline looked at him, they're eyes met and it was then that they both shared thoughts of the history of the house and the events it had experienced. She leaned down to kiss him as they started making memories of their own.
© Ms Zola, Nov 2012