"I don't like you," she uttered as she walked past him on the sidewalk unable to help herself.
"That works in my favor as I don't like you," he replied with a smirk as he entered his book shop.
Caroline unlocked her door unable to avoid his sight as he did the same mimicking his words as she entered the coffee shop.
The pair of them switching their store signs from closed to open throwing one last vile look at each other before they set off to work.
It hadn't always been like this in fact when the pair first met it was all bedroom eyes and conversations filled with innuendo.
But that was years ago, now they just picked and poked at each other. They fought constantly and threatened to move their business somewhere else.
None ever did, it was a secret only they knew about, no one would dare budge, no one could move on, not he or she. It was better this way they silently decided. Until one day.
"I would have thought you would have painted over that by now," he said after he let himself into her coffee shop.
His stomach turned as he saw her alone behind the counter of the small shop his insides tearing into him on how long he had let himself get used to being without her.
Caroline looked up her body frozen in place, "I love it too much to let it go," she said when her body caught up with her mind.
She looked from him back down to the counter right by the register where he had painted flowers for her to always keep.
"What are you doing here," she asked unable to look him in the eye, unsure why after two years he had crossed her doorway after promising he would never do it again.
"You closed early," he said in explanation as he reached the counter that divided them leaning on his spread hands noting how her fingers traced the delicate lines of the pink petals.
Caroline looked up at him at a loss he pursed his lips lifting his shoulders and he tilted his head, "You only close early when you have a date," he clarified feeling a bit exposed.
She gaped up at Klaus the nerve of him, she thought fisting her hand, "I don't have a date," she cried out wishing she could ignore the smile forming on his face that fumed her.
She stood straight up shutting the cash drawer, "Not that it's any of your business!" she told him as she came around the edge.
"Where would you even get that that's why I closed early," she shouted at him as she came closer without so much as a second thought.
Her breath hitched as she stood in front of him forgetting how tall he actually was, how warm he felt even without touching him.
Klaus smiled looking down at her bare feet her eyes shut and she blushed recalling how much time they'd spent here after hours with her feet throbbing until he made her remove her shoes.
Klaus looked her over, he instantly knew he missed her, loved her still just like the first moment when she was back behind the register.
When they were just starting out and she tucked that curl that teased him now behind her ear and smiled up at him. He knew then and he knew now.
"You only closed early when we would go out," he said his tone husky and low as if to not disturb the memories in the darkened room.
"I just figured." He tried with a movement of his head that wasn't a nod or a shake a frown forming where she wished his brilliant smile was again.
Caroline felt her throat close up and her eyes begin to swell his eyes tying hers to his under the pale moonlight.
"So you came down here because you thought I was going out," she began hoarsely pushing her hair back from her face.
"It wasn't that far," he tried to joke but she shook her head unamused by his antics, "I don't know what came over me Caroline," her head shot up when he said her name.
"I was here before I could realize it," he said in a moment of weakness, "I spoke before I could stop myself," he racked his brain trying to think of how he'd ended up here.
He followed his feet, followed his heart and as always it lead to her shop, to her window making sure he wasn't going crazy. That she was here and real and she had loved him once.
He made a movement to go deciding it was an awful idea to still be here, "I should," he pointing at the door turning on his way when she began.
"Not for any other reason?" she asked almost to herself wanting to keep him here longer o blame him or shout or kiss him but to keep him here longer.
"You didn't think maybe I was tired or that maybe it was October 15th and I couldn't function all day because of it." Caroline sighed setting her hand on a nearby chair.
She propped herself on one foot rubbing her ankle, he tried to speak she knew that much but just like her he didn't know how to begin.
Klaus winced stilling at her declaration, "I wasn't good at loving you," she tried he bit back a sigh when he heard her sob his eyes rolling up.
"Not at all but damn it Klaus did you have to make it so hard," she began on the verge of tears when he turned going back to her.
"No, no, no, don't do that," he whispered wiping the tears from her eyes, "It was me, I should have showed up and I tried but then you wouldn't listen," he began his own vision blurring.
"I came that night to tell you what I should have told you every day from the moment I realized it," he said holding her making sure she saw the truth in his eyes.
"I love you Caroline Forbes, I love you -even the parts you hate, and the parts I don't always like," he told her.
"I love that when your feet got cold you put on my socks." She laughed in between tears, "I love that when you walk down the sidewalk by my store you always pet Bryant's head.
Klaus grinned looking passed her to the pup that she had helped him adopt, "Because he misses you and I miss you."
Caroline followed his eyes and looked outside she spotted the brown spotted dog by the window looking on at the couple making her smile. "I love you." She whispered.
"Me? Or Bryant?" he asked with a smile Caroline laughed pressing her lips against Klaus' smiling into his mouth when she heard Bryant barking outside.