Calia licked her dry lips, and tried her best not to think about a shirtless Klaus…for more than ten seconds at a time. She had always been a sucker for tattoos and the feather turning into birds on his chest had always fascinated her, or maybe it was just the man himself. A light touch on her thigh brought her out of her thoughts and she turned to the man in her front seat.
"Hmm?" She asked him, blinking her impossibly long eyelashes at him in curiosity. Klaus shook his head in amusement at his friend and repeated his question.
"I said, why did all the other witches I asked for this particular spell tell me it was too dangerous, yet you agreed almost instantly?"
Turning the car, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders lightly.
"Because you saved me, so I owe you one."
"No, it's more than that, it has to be."
"Can't we just say that I want to help and leave it at that?" She asked him, hopeful he would agree with her, but of course he didn't.
"No, you can tell me the truth."
She sighed again, pulling into a parking spot at The Grille.
"Fine. I know what it's like to watch your family die and be able to do nothing to stop it, I would have given anything to have gotten them back. I wasn't powerful enough to bring them back, and they've been gone for years now. But I'm powerful enough to get your brother back now, so that's what I'll do."
She was shocked by the gentle kiss on her cheek and the hug that went along with it. While she was a huge cuddler, she wasn't much into hugging, and Klaus had never done anything like this before.
"Thank you."
The embrace ended and she opened the car door and stepped out, waiting to lock the car after he did the same.
"That, and the whole world not ending thing that is definitely a bonus!" She quipped just before they walked through the front door. Taking her hand in his, he led the way.
"It's show time!" She whispered.
Caroline was more than a little bit pissed off tonight! Slamming the stack of magazines and binders down on the table next to her food, she let out a fully unnecessary huff, as she didn't need to breathe anymore, and was doing it solely for dramatic purposes.
"Ugh! Elena is ruining everything once again! I tried to have a nice, civil last minute masquerade meeting before tomorrow night, and she ate half the party planners! You have got to get her to flip her switch back on! Where's Bonnie when we need her!" Damon sauntered over to her, snatching some fries out of her basket before plopping down into a chair at her table. Staring insolently.
"Yes, Bonnie is still M.I.A and trying her best to not be evil while grieving nonstop for her dead boyfriend. And as for Elena, may I remind you the whole purpose of tomorrow night Barbie, is to capture Elena so we can torture her to turn her switch back on! So sorry if a few dead decorators don't even set off a blip on my radar!" Matt set down a tray full of food and drinks and then whistled as the front door opened and two people walked in. Damon's eyes went wide as he stared at the couple.
"Well, well, well. When she said she was seeing an old friend, she wasn't kidding!"
Oh god, all eyes were literally on them! This was a bad plan! She was going to fall flat on her face and embarrass herself and Klaus! She must have made some small noise of distress because before she knew it, her hand was being pressed against his lips gently, and he was whispering for her to relax. Giving an imperceptible nod, she followed him to a booth near the pool tables, doing her best to ignore the stares and the whispers. The nice bartender she'd seen earlier that day came up to them and she greeted him with a warm smile. Klaus ordered steaks and fries, sour cream for her to dip hers in and two beers. He waited until Matt walked away to continue their conversation. He leaned closer to her across the table, taking her hand in his gently.
"You're awfully nervous tonight, something the matter?"
She shook her head at first, then thought about it.
"I guess I'm just not used to all this attention, I mean you're you, and I'm well, me." Blonde eyebrows rose in surprise at her statement.
"And what does that mean?"
Blue eyes trapped her in his gaze, and she couldn't look away.
"You can't compel me, remember?"
"I know; I'm just asking you."
"You're this big bad vampire, all murdery and sexy, and I'm far from a ten, I feel like I'm being judged, especially from the angry blonde staring daggers at me."
Klaus chuckled at the face she made before running a hand through her dark hair.
"Stop. You are a true beauty. You have brains, power, and you are definitely a ten in my eyes. And it's nice to know others are jealous of you already."
Blushing at his words, she finally looked down, breaking the connection.
"Th-thanks." She stammered, doing her best to ignore everyone around her but him. A wicked smile slid across his lips, and he couldn't help but to add,
"And it's nice to know you think I'm sexy." The beer that she had just taken a sip of almost shot out of her mouth, but she slapped a hand over it to stop her reaction and swallowed hard.
"What?" She asked him, blinking innocently.
That wicked grin stayed in place.
"You said it, you said I was sexy."
"I also said you were murdery, you're the one fixating on the other part."
The food was set down in front of them and luckily, the topic was dropped at last. They shared small talk over the meal, and he tried not to notice her little sounds as she enjoyed the meal, small sighs and almost moans, and he certainly did not think about what her sounds of pleasure he could coax out of her would be; little moans or all out screams as she reached her release. He wouldn't think about his friend like that, for more than five minutes. He would not think about the fact that he was starting to develop feelings for her. Feelings could be dangerous and for their plan to work, neither one of them could risk them. The light and nervous tapping of her fingernails on the now empty table brought him out of his thoughts and she turned to him nibbling on her bottom lip.
"What now?"
"We talk and laugh and flirt while you lose at pool."
Grinning at him, she stood up from the table.
"You're on!"
Half an hour and three beers each later, they were genuinely having fun, the first two games she had lost, and then the next few she had gotten into her comfort zone and was now promptly kicking his ass. The flirting was no longer forced either, and as she bent down low, her chest close to the table to take a shot, he was more than happy to stare at her ass, as she took the shot that won the game. Handing her pool cue to him, their hands lingered, for just a second too long, and as he re wracked the balls for another game, she playfully slapped his ass and then walked away to take care of their empty beer bottles. He chuckled at her boldness and waited for her to come back.
Oh, my god, I touched his butt, I can't believe I touched his butt! And he let me! It was a nice butt too. This fake dating thing isn't so bad, wish it was for real. She turned away from the bar and ran right smack into Damon Salvatore.
"Oh sorry, I didn't realize you were behind me."
"Did you realize you're on a date with a murderer?"
Wow, he didn't waste time with small talk this time.
Widening her eyes in innocence, she stole a glance over at Klaus as he talked to the blonde that had been giving her mean looks all night. So they had waited until they had split up to talk to them, and these were supposed to be the good guys?
"Um, what do you mean?"
"I mean you're with a psychopath."
"I think I should go-"
"Yes, you should, go back to whatever town you come from and stop trying to play house with a serial killer."
She clenched her fists at her side to keep from saying something she would regret, or blowing her cover. She turned to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks for the advice, but I know how to handle myself."
With that she walked away and back to her date.
"What kind of game are you two playing?" Caroline Forbes stormed over the minute the dark haired girl had left Klaus alone, after she had swatted his ass, clearly marking her territory.
Klaus stood up, towering over her, and doing his best to end the conversation before Calia came back.
"What do you mean, Caroline?"
She huffed and threw her hands up, ever the drama queen!
"I mean, what are you two doing here on your little date?"
"I believe it's called having a date."
"Yeah right, you know this crush of yours on me has gone too far! Now you've hired an actress to hang all over you and make me jealous! Just so you know, it's pathetic, and not working."
It was totally working and she hated it. Klaus was like a toy that she had no interest in playing…until someone else picked it up and played with it, then she wanted it back.
"Well, for your information, Calia is a very good friend of mine, and contrary to your belief, I am fully capable of liking a girl for more than her capability to make you jealous. She's an amazing young woman and her and I have been talking for years. She has more personality in her little finger than you do in your whole body, and I am very interested in her!"
She blinked up in surprise at his words. There was one ace she had left up her sleeve, and she decided to play it now.
"Do you fancy her?"
He blinked in confusion at her question.
"What?"
He'd heard her, he was just surprised she had asked him.
"You told me at the ball you fancied me, do you fancy her too?"
Did he? With Caroline it was almost an obsession, with Calia there was more to it, he was genuinely interested in her thoughts and feelings, and not just the fact that she was willing to help him bring back his brother that Caroline and her friends had killed.
"You know, I think I do."
Calia came back just in time to see the blonde slap Klaus hard across the face and then storm off. She hurried over to him, to see if he was okay. He was more stunned than hurt.
"Jealous ex?" She asked him, caressing his cheek where a small angry red mark had formed. He shrugged, leaning into her touch for a moment before stepping away to grab his jacket.
"She wishes. So what did Elder Salvatore have to say?"
"Oh, the usual, you're a murderer, stay away, go back before it's too late, generic declaration of doom, can we go home now? I've had enough of drama for one night."
Laughing at her, he took her hand and led her out.
"Weren't you a theatre major in college?"
"Stage drama, I can handle any day, one night in this town with the Young and the Lifeless, I can't."
He threw his head back and laughed as they left the Grille.
"Believe me, you'll get used to it."
Walking to the car, his arm automatically wrapped around her shoulder as they walked.
"Is anyone still watching us?" She asked him.
"No."
"So, why are we still pretending?"
He pulled her closer to him, resting his head on top of hers.
"I'm not."