Who: Forwood What: Randomly running into one another at a bar When: Late February Where: A bar Rating/Warning: Low/none Status: Complete
Caroline hadn’t seen or heard from Tyler since Valentine’s Day. While part of her was relieved - clearly he had heard what she said and was respecting her wishes, another part of her missed him. Not only that but she couldn’t deny that deep down she wanted him to fight for her. Even if she knew she could never give in. Never be with him again. So really, it was for the best that he was leaving her alone.
As usual Caroline was using work to distract herself. She had spent the day checking out multiple venues for an upcoming gala. Before she knew it the day was over and it was time to go home. Only, Caroline didn’t want to go home. It was lonely there, without Tyler coming to spend the night, without her mom there. So she didn’t. She stopped at a bar instead. A dive bar to be exact. Yes, Caroline usually liked the nicer things, but she had spent the day looking at lavish locations. The blonde needed a break from it all. So a dive bar it was.
Not wasting any time Caroline ordered herself five shots of tequila right off the bat. They probably wouldn’t even begin to make her tipsy. She was going to have to order a lot more in order to get drunk and temporarily forget how much her heart ached for her ex boyfriend. But hey, at least five seemed like a good start, despite the eyebrow raise it caused from the bartender.
Tyler knew that drinking alone probably wasn’t the healthiest thing to do, but given the alternatives, it seemed best. It wasn’t like he had a whole lot of people to choose from as drinking buddies after he’d turned off his humanity anyway. If he was going to drink alone anyway, he might as well do it in a dive bar. There was nothing worse than drinking alone in a high end place, even if the drinks were better.
Tyler was seated far from the bar, but with his vampire hearing it was impossible to not hear Caroline order her drinks. He frowned. He shouldn’t go see her. He should hide away in his booth until she went away. She deserved so much better than him anyway.
Having decided this, he was a little surprised when he found himself getting up anyway. His drink was empty and… well, there she was. Beautiful, and… drinking amount that would probably concern him if she was human.
“Rough day?” he asked, approaching her from behind.
Caroline froze. What the hell? She was supposed to be forgetting about Tyler. How was she supposed to do that when he was right in front of her. Or well behind her as the case may be. But still it was the same principal.
Even though she knew she should avoid him. Knew it was in her best interest to leave the bar right then and there. She found herself turning to face him. She couldn’t help herself. “Tyler,” was all she said, her voice soft, blue eyes wide. Her heart twisted in pain at the sight of him.
The bartender brought over her shots. Caroline picked one up and downed it before answering Tyler’s question. “Rough month,” she finally replied which of course had everything to do with him and he knew it.
Tyler looked about as guilty as the comment warranted. “I would have thought the last week would have been better,” he said, at least attempting to make a joke, though his voice may have fallen a little flat.
Another shot for Caroline. “Not really,” she replied honestly. Yeah, it was better knowing why Tyler broke up with her. And it was better now that his humanity was back on. But now that all the problems were solved? Now all that Caroline was left with was hurt. She downed another shot. Caroline still had two left but she was already motioning the bartender for more.
“How’s your mom?” What? She still had manners. She still cared.
“She’s doing alright,” Tyler said, glad that Caroline had decided to change the subject. “Hanging in there, at least. She wasn’t impressed that…” That Tyler had disappeared for weeks after his father died and hadn’t been there, but Tyler realized halfway through the sentence that maybe talking about that wasn’t such a good idea right now. “I’m supposed to have dinner with her tomorrow,” he finished.
Tyler didn’t have to finish his sentence. She knew Mrs. Lockwood well enough to know that she wouldn’t be pleased with Tyler’s behavior the past few weeks. Even if she didn’t know the extent of everything Tyler had done.
“Good,” Caroline commented downing another shot. She needed them to be around Tyler. And so far she wasn’t even feeling buzzed yet. “I’m sure she needs you right now.” He probably needed her too. Losing a parent wasn’t easy. Caroline knew that from experience. She needed all the support she could get after Liz’s death. Which of course reminded her of how much Tyler had been there for her at the time. And here she was so wrapped up in everything Tyler had done, how much he had hurt her, how her morals could never allow her to be with him again, that she couldn’t be there for him.
“I’m sorry,” Caroline said before she could stop herself. “I wish…” her voice trailed off. She downed another. “I wish I could be there for you.”
“I wish you could too,” Tyler said, briefly wondering if he should leave then and there. But he couldn’t. He’d been thinking about Caroline almost non-stop since he had his humanity turned back on, first in anger at how she’d kissed Klaus, and then in understanding, and then, after Valentine’s day, in longing.
“You can,” Tyler said. “There’s no reason why you couldn’t, if you wanted to, Care. I still… I haven’t given up on us.”
Seeing Tyler again was hard. Harder than Caroline had expected. All she wanted to do was make him feel better. Help him get through his father’s death, through having all his emotions back on. “I can’t,” Caroline responded downing another shot. “It’s too late, Tyler. Too much has happened.”
“It doesn’t have to be, Care,” Tyler said, reaching for her hands. Maybe he was pushing this too far, but on the other hand, it wasn’t like he could screw it up anymore than he already had. “Care, I’m lost without you. You’re the best part of me, and these last few weeks…” Well, if Klaus hadn’t made Tyler break up with Care, he probably wouldn’t have turned off his humanity. Having her there by him would have made all the difference.
Of course the second Tyler touched her hands that familiar spark of electricity shot right through her. Her stomach did a little flip, heart twisted.
He broke your heart. He’s a murderer. She had to remind herself of the reasons why she couldn’t give in to her feelings for him.
“Have been hell,” Caroline finished pulling her hands away. She downed another shot. Damn. She was out. Caroline motioned to the bartender for more.
“I think you’ve had enough,” the bartender told Caroline instead of bringing her more shots. “Is this guy bothering you?” he asked referring to Tyler and rightfully assuming he was the reason Caroline was drinking so much.
“I’m fine,” Caroline replied. “It’s all fine. Just bring some more shots!”
“Yeah,” Tyler agreed quietly, putting his hands in his pockets for lack of something better to do with them, and then before he could say anything else the bartender was talking.
“She can deal with more than she lets on,” Tyler said to the bartender, both in reference to the amount of alcohol she could put away and… well, everything else she had gone through. Everything she had gone through because of him.
The bartender shrugged and went to get the girl her shots. His due diligence was done. No reason to turn down money.
“You know,” Caroline said looking back over at Tyler. “You can too.”
“Not like you, Caroline,” Tyler said, wanting to reach out and touch her again but knowing that he couldn’t. Or rather, that he shouldn’t. Without Caroline, he couldn’t even deal with the death of his father, who he’d always hated. “I could never be as strong as you. You’ve got… a steel inside of you that I’ve always admired.”
“But I couldn’t have survived my mom’s death without you,” Caroline answers honestly. Even though Tyler hasn’t exactly handled it the right way he had still been there for her more than anyone else ever had.
“I don’t know about that,” Tyler said. Maybe by herself she couldn’t have, but Caroline had had her friends, like Elena and Marguerite, there by her side. “But you know if you ever need me again… I’ll still be here.”
I need you now. Caroline had to keep herself from saying those words. She was not going to be weak little Caroline again. She didn’t need a guy, Especially one who continued to break her heart.
“I won’t,” she finally said, her tone stern. And then in a blur she was gone. Leaving Tyler alone with her tab.