Klaroline: Worlds Apart (Revamping)

Chapter 6

Armed with a wicker basket filled to the brim with gardening tools, and a pair of old, worn-down overalls, I crouch down in front of the flower bed, and I pull on my gardening gloves. I found it rather therapeutic to lose myself in the world of weeding -- at least this way, something was being done to get rid of pests. If only life were as simple as gardening.

In the last week since my last encounter with Klaus, I hadn't heard a peep from him. I assumed that meant he'd returned to New Orleans, but honestly, I wasn't entirely sure. I hadn't mentioned to anyone about the now-infamous gazebo moment, where the last conversation we had hung heavy in my memory, echoing in my head despite my desire to forget it ever happened.

I had decided that those... Feelings... That had arisen -- the stomach fluttering and the desire for his company -- was just a momentary lapse of judgement, and nothing more. Simply a side effect of an extraordinary situation. There was no way, not a single fraction of a percent, of a chance that I was actually developing feelings for him.

So, I resorted to weeding. With a vengeance. Each yank becomes more and more representative of ripping out the undesirable emotions blooming within me. I could feel beads of sweat splashing my forehead, but I carried on, despite the war raging in my head as I tried desperately to surprise my emotions.

"Seriously, Care? Gardening?"

A voice, laced with amusement, shatters my concentration. I straighten up, wiping the sweat off my brow with the back of my hand, and look up to find Bonnie Bennett leaning against the back porch railing, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Bonnie!" I explained, trying to sound nonchalant. "Yeah, uh, I thought I'd spruce the place up a bit, y'know?"

"Right," Bonnie says, raising an eyebrow." "Spruce things up with enough force to wake the people living clear on the other side of the earth, huh? You've been at it, what, two hours?"

I wince. Time sure has a way of slipping away when you're working hard and trying to avoid things. Especially when it comes to me.

"Oh, it's only been an hour... Okay, maybe an hour and a half."

"Caroline, I love you, but you're about to become one with the Earth. What's going on?" Bonnie asks, leaning against the railing.

"Well, um, I was suppose to have lunch with Matt, but you know how flakey he's been since Vicki died," I say, attempting to conceal the true reason under a well-fabricated lie.

"Convenient for you, huh?" Bonnie notes with a knowing smile. "So what's really going on?"

I groan. I'd nearly forgotten about Bonnie's sixth sense for sniffing out turmoil -- a talent usually leaving Caroline to feel like a glass window.

"There's nothing going on," I insist pointedly, though perhaps with a bit too much force. I could see it in her eyes, that was all the confirmation she needed.

" Uh huh," Bonnie says, clearly unimpressed, "then why are you avoiding enjoying a beautiful friday afternoon, the start of a weekend, by weeding by the front porch like you're taming a pack of rabid werewolves?"

I sigh, realizing the delicately crafted facade was crumbling, inevitably revealing everything anyways. I might as well just feed up.

"It's Klaus," I say slowly, barely above a whisper, and I glance around, halfway expecting him to materialize from thin air at the mention of his name.

"Ah yes, Klaus again," Bonnie says, a knowing drawl pacing her voice. "Are we going to talk about what happened at the gazebo, or are we just pretending that never happened?"

I bite my bottom lip, feeling conflicted still about whether I continue to deny it, or confess and ask her advice. I was tired of lying and hiding, so I let out a long, reluctant sigh. At this point, the need to spill my guts seemed to overshadow the fear of Bonnie's judgement.