Chapter 3
WARNING: This story will feature extremely possessive, dominant, jealous and control-freak Klaus.
"John. Hi!" Caroline greeted, with a smile, as she opened the door. "Come in" she gestured towards the living room giving the guy space to move inside. John Gilbert had been in the board of directors for the building she lived in for years now. He was basically the reason Caroline and Rebekah had gotten the apartment in the first place. Elena Gilbert, John's niece was Caroline's childhood friend and had asked her uncle to grant both the blondes a favor by giving them the luxurious apartment in the building which was only for married couples or families.
The guy sat down in the living room. "Hello Caroline. Nice to see you again" he greeted back kindly and looked around the apartment. "Seems like you girls have made this place home" he said with a smile. "Where's Rebekah?" he asked randomly.
"She's studying inside. Finals are just right around the corner" she said and walked into the open kitchenette. "Do you want some tea, coffee or juice?" she asked opening the cabinet door.
"Just water" he told her.
Caroline filled the glass with water and handed it to him, sitting on the chair opposite to him. "How's Isobel?" she asked conversation sake. "How far along is the baby?" she asked again remembering the man's pregnant wife. She could still remember how excited Elena had been when she had found out.
"They're fine. We're at the seventh month" he answered smoothly and drank the water in one gulp before placing the glass on the table. "Actually I came here to give you something" he told her and reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and took out a letter. "Here you go. This is the new policy letter" he informed her and handed her the letter.
Caroline frowned as she opened it and read it. "You're changing curfew timings?!" she asked alarmed. How were they going to go to parties and stuff when this was going to happen? "Why?" she asked deflated.
"There's been complaints and a couple of other board members wanted it to happen seeing as this is a family apartment" he told her with a knowing smile. "Secondly, it's part of the whole security upgrade. We recently got our funding so security is the place we needed to spend it" he said shrugging and stood up. "Now inform Rebekah about this as well. I want you both to respect the rules. Especially since you're already living here on my word" he warned her seriously.
Caroline nodded. "Yeah. I'll tell her. This won't be a problem" she said sadly looking down at the stupid piece of paper again. "Contrary to what you think, we do appreciate your help" she teased lightly.
"I'm sure you girls do" he retorted back before walking to the door. "Take care" he said as Caroline opened the door for him.
"Give my best to Isobel and Elena" she called out as he walked away. The blonde slammed the door shut and stomped her foot, petulantly. "Rebekah!" she whined loudly, glancing at the letter in her hand again.
After reassuring Caroline that their social life would not be over just by the likes of a curfew, Rebekah had finally managed to send the blonde off. She knew exactly who was responsible for this sudden 'policy change'. Her bastard brother.
She was going to give him her choice of words and it was good that Caroline was gone to visit Stefan, not to bear witness.
"Mr. Mikaelson's office. How may I help you?" came his boring secretary's voice as she dialed his phone.
"Where's my brother?" she asked straight forward, feeling no need to introduce herself.
There was silence on the other end for a minute or two before the girl spoke up. "I'm sorry. Mr. Mikaelson is busy in a meeting. Would you like to leave a message?"
Rebekah sighed angrily. "I know he's not in a meeting and is probably trying to avoid me after the cheap trick he just pulled so tell him I said that he can rot in hell for all I care" she hissed furiously into the phone, imagining her brother's face here instead. "Tell him that he has no right to interfere into the life that I have built for myself. Tell him he needs to find a new hobby!" she yelled into the speaker, throwing all her accusations at him before slamming the phone shut.
She breathed heavily and ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm herself. She was not going to let her brother jump into her life and ruin it after she had done so much to make it here on her own. Well, not exactly on her own. She had used her family's money but she had never had their support or love.
Shimmering down from anger, she realized that she had just left such an angry message for her brother. The brother who probably had the power to take away everything from her. He just had to say one word to their mother and she would be back into their family home with a million restrictions on her.
Jumping at the sound of her cellphone ringing, she answered it with a scrunch of her nose. "What?" she snapped angrily.
"I would suggest that you watch your tone Rebekah" her brother's warning voice came through the line. She was surprised by how quickly he had gotten the message. "I believe you had something to say. Say it to me right now" he told her, almost as if daring her to complain to him.
Rebekah bit her tongue, knowing he was baiting her. "I'm not twelve Nik. I don't need a curfew" she argued, pouting.
She heard him laughing on the other end. "On the contrary, love" he started slowly, as if talking to a little child. "You do and so does Caroline" he answered smugly and that is when Rebekah understood the whole ordeal.
"Don't tell me you're doing all this because Caroline was out with Enzo!?" she screeched into the phone. "This obsession of yours is severely unhealthy Nik" she taunted with a slight smirk.
"She wasn't just out with him. Was she?" he pointed out grimly. "You both might not be twelve but you're still young and don't have the sense of right or wrong yet" he stated in a very authoritative manner. But Rebekah was used to this voice. It was the voice he used when he was Niklaus Mikaelson not her brother Nik.
"And who are you to decide that?" she questioned curious as to what her brother's intentions exactly were. "Her father?" she mocked.
She didn't expect a throaty laugh in return. "Of course not! No father would ever dream of doing the things I'm imagining to do to her" he retorted back and even though Rebekah couldn't see him, she could feel him smirking.
"God you're disgusting Nik!" she said in revulsion, trying not to vomit. "Can't you just leave my roommate alone and find some other woman to be your play toy?" she bit back sarcastically. Regardless of what her family thought, Rebekah could make friends and even dear ones like Caroline. And she was just not willing to sell out her best friend so easily.
She heard him sigh in annoyance. "Just do as you're told. While I appreciate your concern for Caroline, I don't quite like your interference in my personal life" he replied to her coldly.
"Neither do I" she sneered.
"And I have promised to stay out of it, if you help me" he reminded her and Rebekah hated herself more than her brother in that moment.
"Fine" she relented, rolling her eyes. "I told you I can't do anything as long as she's with Enzo" she told him honestly.
"He's been dealt with. I'll tell you what you have to do next and when" he replied with a confident smirk. "Have a good day dear sister" he said before the line went dead.
Caroline sat there and rubbed her hands together, nervously. She had spent the last hour absorbing everything Enzo had told her. He was leaving. In a few days.
It was like Mother Nature had a personal problem with her. For more than a year, Caroline had successfully avoided Enzo and his advances in the risk that it would ruin their good friendship if the relationship didn't work out. And now when she had finally taken the chance to try, he was moving away.
Why was life so cruel to her?
She didn't know whether to be sad that she was going to lose her friend or to be sad that she was going to lose her potential boyfriend?
"By your silence, I take it you're not very happy" Enzo's voice pulled her out of her reverie. She gave him a weak smile in return.
"Sorry. I was just thinking" she said meekly. Why was her love life such a mess? "Of course! I'm very happy for you Enzo. It's a great opportunity" she added with a smile. "Congratulations" she commended lightly.
Enzo smirked. "Thank you" he said and rubbed his neck awkwardly before grabbing both her hands in his own. He sighed. "Caroline. I've been waiting for an opportunity like this for years and yet it only came once I was with you" he said winking suggestively. "Come with me to New Orleans" he offered, squeezing her hands. "With your grade point average, they'll accept you in no time" he told her honestly.
Caroline shook her head and tried to control her shocked expression. "I know you've worked hard for this and you deserve this" she replied before taking her hands out of his. "But I can't just move to another city with you" she refused shaking her head. "I have a life here that I've built for myself. And you have yours" she said softly.
Enzo nodded. He had been expecting that much although there was a part of him that hoped that their friendship would have been enough for her to trust him and she would follow him out to the city of adventure. But it was clear to him that it would have been wishful thinking.
"When are you leaving?" she asked suddenly.
"Tomorrow morning" he answered straight forwardly. "I may have to come back to get my stuff but for now I'll be leaving tomorrow to check it out" he added before he pursed his lips to conceal his laughter as a thought came to his mind.
Caroline noticed that he was close to bursting into laughter. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you laughing at now?" she asked perplexed.
"We have the worst timing in the world" he pointed out and burst into laughter.
Caroline playfully rolled her eyes but nodded. It was true. They had the worst timing ever. "So you're just going to leave?" she asked again knowing that life would be so… empty without him. He was a constant in her life and spending most of her time with him was her daily routine.
"I'm sure you'll miss me terribly but we'll keep in touch" he teased cheekily with a wink. "Text that she-devil friend of yours and Stefan. I'll take you all out for lunch today" he offered before standing up and pulling her into a hug.
"I'll miss you too gorgeous" he said before dropping a kiss on top of her hair and waking towards his bedroom. "I'll be ready in a few minutes and then we'll pick up Rebekah" he suggested before he disappeared from sight.
As promised, he took them to lunch in a very nice, cozy Italian bistro. It was one of their favorite places to come to. The atmosphere throughout the lunch was not light or refreshing at all. Rather it was depressing and each minute was a constant reminder that they were not going to see each other again for a long time.
Rebekah kept throwing curious glances at Caroline and mysteriously kept texting someone. Stefan, too, kept glancing almost anxiously between both Enzo and Caroline. While the blonde in question kept poking the food on her plate. She had no appetite whatsoever. Enzo, for his part, felt awkward too but kept his face neutral.
All of them, almost, sighed with relief once lunch was over.
Rebekah and Enzo, for a change hugged each other, wishing the other the best in life. Even though they both would not even care in the slightest if the other was drowning in hot, crude oil. But it was a pleasant gesture.
Stefan's goodbye to Enzo was a brotherly hug and telling him that if he needed anything in life ever, he didn't need to think twice. Stefan sensed the need for privacy so he took Rebekah by her elbow gently and steered her away, mumbling. "We'll get the car"
Caroline hugged Enzo and he kept her in his embrace for the longest while he could. "If you ever change your mind, just give me a call" he murmured, pressing a kiss to her cheek and then to her forehead.
"I will" she said with a small smile. "I'll actually miss you Enzo" she told him honestly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I hope you have a good life" she mumbled clearing her throat, trying to get rid of the emotion she felt. This wretched sadness was killing her!
"See you late- Enzo stopped when he realized he was about to use his typical phrase. "Good bye gorgeous" he said instead before walking away.
After Stefan dropped both Rebekah and Caroline home, Caroline knew what he had to do. So she quickly jumped out of the car to avoid Stefan's interrogation and swiftly crept into her own apartment determined to get through the loss of her friend by doing something that would occupy her time. Something like studying. Finals were right around the corner anyway.
Before Rebekah could get out, Stefan grabbed her hand and stopped her. She looked at him quizzically. He sighed before starting. "You're going to need to keep an eye on Caroline. She's sensitive right now" he told her seriously.
Rebekah rolled her eyes. "It's not like Enzo was her boyfriend" she replied, huffing.
"She's not upset on the loss of a boyfriend. She's upset on losing Enzo, her friend" he replied giving her a knowing smile. "Don't be so cold. We all know you're not oblivious to your best friend's pain" he told her meaningfully.
"She'll be fine Stefan. I promise" she guaranteed and gave him a small smile. The way he squeezed her hand back, sent flutters down her stomach and she blushed slightly. "She'll probably bury herself in her books, cry into her pillow in the night and tomorrow she'll bake in the morning before her stress cleaning session" she listed off, knowing her friend's grieving process. "And then I'll talk to her" she said with a smirk.
"You are welcome to have lunch with me tomorrow" he offered, looking into her eyes. He then cleared his throat. "I mean she'll need her time to be alone and process this. So if you don't have any plans or anything…" he stuttered nervously, waiting for an answer.
Rebekah beamed so brightly in response that Stefan knew her answer before she spoke. "I'd love to have lunch with you" she replied back. "To give Caroline some time alone, of course" she added teasingly before stepping out of the car into the apartment.
True to Rebekah's prediction, Caroline had spent the rest of the day with her head in her books. Then she spent the night crying into her pillow and in the morning, the Mikaelson blonde had woken up to the lingering scent of cupcakes in the air.
Determined to let her roommate/best friend have her peace, she got ready around half twelve and came out of her room to watch Caroline still in her comfort clothes which consisted of black shorts and a baggy, definitely oversized red check t-shirt.
She walked closer into the kitchen and picked up a cupcake, biting into it. "These are delicious" she complimented, moaning at the taste. She was almost tempted to ditch Stefan and sit and stuff herself with the baked goods. But she knew the other blonde needed time to process everything.
"Are you going somewhere?" Caroline asked, ignoring her compliment. Her voice hoarse and rough which confirmed Rebekah's suspicions about the loud sobs muffled by the pillow.
"Yeah I have to go out for lunch. You want to come?" she offered with a small smile. Caroline shook her head. "I'll be back soon. Take care" she said and hugged Caroline for a moment too long.
Once her roommate was gone, Caroline sighed and took out the lasagna from the oven. She placed it onto the kitchen counter and looked around. There was so much mess in the kitchen and she knew if she started now, she would be able to clean it for the whole day and the time would pass quickly. She gathered all of the utensils and bowls into the sink and held the tap open.
She knew what Rebekah was doing. She had no doubt Stefan was her important lunch date. They always left her to her own devices when she was dealing with such an issue. It wasn't the fact that she had slept with Enzo, it was the fact that her friend Enzo was leaving. How was she supposed to deal with that?
They had all promised to stay together till the end and they had never really thought of separating and now he was going. Just like that?
She couldn't exactly blame him either. The deal he was getting in New Orleans was too good to pass up. But that fact included didn't make her feel any better.
She shook her head. She couldn't think of these things now. She needed to clean. She took off the apron and the gloves and walked into the living room. First she vacuumed the whole room after dusting it and even went as far as to clean under the couch. She scrubbed the photo frames on the wall till they were practically shining and the center table was glinting after Caroline had wiped it.
She was readjusting the pillows when she heard the doorbell go. She glanced at the clock. It was one thirty. Too early for Rebekah to be back.
She walked over to the door and opened it. What she was not expecting was definitely Rebekah's brother. "Klaus" she breathed out in shock. She looked at him. He was wearing a black suit clearly tailored to fit him like a glove, the grey tie around his neck loosened and his hair tousled like he had run his hand through it.
He gave her a lavish smirk when he saw her obvious ogling but he didn't mind. After all he was doing the same. Probably in a much more dirty way. "Hello Caroline" he greeted politely and raised his eyebrow waiting for her to let him in.
"Oh sorry!" she said and quickly moved aside to give him passage to move inside. He gracefully stepped in and it was then that Caroline noticed the brown bag in his hand. "Rebekah's not home" she told him, wondering why her friend always forgot to tell her about her brother coming over.
Klaus frowned as he turned to face Caroline. "Where is she?" he asked, confused. She was the one who had suggested lunch as an ice breaker between both the siblings. He normally didn't take such long lunch breaks but for once he did and now she had clearly ditched him.
"She's gone for an 'important lunch date'" Caroline air quoted with her finger and motioned for him to have a seat. "Do you need water? Tea or coffee?" she asked, the polite hostess in her waking up.
"Lunch date?" Klaus asked, bemused, raising his eyebrow at her. "Water's fine, love" he told her, watching the movement of her legs as she walked away from him.
"Stefan and Rebekah are gone out for lunch to give me some thinking time" she said out loud and brought him a glass of water. Klaus took the glass from her and gave her a thankful nod as he waited for to elaborate. "Enzo's leaving for New Orleans tomorrow morning" she explained, biting the corner of her lip. "He got the university acceptance he was waiting for. They're giving him one hell of a package to refuse" she said and then quieted down realizing she was oversharing with Klaus. Klaus as in Rebekah's brother.
"Oh?" Klaus feigned surprise and shock while internally he was grinning and probably dancing over someone's grave. "Well I feel sorry for the poor lad" he said taking a gulp of water.
Caroline frowned. "Sorry for him? Why?" she asked perplexed.
"He's leaving one package to take another" he answered swiftly and even though his words were rather vulgar the meaning behind them was clear. "I would've chosen the prior" he added looking into her eyes.
Caroline almost shivered from the intensity of his gaze and looked away, blushing.
"Rebekah promised me lunch but looks like she forgot to mention that she had other plans" he told her and gave her the brown bag he had clutched in his hand. She looked inside it to see a bottle of wine. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you. I'll get going now" he said and stood up.
Caroline glanced at him and she didn't know why but she felt sorry for him. He looked so tired and had apparently come for lunch all the way from his office. "You can stay if you want. I made lasagna" she offered with a small smile and pointed towards the kitchen. "You look like you could use some food inside of you right now" she muttered under her breath but apparently it was only 'under her breath' for her because Klaus laughed.
He gave her a throaty laugh. "I hardly take a lunch break, love. It was Rebekah's wish that I come all the way here" he justified himself, lightly. "Are you sure you don't mind?" he asked looking at her with narrowed eyes.
Caroline shrugged. "It's okay. I'm already used to covering up for Bekah's messes" she said sarcastically but Klaus could detect the love and affection she held for his baby sister. It made him happy and… proud. Both his girls getting along so well and looking out for each other.
He walked into the living room and sat down before removing his jacket and tie completely. Caroline came and placed the dish of lasagna in front of him and two flutes with the champagne bottle before strutting back into the kitchen.
Klaus' eyes followed her movement. The poor excuse of shorts she wore did nothing to hide her sexy, long legs. Did she not even realize the effect she had on him?
She came back with two different plates in hand and forks. "Sorry but all the other dishes are dirty" she said, giving him an apologetic shrug.
Klaus smiled at her as he sat down next to her but kept a respectable distance between them. "Not a problem love" he answered before serving her and then helping himself to a serving of lasagna. "Smells delicious" he commented and it truly did. Especially when he came from a family where cooking was a no-no for the majority of the women. Including his baby sister.
Caroline snorted. "You're lucky because that's the only thing I can cook" she replied shoving a mouthful into her mouth, blissfully ignorant of the way Klaus was watching her every move. She tucked her legs under herself and sat comfortably before resuming to eat.
"Tell me about yourself love" he said casually. "Have you got any family? Where are they?" he asked even though he knew everything about her himself. Except for a few missing pieces of the puzzle which he was hoping she would fill.
"Is this the 'I'm-your-roommate's-big-brother-interrogation?'" she asked back teasingly with a smirk of her own.
Klaus chuckled at that. His girl had a good sense of humor. He liked it. But she was nowhere near the correct assumption. This wasn't the big brother interrogation. He didn't do interrogation. He simply got rid of people who stood in his path. Like Enzo. "Humor me, love" he requested with a dimpled smile.
"My mom's the sheriff of Mystic Falls and my dad is doing whatever the hell he wants" she told him and mentally rolled her eyes. They were just her family by name because emotionally they had never been there for her. It had always been Stefan and then Rebekah. Even Elena and Bonnie had been a better family to her than her own parents. "He left when I was nine" she added snidely.
"Siblings?" he asked, just for the sake of it.
"I'm an only child" she answered with a sad smile. "Though I wish I had as many siblings as Bekah!" she exclaimed sadly.
Klaus snorted at that. "If you want one, we'd be happy to lend you Kol" he offered with a mischievous grin.
Caroline threw her head back, laughing and Klaus found that he was entranced by the vision of her giggling and by the sound of her laughter. "Yeah. I can imagine you'd want to lend Kol. But I don't think he would be very happy being my brother" she exhaled, still laughing.
"You've met Kol?" he asked in shock and felt a surge of jealousy go through him. His brother had met her but he hadn't?! It was clearly time for him to get a little more involved with his family's life. Mainly Rebekah's life.
Which basically meant Caroline's life.
"Yeah. We've met a couple of times. Though he's always more interested in getting into my pants than anything" she blurted out and then her eyes widened immediately when she realized that she had just said something like that to Kol's brother. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like…" she tried to explain but Klaus cut her off with a reassuring wave of his hand.
"Don't worry, love. We all know Kol for the kind of person he is" he drawled sarcastically giving her an apologetic smile.
Caroline relaxed again and watched as Klaus poured the wine he brought into the two flutes, handing her one. She accepted it with a small smile and her heart couldn't help but flutter when their fingers brushed accidently. It was like a whole spark of electricity passed through her.
"So who else have you met?" he asked, suddenly very curious. He wanted to know who else had met his Caroline before him.
Caroline seemed thoughtful for a moment. "I've met your mom a couple of times. But I only met your dad once- she was cut off by Klaus again.
"Mikael isn't my father, love" he snapped at her, irately. He didn't talk about it much but with Caroline it seemed fair to tell her that he was the bastard of the family. "My mother had an affair with someone, I am the product of that affair" he told her, grimly.
Caroline's mouth dropped open. Okay, she was definitely not expecting that. Rebekah hadn't told her that. "Um, I'm sorry I didn't know" she murmured softly and apologetically.
Klaus shrugged. "So you've met Mikael. What about the rest?" he asked, swiftly changing the topic. And if the hardness of his voice was anything to go by, Caroline knew he didn't want to talk about it.
"I've met Elijah too. I like him. He's very… polite" Caroline said with awe in her tone which Klaus didn't like. Not one bloody bit. "And I also love his suits. Though he certainly has poor standard for choosing women" she commented with a quick eye roll and scrunching up of her nose, which Klaus found extremely adorable.
"Ah! Yes Katerina definitely is one of a kind" he agreed with a sly grin. "What about Finn?" he asked, still smiling. "Have you met him too?" he prompted.
Caroline licked her lips clean and Klaus' erection twitched at the sight of it. He shifted slightly to make himself more comfortable in his now-straining pants. "I saw him once when he came to visit in Mystic Falls but not particularly" she told him shrugging and Klaus knew at that moment that she wasn't a very big fan of Finn as she was of Elijah.
"How am I the only one who never met or heard of you?" he asked incredulously, trying to remember if he'd ever met her. "Did you ever come around the manor in Mystic Falls?" he asked dubiously.
Caroline gave him a pointed look. "Of course not. Even though Rebekah's my best friend, she had way too many brothers. So we always had sleepovers at my place or at Elena's." she said, as if staying at his mansion in the presence of his brothers and him was the most obnoxious thing she would do. "In my defense though, I didn't know you were Niklaus or Klaus. Rebekah always mentioned you as Nick and I was such an idiot, I never even realized that you guys were 'The Mikaelsons' till you were practically at my doorstep a few days ago" she pointed out waving her hand dramatically and then, shrugging innocently. She, then, took a generous sip of the alcohol clutched in her hand.
Klaus smiled at that. He was now visibly straining against the material of his pants after hearing his name pass through those plump lips. Oh how he wanted to ravish her right now. He wanted to lick those lips, pass his tongue over hers and bite her lower lip with his blunt teeth.
"More?" he questioned gesturing to her glass, pulling himself out of his day dream.
She gave him a sweet smile. "I will but I have to do the dishes first" she said, standing up and straightening herself. When Caroline bent in front of him, only to pick up the dishes from the table of course, he wanted nothing more than to slap her ass, pull down those poor excuse of shorts and bury himself into her until she'd scream his name for the whole world to listen.
But instead he jumped up to his feet like a gentlemen and took the dishes from her. "Allow me to help you" he offered trying to be very decent and caring. Even though, he knew he was the exact opposite of it.
Caroline let him place the dishes in the sink but refused to let him do the dishes. "I'm not going to make you do the dishes" Caroline chuckled and tied up her hair into a messy bun on top of her head with a few tendrils escaping out of it.
Klaus gave her a dimpled smile back. "Nonsense love. If we divide the work, it'll be done more quickly and then I get you continue my… what was it?" he questioned teasingly and make a thinking face. "Ah! Yes, the 'I'm-your-roommate's-big-brother-interrogation' as you so poetically put it" he mocked with a smile.
Caroline laughed at that before raising her hands in surrender. "I'll rinse them, you can dry them off. Deal?" she offered albeit reluctantly.
Klaus nodded and just like that they started doing the dishes. Both of them enjoyed the silence and kept doing their work. Caroline was grateful that Klaus had come and had lunch with her, because it had truly helped keep her mind off Enzo.
While Klaus kept his gaze on Caroline, a small smile played on his lips automatically. She was a truly magnificent creature. Not only a beautiful face but also a great and witty personality. He had never worked in his life and was internally grateful that Caroline had offered him only the role of drying the dishes because he honestly didn't know how to clean them.
But oddly enough, he was willing to do it if it meant staying in her company.
By the time they were on the last of the dishes, Klaus realized it was well past the time he had taken off for lunch. As soon as the thought came to his mind, his phone started ringing. He gave Caroline an apologetic smile before wandering into the living room and picking up the cellphone from his jacket pocket.
It was his assistant.
"Yes" he answered simply.
"Sorry to disturb you Mr. Mikaelson but I have to remind you that your next meeting is in fifteen minutes" she replied in her natural calm tone.
Klaus looked back at Caroline who was almost done with the dishes. He couldn't let this opportunity pass. "Tell Elijah to attend it. I am occupied elsewhere and won't be available for the remainder for the day" he told her dismissively.
"I'll get to it Mr. Mikaelson" she said and Klaus snapped the call shut. He turned to find Caroline coming his way, with a worried expression on her face.
"Everything okay?" she asked and sat down on the couch, grabbing her wine glass.
Klaus smiled as he sat down next to her, leaving a decent amount of distance between them but less than before. "Nothing to worry about, love" he reassured her and brought the wine bottle to fill her glass.
"Thank you" she said grasping the glass in both hands, sipping daintily. "So you've asked me a lot of questions. Do I get the same opportunity?" she asked teasingly.
Klaus playfully narrowed his eyes at her. "I believe I have already promised you an interview. Haven't I sweetheart?" he questioned mischievously. "It's my turn to ask the questions today and then you can ask anything you want at the interview" he suggested with raised eyebrows.
"Deal" she said and thrust her hand out for him to shake but he grabbed ahold of her soft, delicate hand in his larger one and brought it to his lips. His stubble pricked her knuckles but she ignored it and tried to release the breath that she was holding.
As quickly as he had grabbed her hand, he let it go. Caroline shifted uncomfortably. One touch from him had her spiraling out of control. What was she? A teenager with raging hormones?
"Earlier you said I would want to lend you Kol" he stated remembering her statement. "What did you mean by that?" he asked frowning.
Caroline tried to stifle her laughter but failed as a few giggles burst through her. "Sorry!" she said, immediately clamping a hand over her mouth to stop the bubbling laughter she felt. "Well Kol told me some stuff so…" she trailed off, unsure of how to explain that Kol had told her the story when he had dumped a very sleeping Klaus into the lake when they were at their lake house.
And that wasn't even the end of it. He had videotaped everything.
Klaus frowned. "Is this about…?" he started and his eyes widened when Caroline nodded.
"Yep. It's the lake house story" she told him and Klaus felt instant relief course through him though he tried not to show it on his face. He had thought Kol had exposed more humiliating things of his childhood to her because there certainly were things mortifying enough to make him want to be dead right now.
"Well then my actions to want to send Kol off to any person I've just met are justified?" he questioned lightly, raising his eyebrows.
Caroline shrugged. "Kind of. But I mean that's gotta be the fun times right?" she asked with a glint in her eyes. "These are the days you'll remember when you're old. You know, you have a big family so you can all sit down by the fireplace and talk about it. That's all that matters at the end of the day" she said, a little wistfully. "I would've loved to have such a big family" she added with a small smile.
Klaus' eyes pierced through hers at the moment. He could see the wistful longing her eyes for a family. He knew, from the background check he had on her, her early life had been very unsettling with the divorce between her parents and then her father leaving. Her mother had buried herself in her work to suppress the pain of her husband leaving her while Caroline got neglected.
He could easily see Caroline loving his family. Her fitting into his big family, quite easily, by his side. And what's more he found that he liked it. He wanted her to fit into his family, by his side.
Suddenly an idea came to his mind as she watched Caroline talk about family and siblings. He was going to have her by his side within the duration of one month. Just in time to introduce her to his family as his own at their monthly family brunch.
His Caroline.
Yes, he liked the sound of it.
He was brought out of his thoughts when his phone started ringing again. He gave Caroline an apologetic smile again before bringing the phone to his ear and standing up to walk to the kitchen. "What?" he snapped irritably.
There was a sigh on the other end of the line. "Niklaus, where are you? The financial advisor of the opposing firm is not signing the contract unless you talk to him yourself" Elijah's voice came through, making him even more irritated. Could they really do nothing without him? "In person" he added stressfully.
"Fine! I'll be there as soon as I can" he said back tiredly. "And tell that bloody man if he doesn't have a good reason for dragging me all the way there I will ruin him" he added harshly before he ended the call.
He walked back into the living room. "I'm sorry sweetheart but work calls and I have to leave" he said immediately but apologetically and reached for his suit jacket and tie. "Thank you so much lunch. I truly enjoyed it" he said softly and held out his hand for her.
Caroline stood up and outstretched her hand for him to shake but like before, he brought it to his lips and pressed a kiss on her bare knuckles. A bit, too quickly, she pulled her hand away and gave him a small smile. "It's no problem. I'll tell Rebekah you came by" she told him politely.
He nodded at her but looked back at her as he made his way out of the main door. "When are you coming for the interview?" he asked curiously. He hadn't yet been given a response from her side which had him worrying. Was she backing out of her job?
Caroline frowned. "Um, I was scheduling for tomorrow but your secretary told me you're not free till two days so…" she said and trailed off aimlessly.
"Don't worry sweetheart. I think I can squeeze in some space for you tomorrow" he said arrogantly and winked at her.
She rolled her eyes in return. "There's that modesty in you that I love so much" she said mockingly. "It's such a charm in your personality" she added, before she could control herself.
Klaus simply smirked at her before putting his hand inside his pant pocket and giving her a card. "Here's my number. Call me before eight in the morning tomorrow" he told her and nodded at her.
"Yeah. Thanks" Caroline mumbled, distracted as she kept her eyes on the card in her hand. "Well… Have a good day" she said politely before she watched him disappear in the elevator. She closed the door and shrugged, placing the card on the counter.
As Klaus sat in his car and the driver started driving, he noticed his phone vibrating inside his pocket. He pulled it out to see a text message from his sister.
Don't say I never did anything for you – R
P.S. Caroline likes white roses.
He smiled at that and replied back.
You've always been my favorite for a reason Bekah – K
He was about to put his phone back into his pocket when he dialed a number. "Andrea?"
There was a surprised affirmation on the other side of the line.
"I need you to send a bouquet of white roses to Miss Caroline Forbes tomorrow morning along with the bottle of red wine that you got for lunch today" he told his assistant. His voice curt and formal.
"Yes sir. Will that be all?" she asked, just as formally.
Klaus opened his mouth to say yes but he found the next words spilling out his mouth instead. "Also send a basket of brownies for Rebekah" he added almost shyly.
There was silence on the line for about thirty seconds before his assistant gathered her wits and answered him. "Of course sir" she said and Klaus could almost sense the surprise and the smile in her voice.
He put the phone back into his pocket and let the smile overtake his face. He wondered what it would be like for Rebekah to live every day with Caroline. He would definitely have to ask her about it.
As they reached his office, Klaus couldn't help but look at the tall skyscraper twice. He knew he came here every day but somehow he couldn't contain his excitement about coming here tomorrow.
A/N: Did you guys like it? Let me know what you think. This isn't the end of Klaus' stalkerish ways for those who asked.
And a reviewer commented that Caroline sleeping with Enzo was a bit too rushed and unnecessary and I understand that it was rushed but trust me, NOT unnecessary. It will play a 'very vital' role in Klaus and Caroline's relationship.
I have great things planned for this story so hang on tight.