Who: Tyler and Caroline What: Caroline gets drunk and admits her feelings When: Tonight! Where: Random club Ratings/Warnings: Low! Just feels Status: Complete
Not long after Tyler’s party, Caroline started to dream. Well she always had dreams but these were different. They felt real in a way. Like memories of another life or something. It suddenly made sense what everyone on the Network was talking about. However, her dreams seemed fairly normal. Nothing magical or supernatural about them. She was just a regular high school girl dating an older man (who was her history teacher in real life, gross) in an abusive relationship. While Caroline knew her dreams weren’t that bad. At least compared to posts she had skimmed on the network - Tyler’s included, she didn’t like seeing herself in such a horrible relationship. Seeing the marks he left on her, the way he talked to her, used her. It was depressing and Caroline wished her dreamself would just stand up to him and get out of that relationship. So yes, the blonde felt like drinking. And Tyler offered to drink with her. It beat drinking alone, and really, she wanted to spend more time with Tyler.
Again Caroline found herself dressing up a bit in a purple dress this time. She couldn’t help wanting to look good for Tyler. He was her friend, yes, but also her ex. An ex who was incredibly sweet and took care of both her and her mom when she was sick. An ex that went out of his way to make sure she was okay. Ugh, Caroline had been thinking about him more and more lately. Missing the good ol’ high school days when he wasn’t an ex, but was still her boyfriend. She tried to push those thoughts aside, reminding herself they were friends. And he was still in love with Blossom. And yet, when she heard him knock on her door she could feel her stomach filling with butterflies. Caroline did her best to ignore them grabbing her purse and heading for the door. “Hey,” she greeted Tyler with a smile and a small hug. “Thanks for driving!” Hopefully he would stay sober enough to drive her home too. But with how much he had been drinking lately, she had a feeling they’d both be taking a cab.
While Tyler had a pretty good idea where Caroline’s dreams would end up, he was surprised to learn just how little he knew about how they began. He and Caroline kind of ran in the same circles in the dream - her best friend had dated his best friend for years before they’d broken up - but they didn’t have too much to do with each other. When Tyler thought back to it, he didn’t think he’d really liked Caroline much in his early dreams. But he’d had no idea that she and Damon had dated. Honestly, hearing about the whole thing made it really hard for him not to dislike the other vampire all over again, but he worked hard on not letting that cloud his judgement. He and Damon had already had a talk about how the barkeep was a different man than the vampire who had killed Tyler and, apparently, taken advantage of Caroline
He was still mulling it over in his head when Caroline opened the door, and his frown turned into a smile when he saw her. “No problem,” he said to her. Even if he matched Caroline shot for shot, he’d likely still be okay to drive. It was one of the perks, and the drawbacks, to being a vampire, and so his driving seemed like the obvious choice. “You look great. Ready to go?”
Caroline beamed at Tyler’s compliment. Her cheeks even reddened a bit. After all this time it was nice to hear that Tyler still thought she looked good - great. Even if it was just in a friend way. “Thanks,” she replied stepping outside and shutting the door behind her. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” He looked just as hot as ever, actually. But Caroline left that unsaid.
Tyler had spent a good chunk of time deciding where he should take Caroline tonight. He had thought of something low key, where they could maybe order some food and possibly play some pool or even just sit and talk, but pool was really more of Tyler’s thing than it was for Caroline. It had been a while since the last time he’d gone dancing, and he’d promised Caroline not long ago that he’d take her one of these days. Since she probably needed a distraction from the dreams more than she needed to talk about them, he decided that a club was probably the best place to go.
Purgatory hadn’t even crossed his mind, since the last thing Caroline needed now was to accidentally run into Damon. He’d never been to this particular club before, but even as he pulled up he could hear the music. “Hope you brought your dancing shoes,” he said, putting the car into park.
Caroline’s face lit up when they reached the club. She had been expecting just a bar. But Tyler had promised to go dancing with her. Caroline just figured she was going to have to be the one to suggest it. A night of drinking and dancing was just what she needed. The fact that Tyler knew that only made the feelings that had already come back for him grow even more. She was definitely going to have to remind herself that he was just her friend and in love with someone else the entire night.
“Oh my god, Tyler!” Caroline practically squealed as he parked the car. “This is just what I needed.” As for dancing shoes she was wearing heels. But it didn’t matter. Caroline was used to dancing in heels all the time anyway.
Once the car was parked she climbed out barely even waiting for Tyler. They walked in and Caroline made her way to the bar first. One drink before she hit the dance for. Or well shot considering she ordered one of tequila.
“I thought it might be,” Tyler said as he pulled up.
The inside of the club was dark and crowded, and he could small the bodies all around them. It made his mouth water a little, and he was reminded why he generally avoided crowds these days. But he knew he had good control, and while he wasn’t a part of them when he was working at Purgatory, he was at least in their proximity.
He paid for Caroline’s shot and one for himself so she wasn’t taking it by herself at the bar, and then bought them both another cocktail, one they could take with them to the dance floor. Then he cocked his head toward the dance floor - an invitation to dance in a place where the music was too loud to actually ask.
Caroline was definitely relieved when Tyler paid for her drinks. After the strip club and party she was a little broke. Luckily she had just gotten her first paycheck, but still. She needed that money. Even without paying rent she had other expenses, like paying off her credit card bill from Tyler’s party. So drinks being on him tonight was definitely appreciated.
Was Tyler actually offering to dance with her? She was somewhat shocked. Mostly because of all the dances she had to drag him to in high school. He was right when he told her he had changed since then. Drink in hand she made her way to the floor with Tyler, making sure to take a few sips on the way so it wasn’t full enough to spill easily.
Her free hand wrapped around his neck. Hips only centimeters from his as she began to move her body and sway her hips to the beat.
Tyler wasn’t really sure what to expect from dancing with Caroline. It probably should have been weird. The last person he’d danced with was Blossom, and he and Caroline had been broken up for years. But somehow, despite that, it was easy, natural, almost, to fall into rhythm with her. He hadn’t danced with her since prom, but with his hands on her hips, swaying his own with her, it felt as though it had only been yesterday.
Tyler’s hands on her hips sent bolts of electricity through her body. It was basically impossible for her to deny the feelings she had for Tyler anymore. But she knew she couldn’t share them. Not now, not with his break up so recent. So she just enjoyed dancing with him. It did feel natural. Not just that, it felt right. Like this was where they were supposed to be. A big part of Caroline wanted to just fall back into old times, place her lips on his. But she didn’t. Instead she kept her mouth busy with drinking.
A few drinks and many dances later it was time for a break. The blonde was definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol now. She suggested that they sit at one of the quieter corners of the club for a bit and just enjoy another drink off her feet. It was getting too difficult to refrain from kissing Tyler out on the dance floor with their bodies pressed together like that. “Thanks, Tyler,” Caroline said once they were seated, her words slightly slurred. “I needed this.”
Tyler was glad for the chance sit down. He was barely feeling the alcohol that he’d consumed so far, but it would be impossible to not feel the chemistry between him and Caroline. Dancing with her was stirring up all kinds of feelings that he had thought he was long over. Feelings he wouldn’t act on. He still missed Blossom; he still wished that she was here. And Caroline had enough on her plate without him adding to it.
“Anytime,” he said, sitting down next to her. “This has been fun.”
“Yeah,” Caroline agreed with a small smile. “Like old times.” And then before Caroline could control herself, filter herself. More words came spilling out of her mouth. “I really loved you, you know.” Again there was a slight slur to her words. “I still do.” That she hadn’t even admitted to herself yet. And here she was admitting it to Tyler, the man who was thinking of proposing to another woman not long ago. But she wasn’t thinking about his ex right now. Only about him. So she went on. “Breaking up with you, it was one of the hardest things I had to do. I never got over you.”
Another thing Caroline never admitted to even herself. She always told herself the reason she didn’t date much during college was because she was just too busy. And with her career afterwards too. But the truth of the matter was none of the guys she went out with ever measured up to Tyler. As much as she tried to push those feelings away, deny them. Seeing him again and spending time with him again, especially with the way he had been treating her, well it brought those feelings to the surface. And now here she was, drunk and spilling it all to him.
Tyler felt a sharp contraction in his chest at Caroline’s words. He was more than a little surprised. It had taken him years, until he’d met Blossom really, to get over Caroline, but he’d never expected her to still be holding a flame for him after all of these years. He wondered how much all of this was really what she thought. She was drunk, stressed out from her mom’s illness, and now dreaming of dating Damon. And he… well, he still thought of Blossom every day.
But the thought of rejecting her… well, he couldn’t do that either. Not while she was this drunk. This just wasn’t a conversation they should be having while she was this drunk.
“Breaking up with you was one of the hardest things I did too,” Tyler said, because she deserved to know that much. After their break-up, he’d drank like a fish and slept with way too many women. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her arm a bit of a squeeze, in what he hoped was a more friendly manner than a romantic one. He didn’t want to encourage Caroline to do anything she might regret. “I think you’ve had enough to drink, huh?” he asked with a bit of a joking smile.
Caroline attempted a smile at Tyler’s first comment. It wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear. She wished he would say he felt the same. But she knew that wasn’t going to happen especially given how fresh his break up was. She was foolish to think he would feel that way about her still, or ever again. They were over. Done. She was just his high school girlfriend. Nothing more.
But the attempt to make her feel better, not quite as rejected was appreciated. At least it made the situation a little less humiliating. “Yeah,” Caroline agreed. It was true she had drank a lot. More than she had in a long time. “I should probably get home.”
Tyler gave a small smile. He really wasn’t sure what to think. He was confused and conflicted, but maybe sleeping on it tonight would help make sense of things and give Caroline time to sober up.
He gave Caroline’s arm another squeeze, planted a gentle peck on the side of her golden-haired head, and then stood up. “C’mon, I’ll take you home.”