Title: Easy to Love Her
Author: Girlygirl
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Chloe/Oliver (Tower/Arrow)
Summary: She knows him in ways no one else does, know him past the green leather fetish and playboy persona, and he's absolutely sure she knows that he falling for her even before he does.
Author's Notes: I love the idea of Chloe/Oliver (Allison Mack is a Goddess and so underappreciated but manages to bring fire and chemistry with everyone of her costars. Just saying) and as much as I want TPTB to get their heads out of their asses and notice the amazing couple they could be, I adore the amazing tidbits between these two. That said this fic is inspired by the café scene at the end of 'Roulette'. I own nothing and I must send out a huge thanks to my Beta lilpamie884.
Lost time is never found again
-Benjamin Franklin
Easy to Love Her
I.
She still cries sometimes.
Cries for her dead husband, ex-husband, attempted future.
She breaks his heart with silent tears and in those moments he knows why Chloe Sullivan is as precious as she is to Clark Kent.
He watches how she takes in the trials and tribulations of everybody else's lives and locks herself away in order to make more room for the rest of the world.
She is not a superhero; therefore she will be okay.
If only it were that simple.
II
In the late autumn sunshine, he takes her hand in his and marvels at the calm green eyes staring back at him.
When does she have the time to sleep? Between saving the world and the superheroes in it, one has to wonder.
But here he is, sober for the first time in days, thanks to the woman sitting across from him.
He doesn't know how to repay her. If she'd let him, he'd buy her the world to show her just how grateful he is, but Chloe shies away from that because if you asked her it was nothing.
Giving her the world doesn't seem anywhere near enough to call them even anyway.
Instead he gives her all she has ever asked from him; in the end, he gives himself, laying open and sincere on the table between them and as usual, that's enough.
III
The flowers on Jimmy's grave are changed every second day, rain or shine. Big burnt orange circus roses like the ones in Chloe's bouquet at their wedding.
The flower shop around the corner is owned by an elderly woman. Her daughter is a light haired flower arranging goddess. The shop is small, serving as both a business and a home, and Oliver is more than happy to be supplying them with a pretty steady income.
Chloe, on the other hand, is more than a little shocked when she finds out.
It's nearing the first year anniversary of Jimmy's death when he approached her. She's dressed in a dark pencil skirt and a light spring jacket as she clutches fresh flowers in her hand. She presses her cheek against the cold granite of Jimmy's headstone and doesn't try to hide the snobs that wrack her body.
This is so far removed from the Chloe everyone else sees. He's proud when he clears his throat to announce himself and she doesn't make a move to straighten up.
Oliver is one of the select few who gets to see the weak Chloe, the woman who hurts and stumbles and isn't always perfect.
He stands behind her for what seems like hours, waiting on her till she is ready. Finally, she pulls herself to her feet to stand beside him and his hand finds the small of her back.
"Thank you," she mumbles into his shoulder.
He drops a soft kiss to the crown of her head.
"No problem,"
IV
He surprises her by kidnapping her and whisking her away to Italy for her birthday.
She protests of course, but they're in the middle of take off by then.
"I'm going to take a stab in the dark here and say that people find it hard to top the birthday gifts you give," he loves the way she throws around her witty comments nonchalantly and how she unconsciously hooks her arm through his as they walk casually along the cobbled streets.
He laughs,
"What are you talking about, Tower? I loved the 1945 manual piston driven espresso machine you bought me last year."
"Ever the gentlemen, Mr. Queen."
He smiles and leans in towards her.
"Even if I know full well that you bought me that espresso machine for your own personal use."
Chloe has the good grace to blush and duck her head.
Oliver tucks her into his side as he pulls open the door to the café.
"Smells like heaven in here," she beams, eyes sparkling, and he has to admit that it's been more than a while since she's looked happy.
"I'll grab some drinks; you pick a table."
He finds her sitting at a quaint little table outside, gazing off into nowhere. She jumps, startled, when he places her coffee in front of her.
"Almond mocha with extra whip. You don't even want to know the looks I got for ordering that."
"I'll bet, but seems your redeemed yourself with an espresso." She cocks her head in the direction of his cup, the sun lighting her hair so that she seems aglow.
Not for the first time, Oliver is struck by just how beautiful Chloe is.
"By the way, happy birthday."
"Oh, is that why we're here?"
He smiles widely as he leans back in his chair.
V
If there is one word he'd use to describe Chloe, it's brazen.
So much so in fact, that he knows he really shouldn't be surprised when she barges into his penthouse without so much as a knock to find him and his date half naked with a can of whipped cream.
"Is this what's passing for dessert nowadays?" Chloe reaches down and tosses the appalled woman her skimpy pink cocktail dress. "The bathroom's down the hall. Why don't you go powder your nose or something while the grownups have a word?"
She isn't asking.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Oliver growls, while scooping up his jeans. He pulls them on roughly as he glares at her.
"Nothing out of the ordinary really, considering my best friend has been avoiding me." Oliver opens his mouth to protest but she holds up her hand to silence him. "And please don't insult me by denying it."
"What do you want Chloe? I'm kind of in the middle of something important." His voice is cold and when she glances up to catch his eyes, she finds dark brown orbs lazily staring back at her.
"How about some answers?"
"Answers to what exactly?"
"To what I did that is so worthy of your cold shoulder?" Her eyes flash brilliantly, voice steely and smooth as she stands with her hands on her hips.
They hear the bathroom door open in the silence between them.
It goes from a moment of silence to a pregnant pause and Chloe knows when she hears the padding of feet along the hardwood that turning and leaving the way she came would be the best way to save whatever part of her dignity she still has left.
Her eyes are wet when he finds the courage to seek them out, but she ducks her head to pull her jacket tighter around herself as she turns and leaves him staring after her.
She gets further away from him with every descending number of his elevator.
"You really should get better security, apparently they'll let anybody in," his date scoffs.
It's the tone of her voice and the way she spits out the word 'anybody' that has him taking off for the street below and the small blonde he's been trying to replace for months now with mindless drones.
"Chloe!" Shirtless and messied hair, he spots her through the rain.
She's hailing a cab and looks up at the sound of her name.
"What are you doing?"
He lightly grabs her arm and pushes wet hair from her face. The rain does a really good job of covering up the tears she'd been unable to stop but he can see the redness of her eyes anyway.
"I'm sorry. I'm a jackass and I'm sorry," he cups her face, bending so he's level with her. "Forgive me, please."
She's scared, he knows this, can see every single emotion in her eyes, and--wouldn't you know it--his future, it's there, too.
"I…"
Even though he's known her for years, this is the first time he's seen Chloe Sullivan speechless.
"I've been avoiding you because I'm falling in love with you, Chloe. I didn't want to push and lose you but it seems like I have anyway, so what have I got to lose now?" Absentmindedly, he traces her lips with the pads of his thumbs and her breath is warm on his skin.
"You're falling in love with me?"
He nods. She's still here he thinks.
"Prove it." Her lips curve into a mischievous smirk, a smirk he returns tenfold.
"With pleasure." And he bends to take her lips with his.
It's awfully easy to love the woman in his arms, so easy in fact that he's amazed it took him this long to try.
End
-Girlygirl