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When You're Around

Chapter 8

The party had been in full swing about a little over an hour now. Chloe was making her rounds, participating in conversation with all the parents and students. She made her way back over to the tables full of food so she could refill her cup of punch. She noticed that the bowl was almost empty so she quickly went inside and grabbed a couple of extra liters of soda she had brought. She brought them back out and quickly mixed together more punch. "How are you doing?" She asked amicably to the pair of mothers that walked up to the table. They smiled back and launched into how wonderful this party was. "Aw, thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, I worked really hard."

"It shows." They said before walking away back to where they had been previously. Chloe took the time to look around the yard. People were scattered everywhere. There were kids chasing each other in the pool with their parents looking on closely from where they were sitting on lounge chairs. Some of the kids were jumping happily in the trampoline off to the side and the rest of the kids were busy running from their spots sitting in the grass to the food table refilling their plates. Most of the parents were chatting away with other parents.

"Miss Ryan?" She heard someone to her right. She turned and smiled when she saw Lindsey's mom, Randy's ex-wife, standing next to her.

"Mrs. Orton, hi, how are you?" She asked happily.

She smiled back. "Call me Sam. This party is great, you did a wonderful job."

"Thanks, I appreciate that. Though it never would have happened if it weren't for Randy. I could not find one place available." She explained.

"Funny, you bring that up. I was actually wondering how you convinced Randy to allow you to have the party here." Sam said curiously.

Chloe furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

Sam chuckled a little. "Well, when we were married, Randy would fight me tooth and nail when I suggested we have people over. With the exception of his parents, siblings and wrestling buddies, he refused to let anyone over."

"Really?" Chloe asked surprised.

"Yeah, so what did you do?" She asked.

Chloe shrugged. "I didn't do anything. He actually suggested I have it here."

Sam's raised her eyebrow surprised. "Really?"

She shrugged again. "Yeah, he said his backyard would be perfect."

"Hmm," She said suspiciously as she gazed across the backyard where her ex-husband was standing with a can of soda in his hand as he chatted away with another dad. "He must have charged you then, Randy's all about capitalizing on desperate situations."

Chloe inhaled and let out a breath, lifting her shoulders as if she didn't know what to tell her. "Nope. He said it was free." Sam nodded slowly. She was wondering what Randy was up to; he absolutely hated having people over t his house.

She turned back to the young teacher and forced a smile. "Well, I'm glad, you did a great job, the kids are having a ball."

"Thanks," Chloe responded sweetly as she watched Sam walk away.

The party had winded down an hour ago. Chloe, Randy, Sam and Lindsey were the last ones there. Chloe was over at the buffet tables, throwing away trash and cleaning up. She glanced at the open side gate where Lindsey, Sam and Randy were standing. Sam was off to the side while Randy was on his knee as he said bye to Lindsey. She guessed that Sam had Lindsey this week. She turned her attention back to the table as she tossed an empty food tray in the trash.

"Miss Ryan!" Lindsey yelled as she ran over to where her teacher was. Chloe turned toward the voice and smiled wide. "Thank you for throwing the party, it was fun," She said and Chloe noticed Randy looking on, Sam looking at him, studying him. It was clear Linds was sent over to say goodbye before she left.

"I'm glad, I had fun too." She said as she bent down to give the girl a hug. "I'll see you in class on Monday." Unfortunately, even though this was an end of the year party, school was still in session for another few weeks.

"Bye!" The girl said before running back to her parents. She gave her dad one last hug and kiss before grabbing her mom's hand and leaving with her.

"Need any help?" Randy asked as he strolled over to the teacher with his hands in his pockets.

"Sure," She said as she continued to clear off the tables, dumping anything that wasn't salvageable in the trash. They finished cleaning in silence before they made their way inside, carrying leftovers. "Thanks again for letting me throw this here, I really appreciate it." She said as Randy took out a roll of aluminum foil to spread over the tops of the trays.

"Stop thanking me," He said lightly. "I don't mind."

Chloe's mind flashed to her conversation with Sam. "Are you sure?"

He looked at her funny. "Yeah, why?"

She let out a sigh. "Well, I was talking to Sam,"

He laughed. "Oh god, what'd she say?"

"She wanted to know what I had to do to get you to have the party here. And she was really surprised when I told her you suggested it. She said that you didn't like having people over." She explained, resting her back against the counter, facing him.

He shrugged. "It's not that I don't like it." He said as he turned towards her, taking a step closer. "She just always wanted to her friends over and they are obnoxious, spoiled bitches." Chloe chuckled a little, putting a smile on Randy's face. "Plus, sometimes people just don't respect your home, so if I can avoid having people over, I usually do."

"But it was your idea to have it here," She said confused.

"Well, that's the backyard and I know the kids would be plenty occupied." He explained, taking another step closer to her.

She nodded. "Well, again, thanks,"

His smile widen. "What'd I tell you about that word?" He joked. "And if I am honest here, there's another reason I suggested my house."

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Call it an ulterior motive. I've been looking for a way to contact you ever since…well, Easter. And then I got your email and it gave me the perfect excuse." He admitted.

She sighed, though inside she was jumping for joy. "Randy," She said putting her hand up, ready to tell him again that what happened between them a month ago was a mistake.

Randy reached out and grabbed her hand and brought it to rest on his chest as he got even closer. "I know what you're going to say but you don't really mean that, do you?" He asked and got no response. Chloe just looked up at him, speechless at their close proximity. "I like you Chloe," He said quietly in respect to the tense mood. "I like you a lot." He said before lowering his mouth to her. He was surprised at the lack of resistance he received. His tongue skimmed her lips and she immediately opened her mouth, her tongue tentatively touching his. Randy got a hold of both her arms and guided them to lock around his neck. He deepened the kiss and when he heard her moan he lifted her up, setting her on top of the counter as her legs locked around his waist.

Chloe broke the kiss. Randy guided his attention to her neck and she subconsciously leaned her head to the side to give him better access. "Randy," Her voice croaked. "We should stop," She said all the while her hand massaged his scalp in encouragement.

Randy's lips smiled against her skin. He pulled away just enough so they were eye to eye. "You don't want that do you?" Silence. "Chloe," His voice practically purred. "Stop thinking, go with what your body is telling you, what your heart is saying."

They stared at each other, breathing heavily. After a couple minutes, Randy nodded, about to give in and lift her off the counter when her hands, still wrapped around his neck, gently gripped his head, not allowing him to divert his attention. She took a deep breath before leaning forward and pressing her lips to his. Randy let out a groan of surprise and satisfaction. He checked to make sure her legs were locked securely around his waist before wrapping his arms around her waist. He easily lifted her off the counter and carried her upstairs to his bedroom.

A/N: It's about time huh? I Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, keep your reviews coming, they seriously keep me motivated.