Everybody Talks: A Klaroline Fanfiction

Chapter 6

Klaus was exhausted. He never thought pretending to be someone's boyfriend would take so much energy. It seemed like it was worse than actually being a boyfriend. It was even worse that he couldn't drink. That was another part of his punishment for his behavior in the bar. No more drinking in public. What was it people said about good deeds always being punished?

It was painstaking to sit there for two hours and try to think of things to say to Elena, and to act interested in anything she talked about. They had absolutely nothing in common. He tried picturing her naked, like he usually did with hot, boring girls, but even that wasn't working. Brunettes didn't do much for him anymore. His current preferences seemed to be favoring blondes.

The elevator dinged and Klaus stepped out into the hall. He was more than ready to sit down with the tiny bottles of Jack he had nicked from the plane and perhaps do some sketching until he passed out. He halted though when he saw Caroline standing in front of Elena's door, shifting back and forth on her feet. She looked over at him, her eyes registering his appearance in the hallway. He half expected her to dash away again, but her shoulders slumped and she stayed put watching him as he walked toward her.

"Looking for Elena?" Klaus inquired. Caroline nodded. "She's grabbing a drink with Jenna. I think they're comparing dates."

"Oh," Caroline said, her tone deflated. She turned away from Klaus, heading back towards her room, with a hiccup and a stumble.

Klaus reached out to steady her, not touching her, but holding his arm out just in case.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Fine," she hiccupped again.

A tiny smile twitched at the corner of his lips. "You're drunk."

She gave him a wry stare. "No I'm not."

"Caroline…"

"Klaus…" she mimicked.

He chuckled. "Well if you are going to be drunk, then come with me," he said taking her arm. He led her over to his room, her feet shuffling on the carpet. They stopped in front of the door as Klaus unlocked it.

"Look I may be drunk but I'm not that drunk," Caroline said. "There will be none of that anymore."

Klaus slipped his key in the lock and glanced back at her. "Any of what sweetheart?"

She groaned. "Don't make me say it."

He laughed, leaving her out in the hall for a moment before returning with something hidden behind his back. She leaned up against his doorframe.

"You're not going to give me the whole alcohol doesn't solve your problems speech are you?"

"No love," he said, knowing he was the last person in the world who would ever give someone that speech, "but I will say that you should never drink alone." He removed his hand from behind his back, waving a bottle of merlot in the air in front of them with a smirk. "Come on."

Klaus led her downstairs, through the lobby, to a large empty banquet room near the back of the ground floor. It was late. The room was empty. The hotel staff had already finished their cleaning. Fresh linen table clothes covered the round tables. Every fancy upholstered chair was reset in its place. The flowered centerpieces had been changed for the next day's event. It was dark in the room, except for the light shining in through the windows, and then a small lamp that someone had left on over the grand piano in the front of the room.

He walked over to the piano, sliding down onto the bench and setting the bottle of wine in front of him. Klaus pulled a corkscrew that he had nicked from the bar earlier and opened the bottle of wine. He let it breathe for a moment, before passing it to Caroline, who still stood beside him.