Hey lovelies ! I've been busy, busy, busy, so this time took its time coming, but I hope it will make you forget the wait ! It's also a wee bit shorter so next time I'll be making an extra long one with loads of fluff ! :)

Thanks again for the follows and the reviews and the favourites. They make my heart all warm and happy :)

BTW, since English is not my mother tongue, I think it would be a good idea for me to have a beta reader. So if one you guys is interested, please let me know !

Thanks, enjoy !

Stefan wasn't home yet – he wouldn't be until at least eight in the morning – so the girls made themselves comfortable on the couch, bringing out quilts, pop corn, and even some tissues. They settled in for the movie, but couldn't help but talk over it about something else. Eventually, Caroline made a bed with Stefan's air mattress and threw some pillows and blankets, and the two girls moved it to Caroline's room, where they continued talking until very early that morning.

To Caroline, who had had some girl friends, but none since she moved to New-York, this was heaven. She could talk about anything and everything, and Rebekah wouldn't mad, or offended. She was a girly girl, sometimes, and it felt good to talk to somebody who was one too. They chatted endlessly about guys, dates, fashion, sex, and food. They talked about food, a lot. Caroline had loved it. Living with Stefan was the best, but she suddenly missed sharing a bathroom with a girl, or even a closet. From what they talked about, Caroline believed that Rebekah's closet must be awesome. And, as she slept, she had dreams about that closet.

It was around noon that Caroline woke up, her head pounding and in need of a long and warm shower. She found Stefan in the kitchenette, making coffee. "How are you awake ?" she croaked, sitting at the breakfast bar. He chuckled as low as he could and handed her a mug. "How are you alive ?" She struck her tongue out at him, and moaned. "Ouuuch." Stefan was leaning against the furniture, sipping from his own cup, looking, amused, at his very hungover friend. "Had fun ?" he inquired. "Yeah, it was fun." Caroline smiled, and yawned. "How was your night, Stefan ?" "Boring." She groaned in compassion, unable to get more words out of her mouth. They sipped their coffee, slowly, silently until Caroline was attacked - it felt like an attack at least – by Rebekah shouting "Good morning !". Her voice, which had seemed so magical and beautiful the night before, now felt like daggers in her brain. She groaned, and Rebekah laughed. That is, until she saw Stefan. "Oh, shit. Sorry. I thought Caroline was alone." She grabbed Caroline's cup from her – Caroline watched it leave with heartbreak – and sat down next to her. "I'm Rebekah. Puffy eyes here and I met last night at the pub", she added, grinning from ear to ear. How is she doing that, Caroline wondered. She stared at her, then at Stefan who took his time to answer. "Stefan. I'm the roommate." "Oh, my God. You're Stefan ? Wow." Bekah nudged Caroline in the ribs. "You didn't say he was this hot." Caroline frowned, looked from Stefan – blushing – to Bekah and back again, groaned, and declared : "I need a fucking shower."

When she came back in the room, some twenty odd minutes later, she found Rebekah, still in her panties and in one of Caroline's old pajama shirts, and Stefan, still holding the same coffee mug, deep in conversation. She felt like she was intruding on something important, so she just grabbed the first thing she could find to eat – a banana – and closed the door of her room behind her. Her head felt much clearer now. As she put some order back into her room and ate what was in her hands – she was starving – she wondered what Stefan and Bekah were talking about. They both were into each other, at least that what it seemed like to Caroline. Stefan's eyes were shining, and Rebekah was prancing around the loft in her panties. She chuckled. She always hoped that Stefan would get over Elena and with someone with character, and passion, and a heart as big as his; but she never thought she'd find her for him. Pace yourself, Caroline, she thought. They've only known each other for like, a few hours. They're not getting married yet.

"Stefan and I are so getting married."

Or maybe they are. Caroline turned around, eyebrows raised, amused. "What ?" Her new friend had the biggest smile on her face, and she let herself fall on the bed, giggled and ruffled the sheets like an eight-year old. "Are you all right ?" Caroline inquired. "He is so dreamy !" Rebekah sat up and swooned. "I'm normally not the kind of girl to fall like that, but he is smart, and charming, and funny, and he has conversation. And he's a fucking adult, which is so rare with guys our age." Caroline chuckled. "Don't I know it." She sat down next to Rebekah, who grabbed her arm and leaned closer. "You have to give me his number." "He's in the next room, go and ask him yourself !"

"I can't, my heart is beating too fast." Bekah whined, before getting really serious. "Feel it." Caroline got up and crossed her arms behind her. "It's too soon for me to go about touching your boobs. Go and ask Stefan to do it, and, while you're at it, ask him for his number. But for the rest, just wait until I'm out of the flat, okay ?" Rebekah smiled as Caroline grabbed her stuff and a decent pair of flats, sent a kiss to Bekah, still sitting on the bed, and made her way out. Stefan was busy cleaning the kitchen, and Caroline smiled, reached out and kissed him on the cheek. "Have fun, Mr Salvatore." She winked at him and left the loft, closing the door behind her.

She grinned, all the way from the apartment to Little Italy, where she strolled through the streets, nose in the air. There was a small breeze running through them, and she took her time window shopping the restaurants, still full on this lovely Sunday afternoon. She sat at the terrace of a café, decided to enjoy herself, and relish in doing nothing. It was a good day to do nothing, and she appreciated that she didn't have to work, like some other people. She could, however, only get a few minutes in the sun before her phone started to ring. She didn't recognize the number, but the area code was from New-York, and she decided to answer. "Hello."

"Caroline." His voice sent shivers down her spine. "Klaus." She felt her lips turn into a grin as he greeted her. "What can I do for you on my one day off ?" He chuckled in her ear, and Caroline suddenly wanted to swoon, or shriek, or giggle. She shook her head, determined not to let it screw with her head. "Don't be snappy, love. I have something for you."

"Don't call me love.", she frowned. "Not even on my day off."

"Shame. Can you come by, then ?"

"No, I can't. I'm having coffee and reveling in the day."

"You what ?" He sounded amused.

"Sunbathing. You should try it sometimes. Anyway, can't it -" The sudden sound of the tone on the other end of the line startled her. "Well, that was rude." She thought nothing more of it and went back to enjoying her day. Her first cappuccino came and went, along a generous slice of New-York cheesecake, and she was now fiddling with her phone – she went through Rebekah's Instagram, glad to see she uploaded the picture they took last night –, appreciating the warm sun on her arms and neck. "Nice flowers." Her head jerked up. There he was, standing in front of her, looking absolutely dashing. He seemed more relaxed, too, now that he was out of the office. Not at all fazed by Caroline's silence – her brain and heart were screaming, though -, he decided to sit down opposite her and order an espresso. "In your hair, I mean." A pause. "At a loss for words, miss Forbes ?" "I'm looking for the right question." "Ah." He patiently waited, a grin on his lips, settling down. He took his jacket off, and rolled up his sleeves. She couldn't not stare at him.

Bastard, Caroline thought. You know exactly the effect you have. And, indeed, when the waitress came back with Klaus' coffee, she saw her swoon, and smile, and bend over a little too much. Which was exactly why Caroline's words came out of her so abruptly. "How on earth did you know I was here ?" Klaus' eyes, which never left her despite the waitress, glittered as he chuckled. "That's a secret." "No, seriously. This is so creepy that I am hesitating between having you arrested or beating you to death with a spoon."

Klaus acted hurt, but still kept a crooked smile. "You wound me, Caroline." "Not as much as I'm going to if you don't tell me how you know that I was here." She refused to let this pass, hating this violation of her privacy. Undaunted, he only smiled. He let a minute or go by, letting them sip their coffees in peace, before answering. "You posted it on Facebook, you know." Caroline felt her cheeks redden, and battled to stay dignified. "Oh. Well, that's okay then." Klaus' laughter filled her with embarrassment and she tried to hide behind her phone. "Delete. Facebook." she muttered, as his hilarity continued. The truth, though, was that Caroline, as awkward as she felt, she also loved bringing out this side of her employer. This joy that he seemed to feel right now. She couldn't help but grin in response.

"Did you have a nice time last night ?" he asked her as she started on her second slice of cheesecake. "Oh, yeah. Completely awesome. I am so hungover, though, which explains the cheesecake. We drank, we laughed, we flirted with the bartender, I met this crazy girl and we've spent the whole night talking and now, she's doing my best friend." She took her breath. "I don't know why I'm telling you all of this." she added, smiling. Klaus only frowned a little. "She's doing your best friend ?" "Yeah." She gulped down a piece of her desert. "They're having sex if you prefer. At least that's I think they're doing. They certainly seemed like they wanted to."

"But I thought – you and Stefan -" he wondered out loud, and Caroline swallowed her food the wrong way, coughing against her hand. "What ? No ! No, no, no, no !" She tried to get some air as Klaus looked at her, quizzical. "There is nothing romantic going on between Stefan and I. He's my best friend and my roommate and basically my whole world since we moved here but there is nothing else to it. No." Caroline didn't know why she was being so vehement about this. In the past, when people mistook them for a couple, she only laughed and shrugged it off. It never bothered her, nor should it. Stefan is the best guy, and being associated with him really wasn't the worst Caroline could do. She didn't understand why it was so important for her boss to know that she was not in a committed relationship, but she felt the need to make it known, to put it out there. "Oh." He blinked, then added, almost too low for Caroline to hear : "That's too bad." She frowned, but decided to let it pass for now. She saw him shrug. "I'm going back to London for a few days." Klaus declared, out of the blue. Caroline gasped at the announcement. "What ?" "I have business to attend to there. I should be back next week."

"Next week ?" He nodded in response, and she scoffed. "You're leaving me alone on my second week." "Yes, I am." "No safety net." "You don't need a safety net, Caroline. You're good. Even after only one week." Caroline was shocked. She looked down, tried to collect her thoughts before looking at him again. "You can't leave me.", she whispered. He breathed out slowly. "You're a lawyer, right ?" "I am, but -" He leaned towards her and took her hand. Caroline felt electricity running up her arm, but she was too mesmerized by the sweet smile he was throwing at her. "No but. This is what they prepared you for in law school." "Taking over for a managing partner on your second week ? That is not what they taught me." "You can do this, Caroline. I know you can." He sat up straight and shook his phone. "But I'll be right there if you need me. Day and night. Whenever you need, whatever you need." She sighed, looking from him to his phone, and back round to him. She laughed softly. "I can't believe you're doing this to me." She finished her plate, just to get away from his stare. "What, trusting you with my clients and my appointments ?" Caroline looked up in astonishment. "I have to do your appointments ? See your clients ?" "Well, I won't be there to do it, I need you to." He frowned. "Is this a problem ?" Caroline didn't know what to say. She wanted to shout yes, but she also wanted this opportunity very, very badly. She knew it wasn't right for her, not yet, but just for the week would be fine. She desperately wanted to prove herself, especially now that he showed faith in her. "You trust me with this ? With your firm ?" "Caroline, I know this first week hasn't been easy on you. I am not used to having anyone work for me, and everything that I have asked you to do I used to do myself, only now I haven't the time. And you handled it like a pro. All of it. I'm pretty sure I can trust you with anything."

She fought, very hard, against the tears welling up in her eyes, and the strong desire to hug him and say thank you over and over. She tried to stay unmoved by this gesture, and she cleared her throat. "Well, if I burn the firm down I'm blaming you." He laughed. "Fair enough. Try not to die before I come back, though." He sounded amused, and Caroline understood that they were back to playing with each other. "Why, do you want the pleasure of killing me yourself ?" "Oh, no. If I did, who would bring me my coffee in the morning ?" She scoffed in indignation and threw him her napkin while he only laughed at her reaction.

They had stayed in that café most of the afternoon, discussing what Caroline would need to do or not to do while he would be away. They had – well, Caroline had – eaten and drank until they were full, and Klaus offered to walk Caroline back to the subway.

She was quiet at first, suddenly shy. Having Klaus tower over her was very intimidating. They walked down the streets peacefully, leisurely; and it was he who started things up again. "There's something different about you today." "Yeah, I'm wearing flats. I'm small again." was all that Caroline could think of to say. He chuckled, and they fell back into silence. Her curiosity got the better of her, though, and she soon inquired why he was leaving so suddenly. "Something came up.", he said, "I'd rather not talk about it. Not with you. Not yet." She giggled, nervously. "Okay. That's quite a slap to the face, but okay." He turned to face her, stopping her. She was forced to look up to meet his gaze, even though she only wanted to press on. "Caroline -" "No, I get it." she interrupted. "We've only known each other for a week, and I'm not your friend, I'm your employee. Don't worry." "Caroline." he said, again, before she could continue. She braced herself for what was coming next, but he only looked at her. She couldn't hold his stare, and looked away. He only sighed, and they went back to walking.

The afternoon had been perfect, absolutely perfect. They had laughed, and talked, and it had felt like they were becoming friends. Caroline had loved it. And now – now they couldn't even talk properly. The spell had been broken. She looked for a new topic of conversation, anything to make him believe she was not hurt by his rejection, but she came up blank at every turn. Everything she wanted to ask was very personal, and she didn't feel like she could handle another no. She wanted him to open up to her like she wanted to open up to him, but maybe he wasn't the kind of man to want that relationship with an employee. But, then again, he was leaving tomorrow. She didn't want to have any awkwardness between them before he did. She might need to call him for any reason, and she knew she wouldn't if she felt weird about it. Her stubbornness and her pride would prevent her from calling someone who might not want her to call them. "When are you coming back ?" she blurted. "On Saturday, probably." She nodded. "Okay." "Okay." he repeated. Conversation was drying out fast, and no new topics presented themselves. Caroline practically hugged her purse to keep her heart from jumping out of her chest. She felt so awkward. She stopped walking, and, lost in his thoughts, Klaus took a few seconds to realize she wasn't next to him any more. He turned round and looked at her. "Did I do something wrong ?" He frowned, and shook his head slightly, looking down. "Caroline -" "You're being weird, Klaus. Is it because I've asked about London ?" He repeated her name, stepping forward, but she interrupted him again. "I'm sorry, I'm curious, okay ? I didn't think that -" She gasped, loudly, when he put his hands on her face. She could feel his fingers on her hair and ears, the palms on her cheeks. They felt warm and soft, and Caroline fought her every instinct not to move. She stared in his eyes, and held a sigh. "You didn't do anything wrong, Caroline." he assured her, his face inches away from hers. She had felt his breath on her skin, and she wondered if he could feel hers. Up close, he smelt like earth and salt. And coffee. She was mesmerized by the colors in his eyes, and her knees wobbled. His touch felt as glorious as she imagined it would be, and she raised her hand to touch him back, slowly, very slowly. His lips were so close, and Caroline had to fight not to stare at them. But she couldn't help but getting just an inch closer to him. She took a step forward, fascinated by his face and the look in his eyes. She wanted to take a second, and a third, until both their bodies touched and she could grab him tight. She felt him move towards her as well, his fingers in her hair, pushing her face up. He was going to kiss her, she realized, and her heart hiccuped. She wanted him too, so badly, that the only thing that kept her standing was his pressure on her.

The honk of a nearby car, followed by various shouts of profanities broke the charm, and they both jumped. Klaus took a sharp step back and Caroline shivered violently. She had to catch her breath, panting softly. She closed her eyes for a second. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have -" Klaus began, but Caroline spoke over him. "No, no, don't worry, you were only trying to cheer me up. We're fine." He chuckled softly. "We're fine." he repeated after her, cleared his throat, checked his watch. "I think I should go.", he stated, without looking at her. "I can't be late. Are you going to be okay ?" I would be if you looked at me, Caroline thought. "I'll be fine." she said. "Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl." He nodded, looked at her one last time, and hailed a cab.

She didn't want to go back home. Not yet. But she didn't want to stay here, in the middle of the street, being ogled by the pedestrians. She called a cab, waving at it, and gave the first address that came to her. She'd always believed that this address would be home, or work, or one of the shops she became so familiar with. She'd never suspect she'd give the address of a pub. She found herself back to the Perfect Pint, and she chuckled to herself.

"They say talking to yourself is the first step to becoming crazy. But laughing to yourself, that's – that's step number two."

She rolled her eyes and turned around. Last night's bartender was leaning against a wall, finishing his cigarette. "Did you came back for me ?" he inquired, his crooked smile dazzling Caroline. He wasn't being serious, it was clear to all, but Caroline didn't feel like being serious either. "I don't know." she answered, looking up at the pub's week-end decorum, then back at him. "Maybe." He stood up straight and took a few steps towards her. "What's up, Caroline ?"

In his mouth, her name didn't ring as pretty as it could. It felt raw, but powerful too. She could get used to it. "My boss just left. Gave me the metaphorical keys to the firm." She raised an eyebrow, and he whistled. "Sounds like a party." She chuckled and took a step forward as well. "Are you working tonight ?" From up close, his eyes were a rich, golden brown, and his features were rough, but not unpleasant. She felt her insides stir as he stared into her eyes. "I am.", he answered, and Caroline mimicked a pout. "Shame." He grinned slyly. "What did you have in mind ?" She extended her hand and grabbed his shirt softly with her fingers to pull him closer. "I owe you a date."

As she saw Tyler's grin get bigger, Caroline's mind screamed at her. What the fuck are you doing, Forbes ? But she couldn't help herself : Klaus made her spin out of control, and she seized every opportunity to try and get it all back. Tyler made her feel in charge, she called the shots with him. And, yes, it was her employer that got her all riled up, but it was Tyler that would calm her down, get those urges out of her head. At least she hoped he could. She watched him take out his phone and call his own boss in sick, all the while smirking at her. She wanted to kiss Klaus, but she couldn't. She wasn't allowed to. She would kiss Tyler instead. And maybe, just maybe, he would make her forget him. "Let's go, then." He called his boss in sick, and they had left the site running, laughing, and he had grabbed her hand to lead her through the crowd. She couldn't stop smiling as she followed him. This should be fun. She was happy she came to see him.