Lightning strikes the heart - that's another love story (2023)

Silvester

Caroline's year ended on a very odd note, to say the least: at a party she didn't want to go to, in a crowded bar, surrounded by hordes of drunk party-goers, not a single one of whom she's known since her best friend's roommate insisted , to be with her, she went, he was flirting with a handsome man in a suit.

Caroline preferred to spend New Year's Eve on the couch with a bottle of cheap champagne and Ryan Seacrest nearby, but Katherine had seen a flyer promising half-price drinks until midnight at Wasted Minds, a bar near campus, and Katherine would I wouldn't be Katherine if she didn't take the opportunity to dress up and drink cheap alcohol.

And when Caroline told Katherine she didn't want to go, Katherine refused to take no.

Eventually, Katherine convinced Caroline to come along, using her New Year's resolution - to spend more time with friends - against her. Although battling the noisy crowds of revelers at the bar wasn't the image of a quality time she had envisioned, Caroline decided that if her friend really wanted her at the party, she would go.

While Katherine donned her shortest, tightest dress—a black dress meant to look like leather, with a zipper in the front, a plunging neckline in the front, and an even deeper neckline in the back—she wore something when she was seeking male attention or trouble that— when some men forgot their manners or their girlfriends – often bringing both, Caroline opted for a long-sleeved ice pink velvet skater dress that looked both formal and modest.

The contrast between the styles of the two girls did not end there. Katherine towered over Caroline in statement black stiletto heels that had to be at least five inches tall, while Caroline opted for comfortable gray boots with sensible wedge heels. Katherine refused to cover her outfit with a jacket, while Caroline wore nude tights under her dress and a gray jacket. Katherine had the confidence, exotic beauty, and makeup talent that enabled her to achieve both smoky eyes and a matte wine hue on her lips, while Caroline opted for a clear, shimmery brown shade on her lids and a transparent lip gloss. Katherine left her long, wild locks loose while Caroline pulled her hair into a neat bun like a ballerina.

"The party doesn't start until I walk in..." Katherine announced and opened the door, causing everyone within earshot to turn and look at her. Although the volume of the music and conversations required yelling to be heard over the music volume, there weren't too many people.

The bar was full. The dance floor was full of bodies, there was already a queue for the toilet, every table, booth and bar stool was occupied.

Katherine looked around again and then turned to Caroline.

"First drink or dance?" She screamed.

"Dance first!" Caroline yelled back as the song Katherine had mentioned at her grand entrance started blasting out of the speakers.

After several high-energy dance pieces, with the crowd enthusiastically shouting the lyrics, the next song was a slow dance. Caroline and Katherine, along with much of the crowd, took the opportunity to catch their breath and drink.

"I need water," Caroline gasped.

"I'll be right back," Katherine said.

Katherine returned a few minutes later and handed Caroline water.

"There's a guy in the bar who looks at me every few minutes," Katherine said to Caroline as quietly as possible.

Katherine was no stranger to male attention. She enjoyed it, encouraged it, sought it. Caroline had always thought of it as the price that stunningly beautiful people like Katherine had to pay for being so stunningly beautiful.

But that attitude was limited to innocent behavior: long looks, offers to buy drinks, stuttered compliments.

– Does he feel unwell? Caroline asked.

Katherine had been molested on a number of occasions and these incidents always ended with Katherine wishing the stalkers had never spoken to her, but now she seemed more confused than concerned.

"He keeps staring me in the face," Katherine explained. "Neither legs nor chest. There was a lot of strategic planning behind making my cleavage look this good, so why isn't he checking it out?"

Caroline had to suppress a laugh. Only Katherine would be angry that she wasn't given much attention because of the physical trait she was trying to draw attention to.

"Who is he?" Caroline asked.

"On the third stool from the right," Katherine replied.

Katherine got the attention she was looking for from a man who looked a few years older than her and who had obviously been coerced into attending the party by a younger sibling or friend. Note his bored expression, which eventually faded as Kat made the connecting look in contact with him as if she was the only thing he found worth mentioning.

"Did you see it light up when you looked at it? It's adorable," Caroline commented.

Katherine decided to walk up to him, pulling Caroline with her because "I want you to tell me if he's really cute or if he's just wearing a suit."

He introduced himself, apparently focusing more on Katherine than Caroline as he told them his name was Elijah, that he would be graduating from his MBA in the spring, and that he was wearing a suit because he had just returned from a board meeting Things were going so badly at his father's company, where he was being groomed for his soon-to-retire CFO position, that he decided he needed a drink right away, completely forgetting it was New Year's Eve and the party was going on.

As he introduced himself, he stood up and another customer immediately took his place. A crowd pushed them away from the bar, although none of them seemed overly concerned.

Just seconds into Elijah's story, Caroline began to feel like an awkward third wheel. He just stared at Katherine, and Kat seemed genuinely interested in what he was saying, making thoughtful comments and questions, punctuated by casual questions about what drove him to volunteer for so many math classes.

Turning to Caroline, Katherine raised an eyebrow and asked quietly, "He's cute, isn't he?" It's not just a suit?

In response, Caroline nodded slightly to show her agreement.

While Katherine seemed delighted when Elijah honestly asked why he was asking her throughout his time at university, both undergraduate and graduate (he had a double major in business administration - with a double major in accounting and finance) - and economics, Because she had little knowledge of applied statistics and felt like a stupid loser the moment she heard about it, Caroline knew that her boyfriend was genuinely interested in him and that it wasn't just about the suit .

At first glance, Caroline didn't think someone as conservative and stoic as Elijah would be Katherine's type, but after apologizing for monopolizing the conversation and asking Katherine about her own studies, Caroline realized they seemed to fit after all. Although they focused on different subject areas and goals, both were equally intelligent, determined, ambitious and focused. Caroline realized they had a solid relationship where they constantly supported and encouraged each other to do their best and while Caroline didn't design her bridesmaid dress in her head or anything, she could see that Katherine wasn't just interested in him entertainment tonight.

So when Elijah offered to buy them both a drink, Caroline politely declined and stayed where she was while he and Katherine went to the bar.

Katherine gave Caroline a grateful smile as they walked away.

Caroline was sure Katherine wouldn't be back anytime soon and tried to find a place to wait until midnight, far enough away from the dance floor, bar and toilets not to disturb anyone.

It wasn't that Caroline was the shy, literary type who hated parties, because she wasn't. As an events coordinator for her club, she spent much of her free time planning and attending parties.

Caroline just didn't like parties like this, where the sole purpose seemed to be to get drunk as soon as possible. There was no theme, no decoration, no atmosphere, just loads of alcohol.

In fact, the only clue that it was a New Year's Eve party and not just a regular Friday night was thanks to the DJ, who put on a playlist of songs for 10-year-olds in 2019.

And while Caroline thought nostalgically about being in a room full of people shouting "Good Girls Go Bad" like it was 2009, like everyone else at the party, it just wasn't enough to make the party festive or special, and a loud squeal, which was inappropriate, reminded Caroline of how embarrassingly drunk many of the partygoers were.

A quick glance at her phone showed Caroline that it was over an hour until midnight.

With some time to kill before she could go home - and Caroline had promised Katherine she would leave at 12:01 sharp - Caroline pushed her way through the crowd to the bar and ordered a Diet Coke.

The bartender, whom Caroline had previously seen working there and who had mentioned to Caroline on a previous occasion that she was pursuing a masters in psychology, immediately asked her if childhood trauma caused by an alcoholic parent was the reason she wasn't drink.

Considering it was none of her business to answer, Caroline said nothing as she paid for her drink.

Luckily Caroline hadn't counted on the empty alcove in the corner. She rushed there, hoping no one else would get there first, and sat down quickly.

Only to spot a young man with dirty blonde hair hunched over on the opposite side of the booth.

His glassy eyes and uncoordinated movements indicated that the drink in front of him wasn't his first. He looked rumpled in a gray button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up.

"Oh! Sorry I didn't see you so I thought this cabin was empty. But I can see you now so I'll leave you alone." Caroline quickly apologized and stood up.

"Since you're not my brother or my father, you can stay," the young man stammered. "It's pretty selfish of me to take the whole case for myself when the bar is so full."

Caroline stood up but didn't move. Sitting around with a drunk stranger wasn't on her to-do list for the evening, but she didn't want to hide in a corner and avoid contact with anyone for the next hour either.

She looked around for Katherine but couldn't see her in the crowd.

"I mean, you can sit there," he continued.

Caroline liked to think that she had pretty good judgment of characters, and instinct told her he wasn't a villain. Sure, he'd obviously had more alcohol than Caroline had ever drunk that night, but he was just being nice and polite to Caroline, repeating his invitation to sit with him without being intrusive. She was sure there were far worse people in this bar now. Most of the crowd huddled around the dance floor, bar, and restrooms, so the booths lining the walls were comparatively quiet.

Caroline hesitated for a moment before sitting down again.

"Thank you," she said.

He just nodded.

"I don't know if you're interested or if you remember, but I'm Caroline by the way," Caroline introduced herself.

"Sweet Caroline..." he sang drunkenly.

"Boom, boom, boom," someone in the cabin behind him obligingly sang along.

After a while, he seemed to remember that it was common to introduce yourself to people you'd just met, especially if they'd already introduced you.

"Klaus," he said simply.

"Nice to meet you," Caroline replied politely.

For the next half hour they sat in a silence that wasn't very friendly, but somehow not uncomfortable either.

Caroline slowly sipped her drink and listened to the music. Occasionally she would make eye contact with her companion, who would nod, grin, or blink appreciatively.

When Klaus finished his drink - one of those amber old business man's drinks that Caroline couldn't tell by sight whether it was whiskey, scotch or bourbon because she wasn't a fan of either - he stood up. She got up and slipped out of the cabin.

"Is there whiskey in it?" he asked, pointing to her now almost empty drink.

"No." Caroline shook her head.

"Rum?"

"NO."

"Vodka?"

"No, it's just Diet Coke," Caroline replied.

"Okay, I'm going to the bar and maybe I'll come back with the three of you," he said.

"All right," Caroline admitted.

When he returned a few minutes later, he was holding a drink identical to the one he'd just drunk in one hand and a Diet Coke in the other.

He put a drink down for Caroline.

"This woman is unbearable," he lamented. "This is a bar, no one wants to talk to a stranger about childhood trauma."

"Well, thanks." Caroline took the drink he bought her.

It was a nice touch, and if Caroline had been watching the situation with Katherine for her, she might have thought he was flirting, but they'd barely exchanged a dozen sentences - all about the lounge suite or the drinks they were having - and Caroline had long since accepted that she wasn't that gorgeous. Men with their beauty like Katherine.

While Caroline certainly didn't mind if he tried to flirt with her (he might have been a drunk stranger, but he was a cute drunk stranger!), he was apparently just being nice.

He nodded. "Do not mention it."

They fell into another silence.

"You're not going to go home tonight, are you?" Carolina burst into tears.

Klaus looked at her with a strange, almost suspicious expression.

"No," he finally answered. “My brother brought us here and will drive us home. He lacks temper so has a drink when we arrive, calms down and is completely sober by the time we leave.

Caroline nodded and took another sip of her drink.

"I would ask about you but you don't drink so I'm assuming you're a sober driver and I don't need to check if you have one yourself," he noted.

"Yes." Caroline nodded.

They fell silent again until someone with a microphone shouted over the music that it was one minute to midnight.

The crowd immediately started the countdown loudly, some kicking around weirdly and drunk.

Caroline happily joined in after 58 seconds while Klaus waited until 30 seconds.

„10!“

„9!“

„8!“

„7!“

„6!“

„5!“

„4!“

"3!"

„2!“

„1!“

"Happy New Year!"

Then they were surrounded by kissing couples. Some of them appeared to be in stable relationships, while others were seemingly stranger couples who didn't want to abandon tradition.

Klaus caught Caroline's eye and shrugged as if to say, I'm in the game if you are.

Then he leaned forward, slowly enough to make his intentions clear and allow Caroline to stop him if she felt like it.

But Caroline has stated that she is not ready to hold him back. He was handsome, kind despite being so quiet, considerate enough to buy her a drink; and it was one kiss, to keep tradition alive, and then they probably never saw each other again.

Jenny McCarthy did it every year on TV, and some of the strangers she kissed must have had wives or girlfriends, not to mention the fact that she was married herself.

In comparison, it was completely innocent that Caroline kissed Klaus at midnight because people kissed at midnight on New Year's Day and he was around and seemed interested.

So Caroline leaned forward too, until their lips met.

The kiss was surprisingly good. It wasn't messy, it wasn't an awkward kiss, and it didn't turn into an adult kissing session.

They broke up after quite a while — not as briefly as middle schoolers playing spin the bottle, but not long enough to break the kiss just because they desperately needed oxygen.

"I should find a roommate so we can go," Caroline said shyly. "But it was nice to meet you."

"It's my pleasure," Klaus replied.

"Bye," Caroline said quickly, then rushed off to find Katherine.

She found her friend near the bar entrance, sulking at a reluctant looking Elijah.

"Hey, Kat," Caroline greeted. "Are you ready to move?"

"Apparently." Katherine glared at Elijah.

"Katherine," he sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently lifting her chin so that she had to look at him with the other. "I'm not rejecting you. I look forward to the next time I can enjoy your company. But I made a commitment to my brother, and I always keep my commitments. Perhaps I could invite you to dinner tomorrow night so that we can continue to get to know each other in an environment more conducive to such conversation?”

"I don't know what restaurants will be open on New Year's Day, but it sounds good to me," Katherine agreed.

"Great, I'll call you in the morning," Elijah promised.

"Not too soon," Katherine moaned.

"Of course," Elijah giggled and kissed Katherine on the cheek before walking away.

"Let's go," Katherine said to Caroline.

When they got to Caroline's car, she couldn't contain her curiosity.

"So what happened?"

"You heard what happened, we have our first date tomorrow," Katherine said.

"Well, that's exciting!" exclaimed Caroline.

"We'll see," Katherine replied. "Let's hope I still like him as much as I do when I'm drunk when I'm sober." And you? What did you do when I was with Elijah?

Caroline writhed under the weight of Katherine's full attention.

"I ordered a Diet Coke and sat in a booth with a stranger who was sitting alone," Caroline replied.

"Did you kiss him?" Katherine asked.

"How did you know it was him?" Carolina is back.

"I am omniscient," Katherine said with absolute sincerity. "Answer the question."

"Yes, I did," admitted Caroline. "He was sweet and nice and that's a tradition, but I don't know anything about him except his name and I'll probably never see him again, so it doesn't matter."

"You never know."

& &

Caroline carefully planned her courses to meet all general educational requirements by the end of her freshman year, so that her final two semesters would be devoted entirely to her major.

But when she entered an advanced GE anthropology course, she couldn't help but wish she had planned her schedule differently.

There were four sections of this course, and she had to end up in the same section as Elena Gilbert and Stefan Salvatore.

She'd spent the past year escaping these two and their endless drama, and now they would be stuck in a room together for an hour and fifty minutes every Monday and Wednesday for the next fourteen weeks.

Caroline did her best to steadfastly avoid eye contact with either of them, but Elena turned in her seat to check the clock just as Caroline was looking for a seat in front of Elena in the first few rows.

Elena gave Caroline a wistful look, which Caroline recognized as the look she wore when she was trying to make someone feel guilty for taking the blame for something that was their fault.

"Come on Caroline, you can't give up our lifelong friendship because of a fight."

"As my friend, you should be happy for me."

"I can't believe you're so selfish!"

After taking a second row seat, Caroline pulled out her cell phone to text Katherine.

Karolina:SOS Ambulance 911, please help as soon as possible, Stefan and Elena are in this class

Katharina:OMG, have they tried to talk to you?

Karolina:No, Elena just showed me her kicked puppy face

Katharina:Only it's Elena so she doesn't look like this because you kicked her pup but because she killed your pup and to make things right she brought you a new pup that isn't even half as cute and then acts devastated when she doesn't do it generously. You praise her kindness and compassion

Karolina:Your mind is a very dark and scary place, you know that?

Katharina:In my defence, I know that. Let me know how it goes!

Karolina:Will do!

Caroline put the phone back in her pocket as the professor approached the podium.

“Welcome to Anthropologie 303: Language, Culture and Society. "I'm Dr. Meredith Fell,” she said. “This course meets your requirements for a general education in contemporary international perspective, which I'm sure most of you here have, and includes an introduction to linguistic anthropology; a brief history of language and human communication, both verbal and non-verbal, the development of language over time, particularly as it relates to the development of human society, and an analysis of the social, cultural, political and economic impact of the language of a national and international perspective. If none of this sounds familiar to you, you either signed up for this course without reading the description, or you've come to the wrong place and should probably find a course you should be taking right now."

“I am submitting an application form. Please sign your name next to the spot on the list so I can see who didn't bother to show up on day one so I can start giving their spots to those on the wait list whom they're on showed up the first day,” continued Dr. fur away.

At least the professor had a sense of humor.

Caroline wasn't sure how many people were enrolled in the class, but the classroom wasn't full at all. Only in her right row were two empty seats and to her left one in the aisle.

The sound of the door opening caused everyone to turn and look at the person who had just entered. Caroline couldn't see her from her vantage point to the right of the seats, on the opposite side of the hallway from the door.

Instead, Caroline busied herself with pulling out the desk attached to her seat and preparing it with a notebook, planner, and different colored pens.

"I don't usually take a positive view of latecomers, but as it's the first day I'll be lenient," Professor Fell said.

Caroline only looked up when someone sat down next to her in the aisle.

And immediately made a double attempt.

"Hello, darling," Klaus said.

Klaus as the guy she kissed on New Year's Day and assumed she would never see again.

This Klaus.

"Hello," Caroline replied.

As the professor began handing out syllabuses, a piece of paper landed on Caroline's desk.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" If so, I'll make sure I'm sitting far enough away to not disturb you at your next class reunion.read note.

Caroline felt both touched and unsettled by his thoughtful care. While it was kind of him to comfort her with his presence, he must have displayed a degree of arrogance to think that he was having any effect on her after just one kiss.

- I appreciate your concern, but you don't bother me. You can sit where you wantCaroline wrote back, hoping her message was sincere enough when he was trying to be nice and distant enough when he was just being smug and trying to tease her.

Klaus quickly scanned her reply, then nodded and placed the page in his notebook before turning his attention back to the professor.

Even though he didn't initiate communication with the rest of the class, Caroline was still obsessively aware of his presence beside her. It was confusing and made it difficult for her to concentrate.

It's going to be a long time, Caroline thought.

& &

It was a blessing when the professor let them go after reading the syllabus.

"Wait, never mind!" a voice called behind her as Caroline left the classroom.

Caroline reluctantly turned to Stefan, who was looking at her expectantly.

– How was your winter break? Stephen asked.

"Okay, thanks," Caroline replied curtly.

"Okay," Stefan nodded. "The reason I wanted to talk to you was...

"Let me guess, Elena's back with Damon," Caroline interrupted.

"Well, that's true, but that's not why..."

"And now that Elena left you for your brother, you've assumed again that I'll take the opportunity to come back to you because you think I have no self-esteem," Caroline continued, as if Stefan did not done interrupted.

"I mean, I thought about getting back together, but it wasn't because of Elena and Damon," Stefan insisted.

"Really?" Carolina raised her eyebrows.

"I was hoping that you would have more understanding of the idea," admitted Stefano. "You weren't happy with me?"

"Sometimes," Caroline replied. "But Damon and Elena have always been more important to you than me and always will be. Whenever one of them called you would come running and leave me in the dust without a second thought. Don't think you're a villain, Stefan, but I've always been your last choice and your last priority, and that's not fair to me or anyone you're in a relationship with until you get over Elena and start Letting Damon clean up your mess.

Caroline could almost see the wheels turning in Stefan's head as he changed tactics.

"Okay, how about this," Stefan began. "You're planning another Valentine's Day charity event for Sigma Chi Omega this year, aren't you?"

"Yes," Caroline replied.

"Let me be your date at the party," Stefan suggested. "I'll ignore Damon and Elena if they call and we can have a fun evening getting to know each other again after a while apart and deciding once and for all whether we want to get back together or take a break." Or we better just stay friends.

"I don't want to do this," Caroline said.

"Why not?" Stephen asked.

- Seriously? I don't owe you an explanation as to why I don't want to date you! Carolina explained. "Actually, it would bother me if I didn't take the opportunity to remind you of your horrible boy behavior." Because you broke up with me nine months ago, the day after Elena and Damon broke up, and you decided that your top priority is getting elena back and keeping damon sober so he doesn't hurt himself or anyone else and now you want to think about us taking a break? What's wrong with you?!

"I don't think my suggestion is that unreasonable," Stefan insisted. - It's only one night. What do you have to lose? The only reason you would object would be if you had a boyfriend. You have a friend?

"It's really none of your business and it doesn't matter," Caroline insisted. "I don't want you to be my date at the party, and whether I'm already on a date or not doesn't affect my refusal to go to the party with you."

"You have a boyfriend," Stefan nodded to himself. "You have to, otherwise you wouldn't be so against going to the party with me."

Stifling a cry of frustration, Caroline wondered why so many men couldn't believe that a girl might just not be interested in dating them, and why they couldn't take "no" for an answer, but backed out immediately when they found out that there is already another guy in the picture.

As Caroline contemplated the appalling misogyny of college students, she heard the familiar voice of another student calling her name.

"Caroline, there you are," Klaus said and quickly went to Caroline and Stefan, holding a Starbucks cup in each hand. He approached Caroline. "Maybe you don't want this fight to happen in the middle of the lobby between classes, honey, you're making a scene."

Caroline looked around and there were actually a few people looking at her judgmentally.

"Oh, and this is for you," Klaus said, handing one of the mugs to Caroline.

Caroline hesitantly took a sip and was pleasantly surprised at the taste of the thin vanilla latte inside, although she wasn't sure how Klaus found out about her Starbucks order.

"Thanks," Caroline said.

"Is this your new friend, Care?" Stephen asked.

"Klaus Mikaelson," Klaus held out his right hand for Stefan to shake.

"Stefan Salvatore," Stefan hesitantly held out his hand.

"Ah yes, I've heard a lot about you, man," Klaus said with a cold, almost predatory smile. "Even though letting Caroline go was obviously the worst decision you've ever made, I guess I should be grateful to her because otherwise I probably never would have met her."

Caroline could hardly contain her delight when she saw that Stefan was genuinely uncomfortable in response to Klaus' words. Even if he wasn't listening to her, at least someone put Stefan in his place.

(And she was amazed at how quickly and easily Klaus could slip into her boyfriend's role. But would she ever admit it out loud? Of course not.)

"Well, I hope you're happy with him, Care," Stefan said through clenched teeth. "I still intend to go to this event to support you and the cause. Even if you can't be my date, maybe you can still save me the dance?"

Before Caroline could answer for herself, Klaus stepped in again to save her.

"I'm afraid Caroline's dance ticket is full," Klaus replied in a calm voice but with a touch of possessiveness. - I would say I'm sorry, but no. Can you blame me for wanting to keep this beautiful girl all to myself?

To Caroline's surprise, Klaus placed his free hand lightly on her back in a possessive gesture.

"I guess we'll see you there then," Stefan offered, embarrassed. "See you later."

Stefan couldn't seem to escape fast enough and ran out of the building.

"Look," Caroline turned to Klaus, but stopped when she didn't even know how to start telling him what she had to say.

"Do you have another lesson this morning?" Klaus interrupted him. "I would like to take you back."

"With me. "My next class isn't until one o'clock, I have a lunch/study break between classes today," Caroline replied.

"How about we talk about what just happened at lunch?" Klaus suggested. "I can't imagine you'll have much to learn on the first day of class."

"Okay," Caroline agreed. "But may I just ask how you knew about my coffee order?"

"I don't do that," smiled Klaus. “I actually bought this for my sister. I think I just got lucky.”

& &

There weren't many dining options at the student center, but by far the most enjoyable was Super Salad, which tried too hard to provide students with healthy meals while still providing them with a true restaurant atmosphere, and failed miserably on both missions - though more so on the latter first, for its own sake. Advantage.

Caroline would never want to go there on a real date, but given her other options, there was a canteen where all the freshmen who were forced to live and buy food on campus were, and a sports bar where she was pretty sure they only served french fries. , beers and maybe wings if you were lucky it was the right place to have lunch with Klaus.

After they ordered their food (Klaus had paid despite Caroline's objections and insisted that she pay herself) and were seated in the booth, Klaus looked at Caroline with an expectant but patient expression on his face.

"I'm sorry if the circumstances of our first meeting made you feel uncomfortable in my presence," Klaus said after a few moments of silence.

"It's not that," Caroline insisted. "The point is, I owe you an explanation for the confrontation you got into, and that explanation doesn't entirely flatter me."

"If you prefer not to explain, you don't have to," Klaus offered. "You can just tell me about the party I seem to be taking you to and then we won't have to talk at all until then."

"If that's what you want," Caroline replied. "I can't imagine anyone willingly getting involved in all of my drama."

"Perhaps I should admit that my motives for helping you are not solely for the sake of enjoying your company," suggested Klaus.

Caroline's heart sank. She had been used before by men who dated her just to make Elena jealous or who believed that her insecurities and abandonment issues made her easy and ready to tease. But no one else had announced from the start that they would take advantage of her, and she wasn't sure whether to insult Klaus' impertinence or respect his honesty.

"Sure," Caroline nodded emphatically. "Well, if you can just point to a friend you want to make jealous or an ex you need to show you got through first, I'll definitely pull out the PDA while she watches."

Klaus looked confused.

"It's not at all," he said. "I didn't lie before when I said I'd heard a lot about Stefan. He seems to have focused on my little sister, and Rebekah is something of a hopeless romantic who believes that every boy who catches her eye is her soul. I hope to kill two birds with one stone: leave Stefan both of you alone, get the revenge you deserve on him, and protect Rebekah from having to take revenge on him in the future by showing her how horribly he treated you.

In order. The big brother act of protection was new.

"Will she listen to you if you warn her about him?" Caroline asked.

"He doesn't usually do that," Klaus replied. But maybe he's listening to you. She will have no reason to think that you are anything other than her brother's kind friend who would like to see a younger girl see something of herself in her to avoid the pain she has been going through. by Stefan Salvatore.

- That's it? You just want me to talk to her? asked Carolina.

"That's right," confirmed Klaus. "I said I'm not exactly motivated to hang out with you. It's still my main motivation.

Caroline rolled her eyes but kept smiling at his cheeky flirtation.

"Stefan, my former best friend Elena, and I grew up together in the same small town," Caroline gasped in her haste. "Stefan and Elena were the golden couple in high school: prom king and prom queen, prom king and prom queen, he was on the football team and she was the cheerleader. It was like a Disney Channel musical. All three of us decided to stay close to home for college, so we came here and I had resigned myself to being the fifth wheel while the rest of our friends enrolled at other colleges. But the summer after high school, Stefan and Elena broke up, and I swear the whole town was devastated. Things got even worse for everyone when they found out that Elena broke up with Stefan because she had developed feelings for Stefan's older brother, Damon. Then, a few weeks into the start of sophomore year, Stefan asked me out on a date, and after a long talk with Elena and getting her blessing, I agreed. We dated for a little over six months until Elena broke up with Damon and Stefan needed to "comfort" her. Which made him think she wanted to get back together and of course he took the opportunity and dumped me only for Elena to get back to Damon the following week. The argument between Elena and I was legendary; We haven't spoken to each other since then. And when Stefan wanted us to get back together, I said no, and I've avoided him ever since, because honestly, it's really pathetic to see him get more hopeful every time Elena and Damon break up, an hour later to get back together. "

"Okay," Klaus said. "Why don't you take a deep breath while I process it all."

The waitress delivered the food just in time and Caroline eagerly ate the grilled chicken salad and waited for Klaus' reply.

Rather, Klaus intentionally poked his fork into a pot roast beef and allowed it to hover over his bowl when he asked his first question.

"I'm still not quite sure how bad this incident affects you," Klaus mused. "It seems to me that your so-called friends selfishly disregarded your feelings in favor of their own, and then expected you to have no qualms about doing so. Your boyfriend cheated on you with your best friend who is his ex. - his brother's girlfriend and current girlfriend - then he threw you aside when he thought he had a chance with her, only to realize his mistake and you rejected his advances. I appreciate you were the victim of the situation, and after that I did my best to keep my distance from people who have hurt you in the past. I don't see how that could be your fault or what you should have done in the answer instead.

"Still, it doesn't look good to me that my boyfriend cheated on me with his ex and then immediately left me because I was dating her. He was willing to give up his relationship with me for a chance at a relationship with her, which just goes to show how important I was to him," lamented Caroline.

"If anything, your story made me want to keep Rebekah out of his clutches even more," Klaus told her. But that didn't make me think less of you.

"I appreciate that," Caroline smiled.

They ate in silence for a while before Klaus finally interrupted them with another question.

- How long has Stefan been bothering you?

"I don't know if I would say I'm harassing..."

"Caroline," Klaus said sternly, raising his eyebrows.

"She looks for me every time Elena and Damon make up," admitted Caroline. "So once nine months ago, once seven months ago, once four months ago, once two months ago and today."

"And he couldn't take advantage of the fact that his ex and brother kept breaking up on his behalf?" Klaus asked.

"You don't have to tell me that, I was one of the many people who thought Stefan and Elena would be a perfect match," Caroline noted.

"Then…"

"So why was I dating Stefan when I thought he and Elena would be a perfect match?" Caroline found out.

Claus nodded.

"Because I saw what a perfect boyfriend Stefan was to Elena, and I wanted a relationship like that," Caroline replied. "I just didn't realize right away that Stefan was the perfect boyfriend for Elena."

- Is he stubborn enough to chase after your boyfriend? "Because you said he won't approach you until she's back with his brother, and he backed off immediately when I challenged him," Klaus pointed out.

"He claims to be supportive of their relationship and is glad his brother is happy when they are together, but as soon as they break up he steps in and tries to prove to Elena that he's a better person," Caroline said.

"So tell me about the party we're going to," Klaus changed the subject.

"It's the annual Sigma Chi Omega Open Hearts Valentine's Day charity event," Caroline announced proudly. “All proceeds and donations go to the American Heart Association and as event coordinator, I am responsible for planning this year's event. We take the heart theme very seriously and the music is juicy love songs so a bit cheesy and silly but it's a lot of fun. I really love it."

"Then I would be happy to accompany you to an event that you obviously enjoy," Klaus replied. "And speaking of escorts..."

"So?"

"My presence is required at my father's 25th company anniversary celebration and I would be honored if you would accompany me," said Klaus. "You can meet Rebekah and if she invites Stefan to go out with him, it would be good for him to see us there together and that could cause enough complications that we have a chance to talk sense into Rebecca."

"Of course I'd like to come," Caroline agreed lightly.

Klaus took out his cell phone and put it in front of Caroline.

"We should exchange contact information before you have to go to the next class," he explained.

When Caroline added her number to his contacts and texted herself to get his number, she couldn't help but see an angry text from Rebecca, who wasn't happy that Klaus had canceled lunch with her to something to eat. with Carolina.

"Don't worry about Rebekah," Klaus said to Caroline as he answered the phone. "He loves attention and isn't ashamed to let someone know if he's unhappy."

"Okay," Caroline replied. "I should go to class."

"Let me accompany you."

They walked the campus in friendly silence.

"See you soon," Caroline said as they reached her classroom.

"You actually will," Klaus replied.

& &

"Caroline Elizabeth, I can't believe you left me hanging like that!" Katherine yelled as soon as Caroline walked through her door.

"I was in class, what happened?" Caroline asked.

"What happened?! It happened that you last wrote me over six hours ago that Stefan and Elena are in your class, and then you didn't answer anymore, even though I specifically told you that you should keep you up to date! exclaimed Katharina.

Caroline felt like it had been years since she had texted Katherine that morning. Ever since getting upset about Stefan and Elena in her anthropology class, she'd experienced a few more loops of the emotional rollercoaster ride.

"Sorry, I was a bit busy with other things and forgot to text you," Caroline apologized.

"Distracted by what? It's the first day of class! All I had to do today was introduce myself a few times and go through some reading lists," Katherine shared.

"Well, my first day of class was pretty eventful," Caroline replied. "Stefan and Elena are just the beginning of today's drama."

Katherine went into the kitchen and came back with two ice cream cartons and two spoons.

"Splash," she commanded, handing the cake to Caroline and keeping the rocky walk to herself.

"Okay, right after I texted you, someone was late for class and I wasn't paying attention, because who cares, right? So, on the first day of class, someone was late. But then they sit next to me and I turn to them and there's the guy I kissed on New Year's Eve sitting next to me," Caroline said, rewarding herself with a spoonful of ice cream for going through the explanation .

"No way!" Katherine blurted out, almost choking on her marshmallow. "Do you have his name? His number? His Instagram address? Because I can't agree with this guy without following Insta closely.

“I have two out of three; "You're out of luck with Instagram," Caroline replied. "And it just keeps getting crazier."

"How?"

"Apparently Elena's back with Damon..."

"No way!"

"So".

"Not again!"

"Yes again."

„Also, Stefan…?“

"Are you trying to convince me to come back with him?" Caroline finished behind her and pointed with her spoon. - Yes. He insisted I go to the Valentine's Day party with him and insisted the only reason I turned it down was because I had a boyfriend.

"What an idiot," Katherine scoffed.

"Wait 'til you guess who comes to the rescue posing as my friend," Caroline told her friend.

"New Year's person?! Katherine screamed. "Your life has never been so interesting to me."

Caroline laughed.

"So Klaus comes over with Starbucks -- that happens to be my order, by the way -- and does this possessive alpha male routine, and Stefan immediately backs out. Then he calls his sister to invite me to lunch and I tell him all about Stefan and he tells me that Stefan is talking to his sister and asks me to help her not to fall for his nonsense and then asks me that she went with him to his my dad's 25th anniversary party, and I said I would since he had already told Stefan he was my date at the Valentine's Day party.

"Who initiated the phone number exchange, you or him?" Katherine demanded.

"He has."

"Interesting," Katherine said, scratching the bottom of the ice cream box. "I'd have to meet him in person to know if he really likes you or just wants to slip into your panties, but either way I'd stand out from Stefan, Elena, Damon's merry-go-round and dig into someone new. "

"Katherine," Caroline sighed. "Do you have to be so mean?"

"I could try to stop you if you hadn't left me outside all day," Katherine replied. "I was so bored that I considered paying attention in class."

"Oh, the horror." Caroline rolled her eyes.

Katherine went on the phone.

"What did you say Klaus' last name was? I will try to find his Instagram account.

"It's Mikaelson," Caroline replied.

"Mikaelson, by K, are you sure?" Catherine repeated.

"Yes I am sure." Why?

"Because Elijah's last name is Mikaelson."

Since their New Year's dinner, Katherine and Elijah had been going out several times a week, and had called and texted even more frequently (although Elijah was stiff, he was surprisingly fond of texting). Katherine hasn't called him her boyfriend (yet), but Caroline knew she wasn't dating anyone else, nor did she seem to care about anyone else since she and Elijah started dating.

"Seriously?" exclaimed Caroline.

"It's a small world, isn't it?" Catherine remarked.

"Are you telling me that my best friend and roommate is dating the brother of a man pretending to be my boyfriend to get my ex-boyfriend to leave me and his little sister alone?" Carolina confirmed .

"Yes," Katherine laughed. "Your life is crazy. I'm only here for the food.

She threw the empty pack of ice cream into the trash can.

"Of course it's crazy!" Carolina cried. "Real people don't have fake friends! Romantic comedy characters and little-known actresses who want to improve their image have fake friends! This is a whole new low in my love life, Kat!”

"Oh he's cute," Katherine announced, glancing at her phone.

"Are you even listening to me?" Carolina demanded.

"I'm a multitasker," Katherine replied. "I was listening to you when I was looking for your new boyfriend on Instagram."

Katherine handed Caroline her phone.

"Will the reminder that he's not really my boyfriend stop you from calling him that?" Caroline asked.

"Not at all, literally," Katherine replied.

Klaus' profile was public, but he hadn't posted many photos: one of him with his three brothers, a handful of photos of concerts and sporting events he attended, a few nature snaps, and a few photos with a very pretty blonde.

Caroline checked all the photos she was in, but Klaus didn't tag anyone in any of his photos.

"Calm down, Care Bear, it's Rebekah," Katherine interjected without looking up.

"How did you know-?"

"How was I supposed to know that's what you were panicking about? Because I know you,” Katherine replied. "And how did I know it was Rebekah in the photos? I recognized her from the picture of Elijah on the lock screen.

"Oh," Caroline said, hoping her voice didn't sound too relieved. - It makes sense. I mean, he obviously has that unfairly pretty gene that Klaus and Elijah had.

"You sounded terribly jealous of someone you're not actually dating," Katherine pointed out.

"I'm not jealous and we're not dating," Caroline insisted.

Katherine raised her eyebrows and made it clear that she didn't believe Caroline.

Caroline hardly believed in herself.

& &

It took a surprisingly short time for Klaus to become an integral part of Caroline's life.

Caroline wasn't sure how their paths could not cross before New Year's Eve given the frequency with which they crossed paths on campus, at the grocery store, the library, and the bank.

At first Caroline found it odd that he suddenly seemed to be there all the time.

Klaus seemed to find the whole situation infinitely funny, as did Katherine, who continued to tease Caroline about the state of her relationship with Klaus.

Her reactions to the bizarre series of coincidences only made Caroline more nervous.

"I never saw Klaus in my life until New Year's Eve," she thundered to Katherine one night. "And then I didn't see him from then until the first day of class three weeks later. And now I see him everywhere I go. It makes no sense!"

Katherine just laughed.

"Maybe the universe is trying to send you a message," she suggested.

Caroline believed in messages from the Universe. With that in mind, she decided to focus on finding out what exactly the universe was trying to tell her.

But even after days of sitting side by side in class and eating lunch together, Caroline was no closer to discovering what the universe was trying to tell her.

Actually, it wasn't a problem for her, even if she would never admit it out loud. Caroline found that she enjoyed spending time with Klaus, even if she was just having coffee after they met while shopping.

"Don't you have any friends or family that you would rather be with than spend all your free time with me?" Caroline Klaus asked during one of her many lunches.

Klaus laughed in response.

"Is it really that hard to believe that I really enjoy your company?" he asked.

"Yes a little!" Caroline answered. "At least that you enjoy my company more than anyone else!"

"I spend a lot of time with my siblings, don't worry," Klaus assured her.

The days passed and turned into weeks, and Klaus still seemed utterly amused at how much time he and Caroline were spending together.

But Caroline was no closer to defining the message of the universe for her.

When she expressed her frustrations to Katherine, her roommate was anything but helpful.

"Yeah, I probably just said that to forestall Caroline's nervous babble," Katherine shrugged. "I don't know much about in-universe messages, but I think the message Klaus wants to send you is that he wants you to take a ride on his disco stick."

"Katherine, you're crazy!" Carolina spoke up.

"All I'm saying is that guys don't willingly spend every free minute with a girl unless they want to put her to bed," Katherine insisted.

"Not everyone is interested," Caroline objected. "Some guys are really interested in friendship and I'm sure Klaus is really interested in being friends with me. He hasn't said or done anything or even given the slightest hint that he wants to be more than just friends.

Katherine rolled her eyes and said, "If you say so."

Determined to clear Klaus's name in Katherine's mind, Caroline paid more attention to him during the time they spent together, searching for words or gestures that could be interpreted as romantic rather than platonic, but she didn't notice .

What annoyed Caroline more than Katherine's insistence that Klaus was interested in sex with her and not just friendship or even a possible romantic relationship was how dependent she was on his presence in her life.

One day, Caroline was asleep during her alarm clock and stormed into class right at the start, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, no makeup, her hair hastily tied back in a messy bun. Klaus asked her if she was okay and Caroline replied that she was fine, that she just overslept. When the professor suggested the class take a five-minute break while she prepared the documentary they were watching the second half of class, Klaus left the classroom and came back with a skinny vanilla latte for her.

From that day on, Klaus always came to class with a Starbucks mug filled with her favorite coffee for Caroline.

Over lunch the Wednesday before the Mikaelson Enterprises 25th Anniversary Gala, Klaus told Caroline everything he felt Caroline needed to know about his family, the family business and what to expect at the party.

He said he didn't want Caroline going into the lion's den unprepared.

But Caroline didn't feel any better when she found out that Mikael, Esther, and Finn would look down on her, that Rebekah would insult her, that Kol would hint at her, and that Freya would be the only one who would try to be nice to her .

"And Elijah, if only for Katherine's sake," interjected Caroline.

Klaus looked confused.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"I mean, your brother Elijah is dating my friend and roommate Katherine," Caroline repeated. "You didn't know that?"

"I knew Elijah was dating a girl named Katherine, but I didn't know she was the same Katherine you told me about," Klaus replied. "It's a fairly common name, it's not entirely out of the question that each of you meant a different Katherine. But it's good that you have a friend at the party.

Somehow this didn't make Caroline feel much better considering what Klaus had told her.

"Everything will be fine," Klaus assured her. "My family's opinions aren't as important as they think they are, and I won't let them be mean to you. Everything will be fine".

& &

"Why is everything silver?" Katherine asked as they entered the ballroom of the hotel hosting the Mikaelson Enterprises 25th Anniversary Gala.

To say that everything was made of silver was technically incorrect. Lots of things were silver - decorations on each table, cutlery, metal foil lettering on business cards, backstage backdrop - but lots of other things were white, including tablecloths and chairs.

"Because it's the company's silver anniversary," Caroline explained.

"So that's not why you let me buy the gold dress," Katherine realized.

"No, I wouldn't let you buy the gold dress because it was ugly and cheesy," corrected Caroline. "Come on Kat, you're meeting your friend's family at a very important event for their company. Did you really want to look like a disco ball on first impressions?”

Acting as plus two guests of honor in the black-tie affair required some serious shopping. Katherine and Caroline spent all of Saturday scouring the mall for acceptable evening dresses, relying on each other's approval of their choice based primarily on whether they could imagine anyone wearing them to the Oscars.

After a few hours, Katherine settled on a black satin dress with a V-neckline, straps crossing over her bare back, and a slit that exposed most of her left leg; and Caroline opted for a strapless black chiffon dress with a sweetheart neckline.

Worrying about the jewelry, Caroline feared that the wealthy contestants would immediately realize that what they were wearing was cheap and fake and would punish them before anyone else.

Katherine took a different approach.

"We're going to this party as the dates of the owner's two sons," Katherine said. "None will say anything to any of us."

Even after Katherine's reassurances, Caroline hesitated before finally deciding to wear the small round diamond earrings and matching silver pendant that her father and his partner had sent her for her eighteenth birthday. She left her hair open in sleek curls and wore subtle makeup, hoping that following the less is more principle wouldn't embarrass herself or make her feel too young and out of place.

Katherine took the opposite approach, tying her long hair into a sleek high ponytail and then braiding it into a thick fishtail braid; paints her lips her signature deep red hue, in addition to a curved eyeliner and subtle smoky taupe-toned eyeshadow; She chose a pair of princess-cut cubic zirconia chandelier earrings she bought at a Black Friday sale, along with an oversized faux onyx cocktail ring on her left hand.

Caroline felt all eyes follow her and Katherine as Klaus and Elijah led them to their seats at the main table, which was a long rectangle in contrast to the other round tables that filled the room.

Caroline's hopes of being seated next to Katherine were dashed when she saw the seating plan. Mikael and Esther sat in the middle of the table, their children and their partners surrounding them in order of their ages and switching sides. So Freya and her partner sat on Esther's right and Finn and his wife Sage on Mikaela's left, with Elijah and Katherine on Esther's side next to Freya and Keelin and Klaus and Caroline on Mikael's side next to Finn and Sage. Kol and his partner sat on Katherine's other side, while Rebekah and her partner sat on Caroline's left.

Klaus seemed scared as they took their places. Mikael and Esther were chatting to the guests across the room, and Freya, Rebekah, and Kol hadn't arrived yet, leaving only Finn and Sage at the table.

"What is wrong?" Caroline asked.

"Nothing honey, I'm happy to sit between my dopey eldest brother and my spoiled sister," Klaus replied sarcastically.

"Is there fun on the other side of the table?" Caroline found out.

"Whatever side Kol is, it's the cool side," Klaus replied.

"Plus, Katherine is there and she's the focal point of the party," Caroline added.

Freya and her partner Keelin arrived moments later and both women were polite, friendly and welcoming as they introduced themselves to Caroline.

"Okay, you're right, this side of the table is definitely better," Caroline admitted as she watched Katherine and Keelin engage in lively conversation around Elijah.

"Would you like something to drink, honey?" Klaus asked Caroline.

"Isn't it frowned upon to visit an open bar before dinner at a lavish party?" Caroline asked.

"At the Mikaelsons family celebrations, we believe that open bar visits are essential to prevent the others from killing each other," Klaus replied.

Carolina giggled.

"And I can drive you home if you're worried about it," Klaus continued.

The car service hired by the Mikaelsons sent a driver to collect each of the children and their partners from the party. Since Klaus and Elijah's partners lived in the same place, they arranged for Elijah to pick up the car, then Klaus, then Caroline and Katherine and they all four took them to the hotel together.

"Thanks, but I think I'll try to hold back," Caroline replied.

"As you wish," Klaus shrugged, walking away and returning a few minutes later with a fancy glass mug of Scotch.

When he returned, Elijah got up and returned a few minutes later with a similar looking lemonade in one hand and a martini for Katherine in the other.

"The party hasn't even started yet and we've given up hope of surviving it sober." "It seems you've all embraced my philosophy on life," said a male voice from across the table.

"Kol," Klaus, Elijah, Freya, and Finn greeted each other with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

But Caroline completely ignored him and instead allowed a girl to stand a bit behind him.

"Bonnie!" she squeaked.

Bonnie Bennett has been Caroline's friend for as long as she can remember. They were inseparable until they left college when Bonnie received a scholarship to another university, forcing the girls to reluctantly separate for the next four years. They continued to regularly text, video chat and make phone calls, always arranging face-to-face meetings to catch up on school vacations.

But the last time they spoke, Bonnie didn't mention that she would be at the gala.

"Caroline!" Bonnie exclaimed as Caroline got up to hug her friend. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" carolina is back

"Kol invited me, and since I turned him down every time he invited me, I wanted to see the surprise on his face when I agreed this time. Also, I wanted to try rich people's fancy food,” Bonnie replied.

"Klaus pretends to be my friend because it was the only way Stefan could accept that I didn't want to go back to him and leave me alone and that I could convince his little sister, who had spoken to Stefan, not to go there .” her own okay,” Caroline offered in response.

"Oh, Stefan," Bonnie sighed. "How can someone be such a perfect friend to Elena and yet not even have basic social skills with others?"

"He hits me." Caroline shrugged.

Klaus cleared his throat, whereupon Caroline looked up and saw that all the Mikaelson siblings (except Rebecca, who still hadn't arrived) were looking at her.

"How do you and my brother's date know each other?" Klaus asked.

“This is Bonnie; We've been friends since kindergarten!” Caroline told him happily.

"Small world," commented Col.

Elijah introduced Kol to Katherine and Caroline and everyone took their places.

Caroline and Klaus complained that the other side of the table was clearly having a lot more fun than they were. Katherine and Kol captivated others with their brilliantly witty accounts of their wild exploits.

In contrast, Finn remained silent, occasionally making a derogatory remark about one of Sage's guests, who responded with a comment that was at least as harsh.

Caroline was under the impression that neither Finn nor Sage liked her, as Finn viewed her critically and Sage judged her with a bitterness and anger that Caroline wasn't sure what she deserved.

"Why don't Finn and Say like me?" Caroline whispered to Klaus.

"They don't like almost everyone, I wouldn't take that personally," Klaus whispered back. "Finn considers everyone who isn't part of our family - and to be honest, even some people who are part of our family - to be inferior, and Sage resents anyone that family likes because when Finn first introduced us, everyone wrote her off.” as a brash, obvious, ordinary girl who wouldn't fit into the family.

"Will Rebekah hate me and/or be boring?" Caroline asked uncertainly.

"Another blonde, Nik? Will you ever get bored?” asked a high-pitched female voice behind them.

"Rebekah is many things, but boredom is not one of them," Klaus said softly to Caroline.

Louder he called out, "If you want my dates to be confirmed, dear sister, then I want yours to be confirmed too."

Caroline finally looked away from Klaus when he had finished speaking and turned to Klaus' younger sister Rebekah.

The gorgeous blonde wore a stunning dress that looked like it was made out of liquid silver, complete with ruby ​​red chandelier earrings.

Of course, Rebecca's most interesting addition was her date: a man who wasn't Stefan.

"Marcel!" Klaus greeted politely. "I didn't know you were coming tonight!"

"Well Rebekah needed a last minute replacement and I had nothing else to do but know that the Mikaelsons were having a great party so I figured why not?" Marcel replied with a slight smile.

"I was supposed to bring Stefan but he couldn't, his brother is sick and he needed his help," Rebekah announced.

Carolina winced.

"And what exactly do you find funny?" Rebecca demanded.

"Stefan telling you Damon is sick is a euphemism for Damon being drunk, probably after a fight with Elena, and Stefan not staying home to make sure Damon has enough tissues and Nyquil is there, to make sure Damon doesn't do something that stupid "When you get behind the wheel of a car, you risk hurting yourself or others," explained Caroline.

Rebekah's face went pale, but she tried to hide it by giving her features an even more haughty expression.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Rebekah insisted.

"Except me, because I was the girl Stefan Salvatore left for Damon and Elena," Caroline told her.

"I understand that she might see me as a much prettier upgrade than you," Rebekah replied. "But don't think for a second that just because Stefan got tired of you and threw you aside, I'm going to let you sink your claws into my brother."

"That's enough Rebekah! Klaus ordered through clenched teeth. "Caroline is my guest and you will treat her with respect."

Rebekah snorted and sat down, and Marcel followed suit, taking the last seat on her left.

Rebecca obviously had the gift of perfect timing as almost immediately after taking her seat, Mikael - followed by Esther - went to the microphone and thanked everyone for coming, saying he would make his official remarks later but that was it , what he wanted Start the evening by greeting all the guests in advance.

As Mikael and Esther took their places at the center of the table, each of them looked at their children and guests with judgment, with criticism, not hospitality.

"Marcellus is a bit old for you, isn't he dear Becky?" Mikael turned to Rebecca.

"I don't see anything wrong with bringing a family friend to a family event after my date had a family emergency and had to be cancelled," Rebekah replied. "I'm not marrying Marcel father, we'll just sit next to each other at dinner."

Michael nodded.

"Fine," he conceded.

Klaus told Caroline that Mikael's favorite children were his daughters - his eldest and youngest children - and then - to a lesser extent - his two older sons, leaving only Klaus and Kol without their father's favor.

Neither Mikael nor Esther showed any interest in dating other children, talking to Freya and Finn and ignoring everyone else.

It was the preferences of their parents that determined their children's position in the company. As the eldest son and her mother's darling, Finn was on the verge of becoming CEO when her father resigned. Freya, the eldest daughter and her father's favorite, was set to become the COO, which Klaus explained to Caroline that she was the person actually responsible for running the company day-to-day. Elijah, who was adored and respected by both parents and considered the smartest of the group and showed math skills from an early age, was the only one of their children they trusted with the company's money, so he became CFO. Rebekah is free to choose another top-level position at the appropriate time, and Klaus and Kol are simply assigned whatever work is needed at the time.

"Whatever Mikael thinks, we're the least likely to screw it up," Klaus summed it up.

Now that she's met him, Caroline realized that Klaus hadn't exaggerated Mikael's cold, distant manner. Even his interest in Rebecca seemed condescending, almost dominating.

"You were right," Caroline said to Klaus.

"About what?" Klaus asked.

"The underside of the table needs alcohol now," Caroline said.

"Now you talk!" Marcel spoke up.

Even Rebekah didn't seem ready to agree with Caroline's strategy for surviving the rest of the gala.

The food came shortly after Klaus returned with drinks for the four of them.

The main table was now clearly divided into sections: Esther, Mikael, Finn and Sage formed a group; Elijah, Katherine, Kol and Bonnie have come up with another one; Klaus, Caroline, Rebekah, and Marcel formed the third group, while Freya and Keelin were able to fit into both Esther's and Elijah's groups at their leisure.

After a cosmopolitan part and a few compliments from Caroline, Rebekah seemed much kinder to her brother's date as the four got together to try and make what was actually a rather boring occasion more interesting.

After dinner, Mikael gave a speech reflecting on the past twenty-five years, to which Klaus and Rebekah made their own sarcastic comments that made Caroline fear that she would humiliate herself by bursting out laughing when Mikael spoke .

After Mikael's speech, guests were free to dance, mingle, or leave if they wished.

"Would you like to dance?" asked Klaus Caroline.

"I'd like to," Caroline replied.

The dance floor was packed with couples as the band played a stately waltz, including Katherine and Elijah, and Kol and Bonnie.

"Please tell me dessert is coming soon and we can go after that," Caroline pleaded.

"We won't be the only ones leaving when we're done with dessert," Klaus replied. "For many guests, a party loses some of its appeal if we no longer serve them food."

Carolina nodded.

"You look beautiful," Klaus said to Caroline. "I don't remember if I've told you that before."

"Yes." Caroline chuckled. "But it's still nice to hear it."

When the waltz finished and the band upped the tempo with a fun swing tune, Klaus gave Caroline a quizzical look and silently asked if he wanted to stay and dance to the next song, to which Caroline smiled and nodded gravely.

As promised, after dancing with Klaus for half an hour, Caroline returned to her seat at the teacher's table and enjoyed a slice of raspberry cheesecake.

Shortly after, guests began to say goodbye and head out the door, referencing work or family commitments the next day, and with their networking duties fulfilled, they really had no reason to stay any longer.

Finn and Sage were the first of the Mikaelsons to leave, surprising none of Finn's siblings.

"I'm surprised he lasted this long, silly," Kol remarked, his voice echoing across the empty seats once occupied by Finn, Sage, Mikael, and Esther, who had all left the table.

Soon after, Caroline caught Katherine running her hands over Elijah's chest and whispering something in his ear, making his eyes widen as he lifted her to her feet. They only stopped briefly to tell Caroline that Katherine would be spending the night at Elijah's and that they would direct the driver to return to the hotel and take Caroline home before storming out the door.

"Can you manage on your own in your apartment?" Klaus asked.

"It's not the first time Katherine has spent the night elsewhere," Caroline replied. "And considering I know more about Katherine's plans for tonight and what she's wearing and not under her dress than I really would like, I'm glad they're in Elijah's apartment and not mine." ".

When Freya and Keelin left, the ballroom was almost empty save for a few latecomers enjoying their last drink and the rest of the Mikaelson family and their guests.

Kol and Bonnie sat down next to Klaus and Caroline, and everyone was chatting and laughing together as Mikael came to the table without his wife for the first time that night.

"Niklaus, I have to talk to you privately," Mikael stated firmly.

Apparently it wasn't a request, it was an order.

Klaus nodded and then turned to Caroline.

"No one can ignore the call," he noted. "The driver will take you home. Thank you for joining me tonight. Your presence made this occasion a whole lot more enjoyable.

"I can wait for you in the lobby if you want." "I don't mind waiting," Caroline offered.

"That's not necessary," Klaus replied. "It's getting late and I don't know how long father will chastise me for what I did wrong this time." You should go home and escape Mikaelson's madness while you can.

"Okay," Caroline agreed, but as she turned and left the ballroom, she had a bad feeling about leaving Klaus behind.

& &

At 11:00 a.m. Caroline was home in her pajamas with her makeup off, sitting on the couch and taking advantage of the fact that Katherine had decided to spend the night with Elijah at his apartment so she could watch some footage, waiting on their DVR when they were surprised to find someone persistently pounding on the front door.

Caroline looked hesitantly through the peephole, knowing Kat had her keys with her, and even when she didn't, the knocker used more force than Katherine.

Caroline relaxed when she saw it was just Klaus and opened the door.

"Come in," she invited.

Even if Caroline hadn't grown up with a sheriff for a mother, she could easily have guessed that Klaus was drunk. His eyes were glassy, ​​his movements clumsy, and he smelled like the floor of a bar.

She saw that he only had two drinks at the party. What happened after she left?

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," Klaus offered.

"I can't tell you how much you aren't," Caroline replied. "I was literally just sitting here trying to figure out why the guy who played LoganGilmore GirlsOver ten years later, she's way hotter playing a doctor on this show. I think it's a beard.

"Gut…?"

"Um, it's late and I'm sure your driver won't be coming to my apartment for the third time tonight, so I can drive you home whenever you want to go," Caroline changed the subject.

"I'm sure Arthur appreciates your concern, but I assure you he will be amply rewarded for our privilege of being able to call him any time of the day or night," Klaus replied.

"If only everyone had a professional driver on their speed dial," Caroline remarked. "There would be far fewer accidents, nobody would have an excuse or reason to drive drunk."

"Yes, I just remembered how important this particular case is to you, and I don't want to risk your wrath," Klaus explained. "By the way, why is that?" Have you been in an accident with a drunk driver?

His question was asked with the simplicity of a drunkard or a toddler.

"No." Caroline decided to answer his question honestly and thoroughly. “Elena's parents were killed by a drunk driver. We were at a party and Elena called her mom to pick her up after she and Stefan had an argument about something trivial. When I couldn't find Elena after her death.” When I left, I called her and heard the accident on the phone. I heard the other car crash into Elena's family's car, then I heard a splash as the car swerved off the bridge and landed in the river. I said, "Stefanie, and we both ran to find her. When we got there, the car sank. I called my mom to send the police and paramedics to help and Stefan jumped in to try to save her. He pulled Elena. She got out of the car, but her parents drowned before help arrived and nobody could do anything.

"Sorry," Klaus offered.

Caroline looked down at her lap, suddenly very self-conscious and aware that Klaus was still wearing the suit he was in to the gala - although he had removed his tie and undone the top button of his shirt and was wearing Piglet's pajamas - a pale pink Fleece sweatshirt with character applique and fleece pants with horizontal stripes in shades of pink that matched the two colors of the sweatshirt – which were anything but flattering or sophisticated.

"So if I'm a little nervous about making sure my friends have a sober ride, it's only because I don't want anyone to get hurt and I don't want to find myself standing there helpless again while people hit me." "I care that they're hurt and there's nothing I can do to help them," Caroline added.

"But you did," emphasized Klaus. “They called for help from people trained to know what to do in this situation. You did the only thing you could do and it's not your fault it wasn't enough to save your friend's parents."

"I guess so," Caroline shrugged.

"Because we share our deep, dark secrets," Klaus said. "The reason my dad wanted to talk to me tonight after everyone left was to tell me he had changed his mind and that he didn't want me to be a part of his venture."

"What why?" Caroline asked.

She was curious as to why Mikael had insisted on speaking to Klaus privately and why Klaus had staunchly declined her offers to wait for him, but she hadn't thought that their meeting had such a serious reason. .

"Mikael is not my biological father," Klaus explained with a sigh. “My mother had an affair and got pregnant by me as a result. Her husband is a very proud man who never wants anyone to know that he has been betrayed. Therefore he remained married to my mother and claimed me as his own son.

"So what's changed?" Caroline wondered.

"He told me tonight that he wants his company to remain in the hands of his blood family, which I'm not a part of," Klaus replied. "I don't know if that decision is the result of a recent change of heart or if he always intended to fire me from the company and only said something now that the possibility of working in the family business is no longer an abstract matter." Concept that may emerge in the distant future.

"Sorry," Caroline offered.

"Actually, he told me to tell you," Klaus laughed sharply. "He wanted me to tell you I wasn't going to inherit anything from the company, so you'd better get Kol to settle down than waste any more time on me."

It didn't seem to occur to Klaus that Caroline might be offended when he told her that his father had accused her of being a gold digger. Caroline was horrified and hurt on her behalf: herself because Mikael called her a gold digger, and Klaus because Mikael implied that someone only wanted to be with him for his family's money.

"I'm not wasting my time with you," Caroline said, putting her hand on Klaus' shoulder in a small gesture of comfort.

Klaus laughed again.

"Mikael wasn't the only one who thought so, given how many pairs of eyes looked at me with envy when they saw you with me, plotting ways to convince you to go home with them instead."

But here he was, on her couch.

Caroline thought she should be proud of her acting skills for managing to convince Mikael and so many others at the party that they were a real couple, but instead she was just sad.

When asked, Caroline said she didn't know who moved first.

(Except that she knew and it wasn't her.)

But one moment she and Klaus were sitting side by side on the couch, the next moment she was being pinned to her arm, Klaus' mouth on hers, his hands tangled in her hair.

Caroline felt her skin burn. Everywhere her body pressed against Klaus' felt as if it were on fire, as if melting.

When Klaus broke away from her, Caroline was willing to dismiss the apology, just to remind him that they had kissed before, that he too had been drunk at the time, that it wasn't a big deal and of course she still loved Rebekah the same way would help in any way she could.

But then she saw him throw his jacket on the coffee table and unbutton his shirt.

They had never done that before.

Caroline would be lying if she said she never thought about sleeping with Klaus. Just because they weren't actually together didn't mean Caroline couldn't see how hot he was.

However, Caroline didn't think about how she would react if Klaus wanted to sleep with her. For all his easy flirting and charm, Klaus never said or did anything that gave Caroline the impression that he was genuinely interested in her.

Apparently Caroline's raging mind wasn't visible from the outside as Klaus couldn't seem to notice the inner turmoil she was going through.

which was good. Since Klaus clearly wanted it, he initiated it. But Caroline wasn't sure, not because she didn't want to sleep with Klaus, but because she wasn't sure what that would mean for their relationship, and while they weren't actually dating, Caroline liked to think they had In the At least the beginning of a friendship has emerged in the last few weeks. Caroline didn't want an impulsive decision to ruin everything.

While she didn't always like it, Caroline wasn't impulsive, spontaneous, or flexible. She wasn't the type to shy away from caution and just do what feels right in the moment without thinking about the consequences.

But it looked like she'd have to do it tonight because she couldn't compile an accurate list of scammers' supporters while she lay on her couch under the now shirtless Klaus.

When their lips met again, Klaus slipped his hands under Caroline's pajamas to rest them on the skin of her waist, causing Caroline to shudder.

"It is OK?" Klaus asked hesitantly. "If you don't want that, that's fine. Just tell me and I'll go.

The thought of leaving Klaus and finding someone else suddenly made Caroline jealous. He needed it and she couldn't bear the thought of someone else giving it to him. She pictured him as a loud, brash, easy-going brunette who was confident, ruthless, and had her own struggles—the complete opposite of her. She didn't want Klaus to sleep with that nameless brown haired girl, she wanted him to sleep with her.

She could do it for him, she could be the one to give him what he needs.

And since he's here, she's clearly his first choice, and that must mean something, right?

She knew that at some point she would have to seriously reconsider her feelings of jealousy, but for now, she preferred to act rather than think too much.

Caroline made her decision, no letters were needed. After hoping her whole life that she could one day be someone's first choice, she couldn't pass up the opportunity when it finally presented itself.

"No, it's okay, I want it," Caroline said to Klaus.

Claus smiled.

"I was really hoping you would say something like that," he replied.

& &

When Caroline woke up the next morning, she had her head under Klaus' chin, her head on his shoulder, her nose pressed against his collarbone. Her legs were wrapped around his and one of her arms was spread across his chest.

She felt warmth, contentment, safety and love.

Caroline sat up quickly.

She wasn't loved, not by Klaus. Klaus was only doing her a favor as college boys wouldn't take no for an answer if it was coming from a college girl in exchange for her helping him get his sister away from said student. Klaus had walked into her apartment drunk last night, not because he wanted her, but because he wanted a warm body to lose himself in.

But Caroline wasn't drunk and she wanted him.

She wanted Klaus.

Caroline wasn't sure if there were any rules for successfully surviving a fake relationship, but she was pretty sure the first one would be: "Don't develop real feelings for your fake boyfriend."

And Caroline failed spectacularly.

If she had been wiser, she would have politely but firmly rejected Klaus' advances last night and gone to bed alone after telling Klaus that she could sleep on the couch.

Instead, because she was stupid, Klaus was currently sleeping naked in her bed because neither of them had bothered to get dressed the night before.

He looked relaxed in his sleep, very different from tense when he'd knocked on the door a few hours earlier.

Of course, yesterday's class at least eased his tension.

It wasn't some fairytale romantic "love match," and Caroline suspected she was grateful for that, knowing that if he was sweet, selfless, and loving in bed, it would only hurt more if he inevitably left.

Don't get her wrong, it was good - really good - but it wasn't the cliched magic that sex should be when you're with someone you love. It was urgent and somewhat uncoordinated and even impersonal considering Klaus never once said her name or looked her in the eye. Aside from Klaus asking Caroline for confirmation of her consent several times throughout the night, and a somewhat awkward conversation about birth control, neither of them spoke at all.

When he woke up, he would either ask her to pretend it never happened or suggest that she repeat it regularly as part of the deal because why not take advantage of being in a relationship by pretending pretending to be in one?

Either way, Klaus would confirm that he has no real feelings for Caroline and would hurt Caroline's feelings.

So Caroline did what she always did when she wanted to avoid something or someone:

She ran.

She got out of bed as quickly as possible without risking waking Klaus, changed into her usual clothes and snuck out of the room with her shoes and purse. A few minutes later, she snuck back with a glass of water, painkillers, and a hastily scrawled note informing him that she had to leave to meet her classmates for a group project and regretted having to leave so early , which they also had done the bedside table.

Then she snuck out of her own apartment so as not to have to deal with the awkward morning after a conversation she wanted to put off as long as possible.

Caroline made sure her phone was silent before hiding in a study cubicle in a corner of the third-floor Modern French Literature department, where she would run into no one she knew and no one she knew would get the idea came looking for her.

Forty-five minutes later, Caroline's phone lit up and Klaus' name flashed on the screen.

Caroline ignored the call.

He called every five minutes for the next twenty minutes and Caroline ignored him every time.

Then she got a text message.

Katharina:I just got home and you're not here but your boyfriend is? He asked me to text you to make sure you're alive since you're not answering his calls... What's up, Care? You seemed fine last night.

Karolina:is alive I'll talk to you later.

Katharina:I understand. I will get rid of him.

A few minutes later, Caroline received a message from a different sender.

Rebecca:Good morning Carolina! It was great meeting you last night! I was wondering if you would be interested in going shopping with my sister and I tomorrow afternoon? I plan to invite Katherine as well and I think it will be a great opportunity for the four of us to get to know each other better! Please let me know if you are available!

It was too soon for Rebecca's enthusiasm for shopping, the thinly veiled threats of questioning, and the promise to bond by telling embarrassing stories about her brothers.

Caroline was sure Klaus would be happy that Rebekah had fallen for her ruse, but right now she didn't want to think about how obviously they were such a compelling couple that they had even fooled Klaus' beloved little sister , just for the sake of her good The relationship was just a farce.

Of course, Caroline knew avoidance wouldn't work forever. The Valentine's Day party, which was the main reason she agreed to this plan, was coming up in a few days and it would be foolish to cut ties with Klaus now before he had fulfilled his end of the bargain. He negotiates to convince Stefan that she has moved on and that he should leave her alone.

So she apologized to Rebecca and used the events committee meeting as an excuse to miss Rebecca's planned shopping spree.

Was it ripe for her to lie, to distance herself from plans she didn't want to interfere with?

No, it probably wasn't, but none of them had gone so far as to plan the party at the last minute to the point of completely ignoring Katherine, Klaus, and Rebecca, even hiding in the back of the classroom with her and Klaus was with it assigned to make sure she didn't have to face him yet - and so did Caroline.

& &

valentines day

When Caroline woke up on Valentine's Day, she was feeling a lot less excited than usual about a holiday that involved binge eating, but she was determined to find a way to relax ahead of the party she was having that night had planned to get in the mood for the day.

So she scrambled out of bed and dressed in a pale pink sweater with little red hearts, red corduroy pants, and cheerful Christmas socks with hearts that she found in a dollar basket at Target.

Caroline was pouring cereal into her breakfast bowl when she heard a knock on the door.

"Are you Katherine Pierce?" the delivery man asked as soon as Caroline opened the door.

"No, she's my roommate," Caroline replied.

"I just need your signature, ma'am," the man said as he handed him the electronic signature pad.

Caroline signed the box and returned it.

The delivery man pulled something from what appeared to be a refrigerator behind him and then presented Caroline with a large bouquet of light purple roses that had been delivered for Katherine.

"You're welcome, have a nice day ma'am," he said.

"Thank you, and you too," Caroline replied.

She closed the door and retreated into the kitchen, Caroline filling the vase with water and arranging Katherine's roses in it, carefully removing the attached note so it wouldn't get wet.

About fifteen minutes later, Katherine finally left her room, after Caroline had finished her breakfast and was working on her anthropology reading at the kitchen table.

"Where did the flowers come from?" Katherine asked confused.

"They are for you. Elijah sent them,” Caroline replied. - There's a map. I haven't read it, but I had to take it off to keep it from falling into the vase and drowning.

"Why Lila?" Catherine asked. "My favorite color is red, not purple."

"Well, red roses for Valentine's Day are a bit of a cliché, plus they mean 'I love you,' so he probably didn't want to rush it," Caroline suggested.

"So what do purple roses mean?" Katherine asked.

Caroline pulled out her phone and googled it.

"You mean a spell," Caroline replied. "I-aww! This is so cute! - Love at first sight. They're like a flowery version of that Taylor Swift song.

"Are you serious?" Katherine asked, reaching for her phone.

"About flowers? Of course, Pinterest wouldn't lie," Caroline insisted. "Taylor Swift's song is literally 'Enchanted' and yes, we'll be listening to it over and over for the rest of the day because it's about time the Taylor Swift song that best describes our love life wasn't 'We'll never' is "ever get back together" and we need to celebrate that development.

"We've only known each other six weeks and he's already sending me flowers, which means he's in love with me and fell in love with me at first sight?" It's a bit intense, isn't it?" Catherine was concerned .

"Firstly, we don't know for sure if Elijah checked the meaning of that particular rose color before sending it to you. Maybe he just thought they were unique and beautiful, just like you," Caroline suggested. and immediately met Katherine's incredulous stare. "But it's Elijah, so we know for sure that he checked the meaning of the flowers before sending them to you." But secondly, it's not the first time you've had such an effect on a man so quickly. You often have this effect on people.

"But Elijah is smarter than all these guys," Katherine replied.

Carolina sighed.

"Today is Valentine's Day, Kat, a day dedicated to love and the best day of the year to make a romantic gesture. Read the letter, call him to say thank you for the flowers, then talk to him at the party. And no offense, but I think you're seriously overreacting to how many people would kill for your supposed "problem" with falling in love so quickly with a handsome, smart, caring, and financially stable man.

- You still haven't talked to Klaus? Katherine asked sympathetically.

"Not since he was here after the gala on Saturday night," Caroline replied. "I even hid in the back during classes on Monday and Wednesday so I didn't have to sit next to him. I can only think of two directions of conversation I could think of: he tells me it was a mistake and asks if he can forget it ever happened, or he suggests some kind of fake date with benefits.

"And that's not what you want," Katherine said. "Do you have feelings for Klaus, Caroline?"

Caroline was silent for a long time.

"Yes," she finally admitted. - Yes I think so.

"Well congratulations, you're officially the last to know," Katherine replied. - But how can you be so sure that he doesn't feel anything for you either?

"Precedent?" suggested Caroline skeptically. “A fact that no one has ever had? My entire love story consists of men who didn't really love me. There's Stefan, who is still in love with Elena even though she left him years ago for his brother; There's Tyler who cheated on me with this girl... what was her name?

"You mean 'Slutty Sophie?'" Katherine suggested.

"NO?" Caroline answered slowly. "I was talking about the girl he met on a voluntary spring trip to a wolf sanctuary? She had brown hair and green eyes. Couldn't she look cheaper if she tried? Wait, are you saying that Tyler cheated on me with Sophie too?”

"Yes. Sorry, I thought you knew. "Oops," Katherine apologized. "And the wolf's name was Hayley."

"Yes." Caroline nodded. "And before that I was dating Matt, who was still in love with Elena. I've never been anyone's first choice, so why should I think suddenly everything has changed?"

"Well, first of all, Klaus has never met Elena," Katherine pointed out. "All he knows about her is what he heard from you, which wouldn't make him believe she was like a bee. Second, you must have seen the way he looks at you.

"No, how does he look at me?"

"Like you're the sun or a chocolate cake," Katherine replied in a slightly mocking but clearly amused voice.

"I don't know Kat..."

"Look," Katherine said commandingly. "Don't let your insecurities convince you that Klaus doesn't want to be with you until you actually talk to him and find out what he wants." Yes, you dated people who didn't treat you that well, like they should have done. I have, but from what I've seen in your relationship with Klaus, he's already a much better friend than her, and he's not even officially your friend. We can do this together, okay? I will call Elijah to thank him for the flowers and find out what they mean before I conclude that our relationship is going too fast and you talk to Klaus and see where your relationship is going. I'll see you at the party tonight and then we can chat."

"Okay," Caroline agreed. "See you at the party."

& &

Caroline didn't think Katherine would be too mad at her for technically breaking her end of the bargain.

All she knew was that Klaus had been in class all Thursday afternoon and didn't want to have the conversation they had to have over text messages while he was giving her only a fraction of his attention and trying to concentrate on his professor's lecture.

When his classes are over, it's time for Caroline to return to her apartment to prepare for the party, after spending the afternoon getting ready in the ballroom of the student center where the event was held.

So Caroline just texted him that she needed to speak to him in person before the party, then went back to blowing balloons and hooking up the sound system.

When Caroline was happy with her job, she finished off some of the younger students she recruited for the party committee and went home to change. Looking at her phone, she noticed that she hadn't received an answer from Klaus, but rather a new message from Katherine, telling her that she and Elijah were going to dinner before the party and that he would meet her there.

Caroline wasn't surprised that Katherine and Elijah went on a date on Valentine's Day, although she was glad that they had apparently solved the purple rose problem and Kat hadn't let Elijah down because of it.

(So ​​she sent Katherine and Elijah to sue her. Her best friend was happy with a good man who was obviously in love with her. She was supportive of their relationship, of course.)

But Caroline was surprised when she walked to her apartment door and saw Klaus sitting on the floor in front of them.

Klaus? Caroline called uncertainly.

His head shot up immediately and he jumped up quickly.

"I didn't check my phone until the end of class, but when I saw you texted me I just walked in," Klaus explained.

He seemed nervous, Caroline noted, which was good because she too was nervous about the conversation they were about to have.

"We should go in, I don't have much time before I have to get ready for the party," Caroline said as she stepped forward and opened the door.

"I have to go home to change too," Klaus said, pointing to the gray henley jeans and black jeans he was wearing.

"Um, Katherine and Elijah went to dinner, would you like to order something for both of us?" Caroline asked.

"Sure," Klaus agreed.

After Caroline called to order a pizza (a local pizzeria was running a heart-shaped pizza special for Valentine's Day, how could she resist an offer like that?!) she walked into the living room and sat on the couch next to Klaus.

Klaus stared at his lap and tapped his fingers against his knee.

Then he looked at Caroline.

"I just want you to know that I'm sorry," Klaus blurted out. "I understand if you don't accept my apology, but I still have to say it."

"I'm sorry about what?" Caroline asked.

"I know you said you wanted me and acted like you wanted me, but then you left when I woke up the next morning, so something must have changed or you were scared or you just felt sorry for me and then you realized that you deserve better.” or maybe it wasn't good for you.” The words flowed out of Klaus' mouth quickly.

Caroline shook her head decisively and was tempted to bend down and take Klaus' hand, but she wasn't sure how she would react to that.

"I figured that by leaving I was putting off a conversation neither of us wanted to have and I'd save you the trouble of having to tell me that doesn't mean you want to be my friend. I know you can say that I'm a real relationship girl, but I didn't think that just because we slept together, you would fall in love with me.

- Why do you think that I don't want to be your friend? Klaus asked questioningly.

"The fact that I never really had a boyfriend who wanted to be my boyfriend?" Carolina replied. "Most of them were with me to try to forget Elena or because Elena wasn't available, and the only one who wasn't interested in Elena cheated on me with a girl he met at the wolf sanctuary. was someone's first choice, so I just assumed I wasn't yours either.

"I've never spoken to this Elena, but I can't imagine that she could suit you," Klaus explained. "I've never had a girlfriend who liked Rebekah or Kol, and they both like you, and the only other girlfriend I've ever had that liked Elijah was dating the two of us at the same time."

"Looks like your love story is at least as messy as mine," joked Caroline.

"Why were you afraid to talk to me about it?" Klaus asked.

"Like I said, I didn't think either of us would want to have this conversation and that we would both be happier if we could just put it off," Caroline replied.

"But we weren't happier," emphasized Klaus. "You ignored me and hid from me, and I felt guilty and afraid that you would never speak to me again."

Before Caroline could answer, the doorbell rang.

"It's about the pizza," Caroline mumbled unnecessarily.

"I'll take care of it," Klaus offered, got up, took his wallet out of his pocket and walked purposefully to the door.

Caroline reluctantly let him pay, went into the kitchen to set the table and get some lemonades from the fridge.

Klaus immediately returned to their discussion as soon as he entered the pizza room.

"Caroline, what are you so afraid of?"

"I wanted it to be real." Caroline took a deep breath and felt tears well up in her eyes. "I wanted it to be real but you were drunk and I wasn't and as far as I know I could have been anyone while you were imagining someone else because you didn't even look at me the whole time and neither did I wouldn't be." I couldn't take it if you told me the next morning that it was a mistake and asked me to forget it ever happened, or if you said we might as well go on sleeping together and pretend we're really together 'cause why not? "It doesn't mean anything like it doesn't matter at all."

When she finished speaking, tears ran down Caroline's cheeks in thick streams.

Klaus got up from his chair and knelt in front of Caroline, wiping away his tears with one hand and holding one of Caroline's hands with the other.

"I never wanted to be your friend, Caroline," Klaus told her.

Caroline stepped back and tried to pull her hand away from Klaus.

"I really wanted to be your friend," he continued. "But after we met, I didn't know if you would ever give me a chance. I stayed with you the first day after school because I wanted to talk to you and see if you would be willing to come to dinner with me so I can show you that I'm more than just a spoiled punk who... every time drunk He argues with my father. When I heard you arguing with Stefan, I saw an opportunity and took it. I've always been like that, Caroline.

"Really?" Caroline asked after a stunned silence while trying to process what Klaus had said.

"Yes, really," Klaus replied, laughing. He gently brushed Caroline's hair away from her face. "I'm yours if you accept me."

Caroline nodded eagerly, her tears flowing freely again.

She leaned forward and placed her hands on either side of Klaus' face as she kissed him.

Klaus responded enthusiastically until he pulled away far too quickly, making Caroline sulk.

"Honey, you know I'd rather be at our private party tonight, but the charity event you have planned is important to you and your friends, so we can't afford any distractions or we'll be late."

thought Caroline, glancing at the clock on the stove.

– Do you have to shower before the party?

Klaus looked surprised and didn't answer.

"Because I wanted to shower before the party and if you hurry up and get your clothes from home we should have time to consummate our new relationship in the shower when you get back and still make it on time."

Caroline laughed as Klaus ran to the door.

& &

Caroline's time management skills left a lot to be desired, at least as far as Klaus was concerned, since they were hardly, but definitely, late for the party.

In fact, they arrived just minutes before Katherine - the person Caroline had met the latest - and Elijah, whose punctuality seemed to affect Katherine at least a little.

The other couple entered the ballroom holding hands. Elijah wore a white shirt, black pants, and a red tie that matched Katherine's red wrap dress.

To Caroline, they looked like the epitome of a strong couple.

Klaus and Caroline weren't a good match and were too happy and laughing to look like a strong couple even if they were. Caroline wore a bubblegum pink dress with a ruffled hem and a bow at the waist, while Klaus wore a white button-down shirt and black pants.

"Caroline!" Katherine shouted, running towards her.

Leaving the brothers to their own devices, Katherine took Caroline's hand and dragged her into a corner.

"In order?" Catherine asked. "How did it go? What happened?"

"Klaus has been my boyfriend for an hour and a half now," beamed Caroline. "And you, did you solve the riddle of the flowers?"

"Yeah, and you were right about the exaggeration," admitted Katherine. "Elijah said he sent me purple roses because, I quote, I fell in love with him from the moment we met."

"Aww, that's so cute!" exclaimed Caroline.

"Also, I love that Taylor Swift song you talked about. They were right that it's the musical equivalent of my purple roses," Katherine continued.

"I'm happy with us!" Carolina cried.

The girls' squeaks, giggles and happily jumping up and down while holding hands was interrupted by Caroline, the sorority vice president, who told Caroline it was time for her to address the partygoers.

In keeping with her duty as event coordinator, Caroline welcomed all attendees of the event, thanked everyone for coming and informed them how to donate to the good cause, also donating to them the total amount they had already raised.

There was one more piece of information she would have to give at the end of the party, but until then Caroline was free to do as she pleased.

So she decided to look for her boyfriend who was standing at a table with pink heart-shaped cookies along with her best friend and his brother.

"It's very festive, you did a great job darling," praised Klaus.

"Thank you," Caroline replied.

The room was definitely festive, with bouquets of red and pink heart-shaped balloons dotted around the perimeter, pink heart-shaped confetti on each flat surface, tables of cookies and candy that were pink, heart-shaped, or both. The speakers blared a playlist of cheesy love songs and four red, locked, heart-shaped boxes strategically placed in the donation room.

After Katherine dragged Elijah onto the dance floor, Caroline heard a familiar voice calling her name and turned to see Stefan walking towards her.

"Hi Stefan, thank you for coming tonight to support Sigma Chi Omega and the American Heart Association," Caroline smiled calmly.

As Caroline spoke, Klaus moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"This place looks great, Care," said Stefan.

"Thank you," Caroline replied.

"Hello Klaus, right?" Stefan finally acknowledged Klaus' presence.

"Stefan," Klaus answered woodenly.

"Stefan, did you bring a date today?" Caroline asked.

"No, that's just me," Stefan admitted uneasily as he spoke. "The girl I asked to come with me sent me a very long and angry text on Sunday morning, telling me that she had heard about my feelings for Elena and my... habit of putting Damon and Elena first sit, and that she wanted that. There is.” Nothing in common with me.

"Well, maybe that's the encouragement you need to finally quit smoking," Caroline suggested cheerfully.

"Maybe." But he didn't seem convinced. "Well, I just wanted to say hello, I thought it was polite behavior."

"Have a nice party," Caroline offered, hoping she would hurry to end this conversation.

"You two look really happy together," Stefan said. - I'm glad you're happy, Care.

"Thank you very much."

When Stefan finally left, Caroline turned to Klaus.

"Did you know that Rebekah did that?" she asked.

"I didn't do it," Klaus insisted. "I guess your words had a bigger impact on her than we thought."

"I have to apologize to her," admitted Caroline. "She invited me to go shopping with her while I was hiding from you, and I made up an excuse not to go."

“Don't worry about Rebekah. As dramatic as it is, she probably understands the situation better than most," Klaus commented. "At that point, we've both achieved our goals: Stefan isn't after you or Rebecca anymore."

"And what's next?" Caroline asked smiling and leaning closer to him.

"What would you like to do now?"

"I want to kiss you, then dance with you, then kiss you again, then eat some more candy, then kiss you again, then dance with you again, then kiss you again, then come home with you and kiss you some more," Caroline exchanged with a big, happy smile on her face.

So that's what they did.