CHAPTER 36

Over the next few days, the crew came in to Philly at different times to prepare for the commitment party. Cesaro arrived at Liv and Wade's house on late Thursday afternoon, and was fighting them tooth and nail not to fuss over him.

"Guys, seriously. I appreciate you letting me stay here, but I can do things to pull my own weight. I still have one good arm!" Cesaro lifted his duffle bag with his good arm and set it on the bed in the downstairs guest room.

"Well, you're our guest and we want to make you comfortable." Liv wrapped her arms around Wade's waist and he kissed her on the forehead.

"Seriously, if you need anything, let us know!" Wade bumped Cesaro's good fist before he and Liv walked out to leave Cesaro to unpack.

The next group of guys to come in town were Dean, Roman and Seth. They arrived at Robin's house just around dinner time. Robin went the easy route and ordered pizza to feed the 5 hungry wrestlers who would be invading her home.

"Where's Baron and Corey?" Robin greeted Dean, Roman and Seth, but craned her neck to look outside.

"They were right behind us. They'll be here." Seth charged towards the dining room to get some pizza. Robin turned back to the door and saw Corey and Baron walking up the street.

"Hey Core!" Robin gave him a huge hug. She felt bad for the way things went down with him and Chloe, but there was nothing she could do about it. Baron pushed Corey into the house and grabbed Robin making the other wrestlers whistle and cheer from the dining room. Robin broke free and Baron walked into the dining room, giving Roman a side eye. "Oh the joys of being the only chick in the house tonight!" Robin made sure each of the guys had beer as they inhaled all 5 pizzas she ordered. There was one slice left and Roman and Dean reached for it at the same time.

"Nah, go ahead, Rome. You can have the last slice." Dean conceded to Roman, but Baron wasn't trying to let that go.

"No, Dean that's your slice. He can't just come in your house and take what he wants." Baron eyed Roman up as the other guys got quiet.

"No, really…I'm good. He can have it. Besides, I perform better when my stomach isn't full. Isn't that right, Tweety?!" Dean leaned over and kissed Robin, but Baron's eyes stayed on Roman.

"No Liv tonight, Robin?" Seth guzzled his beer and dribbled some on the table.

"No, she's having dinner with Wade, Cesaro….and Chloe tonight." Robin felt awkward talking about Chloe in front of Corey.

"Call them and tell them to drop those dudes and come party with us!" Seth was drunk and trying to stand up, but the guys made him sit so he didn't further injure his knee.

"I'm all for that idea! I say we have Robin call them!" Corey, who had more than a few beers chimed in catching Robin off guard.

"Geez, the whole crew is trying to get with my girls!" Robin sat at the head of the table with Dean on her right side and Baron on the left.

"Not the whole crew…." Baron remarked, staring Roman down and Robin put her hand on his leg to calm him down.

"Well, nobody is sober enough to drive to a hotel. So, we can make room for you guys here." Robin stood up to go to her linen closet to gather blankets and air mattresses. "Okay guys, I have two air mattresses and some blankets for somebody to crash on the couch."

"Core, you can grab an air mattress and bunk in my room." Baron took one of the mattresses from Robin and gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading upstairs.

"I'm fine with the couch. Seth you can take the other air mattress." Roman took the blankets from Robin and headed towards the living room, and Seth staggered behind him with Dean's help. Robin went up to check on the kids and Dean followed after he had Seth settled in. The tension had been diffused for the moment, but Robin knew Baron wasn't trying to hold his tongue. She knew she'd have to have a conversation with Roman to set him straight.

Over at Liv and Wade's house dinner was over, and Liv and Wade went to bed leaving Chloe and Cesaro to talk in the sitting room.

"I love teaching African-American History at Temple. I couldn't ask for a better faculty family. We're actually having a mixer tomorrow night, but I'm not sure I'm going." Chloe set her mug of coffee down as she felt Cesaro's eyes peering into her.

"Why aren't you going? It seems like it would be a great opportunity to get to know your coworkers."

"Well, I'm still up in the air. Plus, I was going to ask Liv or Robin to be my plus one, but they both have their hands full with the party on Saturday."

"What about me? I've got some dress clothes and I still have one arm to hold a drink with." Cesaro laughed as he held up his good arm.

"Would you feel up to something like that? I don't want to tire you out." Chloe was silently hoping he'd go with her.

"Tire me out? It takes a lot more than talking to a bunch of professors for a few hours to tire me out, Ma Cherie."

"Well, I guess I have my plus one!" Chloe clinked her mug with his and stood to walk to the door.

"Thanks for coming over to check on me. You made my night." Cesaro put his hand on her back and Chloe flinched. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's not that." Chloe opened the door before turning to face him. "I hope I don't sound crazy, but I'm just not trying to get too close to anyone right now." Chloe didn't want to assume anything with him and she was afraid she was making a fool of herself.

"You could never sound crazy. I completely understand…I know it's tough with Corey in town and everything." Chloe forgot Corey was going to be at the commitment party.

"Thanks, Cesaro." She kissed him on the cheek. "I'll pick you up tomorrow evening at 6. Goodnight." Chloe walked to her car with tears in her eyes because she knew she'd have to face Corey on Saturday and she wasn't ready for another Wrestlemania style altercation. She would somehow have to keep her distance from Corey while trying to convince herself that she doesn't want to get closer to Cesaro.

The next day Chloe breezed through her classes and jetted home to change for the mixer. After slipping into a midnight blue cocktail dress, she headed to Liv's house to pick Cesaro up.

"Okay, Chloe. This is just a friend escorting you to a work thing…no big deal!" Chloe sat in her car giving herself a pep talk, but before she could get out of the car, Cesaro appeared in the doorway and he was walking towards her. He was wearing a dark blue sports coat with khakis. His left arm even looked dapper in a sling.

"Hey there. I figured I'd come out and meet you." He got in the car and shot a charming smile at Chloe.

"Thanks, you look very handsome!" Chloe was beating herself up inside for saying that.

"Thank you…you look stunning, as usual." Cesaro looked like he was chastising himself as well, and it made Chloe giggle to know that he seemed to be as nervous as she was.

Once they arrived at The Radisson Convention Center, they walked into a room full of Chloe's colleagues who were milling about and drinking. Chloe walked to the bar with Cesaro where they were greeted by Dr. Simpson.

"You made it!" Alexander shook Chloe's hand before turning his attention to Cesaro. "Hello, I'm Dr. Alexander Simpson."

"Hello, I'm Claudio." Cesaro extended his hand to Alexander.

"I see you're working with one arm, Claudio." Alexander handed Cesaro and Chloe their drinks.

"Yes, I suffered an injury in the ring, but I'll be good as new in no time."

"In the ring? You must be the wrestler I've heard about that was visiting Chloe on our campus." Chloe cringed knowing Alexander was referring to Corey.

"Would you excuse us, Dr. Simpson? I'd like to introduce Claudio to the head of my department." Chloe started to walk away and Cesaro followed her.

"What was that about? Are you okay?" Cesaro stopped Chloe and saw that she had tears in her eyes.

"I'm fine…I just don't feel like answering questions about Corey. I was hoping to get away from that, if only for an evening."

"Do you want to go? I've been hearing about this restaurant that has an amazing view." Cesaro took Chloe's hand and nodded towards the door.

"I can't just leave! We just got here."

"You can do whatever you want to do, Chloe. The sooner you realize that, the happier you will be." Cesaro took Chloe's drink and set it on a nearby table before escorting her to the parking lot.

The restaurant Cesaro wanted to try out was called Nineteen at the top of the Bellevue hotel in center city. They entered the restaurant and breathed in the mix of classic architecture and modern design. They walked through the main dining room to the balcony and sat at their table overlooking a buzzing Broad Street.

"This is beautiful!" Chloe's eyes lit up as she took in the view.

"I've been hearing about this place for a while, but it's not exactly the type of place you bring the boys."

"I'm sure there's a beautiful young lady somewhere you could bring here." Chloe sipped her wine, but Cesaro just stared at her.

"Yes…and I'm here with her right now." Cesaro noticed Chloe shaking her head as she tried to brush off what he was saying. "What is it? Does my breath stink? Is it the sling?"

"No!" Chloe laughed with him and sighed deeply. "I told you…I'm just not trying to go there…"

"Where?! You're not trying to have dinner with a man who loves your company? What's so wrong with that?"

"It's not about the company. It's about staying away from the drama of relationships…I just want to be by myself and stand still for a moment."

"Well, you can't be by yourself because I'm here with you…Randy and Corey really did a number on you, huh?" Cesaro laughed as he sipped his beer.

"They were just too much, too soon. Whatever happened to a man simply expressing interest without expecting me to jump into bed with him?!"

"You mean the way I've been trying to express interest in you?" Cesaro rendered her speechless. "Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I believe in courtship. I want to get to know if a woman is on the same wavelength as me before I take her to bed." He sat back to take in the view.

"I just don't think I'm ready to be involved with…another wrestler." Chloe felt bad as soon as she said that. "I mean, it's not you personally."

"I know, Chloe. This is a tough business, but please don't think that we're all the same. The men who choose to accept the challenge of maintaining a relationship know what they're getting into and they do whatever necessary to make sure their women know that the job doesn't define their ability to be a good man who won't treat them like a convenient piece of property that only matters when they're in town." Cesaro finished his beer and walked over to the railing to cool off.

"I didn't mean to get you upset…I know there are good men in your industry. I see the way Dean and Wade are with Robin and Liv, but I just don't think I'm ready." Chloe walked over to him and rested her hand on his sling.

"You're a smart woman, Chloe. I'm by no means saying you need to rush into another relationship. I actually don't believe in the idea of formal relationships, but I also won't deny that I enjoy spending time with you." Cesaro ordered two glasses of champagne and invited Chloe to rejoin him at their table.

"I have to admit I enjoy spending time with you too, but…"

"You're scared I'm going to be like Corey or Randy." As Cesaro said exactly what Chloe was afraid to say, the waiter brought the glasses of champagne. "I can understand being cautious, but you can't be held back by fear. As Einstein said, 'Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving'." They both lifted their glasses to toast. "Here's to rewriting the rules, and moving on, Ma Cherie." They toasted and took a sip.

Chloe was smiling ear to ear the entire ride back to Liv's house. She and Cesaro had a newfound understanding of each other and it made her feel more at ease about spending time with him. Once the concept of building a traditional, fast moving relationship was taken off the table, she was free to enjoy his company without the fear of a label. She was truly convinced that not only was he beyond the typical wrestler, he was beyond the typical man.