PShiver
P
PCouple(s): Ch/Lex (no big surprise there.)
PRating: PG-13 for a lot of intense kissing.
PDisclaimer: Everything but the plot belongs to someone other than me.
PAuthor's Note: Feedback is lovely! Visit my website: http://www.angelfire.com/indie/rockchick23/smallville.html for more stories. :-)(I typed it in wrong before. This is the real URL.)P
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PSmallville's only coffee shop was crowded for a Wednesday evening; Lex blamed the heavy rains the town had been experiencing for at least a week. He'd been looking forward to a peaceful few hours of work and a cup of cappuccino. Things didn't go as he'd wanted for several reasons: the aforementioned crowd was too loud and chatty, and the girl of his dreams was sitting in the booth in front of his.
PUsually Lex wouldn't use expressions like 'dream girl' to describe anyone; he wasn't the sentimental sort, nor was he big on monogamy. There was something about Chloe Sullivan, though. Something beautiful, different, and refreshing. Her disinterest in him--as feigned as it occasionally seemed--piqued his curiosity. He was used to girls throwing themselves at him; even the annoying Lana Lang had done her fair share of subtle drooling.
PIBut Chloe,/I he thought, sipping his beverage and gazing at the back of her blonde head, IChloe seems to not like me very much./I He wasn't attracted to her because she wasn't attracted to him--in other words, 'the thrill of the chase' had nothing to do with his feelings, for once in his life.
PII need her,/I he continued, stirring his coffee absently. IShe...fills a void, I guess./I He winced at the triteness of the thought, but decided that the sentiment was correct; she made him feel things that no mistress ever had; not by a longshot.
P"Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite rich boy." The sound of her voice nearly made him spit coffee over the front of the girl's bright orange t-shirt.
PHe turned his icy blue eyes toward her laughing greenish ones. "Miss Sullivan. I didn't see you come in." His statement was actually truthful; she'd been there when he arrived. "Join me, please."
PShe shook her head rapidly, her blond curls flopping against her forehead as she did so. "Thanks, but I really can't; I'm meeting Clark to study for Algebra." She made a face when she mentioned the subject, and Lex chuckled.
P"Well, maybe some other time, then," he suggested calmly, hoping like crazy that she didn't think him too forward. After all, they hadn't spent much time together outside of Luthor parties and mutual visits to the Kent's farm.
PShrugging, she glanced over her shoulder and waved; Clark was peering through one of the floor length windows, grinning. "Gotta go. Later, Lex." Without so much as a smile, she turned and rushed to the door.
PThe rejection stung, but Lex didn't let it bother him until he saw Clark and Chloe stroll away from the coffee shop, laughing under a giant umbrella.
PThen he let his heart break.
P
PI"Join me, please," Lex offered, motioning to the seat across from his.
PTo his distress, Chloe shook her head, though she was smiling slyly. "I don't want to sit and drink coffee now, Lex." She grabbed his hand--which was still holding his mug--nearly causing him to spill his beverage across the table. He set his cup down quickly, right before he was yanked through the crowd.
P"Chloe, it's pouring out here," he announced, unnecessarily, as she pulled him outside. The pair stood on the sidewalk, getting wetter and wetter. Lex was freezing in his flimsy black shirt, but he couldn't make his legs move; his hand was clenched in hers, and he didn't want to break the contact.
P"Lex," Chloe murmured, facing him and resting her hands on his chest. "I'm going to kiss you."
PHis mind screamed at him to move away; if he let his mouth touch hers, he wouldn't be able to control himself. But if he didn't--eventually his feelings for her won out, and he responded to her kiss with greater fervor. "I love you, Chloe," he whispered against her lips. "I love you more than life itself."
PGiggling, she pulled away from his embrace, leaving him gasping for breath. She gazed over his shoulder as Clark walked toward them. "Clark!" As Lex watched, horrified, the girl began to kiss her best friend passionately. Clark, however, couldn't have cared less that the most beautiful, amazing, fantastic girl in the entire state of Kansas seemed to desperately want him.
P"Hi, Clark," another female voice said seductively. It was Chloe's turn to appear heartbroken, as Lana Lang began to share a hot moment with the farm boy.
P"Clo!" Lex shouted when she hurried from the sidewalk, her hands covering her face. He could only gape as she slipped in the middle of the road, while a speeding car zoomed toward the shocked girl--
PSuddenly, a familiar shape materialized in front of him, freezing everything else. "Lex, darling," his mother said tenderly, smiling at her only son. "Save her. You love her, don't you?"
P"Mother," Lex choked out, between sobs. It was too much for him. But, as she reached down to stroke his forehead, he regained his strength. In a flash, he hurried to Chloe's side, scooped her up, and laid her on the sidewalk.
P"Lex," she whispered hoarsely as he wrapped his strong arms around her shivering body. "You saved me."
P"I could never let anything happen to you." He brushed a strand of damp blonde hair off of her forehead gently. "I love you."
P"You said that," she remarked with a slight, trembling smile. "Oh, Lex," she sighed. He went weak as she brought her lips to his again.
PWhen he looked over his shoulder to catch one more glimpse of his mother, he saw her vanish./I
P
PLex could only recall one time in his life when he'd felt powerless; the day his mother died, after a long battle with heart disease. He'd been powerless to stop her from slipping away, powerless to stop the pain that spread in his own heart.
PWhen he awoke from his haunting dream, he glanced at his bedside clock; it was nearly five in the morning. Despite the fact that it was almost daybreak, the sky through his window was as dark and dreary as if it were midnight. The rainy weather suited him just fine; he hated sunlight, especially when he was as confused as he was.
P"I don't love Chloe," he whispered, wrapping his black comforter snugly around his nearly naked body. "I've only ever loved my mother, and that was so long ago I barely remember the way that felt." His eyes stung, causing his temper to flare. "Damnit! It's bad enough that I have to be so screwed up over Chloe, but then I had to think about Mom as well--" For the second time in his life, Lex Luthor sobbed.
P
PHe continued to be drawn to the Beanery. Though the newly- renovated Talon had recently reopened its doors, and he knew he should check up on Lana, he found himself, once again, staring at the back of Chloe's head.
PThe details of his dream swam through his head, and he attempted to sift through them for what felt like the hundreth time that morning. He had studied enough about psychology and dreams to know that most images in dreams stand for something other than what they appear to be. After careful consideration, he decided that his late, beloved mother stood for his heart. IThat sounds trite/I, he chided himself. IBut it makes perfect sense, as I associate her with love, and vice versa/I. That left Chloe; try as he might, he had no idea what she represented, other than herself.
PBefore he knew what he was doing, he stood and walked confidently to Chloe's booth. Without speaking, he slid in across from her. She was bent over a notepad, scribbling furiously, the tip of her tongue protruding past her kissable lips.
P"Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite reporter," he teased, echoing what she'd said to him the day before.
PHer head shot up, her eyes revealing that he'd startled her. "Lex," she gasped, "you scared me."
P"I'm sorry," he returned sincerely, brushing the back of her hand with his fingertips quickly. "I saw you here, and I wanted to say hello. How was your study date with Clark yesterday?"
PApparently, that was a sore subject; she frowned and narrowed her eyes. "Lana came over after five minutes, uninvited, of course, and he ran off with her. It didn't matter that we'd made these plans weeks ago; when she pops over, I may as well be--" She paused, sticking the blunt end of her pen in her mouth. "I was trying to think of a good metaphor, but I'm drawing a blank."
PThe billionaire found himself chuckling warmly. "I'm sorry things didn't go well, but I know how you feel." He had blurted it out without thinking, not entirely sure what he meant.
P"Oh really? I thought everybody noticed the grand Lex Luthor." She sighed and averted her eyes to the light, lukewarm brew in her ceramic mug; absently ran her index finger around the rim.
IPYou don't; not in the way I wish you would. I may as well not exist when Clark's around/I. Lex wasn't sure what to say in response to her statement, if anything. When he watched her, something stirred in his heart; not pity, not lust, not exactly respect. "Are you going to be okay?" He then winced; Ithat must be the stupidest question ever asked, in the history of particularly idiotic questions. Of course she's not okay. Her 'best friend' inadvertently broke her heart./I
P"Oh yeah. I'm fan-Ifreaking/I-tastic, Lex," Chloe muttered, meeting his gaze across the table. If she noticed that he started slightly when she smiled at him, she didn't say so.
PFolding and unfolding his hands, he racked his brain for something safe to say; the phrase, '/II'm in love with you, Chloe Sullivan'/I kept repeating over and over in his mind, but he didn't think that was the most ideal topic of discussion. "Beautiful weather we're having, hmm?" he said finally, his tone as bright and cheerful as Lex Luthor's tone can be.
PTo his surprise, she burst out laughing. "Wow, Lex Luthor actually used small talk to get a conversation going. He must be human after all." The sparkle that had been lacking from her eyes returned as quickly as it had vanished.
PThe corners of Lex's mouth curved into a whisper of a smile while he watched her; when she laughed, she reminded him so much of his mother, though his mother had had bright red hair. The resemblance was so striking that a lump built up in his throat and he had to fight to keep from sobbing again.
PThe mirth evaporated from her face when Chloe noticed that her companion wasn't sharing in the humor. "Lex, are you okay?" she asked, concern touching the edges of her voice. "You look like you're about to cry."
PHer hand reached for his and he broke. A sob forced its way out of his throat, causing him to rush from the coffeeshop, horrified and disgusted with himself. He was momentarily blinded from the combination of rain and his own tears, but he continued to run until he was around the next corner.
PHe rested his head against the side of a random brick building, letting himself cry for everything he'd lost; his mother, his father's love, the town's respect, any chance of being with Chloe--it was all gone.
P"Lex." Chloe grasped his upper arm and firmly turned his shaking body. He forced himself to look at her, though he wished he hadn't; she was gazing at him with more concern than he'd ever expected to see from her- -especially concern directed at him. "What's going on?"
PThere was only one thing his foggy, depressed mind could think about doing right that second; he held her shoulders lightly and pressed his mouth to hers with all the passion he'd ever felt for her, all the sadness he'd ever experienced, all the love he'd ever needed.
PHe felt her tremble at first, while she rejected his kiss, and his conscience told him to back away from her, told him that one random kiss was going to drive him insane, told him that he was screwing up any chance of being friends with Chloe.
PHis tears were washed away by the pouring rain, though he continued to sob uncontrollably. He deepened the one-sided kiss, needing to feel something other than the hole in his heart. Physically, his body was on fire; though she hadn't returned his kiss, her mouth felt utterly amazing on his. Emotionally, he was more hurt than he'd ever been from her continued refusal to get close to him.
PFinally, his heart breaking harder than before, he pulled away, an apology on the tip of his tongue. Before he could get the words out, her arms were around his neck, and Chloe was kissing him passionately.
P
PFINIS
P
PCouple(s): Ch/Lex (no big surprise there.)
PRating: PG-13 for a lot of intense kissing.
PDisclaimer: Everything but the plot belongs to someone other than me.
PAuthor's Note: Feedback is lovely! Visit my website: http://www.angelfire.com/indie/rockchick23/smallville.html for more stories. :-)(I typed it in wrong before. This is the real URL.)P
P* * * * *
P
PSmallville's only coffee shop was crowded for a Wednesday evening; Lex blamed the heavy rains the town had been experiencing for at least a week. He'd been looking forward to a peaceful few hours of work and a cup of cappuccino. Things didn't go as he'd wanted for several reasons: the aforementioned crowd was too loud and chatty, and the girl of his dreams was sitting in the booth in front of his.
PUsually Lex wouldn't use expressions like 'dream girl' to describe anyone; he wasn't the sentimental sort, nor was he big on monogamy. There was something about Chloe Sullivan, though. Something beautiful, different, and refreshing. Her disinterest in him--as feigned as it occasionally seemed--piqued his curiosity. He was used to girls throwing themselves at him; even the annoying Lana Lang had done her fair share of subtle drooling.
PIBut Chloe,/I he thought, sipping his beverage and gazing at the back of her blonde head, IChloe seems to not like me very much./I He wasn't attracted to her because she wasn't attracted to him--in other words, 'the thrill of the chase' had nothing to do with his feelings, for once in his life.
PII need her,/I he continued, stirring his coffee absently. IShe...fills a void, I guess./I He winced at the triteness of the thought, but decided that the sentiment was correct; she made him feel things that no mistress ever had; not by a longshot.
P"Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite rich boy." The sound of her voice nearly made him spit coffee over the front of the girl's bright orange t-shirt.
PHe turned his icy blue eyes toward her laughing greenish ones. "Miss Sullivan. I didn't see you come in." His statement was actually truthful; she'd been there when he arrived. "Join me, please."
PShe shook her head rapidly, her blond curls flopping against her forehead as she did so. "Thanks, but I really can't; I'm meeting Clark to study for Algebra." She made a face when she mentioned the subject, and Lex chuckled.
P"Well, maybe some other time, then," he suggested calmly, hoping like crazy that she didn't think him too forward. After all, they hadn't spent much time together outside of Luthor parties and mutual visits to the Kent's farm.
PShrugging, she glanced over her shoulder and waved; Clark was peering through one of the floor length windows, grinning. "Gotta go. Later, Lex." Without so much as a smile, she turned and rushed to the door.
PThe rejection stung, but Lex didn't let it bother him until he saw Clark and Chloe stroll away from the coffee shop, laughing under a giant umbrella.
PThen he let his heart break.
P
PI"Join me, please," Lex offered, motioning to the seat across from his.
PTo his distress, Chloe shook her head, though she was smiling slyly. "I don't want to sit and drink coffee now, Lex." She grabbed his hand--which was still holding his mug--nearly causing him to spill his beverage across the table. He set his cup down quickly, right before he was yanked through the crowd.
P"Chloe, it's pouring out here," he announced, unnecessarily, as she pulled him outside. The pair stood on the sidewalk, getting wetter and wetter. Lex was freezing in his flimsy black shirt, but he couldn't make his legs move; his hand was clenched in hers, and he didn't want to break the contact.
P"Lex," Chloe murmured, facing him and resting her hands on his chest. "I'm going to kiss you."
PHis mind screamed at him to move away; if he let his mouth touch hers, he wouldn't be able to control himself. But if he didn't--eventually his feelings for her won out, and he responded to her kiss with greater fervor. "I love you, Chloe," he whispered against her lips. "I love you more than life itself."
PGiggling, she pulled away from his embrace, leaving him gasping for breath. She gazed over his shoulder as Clark walked toward them. "Clark!" As Lex watched, horrified, the girl began to kiss her best friend passionately. Clark, however, couldn't have cared less that the most beautiful, amazing, fantastic girl in the entire state of Kansas seemed to desperately want him.
P"Hi, Clark," another female voice said seductively. It was Chloe's turn to appear heartbroken, as Lana Lang began to share a hot moment with the farm boy.
P"Clo!" Lex shouted when she hurried from the sidewalk, her hands covering her face. He could only gape as she slipped in the middle of the road, while a speeding car zoomed toward the shocked girl--
PSuddenly, a familiar shape materialized in front of him, freezing everything else. "Lex, darling," his mother said tenderly, smiling at her only son. "Save her. You love her, don't you?"
P"Mother," Lex choked out, between sobs. It was too much for him. But, as she reached down to stroke his forehead, he regained his strength. In a flash, he hurried to Chloe's side, scooped her up, and laid her on the sidewalk.
P"Lex," she whispered hoarsely as he wrapped his strong arms around her shivering body. "You saved me."
P"I could never let anything happen to you." He brushed a strand of damp blonde hair off of her forehead gently. "I love you."
P"You said that," she remarked with a slight, trembling smile. "Oh, Lex," she sighed. He went weak as she brought her lips to his again.
PWhen he looked over his shoulder to catch one more glimpse of his mother, he saw her vanish./I
P
PLex could only recall one time in his life when he'd felt powerless; the day his mother died, after a long battle with heart disease. He'd been powerless to stop her from slipping away, powerless to stop the pain that spread in his own heart.
PWhen he awoke from his haunting dream, he glanced at his bedside clock; it was nearly five in the morning. Despite the fact that it was almost daybreak, the sky through his window was as dark and dreary as if it were midnight. The rainy weather suited him just fine; he hated sunlight, especially when he was as confused as he was.
P"I don't love Chloe," he whispered, wrapping his black comforter snugly around his nearly naked body. "I've only ever loved my mother, and that was so long ago I barely remember the way that felt." His eyes stung, causing his temper to flare. "Damnit! It's bad enough that I have to be so screwed up over Chloe, but then I had to think about Mom as well--" For the second time in his life, Lex Luthor sobbed.
P
PHe continued to be drawn to the Beanery. Though the newly- renovated Talon had recently reopened its doors, and he knew he should check up on Lana, he found himself, once again, staring at the back of Chloe's head.
PThe details of his dream swam through his head, and he attempted to sift through them for what felt like the hundreth time that morning. He had studied enough about psychology and dreams to know that most images in dreams stand for something other than what they appear to be. After careful consideration, he decided that his late, beloved mother stood for his heart. IThat sounds trite/I, he chided himself. IBut it makes perfect sense, as I associate her with love, and vice versa/I. That left Chloe; try as he might, he had no idea what she represented, other than herself.
PBefore he knew what he was doing, he stood and walked confidently to Chloe's booth. Without speaking, he slid in across from her. She was bent over a notepad, scribbling furiously, the tip of her tongue protruding past her kissable lips.
P"Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite reporter," he teased, echoing what she'd said to him the day before.
PHer head shot up, her eyes revealing that he'd startled her. "Lex," she gasped, "you scared me."
P"I'm sorry," he returned sincerely, brushing the back of her hand with his fingertips quickly. "I saw you here, and I wanted to say hello. How was your study date with Clark yesterday?"
PApparently, that was a sore subject; she frowned and narrowed her eyes. "Lana came over after five minutes, uninvited, of course, and he ran off with her. It didn't matter that we'd made these plans weeks ago; when she pops over, I may as well be--" She paused, sticking the blunt end of her pen in her mouth. "I was trying to think of a good metaphor, but I'm drawing a blank."
PThe billionaire found himself chuckling warmly. "I'm sorry things didn't go well, but I know how you feel." He had blurted it out without thinking, not entirely sure what he meant.
P"Oh really? I thought everybody noticed the grand Lex Luthor." She sighed and averted her eyes to the light, lukewarm brew in her ceramic mug; absently ran her index finger around the rim.
IPYou don't; not in the way I wish you would. I may as well not exist when Clark's around/I. Lex wasn't sure what to say in response to her statement, if anything. When he watched her, something stirred in his heart; not pity, not lust, not exactly respect. "Are you going to be okay?" He then winced; Ithat must be the stupidest question ever asked, in the history of particularly idiotic questions. Of course she's not okay. Her 'best friend' inadvertently broke her heart./I
P"Oh yeah. I'm fan-Ifreaking/I-tastic, Lex," Chloe muttered, meeting his gaze across the table. If she noticed that he started slightly when she smiled at him, she didn't say so.
PFolding and unfolding his hands, he racked his brain for something safe to say; the phrase, '/II'm in love with you, Chloe Sullivan'/I kept repeating over and over in his mind, but he didn't think that was the most ideal topic of discussion. "Beautiful weather we're having, hmm?" he said finally, his tone as bright and cheerful as Lex Luthor's tone can be.
PTo his surprise, she burst out laughing. "Wow, Lex Luthor actually used small talk to get a conversation going. He must be human after all." The sparkle that had been lacking from her eyes returned as quickly as it had vanished.
PThe corners of Lex's mouth curved into a whisper of a smile while he watched her; when she laughed, she reminded him so much of his mother, though his mother had had bright red hair. The resemblance was so striking that a lump built up in his throat and he had to fight to keep from sobbing again.
PThe mirth evaporated from her face when Chloe noticed that her companion wasn't sharing in the humor. "Lex, are you okay?" she asked, concern touching the edges of her voice. "You look like you're about to cry."
PHer hand reached for his and he broke. A sob forced its way out of his throat, causing him to rush from the coffeeshop, horrified and disgusted with himself. He was momentarily blinded from the combination of rain and his own tears, but he continued to run until he was around the next corner.
PHe rested his head against the side of a random brick building, letting himself cry for everything he'd lost; his mother, his father's love, the town's respect, any chance of being with Chloe--it was all gone.
P"Lex." Chloe grasped his upper arm and firmly turned his shaking body. He forced himself to look at her, though he wished he hadn't; she was gazing at him with more concern than he'd ever expected to see from her- -especially concern directed at him. "What's going on?"
PThere was only one thing his foggy, depressed mind could think about doing right that second; he held her shoulders lightly and pressed his mouth to hers with all the passion he'd ever felt for her, all the sadness he'd ever experienced, all the love he'd ever needed.
PHe felt her tremble at first, while she rejected his kiss, and his conscience told him to back away from her, told him that one random kiss was going to drive him insane, told him that he was screwing up any chance of being friends with Chloe.
PHis tears were washed away by the pouring rain, though he continued to sob uncontrollably. He deepened the one-sided kiss, needing to feel something other than the hole in his heart. Physically, his body was on fire; though she hadn't returned his kiss, her mouth felt utterly amazing on his. Emotionally, he was more hurt than he'd ever been from her continued refusal to get close to him.
PFinally, his heart breaking harder than before, he pulled away, an apology on the tip of his tongue. Before he could get the words out, her arms were around his neck, and Chloe was kissing him passionately.
P
PFINIS