'There are dreamers and there are realists in this world. You think the dreamers would find the dreamers and the realists would find the realists, but more often than not, the opposite is true. You see, the dreamers need the realists to keep them fr...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I need to move out," Chloe commented. She stood beside Phil outside the Dunphy house, she had been meaning to get to her car to drive to work, but found herself watching Claire as she stood on the pavement with a megaphone next to Luke. Ready to yell at a driver she deemed unsafe. Whilst Chloe leaned against the gate, watching the shitshow.
"What are you gonna do when he drives by?" Luke asked.
"I'm gonna tell him to slow down," Claire told her son.
"I think you should drag him out of his car, and we all get turns punching him in the stomach until he barfs," Luke suggested.
Chloe raised a brow as she looked at her nephew.
"Honey, I think I'm gonna turn over his license plate to the police," Claire said.
Luke scoffed, "Please. Order a pizza and call the cops. We'll see who gets here first."
"What are you guys doing?" Haley questioned, exiting the house.
"What the cops won't," Luke answered.
"We are catching that speeder," Claire clarified, "And when we do, he's gonna get an earful of this," She lifted the megaphone to her mouth, "Slow down, jerk!"
"Whoa. Okay, easy," Phil rushed over, pushing the megaphone away from Claire's lips.
"Oh, my God. Mom! Why are you being such a freak?" Haley asked, looking around the street to make sure no one heard or saw.
"I am being a freak for safety," Claire said, "And I am doing this for you, because I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"Freak for safety is still a freak," Chloe muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Aren't you meant to be getting to work?" Claire scoffed.
"I'm too busy watching a freak-show," Chloe smirked.
"It's embarrassing," Haley stated, "Mom, you need a life. Why can't you just volunteer at the museum or bring pudding to old people?"
"Honey, if anyone's being embarrassing now, it's you."
"Luke, I am your father," Phil said through the megaphone, pointing it towards Luke causing the young boy to laugh.
"That takes me back to the delivery room," Claire reminisced.
Phil nodded, pointing at Luke, "That's what I said to you when you came out of your mom's lady parts."
Chloe choked on her own spit.
Haley grabbed her head, "Oh, my God, dad!" She yelled, "Oh, my God. I know those girls," She muttered, spotting a pair of girls walking on the pavement. Haley turned around and ran back towards the house.
"What? Are you ashamed of us?" Claire asked.
"Do you blame her?" Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Just go to work, Chloe," Claire sighed.
Chloe pushed herself off the gate, "I'm going. Not because you told me to only 'cause I'm bored now," She said, beginning to walk towards her car, "Luke, want me to drop you off at school?" She asked.
Luke nodded eagerly and ran towards his aunt.
AFTER CHLOE FINISHED WORK, SHE found herself lying across Daniel's couch. Her head resting in his lap. His fingers softly weaving through her hair as she told him about Claire's new obsession with the fast driver. After work she stopped off at home, but as soon as she saw Claire holding up the ridiculous signs she had made and was going to put up around the street with the help of Phil, she turned away and almost sped to Dan's house.
"Do you remember what I said when I first moved in here?" He asked her. Looking down at her face.
Chloe shook her head.
"Well, I offered you a place to stay," Daniel reminded her, "That offer is still available if you want it."
Chloe raised a brow. She pulled herself up, "Don't you think it's a bit soon?" She asked, gnawing at her bottom lip.
He reached his hand up. Gently pulling her bottom lip out from between her teeth so she wouldn't make it bleed. He shook his head, "I don't think that it is. If you do I totally understand, but I just want you to know that I would love for you to move in with me...whenever you're ready for it."
Chloe stared at him as she thought about it. Her fear of rejection slowly creeping back in, whilst her rational mind tried hard to battle it. Reminding her that if he didn't want to be with her, he surely wouldn't offer for her to move into his house. A house that she couldn't deny, seemed like her dream home. But what if he fell out of love with her once they lived under the same roof? Once there was no hiding from all her flaws?
Daniel shook his head, his hair flopping on his forehead, "Obviously if you're not ready, that's completely fine. I don't want to push you," He assured her, noticing the distant look in her eyes and knowing that she was spiralling into her thoughts.
She felt like her heart skipped a beat. She had never been with a man that was this sweet to her. That cared this much about how she felt. It was an unnatural feeling to her. One that certainly took a lot of getting used to. But the more she did, the more she was shocked at how she used to be treated by men.
"I guess it's time to tell my family about us," Chloe muttered, smiling softly at him.
"We don't have to if you're not ready," He reminded her.
"You know what? I think I want to," She confessed, grasping his hand in hers, "I don't want to keep you a secret anymore. We're having dinner at my dad's tomorrow, you always have a standing invitation. Will you come?"
Daniel leaned over to press his lips against her forehead, "Of course I will...Oh, do you remember what you said at Lily's party, by the way?" He asked cheekily, they hadn't spoken about the little comment that slipped past her lips without a thought back at Lily's princess party.
She widened her eyes and groaned, causing him to laugh, "One thing at a time."
