Texts from this afternoon || Alaric & Caroline
@allroundlostcause
This is wrong. This is so wrong, it's scary. Caroline actually feels obvious, like the oblivious kids rushing to their classes all have some sort of radar and the fact that she's about to be incredibly inappropriate in an inappropriate place is likely written all over her face.
It's weird, to usually be so in control --- not because you want to be, but because you have to be. Weird, still, to give that control up. It's barely been a few days since she and Ric had too-close an encounter in the teacher's lounge, since something changed. It wasn't big, an accidental touch, a timid kiss. A long conversation about what it means. And, she has to wonder where those feelings were ten years ago. Not that she'd trade her limited time with Stefan for anything but, honestly. What the hell is she supposed to do with this, now?
She was reaching, with those texts. Testing the waters, too forward but, after all these years, it's not as if they don't know each other. They haven't shared real space since the girls were too young to cross the street by themselves, but she knows Ric. She knows things about him that he probably doesn't know, himself.
Caroline's trying to act as normally as she can, hoping to god she'll make it to the door before some student or other gets in her way and kills her small, precious amount of courage. She makes it, though. Doesn't knock, because if Ric were in any serious situation the door would be locked and an office duty would've gotten in her way. She turns the knob - not locked. Care closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and slips through the door.
“So,” she leans on it, effectively closing it with her ass, and reaches back without looking to turn the lock, "What's step three?"
