It had been a night of restless sleep for Caroline, tossing and turning in bed and trying not to think about what Elijah had said to her on the board. The harder she tried not to consider the older man’s words only meant the more she had focused on them, growing even more confused as time clicked away on the apartment clock. Love was so very different than infatuation and she’d steadfastly believed that was all Klaus had been feeling toward her. That he’d grow tired of her constant refusal and move onto some other conquest. Lord knew there had to be enough entertaining people in this new world for him to focus his attention on another. But love...that was entirely different ball game, and it only made her ache all the more for Tyler as she’d laid alone in bed.
She’d buried all of her insecurities once she’d met Matt for lunch, focusing instead on spending time with one of her oldest and best friends. They’d had hit a rocky patch there for awhile, but time and circumstance had only made that bond stronger. Or at least that’s how Caroline saw it and she couldn’t help but want to cling to the normalcy that was him considering how crazy their lives winded up being. She’d dragged lunch on as long as she could, internally debating whether coming to the museum was a good idea. In the end she’d decided to go, not wanting to be ruled by any kind of fear. Besides Matt would be there with her, so it would all be fine.
Not that she didn’t put it off until the last possible second for the two of them to arrive, unable to wonder if maybe Klaus would have given up hope that she’d turn up and have left long before they arrived. Once inside the building with the variety of artwork on display, she nearly forgot why she’d been wary and tugged Matt along with her towards a painting that had caught her eye.
“I promise we don’t have to stay too long, Matt.” Caroline offered him a small smile before focusing her attention back to the painting, trying to take in what the artist was attempting to convey when creating it.