Good. ( and she does look pleased, too, as she settles back against the booth, a hand lifting to tuck an errant lock of her hair behind her ear. ) Though I guess the whole point is that you're not supposed to lose interest, but at least you have some class about it.

( she's only teasing, and the wink in his direction helps to reinforce that. she knows, really, that you can't force attraction or attention to it anymore than you can anything else. sometimes, things just don't work out that way. but caroline's an optimistic kind of girl, and she really likes the way she feels so comfortable around him. he reminds her of stefan, in a way that she hadn't quite expected when she'd gotten distracted by the brightness of his smile. )

I know you're probably not in the mood for another drink, but maybe you could walk back with me? If you don't have other plans, I mean.

( unless he's moved out, she guesses they likely live fairly close by. all the resident buildings seemed pretty close together. )