She didn’t know what to say. What did you even say to something like that. She didn’t love him. Not yet anyway. If anyone asked about him she’d usually just scoff, feign ignorance to what his feelings were but in truth, she figured she’d been falling for him slowly along the way. It was moments like these when it was hardest to pretend. When he was so open, so unguarded. It physically hurt her to see him like this. He seemed almost fragile with his emotions and she was terrified she’d do something to shut him off. Truthfully, that was the last thing she wanted.
A tear threatened to spill from her eye and she shook her head, giving a short laugh. The man seriously had a way with words. Without overthinking it, she kissed him again. A little longer this time. Her hand resting on the side of his neck.
“That’s ironic you know,” she said once she pulled away, “because you were the first one who made me actually want this life. Great cities. Art. Rome. Paris. Tokyo.” She nudged him teasingly, hoping to lighten the heavy mood slightly. “You made me want an eternity.” At the time she was certain that that eternity wouldn’t be spent with him, but now she wasn’t so sure.
“You know this isn’t gonna be easy right? I’m not some mindless bimbo who’s gonna let you be all alpha male all the time.” She pulled away from him more, giving them some space as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “And to make it clear I’m not giving in completely okay? I still have school. And my friends. I still have a life that I want to live. Experiences that I want to have. I just…I maybe wanna have some of them with you.”
With each word that wasn’t rejection, every pause that wasn’t the end, Klaus relaxed. A smile slipped over his features, lighting up his features. Even though his eyes went misty - a trick of the light, and not tears (obviously) - his chest was bursting with joy. “And you will have each of those experiences,” he swore, reaching for her hand. “When there is time, and we have so much time, we will see the world the way it is meant to be seen, Caroline. I will allow you only the best of everything. You deserve nothing else.” Carefully containing his joy, not wanting to get his hopes too high too fast, Klaus laced their fingers together, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. “I want to spend eternity with you, even if there are more hard days than easy.”













