Kol hadn't done much with his time in Lawrence. Mostly he just picked on his siblings, or any other person he so felt deserved it. Caroline had, of course, been a particular target as of late, much to Nik's chagrin. He wasn't sure he'd ever understand all of this mess. All three of his siblings were so wrapped up in this...love thing. Rebekah was the one that was so desparate about it, so needed to be loved, but Elijah wasn't much better, was he? Pining over the little harlot for five hundred years. And for what? To be lied to and manipulated again? Because Kol was convinced that was all that would become of his brother being involved with Katherine again. His precious Katerina. Precious and destructive to anyone that dared get in the way of what she wanted. How could Elijah not see that?
Rebekah had fallen in so deep so many times over the years and only ended hurt by every one of them. He didn't understand how she hadn't learned. When a child touches a hot stove, they learn not to do it again because it hurts, but the same, simple logic did not seem to apply to his sister. No, instead she just reached for it again. And again. And again. No matter how many times her hand grazed the fire, she just kept going back. She was the living definition of insanity: repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. And for what? For love. What was love anyway?
Despite it all, the one that blew his mind more than any of them was Nik. Nik of the calm and collected and maybe occasionally irrational, but in such a strikingly different manner than he'd seen from his brother lately. And over a cheerleader, no less. He couldn't quite get his head around it. He and Nik had always been the odd ones out on the whole love concept. They didn't need it, nor did they want it, it was a weakness that neither of them had really ever saw the appeal of. But here they were and even Nik was trapped in the grips of it. What did that even mean? Did it mean he was next? Kol shook his head at the thought. Never. He wouldn't allow it. Though, there was still a very quiet whisper of doubt in the back of his mind saying: Isn't that probably what Niklaus said as well?, but he ignored it.
With Katerina's return, things were getting ridiculous at the house and Rebekah had left awhile ago. He wasn't exactly looking for her, but when he came across her on the park bench, he wasn't very well going to walk on by as if he hadn't seen her. "You look like a wreck," he said, no shame, no modesty. Kol didn't cut corners or save face, pretty much ever. Didn't see the point, really. "What is it this time?" he asked expectantly, sitting on the bench next to her. He could think of a hundred things she could say to fill in the blanks to his question, could probably damn near predict what she would say at this point, but he let the question hang there until she decided to answer it, rather than barreling on and doing so himself.