Give Me Love Like Never Before
A/N: So here is the next chapter. Hope you all like it. Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favorites.
Disclaimer: I do not own TVD
Chapter 12
"So does that mean it is the end of our trip? Are we finished with it?" asked Caroline eagerly. True, she loved traveling and visiting new places, but she really started to feel home sick after a few days. She missed being at a familiar place, meeting known people and eating regular food. It had all been exciting at first but then she really missed home. They had traveled to three more countries in a week and were finally in India. They didn't do much sightseeing in those places as they had little time and had so much to do. This trip was turning strenuous and she badly wanted to go back.
She missed Stefan, Elena, Bonnie and Lexi. She even missed Damon's constant sarcastic comments. Klaus too realized that they didn't have a breather since the conference in Tokyo. So he hoped to relax here. "No this means the end of our business trip. But we are free to enjoy the rest of the trip" said Klaus. Caroline looked at him skeptically. "Oh don't look like that. I promise you, you would have fun" told Klaus. "Yeah, right" laughed Caroline sarcastically. Klaus looked a bit offended and defended, "Hey it is not like I am such a bad company".
"Have you met you?" asked Caroline raising her eyebrows. Klaus just ignored her and declared, "Well I am going to explore the place. It is up to you. You can either accompany me and have fun or stay back and regret." Caroline debated between the two options. Though the second one appeared a lot more appealing, she just felt that she may not get such a great opportunity again. She had, after all, always wanted to visit the Taj Mahal. "Fine, I will come with you. But only if you promise me that you will not let your ego get in the middle and ask help to the places" said Caroline. Klaus just glared at her and left the place. Caroline smirked happy to have got to him.
Three hours later, Caroline sighed going through the jeans in a big shopping mall. When Klaus had told her that they were going shopping first, she was really excited. She loved shopping and looked forward to explore New Delhi for what it had to offer. But coming here, she was disappointed. Not that the mall didn't have anything nice. In fact it was filled with the world's best brands. But the drawback was that she could get those even in New York. She had wanted to get something unique that would remind her of her trip to India.
Apparently she had come to the wrong place. Caroline turned to see Klaus looking through the suits. He seemed to be absolutely fine. Caroline just shook her head and went back to her jeans. That was when she heard a voice which exclaimed, "Nik, is that you? God, it has been years!" Caroline turned to look at an Indian guy of Klaus's age hugging him tightly. Klaus too seemed to have recognized that guy as he hugged back and said, "Rahul, I am so happy to see you" Rahul appeared really happy for a moment before he punched Klaus in the stomach.
"Rascal, don't ever talk to me. You just forgot me after the college. I even tried to contact you in New York, but I couldn't reach you." To Caroline's surprise, Klaus looked genuinely guilty as he tried to pacify his friend by saying, "I am so sorry, Rahul. I guess I just got carried away by work. What are you doing now?" Though Rahul appeared unsatisfied with Klaus's explanation, he dropped it and replied, "I took over my dad's company. What are you doing in India, anyway?" "Well, I came here for some business matter" said Klaus. "Oh yeah. I heard that you are in charge of Mikaelson motors in US. I always knew you would do it. You were pretty ambitious." Klaus just laughed it off while Rahul finally noticed Caroline standing nearby.
"Oh, is this your girlfriend? You look great together" announced Rahul. Caroline shook her head in horror while Klaus explained, "She is my personal assistant, Caroline Forbes. Caroline this is my friend from college, Rahul Sharma". Rahul shook hands with Caroline still convinced that she looked more of his girlfriend than his assistant. "Fine then you have to come to my home. It is not like you come to India that often" urged Rahul. "I don't think I can. I really have to…" "I am not requesting you to come. I am saying you should come. So should you, Ms. Forbes" smiled Rahul. He looked like a pretty sweet guy to Caroline. What she still couldn't understand was how such a nice person was friends with Klaus.
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Caroline looked around the living room as she realized how big the house was. When Rahul had invited them to his house, Caroline thought it would be pretty big house as he happened to own a company. What she didn't expect to see was a palace with a great decorated living room, and a big staircase inside that led to the first floor. It looked like Rahul lived in a big joint family with his parents, brothers and his wife. She was envious of how lucky he must be to live in such a big family when she couldn't even see her only mom on Thanksgiving.
They had a good Indian lunch there and they were pretty loaded with the spicy dishes, hot parathas and puris and sweet ladoos. Though they were a little too spicy for Caroline's taste nevertheless they were tasty. Moreover she loved the delicious badham gheer and the mouth watering gulab jamuns. The Sharmas all were kind and receptive. They were actually happy to see them and treated them well. They insisted on her having more when she refused additional helpings. On the whole Caroline had one pretty satisfying lunch.
"So you are leading a perfect life, huh! CEO of your own family business, married to a beautiful wife and living with your family. Can this get any better?" teased Klaus with a hint of jealousy in his voice. Rahul laughed humorlessly on hearing it before saying, "To all those from outside, we may look like a happy family without any worries. But only we know how much we suffer from the pain of losing our princess" Klaus looked shocked as he saw tears starting to form in his friend's eyes.
"I am talking about Pooja, my youngest sister. She died in an accident last year and ever since our family has never been the same. Though we put on our masks everyday, we can't help but feel a gaping hole in our otherwise fun filled family. She was the only girl in our family who brought cheer to the house. You will not know the impact a person one has on our life until they leave you" said Rahul. Klaus had a sudden urge to call Rebekah right away and tell how he terribly missed her and how stupid he was to fight with her. Rahul brought him out of his thoughts by saying, "Anyway sorry to load my sorrows. Tell me about you. How is your family? Didn't you plan to live together with your brothers and sister?"
"Yeah, but not everything happens as we wish, Rahul" sighed Klaus. "Why? They are your family, Nik. Remember, family above all? No matter what differences you have, try to set them aside. After all, we don't know what surprise life throws at us, sometimes" advised Rahul. Klaus just nodded at him not wanting to argue. "So, what about Caroline? Isn't she pretty? You would make a great pair, Nik" teased Rahul trying to lighten the mood. Klaus just shoved him aside causing Rahul to stumble resulting in both of them laughing out.
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Words failed to describe the beauty in front of her for Caroline. She was standing before one of the Seven Wonders of the World. She had gotten picture postcards of this place before but now only she realized that the postcard picture of Taj Mahal did not adequately convey the legend, the poetry and the romance that it symbolized. As they passed through the gateway and into its manicured ground, they were quickly enveloped into this tranquility and beauty of green gardens and trees, and of course the imposing monument as its most striking and captivating feature at the far end.
Caroline was memorized and captivated by Taj Mahal's simplistic beauty and elegance. The reflection of such a magnificent structure in the pool only added to its attractiveness. The guide who accompanied them explained to them the meaning of its construction, "Taj Mahal was built by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal. As a tribute to a beautiful woman and as a monument for enduring love, the Taj reveals its subtleties when one visits it without being in a hurry. The rectangular base of Taj is in itself symbolic of the different sides from which to view a beautiful woman"
"The main gate is like a veil to a woman's face which should be lifted delicately, gently and without haste on the wedding night. In Indian tradition the veil is lifted gently to reveal the beauty of the bride. If you stand inside the main gate, your eyes would be directed to an arch which frames the Taj. The dome is made of white marble, but the tomb is set against the plain across the river and it is this background that works its magic of colors that, through their reflection, change the view of the Taj. These changes, they say, depict the different moods of woman" explained the guide.
As they came outside, Klaus looked amused for some reason and shook his head. Caroline frowned at him but decided to ignore him. "How romantic, isn't it?" asked Caroline wanting to start a conversation. Instead Klaus burst out laughing as he said, "Oh come on. You don't believe all the bull shit, right?" "What? You mean how it was built with absolute symmetry and how it took sixteen years and thousand people to build?" questioned Caroline irritated. Klaus always knew how to ruin her day. "No, I meant how Shah Jahan built this out of his pure love for his wife and died seeing this" explained Klaus.
"Of course. He built it out of pure love. Are you saying that the guy who spent his last days imprisoned by his son looking at the monument he built for his wife through a tiny hole, actually didn't love her?" argued Caroline. "Oh come on, for all we know, that building just might have a good view of Taj Mahal. As for his true love, he was married even after Mumtaz" reasoned Klaus. "So, that doesn't belittle the love he had. You just can't accept the fact that anyone can love this much only because you don't know to love" retorted Caroline. Klaus just scoffed as he said, "Love is the most overrated feeling in the world. Only fools believe in it. It is nothing but a weakness"
"Love not only means the love a boy feels towards a girl. It represents a mother's affection for his son, a brother's protectiveness over his sister and the friendship we share with someone" spelled out Caroline. "Sometimes, family and friendships can also disappoint, so you just can't convince me to believe in love" said Klaus. "I mean do you really believe in true love and soul mates? I mean, sorry to bring it up, but after what happened with Tyler?" questioned Klaus curiously. "Yes. I really believe in it. Tyler may not be the right guy but I do believe that there is a man who is perfect for me" insisted Caroline. However Klaus just snorted. Caroline let out a frustrated sigh as she conceded, "You know what? You can wake up a sleeping man. But cannot do so if he acts as if he is sleeping. I think it is not worth the calories I burn trying to make you see sense" Klaus just shrugged as he walked on.
Caroline stopped walking as a white colored miniature Taj Mahal adorned with color stones stole her attention. She had a sudden urge to own that beautiful piece of work. So she walked straight to the boy who manned the shop and enquired, "How much is that little Taj Mahal?" The boy looked back at it and shook his head saying, "No, madam. Not for sale. You should shoot the balloons to get it. Pay five rupees for each shot." Caroline contemplated over it as she wasn't that good at shooting the objects perfectly. Klaus, who had been watching her throughout, smirked at her as if challenging her to do it. So with new found conviction, Caroline got the gun from the boy and attempted to shoot the yellow balloon at the center.
The gun was a little heavier for her taste and she struggled to keep it up. As expected she missed the first shot. When she looked back, Klaus looked as if he was trying hard to not to laugh. With determination to shut his mouth, she aimed at a purple balloon which she considered as her favorite color. What she didn't expect was for her favorite color to let her down. By this time, Klaus cracked and laughed a little. Caroline huffed and shot desperately wanting to get over with it. To her surprise, the bullet hit a green balloon she didn't aim for at all. She jumped in ecstasy as she demanded her prize. The little guy gave her a key chain and returned to his other customers.
Caroline looked outraged and demanded, "Hey, I asked for that Taj Mahal. Why are you giving me this?" He appeared calm as if he had encountered crazy ladies like her everyday and explained, "You should shoot three balloons consequently to get that. For your shot you will get this key chain only, didi*" Caroline glared at him threateningly when Klaus felt the need to intervene. "I will pay double the price of the Taj. Just sell it" offered Klaus. However the boy resolutely refused to take money from him and insisted on following the rules. Finally Klaus relented and said that he himself will participate in it. Caroline was surprised to see Klaus doing this just for her to get that little Taj.
He looked so in ease positioning the gun and the way he flexed his muscles got him admiring looks from girls in the shop. She shot them all a withering look before turning her attention to the shooting. He shot the first shot precisely hitting the center balloon. Caroline raised her eyebrows clearly impressed with his skill. However, she was a little uneasy when he shot the second balloon too with same precision. 'Was he really that trained in shooting?' thought Caroline to herself. But she was happy that he could get her the thing she wanted. To her utter disappointment, Klaus missed the third balloon by mere few centimeters. She was given a stuffed doll for it which suffered greatly at her hands.
Klaus tried to make her see reason and promised to get her a similar one elsewhere. But she stood her ground and said she wanted that or nothing. "You leave me with no other choice. Start to run with me when I say go, ok?" instructed Klaus. "What?" asked Caroline confused at his crazy instruction. "Just trust me" said Klaus as he sneaked near the gift section and grabbed the Taj and whispered, "Go". Caroline was shocked at first by what he did but then realized she should eventually run. She ran with him in high speed through narrow streets and small roads till they were at a safe distance from the shop. They stood there out of breath and looked at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing.
"How could you even think of this?" asked Caroline in between the laughs. "Well, you wanted it. We tried our best and it was the only option left" explained Klaus. Caroline smiled at him thankful for going all the way to get what she desired. She noticed for the first time that he was not, Mr. Klaus Mikaelson, the ambitious and rude boss of Mikaelson motors in suit. Instead what she saw in front of her was Nik, the guy dressed in jeans and t-shirt not worried of his reputation, who just ran away from a shop because he stole something that was not even worth ten dollars. Caroline looked at him and said, "Thank you" genuinely smiling at him for the first time. Klaus too was thrilled to realize that he loved to make her smile and just hoped to do that more.
However their happiness was short lived as out of nowhere, a young girl came out and threw color powder at Klaus and shouted "Happy Holi". Klaus was a bit shocked at first but then remembered that Rahul had warned him not to wear a white shirt that day as it happened to be Holi. Apparently, Holi was a festival of colors. Young boys and girls drenched each other in colors and enjoyed the day completely. Caroline who had been waiting for Klaus to explode was surprised when Klaus lunged towards the girl's stock of color powder and applied it on Caroline. The Indian girl just laughed and suggested to Caroline, "Come on, it is just a fun festival. Take your revenge" Caroline didn't need to be told twice as she took the color water from the girl and drenched Klaus. He smirked devilishly as he chased Caroline into a street full of people celebrating Holi.
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"What are we exactly drinking?" asked Caroline quite buzzed already. "It is apparently called 'bhanga lassi'. But this is not too strong for an alcohol" clarified Klaus. "I just want to make sure there is no repeat of what happened in Seoul" explained Caroline. "Well, I enjoyed it" winked Klaus sipping their drink. Their evening had been fantastic. They blended well with the crowd celebrating Holi and had the fun of their lives. Caroline was surprised to see Klaus relaxed. She half expected him to shout at the girl who threw the color powder but was pleasantly surprised to seeing him joining the group.
"Why are you looking at me strangely?" asked Klaus feeling her eyes on him. "No it is just that I haven't seen you this relaxed, carefree, sweet and fun in all these days I had been with you" clarified Caroline. Klaus laughed one of his genuine laughs and said, "You see, I was acting professionally before. I was your boss and thus behaved as one. But now we are on a trip where we can enjoy. You should grab those opportunities because they are very far and few". She realized that there was more to him than just an ambitious businessman. Caroline looked unsure and asked tentatively, "Shouldn't we have dinner?" Klaus looked at his watch and nodded before answering, "Yeah, I heard there is a Pizza Hut round the corner. Let's go."
When they reached the place, they were preparing to shut down the shop. When they enquired, the shopkeeper told, "It is eleven, sir. During winters all the shops close at ten in the locality, sorry" Caroline groaned on hearing it. "God, I am freakishly hungry. Why did we waste our time looking through the street shops? I really need to have food" whined Caroline. Klaus looked her up and down and went to speak to the shopkeeper as if he had a sudden idea. After few minutes, Klaus asked her to enter the Pizza Hut much to the surprise of Caroline. She started eating as soon as she got the Pizza. Klaus looked on sipping the water.
The Indian lady behind the counter looked at Caroline and said, "Shouldn't you be more careful, madam? You should eat on time during such conditions" Caroline looked strangely at the woman before turning back to Klaus who merely shrugged. She noticed that he didn't have anything eat so asked, "Where is your pizza?" "There was only one left" answered Klaus without looking at her. "Then you could have at least told me. We could have shared" argued Caroline. "He just wants you to be healthy madam. After all, you have to give birth to his child, know?" told the lady behind the counter. Caroline turned to glare at Klaus who had disappeared to pay the bill.
"Why did you say that I was pregnant?" demanded Caroline as soon as they made it out of the shop. "That was the only way by which I could get you a dinner in this place" justified Klaus. "But pregnant, seriously? You could have at least shared the food" said Caroline. "It was just a mini pizza and you looked so hungry. It is fine. I am not that hungry, really" assured Klaus. "But still…" trailed off Caroline agitated. "Do I look fat?" asked Caroline suddenly. Klaus laughed at the ridiculous question, "What?" "If they believe that I am pregnant, doesn't that mean I look fat?" groaned Caroline. "No. Actually I told them you were only three months pregnant. So you don't necessarily look fat. Anyway you look perfect for me" said Klaus shrugging. Caroline turned sharply before asking, "What?" Klaus stuttered before saying, "I meant to me. You look perfect to me" "Whatever" brushed off Caroline.
They found a bar nearby and entered it trying to spend some time. They settled at a cozy spot and ordered some champagne. "You know pregnant woman are not supposed to drink alcohol" teased Klaus. Caroline glared at him as he raised his hands in surrender saying, "I was just kidding" "You know I can't believe our trip is ending tomorrow. Back to New York. Swish" said Caroline. "Tell me about it. It is back to the boring and monotonous life of New York" agreed Klaus. "And back to bossy Klaus" told Caroline carefully seeing if it affected him. He just nodded his head and said, "Of course".
"Hey check out the girl in pink T-shirt. Isn't she pretty?" asked Klaus looking at the back of Caroline. She followed his gaze and found an indeed good looking girl. "Yeah" accepted Caroline grudgingly. "So you fall for such type of girls, huh?" enquired Caroline. "I don't have a type. As I told you before I don't believe in love. But if I must choose a girl; she must be beautiful, strong, full of light, fearless and smart. She must be able to keep up with me, maybe even tame me" explained Klaus. Caroline just raised her eyebrows and said, "Such high expectations, huh?" Klaus smiled and asked, "What about you, Caroline? What type of guy you like?"
Caroline seemed to think for a moment before answering, "Hmmm, I don't know. He must be kind, understanding, supportive, passionate and of course good looking. I mean he should show me a side of me that even I didn't know existed. He must help me discover myself." Klaus looked impressed, "Wow, that was some list. Did Tyler fit any of your descriptions?" Caroline looked a bit down on hearing his name. "I am sorry. If you don't want to talk about it, its fine" said Klaus.
"No. It is just that I was so immature when I was with him that I believed that he was the love of my life. I ignored all his shortcomings because I was afraid of losing him. But at last he just felt that the marriage was too soon and broke up with me. Only then did I realize that he was just my high school sweetheart and I was foolish enough to cling to it fearing I may never find someone like him. I was afraid of the unknown and didn't want to come out of my comfort zone. But only after coming to New York did I realize that there was more to my life than Mystic Falls, Tyler and high school life" concluded Caroline. Klaus nodded his head as if he understood what she meant all along. Even for him, coming to New York meant a new independent life without Mikael.
"You know the only thing I miss about back home is my mom. I wish she would come with me. But you are lucky to have at least half of your family here in New York. It must be great to grow up with brothers and sisters, right? I was a single child and I don't know about it. I mean I had always been jealous of Stefan that he had a brother even though that brother was Damon" said Caroline. Klaus laughed at the scowl on her face when she mentioned Damon glad to have found another hater. "Actually, it is definitely fun to grow up with brothers and sister. I am always protective of my sister. My younger brother though irritates me a lot, will always be special because he is the one who is scarily too much like me. As for my elder brother, I looked upon him as a father figure I never had" said Klaus looking ahead reminiscing his childhood days.
Caroline sensed that this was not the right time to point out that he did have a father in Mikael. "I was always happiest when I was around them and I always wanted us to live together until…" trailed off Klaus. "The party" completed Caroline. She remembered how heartbroken he was at that time. "It is not like I don't love them anymore. I just am not sure if I could trust them" Caroline understood that Klaus would have never confessed these if he had been sober. Still she did feel sorry for him.
"Anyway the only guy I trust in this world now is Stefan and I want him to be happy" said Klaus. Caroline nodded agreeing with him, "Yeah, he is the best friend anyone could ask for. But he is not happy right now" "It is about Elena, right? I always felt they were made for each other" told Klaus. "I just wish they could be back together, you know? I mean they are soul mates" grumbled Caroline. When Klaus raised his eyebrows, Caroline conceded, "Fine. It is okay if you don't believe in soul mates. But don't you think they should be together? Why can't they be sensible? "
Klaus nodded and asked, "What if we make them see sense?" Caroline frowned and questioned, "What do you mean?" "I meant we can help them get together. We both are Stefan's best friends and thankfully you happen to be a friend of Elena" said Klaus excited. "You think we can do it?" questioned Caroline still in doubt. "Of course, we can. We would make great partners in crime" winked Klaus. Caroline nodded happily and agreed, "Then I am in" Klaus raised his glass of champagne and toasted, "So cheers to our partnership" Caroline clinked her glass with his and said, "Cheers".
A/N: So they are partners now? What do you think? Any sparks? Please review if you liked the chapter. It would mean the world to me and make me update faster. Please review…..
Didi means elder sister in hindi
Mystery Girl3: Thank you for your lovely review. Sorry couldn't continue with Klaus being sick but I hope this chapter satisfied you.
Thanks to Ela marelica, kacomu, summer1234, mysf and three Guests for their wonderful reviews :)
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