Marriage of Convenience

Chapter 13

Caroline chewed slowly on the sirloin steak as she tried to void out any thoughts of Matt being in the same room. He would laugh loudly, talk loudly and made sure that everyone knew that he was present, always.

Matt was always the attention seeker, but he wasn't getting it from Caroline. Klaus was certainly not providing any either. Other than his brief moment relapse, he didn't show any signs of anger following Matt's boisterous entrance.

He kept to himself and he did it well. That caused Caroline to feel uneasy because she could never tell what kind of mood he was in.

After they finished dessert, Elijah stood up.

"As Klaus' brother and best man, I would like to congratulate both him and Caroline on their wedding." He paused for a second while the room erupted in applause.

"I truly never thought this day would come." He joked and everyone mildly laughed. "But I'm glad that he found someone like you, Caroline."

"I wish you both the best in your marriage. May it bring you many long years of happiness!" He held up his glass and the room copied his maneuver. His message was short and sweet. Caroline assumed he would save all of the sappy stuff for the best man speech at the wedding reception.

Bonnie then stood up after Elijah. Caroline's face reddened, because she wasn't expecting it.

She smiled lightly at everyone before she spoke. "Caroline is my best friend," She started. "I so glad that she finally found someone to spend the rest of her life with." She smiled directly at Caroline.

"It seems like it was only yesterday that we were in the backyard pretending to get married and now it's real. I wish both you and Klaus the best."

Bonnie then reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "I hope you don't find this corny," She smiled embarrassed. "But I put together a small list of marriage advice for you both."

She opened the little piece of paper and spoke slowly.

"Number one: Never go to bed angry."

"Number two: Let the little things go."

"Number three: Communication is key."

"Number four: Be patient and be willing to make sacrifices."

"And finally, number five: learn to laugh… a lot."

Everyone in the room erupted with cheer. Caroline smiled at her best friend. She admired Bonnie deeply and was thankful that she had someone so special and thoughtful in her life.

They briefly smiled at each other before Esther stood up. She announced the festivities that followed the dinner. Which mainly consisted of dancing, bourbon and coffee.

Caroline stood up to walk out into the other room, but Klaus placed his hand on hers and stopped her.

"I need to speak with you alone." He told her. He then stood up and walked out of the room. Caroline hesitantly followed.

Once Caroline was inside the room Klaus entered, she slowly closed the door reluctant to face him. When she turned around to face him Klaus was pacing the room back and forth.

She waited for him to speak.

"Who is he?" He asked not looking at her.

"Who?" She replied dumbly. She had a good idea who he was talking about.

"You know what I'm talking about, Caroline." He halted and stood in front of her. His face was only inches from hers.

"Matt?" She questioned. He was upset that Matt showed up? It did make sense. Klaus tended to be on the possessive side. She backed away and allowed herself a few inches of space. She could speak rationally when he was too close.