Chapter 6
A/N: I am back and too happy because of the Klaroline interaction in the recent episodes. It's abundantly clear that Klaus still loves Caroline. But why do I feel like Klaus' goodbye left like a REAL forever GOODBYE! If Julie Plec is going to do it like this, I'm not taking it. :'(
Anyways, hope you're all doing well and let me know what you think of this chapter.
"You're such a jerk!" Caroline exclaimed as she stood up and brushed off her clothes, smiling as her roommate opened the door. "Don't let him in, Bekah. My bum's gonna be sore for a week" she grumbled as she walked inside her apartment followed by Stefan who was laughing uncontrollably and Rebekah who was quiet.
"Well, it's your fault. If only you'd stop eating so much lunch you wouldn't get so heavy" he mocked, trying to ease out the tension in the room. He could sense something was wrong with Rebekah, judging from how silent she was.
Caroline glared him and poked her tongue out at him.
"You were there too?" Rebekah asked, raising her eyebrow in surprise.
Stefan smirked at that. "I wish. It was only Caroline and her- he stopped when Caroline jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow –your brother" he finished with a short laugh. "I wonder how that happened though. I mean last I knew you were going to meet up with Elena and then Klaus…" he teased, making a confused face. "How did that happen?" he asked, faking suspicion.
Caroline rolled her eyes at Stefan's exaggeration. "Well, Rebekah's family happens to be very persuasive. I wonder where they get that from?" she teased, looking at Rebekah who was looking far too annoyed. "Klaus asked me to have lunch with him after the interview. I said okay but only because- she was going to explain herself but Stefan cut her off.
"Only because you have a huge crush on Rebekah's brother" Stefan guessed mockingly.
Caroline scowled at him in return as she toed off her shoes and sat on the couch. "No" she deadpanned. "He was working and then he asked me for lunch. When I said no, he seemed so disheartened and he was gonna go back to work… So I said why not?" she explained, groaning at how weird the situation felt when she explained it.
"Every boy feels disappointed when he's turned down, Care" Stefan laughed as he came to sit down in the living room but he remained cautious to sit away from Caroline under Rebekah's watchful gaze. "Are you going to go out with every guy you know then?" he questioned, knowingly.
Caroline sighed but before she could answer, Rebekah cut in. "Nik's not just another guy, though" she defended lightly, sitting next to Caroline. "And what's your problem if he's asking Caroline out to lunch? Afraid of some competition?" she questioned, looking far too innocent.
But the harshness and the challenge in her voice shocked Caroline. Stefan may not be able to detect it but Caroline could see right through her best friend.
"Hardly" Stefan replied, confidently. "And, eww Bekah! I would never want to… date her" he added, making a disgusted face. "No offence, Care but I've seen you in your diapers"
Caroline poked her tongue out at him. "Same same" she replied, shrugging.
Rebekah still kept a suspicious eye on the two of them but relaxed for the moment.
"I'm serious, though, both of you" Stefan suddenly spoke up. "Be careful with Klaus. He's not someone to mess around with" he warned them.
Rebekah rolled her eyes. "He's my brother, Stefan" she said, exasperated. "Despite how detached he looks, he has a heart deep down" she mocked. "And Caroline if you decide to pursue this… relationship of yours with him, I'm sure he'd keep you pretty happy" she added, slyly.
"Whoa! Guys…" Caroline interrupted, feeling this was getting way too serious. "I just had lunch with him. It doesn't mean anything. Besides, I don't think I have time for a relationship right now" she said with a derisive snort. "And now I'm going to say good day because I'm not coming out of my room till dinner" she explained, before standing up and kissing Stefan's cheek.
"Where are you going?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"To study. We have finals coming up if you have forgotten" she answered back without looking at him and then they heard the door of her room shut.
"This conversation isn't done, Care" Rebekah called out before turning to Stefan. "Well, Caroline's gone. I suppose you'll be leaving too now" she said, dryly.
Stefan frowned. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, grabbing her wrist when she tried to pull away.
"Nothing"
"I know by the look in your eyes that something's wrong. What is it, Beks?" he asked, worriedly.
"Do you like her?" she asked, bluntly, with a suffering sigh.
Stefan let out a nervous chuckle at that. "Do I like… her?" he repeated, shaking his head. "She's my friend. Just as you are" he replied with an easy smile.
It took all of Rebekah's willpower not to scream at him or tear up when he called her friend. Did it hurt or what?
She smiled back at him, meekly. "Glad to hear that" she said, shakily.
"Rebekah" Stefan said, quietly, looking at her. "Do you want…? Klaus and Caroline?" he asked, hesitantly, cringing at the sound.
She nodded slowly. "I won't lie. My brother is interested in her" she answered calmly. "And I do wish only the best for both of them. Nik deserves someone good like Caroline and she needs someone who will put her first" she explained, softly. "And Nik will always put her first" she assured him, firmly.
"Just don't pressurize her. Okay?" he requested, pleadingly. "She's been through too much in so little time… Just let her go at it with her own pace"
Rebekah rolled her eyes at him, discreetly. If Caroline would go at her own pace, she'd be stuck for eternity having her brother at her back. "Of course" she lied, convincingly. Stefan really had no idea how important freedom was to her.
Klaus sighed impatiently as he searched for his tie. He had a flight to catch in about 2 hours and he couldn't find his favorite tie. It had been a gift from Rebekah (and call him superstitious but it was his lucky tie and he always took it with him for crucial business meetings.)
Frustrated, he called out his housekeeper. "Are you sure that all my clothes are back from the drycleaner?" he asked, briskly.
The poor woman rightfully looked frightened. "Yes sir" she said, hesitantly. "I put them i-in your closet, m-myself" she stammered, nervously.
"Clearly not all of them" he hissed back, shoving clothes forcefully on his bed. "My navy blue tie is missing. I need it" he growled, looking around impatiently for it.
"I'll look for it, Mr. Mikaelson. It must be here" the woman said, jumping to run to his closet to look for it while he answered his phone.
"What?" he growled on the phone.
"Niklaus, why are you not at the office, yet?" Elijah's calm voice came through.
Klaus muttered under his breath. "I'll be joining you directly at the airport, brother. Seems like I have some things to take care of" he answered, vaguely.
"What could be more important than our deal with the Crescent Company?" Elijah asked, perplexed. "And please tell me Niklaus that it is not terrorizing Rebekah" he added, peevishly.
Klaus rolled his eyes. "I'm not terrorizing Rebekah. I'm only looking out for her" he defended himself. "And right now, I'm at my apartment looking for something very dear to me so if you're quite done with your interrogation, brother, I'd like to get back to finding it" he said hotly before ending the call.
Rebekah rolled her eyes and huffed impatiently as she threw her phone back on the bed, carelessly. She didn't know if she could stand Klaus being in the same city or even country as hers for long. And to top it off, Elijah thought it was her duty to help him out whenever he was in a problem.
His problems being extremely prissy and childish made her even angrier.
Just as she was about to exit her apartment to head over to her brother's, she called out loudly to her roommate. "Caroline, I'm going over to Nik's. He's in a bit of trouble. Be back soon." With that said, she was out of the apartment without even hearing a reply.
Fifteen minutes later, Caroline huffed in annoyance as she filled a washing bowl with cold water and detergent and let it sit at the side while she spread a navy blue tie on the isle and sprinkled some powder over it. After placing a piece of cotton over it, she pressed it tightly and ironed it quickly before washing the tie to get rid of the stain.
Ever in her life, if she'd been told she would be washing a Mikaelson's tie, she would've laughed at the person's face after throwing a glass of chilling water over his/her head.
But here she was, washing and ironing Klaus Mikaelson's stupid tie (which apparently had great emotional value for him) because her roommate was a bitch.
Rebekah had called her fifteen minutes after leaving to search for Klaus' tie which he apparently left behind someday. Her guess was it was the day he had lunch with her. The proof of that said lunch was on his tie in the form of a stupid, stubborn stain. She didn't even know how it got there in the first place because she was sure he'd taken it off before sitting down to eat.
Anyways, she'd been assigned the duty to clean and iron it before Klaus came to pick it up from her. Rebekah may have bribed her with a pair of Louboutins she'd had her eyes on for months but that still didn't make her any less of an amazing best friend.
She ironed it and placed it neatly on her bed while she waited for it to dry. Once it was dry, she checked and had a smug smile on her face when the stain was nowhere to be seen.
Just as she finished texting Rebekah the good news, the voice of the doorbell rang in the apartment and she walked over to the main door, holding the tie in her hand.
She opened the door and caught sight of Klaus smirking at her, only this time she was returning his smug grin. "Good evening, love" he greeted, pleased to see his tie in her hand. "I see you've found my greatest treasure" he teased, eyeing the piece of cloth in her hand with relief.
"Yup" she said, 'p' popping at the end. "And you can call me savior as well since I'm pretty sure no dry cleaner would've been able to get rid of the stain you got on it" she boasted proudly.
Klaus smiled back, his dimples appearing. "Perhaps you should consider a change of career then" he answered back, teasingly.
Caroline rolled her eyes at that. "No thank you" she said, firmly before thrusting his tie in his hands. "These are certain talents that only you Mikaelsons are lucky enough to see" she joked before blurting out loud. "And maybe my husband, if I ever get married" she muttered, shrugging.
Klaus raised an eyebrow at that and mentally nodded that only his family would be able to take advantage of her skills.
"Well, I'm honored to be included in your little gang but may I ask another favor, love?" he asked, sweetly, looking at her with his innocent big eyes.
Caroline narrowed her eyes and looked at him suspiciously. "You can ask but I have the right to say no if I think it's too much" she offered, carefully.
Klaus smirked at that. His smart girl. He placed the tie around his collar and pointed towards it. "You've done me the honor of washing and ironing my tie. Will you please tie it for me, too?" he asked playfully looking at her.
Caroline let out a nervous chuckle. "Are you telling me that … Klaus Mikaelson… doesn't know how to tie a knot?" she asked, incredulously.
He shrugged, a little embarrassed. "Believe it or not, sweetheart, but this is more Elijah's department"
Taking mercy on him, she raised her hands and straightened the tie for him. "Alright. But you should keep in mind that you can call out for a favor in return because technically you're in my debt now" she said, playfully, trying to ignore the awkwardness of the situation which only increased as he slowly kept inching closer to her.
"I'd be willing to repay you. Should you ever want me to" he whispered back, huskily, taking advantage of her good mood and the situation.
Caroline gulped inaudibly as she hurried to fix his tie. "I've already made a deal with Rebekah but thanks for offering. I'll keep it in mind" she rushed out before pulling the knot and tightening his tie. "There!" she exclaimed with relief as she took a step back.
But Klaus wasn't having it as he grasped her waist and pulled her forward until they were nose to nose. Her hands automatically landed on his chest and before she could stop him, he leant forward and placed a wet kiss on the corner of her mouth which looked more like a kiss to the cheek.
Although, it was far too intimate than that.
"Thank you for your help, Caroline" he purred with a roguish grin on his face. "I'll see you soon, sweetheart" he whispered and moved away, leaving Caroline feeling cold all over.
"Goodbye, Klaus" she said, quietly as she gaped in shock.
Once Elijah met Klaus at the airport, he knew something was up. The way his brother came smiling and grinning, touching and retouching his tie every so often, it was clear his brother's happiness was too much to contain.
As happy as Elijah was for his younger brother, he needed to know the cause of it too. Hence, the reason he sent a quick message to Rebekah to find out what it was. Her answer, though, unexpected but it was also worrisome.
Caroline.
As far as he remembered, that was Rebekah's one and only best friend and now-a-days, college roommate. He didn't know what his brother's obsession with the poor girl was but he'd definitely have to talk to his brother.
Stefan sighed loudly as he relaxed in his bed and brought his hands behind his head.
Meeting up with Elena hadn't been part of his plan. To be completely honest, his plan was to avoid her. After their breakup, he'd been devastated and his life felt like a mess without her until Caroline pulled him out of his haze and pushed him to get back to normal.
He'd started meeting and hanging out with Caroline and Rebekah and had begun to see Rebekah in a different light, despite her flaws and imperfections.
But then she had called him. Asked him to come out for lunch and he had been unable to say no after she'd pleaded with him. A lunch that he'd thought would've been awkward was anything but. It was perfect. It reminded him of all the good old times they spent at the grill.
And suddenly the thought of reconciliation didn't seem too far stretched to him.
And he was sure this time their relationship wouldn't fail because Elena had changed. And so had he. They were both now more mature and much more confident and sure about what they wanted. Elena had outgrown her bad boy fantasy after dating Damon on and off for a year or two and Stefan was willing to move forward from that.
But then the thought of Rebekah struck him and left him feeling guilty and uncomfortable.
He groaned loudly and buried his face in his hands. How had he become so confused and lost?
Maybe he needed to take some advice from Caroline. Surely, she would be unbiased between two of her friends.
Klaus casually loosened his tie as he checked into his hotel room. He quickly changed from his suit to his sleeping clothes and sat down on the bed. Their first meeting with the Crescent Company had gone well. It was a slight inconvenience that they were in the America while the company they were dealing with was in London.
But he figured he could stay in London for a week or two.
He grabbed his cell phone from the bedside and began to type in the number that he'd begun to learn by heart. Just as he was about to press the dial button, he stopped.
Maybe calling her wouldn't be the best thing to do right now. He figured he'd let her focus on her finals and then move forward with his plans to 'woo' her.
But that didn't stop him from texting her.
My meeting went amazing. Thank you for your help, love. – Klaus
The reply came five minutes later and made him smile.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure they agreed because of how perfect your tie looked. Not a problem but that doesn't mean you disturb me again. Some people have to study and get good grades so that they can get jobs for a good living. – Caroline
He could almost imagine Caroline's sarcastic voice in his head and chuckled at her response.
I'd be more than happy to tutor, should you want to check in your favor. – Klaus
Her reply came earlier this time.
Nice try. But I'm keeping it safe for something big. - Caroline
Before he could reply, his phone beeped again.
Now, let me study. I'm too far behind because of someone's cleaning errands. – Caroline
Good night, sweetheart. I'll see you when I get back. – Klaus
Thank you, Mr. Mikaelson, for your graciousness to let me sleep. – Caroline
He groaned at the mental image she'd, unknowingly, painted for him and rubbed his hands over his face. How was he ever going to sleep now?
Caroline Forbes was going to be the death of him.