A/N: We're almost there! Ned's almost home! YAY. Thought it would be fun to throw a twist Katie's way at school... hope you all enjoy it xx Mariah
Katie quickly parked her car in the teacher's lot, feeling a little out of place since the last time she'd parked here had been in the student's lot when she was back in high school. Which she was back where she went to high school.
Today was June 5th, her last day of orientation and the day before she left for Ned's graduation.
Grabbing the old ragged messenger bag that she's used since her freshman year, she locked her car and walked toward the front entrance. A man held her door open, his teacher ID clipped to his shirt pocket.
Tobias Sanders, Art Teacher.
She dug in her memory to put the name to his face. He'd cut his hair since she had last seen him, thank god, and gotten a tattoo on his forearm of what she believed was his family's crest from Ireland. He'd even put on a little weight, but it was mostly muscle.
"Toby?" She asked, turning around once she got inside.
"Hey, Katie," Toby said, itching his neck. "I knew I'd run into you eventually. Small town and all."
"Yeah… it's umm... nice to see you. How long has it been? Like three years?" She walked through the hall and toward the gymnasium. There were tables after tables set up for all the teachers. She grabbed her file of papers before looking at him. "I didn't know you worked here."
"Yeah. My wife chose this school, not me." He coughed, grabbing his own file. "It was a fight. I didn't want to see you. Not really."
"I don't blame you," she sighed, biting her lip nervously. "We didn't end on the best of terms. When did you start teaching here?"
"This would be my second year. My wife works here too," he answered.
"That's nice," she replies softly.
"So what have you been up to? Keeping yourself busy I hope," he smiled as she walked down toward the table for the English teacher. "You look good." His eyes burned through her as he looked at her. She felt him check her out like he used to when they were together. "Better than I remember."
The words chilled her. She didn't like the thought of him looking at her. She didn't like it when anyone leered at her. And it happened a lot more than she liked to admit. Sometimes it went in one ear and out the other. Sometimes if she just kept walking, she could get away from it and put it behind her. But sometimes it felt like those TV scenes where the character was walking down a row of prison cells and the inmates were yelling all of those graphic, violent, sexual things. Minus the guards, bars, and anything else that would make her feel even moderately safe.
She pushed forward, taking in a breath before turning to face him. They were at her table. She could sit down, say she had to read through this pamphlet and get him to go. "I've kept busy. Very busy actually. I just got back from a girls weekend with Hannah. I've been babysitting my little sister a lot to keep myself focused." She explained. "I'm about to go down to Georgia for the weekend."
"How old is your sister? She's got to be like around four now, right?" He shoved his hands in his pockets, leaning against the table as she sat down, setting her bag on the table. "I never remember if she was born before we broke up."
"It was pretty close after. Lana was born in December, but my parents had another baby after her too. Emma is almost six months." She said, unzipping her purse and pulling out a pen. She looked at her watch and saw they still had a few more minutes. She could smell the coffee at the other end of the room and stood up, smoothing out her skirt. "Wanna get a cup of coffee?"
"Wow. Another?" He looked a little shocked, but who wouldn't. Her parents weren't exactly the youngest when they had Lana, let alone now. "Is that her?"
Her phone lit up in her hand, showing her picture of Charlie. "No," she answered, turning her phone. "That's my son. His name was Charlie."
"Oh. Was? I see," he whispered, tapping his foot. "I'm sorry." He took notice in the way her eyes flicked down, the way she pulled her skirt down and itched her knees nervously. "I'll see you around Katie. We'll have to grab lunch sometime. Catch up on everything."
"Yeah," she wiped away a falling tear. His eons fell to her wedding ring as she fidgeted with it, her eyes meeting his. "That sounds nice. Maybe after I get back."
"Alright," he turned and walked away. "Maybe when you get back."
She sat back in her chair, no longer needing the caffeine. She moved her bag to the floor next to her, opening the file as someone sat down next to her. Mrs. Wright. Her favorite English teacher in middle school. The school board had recently added an expansion and update to the school, making it big enough for grades sixth through twelfth.
"Katie?" The older woman smiled at her. "Oh, it is you. I thought it was."
"Yes, Mrs. Wright," she turned, hugging her. "It's so nice to see you! I almost forgot they added the middle school here."
"It's quite the change, yes." Mrs. Wright chuckled. "But this last year was great. I enjoy my first floor room."
"I haven't gotten my room assignment yet," she explained, looking through the papers. "I did get my class lists today." She laughed, seeing her brother's name on there. This was gonna be a fun year.
"Is this your first year? How exciting!" Mrs. Wright exclaimed.
"Yes, first year. I'm nervous and excited and worried all at the time same time." She said, smiling at her and leaning into her chair. "But at the same time, all I can think about is my husband. He's about to graduate from Basic Training in Georgia and I'm so excited to see him."
Mrs. Wright beamed at her, reaching out and squeezing her hand. She went on to tell her she knew how she felt. Her husband had been in the Air Force. She went on and on about the ups and downs of being a military wife, but that she would never change anything. The smile her husband had on his face whenever he talked about his time in the force was the greatest gift.
They eventually turned to read through the topics of conversation, outlined by the president of the board.
Katie stared at the clock above the gymnasium double doors again. Ten minutes past nine. The email and its accompanying memo had said nine a.m. And yet, all the teachers were still milling about, socializing and laughing as if the morning's presentation wasn't supposed to have started ten minutes ago. She rolled her eyes, and tapped her pen against her notebook. Maybe she could write to pass the time. She sighed, tossing her pen down. She knew she couldn't write in this environment, not with all of the noise. Plus, she had been writing a lot lately. She didn't know what it would be, but maybe it would be something. Someday.
It was bad enough she had to waste what should have been a day off stuck in pointless professional development all day. She was two weeks into it and was already dreading having to work with half of the staff. Some recognized her, some even remember her from when she attended this school, but most were new staff and they all had something to whisper about the alumni who was newly hired.
She yearned to be under the covers at home, sleeping in and cuddling with Stitches. Who came up with the idea of going to meetings all day long anyway?
She placed the coffee under her seat and tapped her pen idly against her front teeth, staring at the stark white projection screen, her irritation mounting.
"This seat taken?"
Her stomach flipped and she glanced up into the eyes of Toby. "Ah, no. I thought you would sit with your wife." She gestured to the folding chair beside hers and gave him a look over as he settled into the seat and grinned broadly at her.
Immediately her body became hyper aware of his presence and the familiar notes of his Polo cologne—a scent that she remembered very keenly. She turned in her chair, her stomach grumbling. She should've taken that muffin her mother offered her.
He reached into his messenger bag and produced a small, white parcel. "For you. I heard your stomach. It's better than store-bought ones. Promise."
She accepted the package, and he smiled at her shyly as she unwrapped the wax paper. Her eyes closed instinctively as the nutty, oaky aroma wafted up on a ribbon of steam. "Thank you," she breathed, breaking the yeasty roll apart to watch the cheese ooze from it. She crammed a large chunk of it in her mouth, and he chuckled softly.
"You're welcome." He lowered his voice. "So, are we good? I don't want there to be an awkwardness between us."
The shrill squawk of the public address system preceded the staccato tap of a palm against a microphone. The superintendent coughed and as he began to welcome the assembled teachers and staff, she heard Toby sigh audibly. He straightened up in his chair and pulled out a notebook. Katie jammed the rest of her cheese bun in her cheek and uncapped her pen, straining to listen to the introductory remarks of the superintendent.
By the time he finally announced the guest speaker Katie already found her attention waning. She struggled to listen to Dr. Widdler, who was apparently some kind of renowned guru in the field of education and underachieving students. But for however much of a genius the man was, he was a dreadful public speaker, and within a half hour, Katie was dreadfully bored, doodling in the margins of her notebook. She snuck a peek to her left and saw that Toby was doing the same thing, but she furrowed her brow, annoyed when she saw how detailed and perfect his 'doodle' was.
Figures.
The lines of a jaw. The shading of the faint smattering of freckles on the bridge of a nose. Her eyes widened when she saw familiar brown irises staring back at her.
Holy shit.
He was sketching her.
He hadn't done that since they were together.
She nudged him inconspicuously. "Toby! Stop!"
He grinned, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Stop what?"
Glancing up at the presenter, she pressed her lips together and remained silent. She sensed the menacing glare of Superintendent Parker raking over the rows of chairs from his seat beside Assistant Superintendent Collins. The two were a terrifying pair; Katie always felt her palms get sweaty when she was in the presence of either one. She always had. They'd been around since she was in school.
She tried to listen politely as Dr. Widder reached the part of his PowerPoint where he had included an embedded TED Talk clip. She'd seen her fair share of them in most of her classes throughout college, and they were usually pretty interesting.
Usually. Unfortunately, this clip was not one of them.
She stifled a yawn and resumed her doodling. Suddenly Toby reached over and slid her notebook towards him a smidgen, his pencil moving across the paper with a quick, easy scrawl. Smirking, he turned it back so she could read what he had written.
Know what I'm thinking about right now?
Her stomach fluttered, and she slowly shook her head. The curve of his lips as he took the paper back in his hand sent laughter through her.
What?
She closed her eyes briefly, feeling him slide it back to her and she glanced down.
How much I've missed you.
She sighed, looking over at him as she wrote down her response.
I'm married you know.
He chuckled, scribbling down an answer.
And? So am I...
She bit her lip before she down the next sentence. She knew it would change everything.
I'm married to Ned, Toby.
The first thing Ned missed was his lazy Wednesday ritual.
His and Katie's Wednesday ritual wasn't an elaborate one. They would wake up, on their own accord and Katie would always end up snuggling into him. Ned would make them breakfast in bed before they went to the gym. After they came home, they would shower together and that always took longer than they planned. They'd snuggle on their living room couch after and watch something while they sipped tea and munched on whatever baked good they had gotten from the bakery (which was across the street from the church).
The screening of the film was always peppered with Ned's comments, which went from witty to goofy, depending on what the movie playing out on the screen was, and Katie's replies, which included eye rolling, scowling or flat out laughing, depending on the occasion.
Except for this Wednesday, like the last ten of them, have been different. He was in Georgia, at basic, in the barracks with his crew. He was currently playing cards with his roommate, Jensen, who even after the last ten weeks of practice still sucks.
Ned wished for his usual routine, to be in the shower with his wife right now. He could picture himself sliding in after her, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her to him. He'd be flush against her by the time he kissed her, his erection trapped between them. His hands would wander, teasingly at first, but deliberately a moment later. He'd take a breast in each, massaging them before letting his mouth take over. His hands would move south over her stomach then and she tense in anticipation, gasping loudly when he finally reached his destination. The pressure of his fingertips between her legs always got there, and she'd clamp her free hand over his as her way of telling him that.
"Ned?" It wasn't Katie's voice and as he rose his head to look at her, he was looking at Jensen, who'd put his cards down. "I fold."
"Oh," he itched his neck, looking at the table and peeking at his cards. He didn't even have anything that good. The boy could never read his bluff, even if Katie had tried to help him. "Three sevens."
"Damnit," Jensen muttered, standing up. "Okay. Whatever. I'm done for now."
Ned relaxed in his chair, sighing. He couldn't wait until tomorrow. He was going to see his wife again.