Clark sat nervously watching Chloe attempt to compose herself. She wasn't
going to break down in front of him, not like this. Although she wanted to
tell Clark how she felt more than anything in the world, she didn't want to
guilt him into loving her back, and she certainly didn't want pity. Chloe
was stronger than that. Someday she wanted to show him how strong she was,
when and if he would give her just that one chance.
"Chloe…is everything…I mean was it something I said?" Clark's saddened voice broke Chloe's pep thoughts. She looked at him as a broken smile formed on her face. She reached over to touch his cheek lightly and then run her hand through his dark hair before moving down his back.
"I just didn't know you…felt so strongly…for Lana…I always just wrote it off as a simple crush," Chloe half-whispered again as she and Clark shared an understanding gaze.
"I don't know about 'simple'," Clark responded smiling. "I mean I had the mojo-flower induced pool incident, that didn't make things easier."
"It must've been tough to push her away like that," Chloe inferred aloud.
"You would think so right? But as tempting as the whole thing might seem it was a little too fast for me, and I was trying to avoid getting detention, which for all my moral high-grounding, I got anyway," Clark smiled in joking defeat as Chloe laughed.
"But you're right about one thing, it was a crush," Clark confirmed seriously, "a one-dimensional unrequited crush."
Clark got up from the couch and removed the darts from the dartboard and began throwing them back into it, presumably to get his mind off his last statement. Admitting it still hurt, as much as the first time he did it. Clark remembered Pete saying it would take time, but how long was what he wanted to know.
"They won't all be like that Clark," Chloe said reassuringly.
Clark stopped throwing darts for a moment and met Chloe's eyes. He wanted to believe that was true. The way she said it full of sincerity and hope. But every time he just started to believe in that idea, the vision of his spaceship sitting in the storm cellar would shatter the already fragile hope he had of being accepted, of being loved.
~ I can't be loved, for what I am…what I've done. ~
"What are you thinking?" Chloe asked curiously.
Clark shook his head to escape his thoughts. "Some people are meant to be alone."
"You think you're one of those people?" Chloe asked raising her eyebrows.
"The money I'm willing to bet on it would solve all of my parents' financial problems," Clark joked as he resumed throwing darts at the board. As he threw the last one Chloe got off the coach and approached him slowly, standing much closer than he was used to. She looked up at him and placed her hands on his shoulders.
"I hope that's not true Clark, I really do. Because if Clark Kent isn't meant to be with somebody, anybody, then there is absolutely no hope for any of us," she said sincerely, but seriously, as he met her gaze. Chloe's bottom lip was trembling slightly, she was really nervous standing this close to him and hoping her body language wouldn't betray her true feelings for him. She ran her left hand up through his hair, drew in closer, and kissed him on the cheek. She held it there for a while drawing in his scent and feeling him breathe.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow?" Chloe asked as she withdrew smiling.
Clark hesitated, a little unhinged from Chloe's gesture. "Sure, are you alright getting back home?"
Chloe didn't answer right away, but simply held up her car keys confidently. "I promise not to stop for any meteor rock mutants."
"Wise plan," Clark nodded his head smiling. He watched Chloe leave and sighed. Just as he was going to walk away another pair of headlights began pulling up to the Kent Farm. It was a pretty sweet ride, although he didn't immediately recognize the model, it could only be Lex.
The Talon…
"I think we should break up," Whitney said to a stunned Lana who had just finished cleaning up The Talon. She wasn't expecting this conversation tonight, certainly not like this. She stood there, eyes widened and waiting for an explanation. Whitney took her hand and lead her to a couch.
"I haven't been fair to you lately Lana," Whitney began to explain. "I'm at this point where I just can't fit being a boyfriend into everything else that needs to get done," Whitney looked as Lana still trembled at the idea that she and Whitney were no longer going to be a couple. It wasn't the rumors that would surround it and it wasn't necessarily the fact that he would be on the market again and that he would be pursued by other girls.
~ I don't know if I'm strong enough to be on my own yet. ~
"I've got the store, part time nurse duty with Dad, football, and then somehow squeeze schoolwork into all of that. All the time feeling guilty that I'm not doing enough to make you happy," Whitney explained as he looked at Lana who had her eyes closed and was nodding as if to agree.
Whitney squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I want you to go out and make your own happiness, Lana. My life, the way it is now, is just going to drag you down," he said as he wiped a tear away from her face with his other hand.
"Just don't walk away from me completely, Whitney," she whispered as he wrapped his arms around her. She had felt safe in those arms so many times, and she wouldn't have them around as often anymore. Her heart sank at the prospect of that, almost as if she had taken it for granted all that time.
She feigned a smile as they withdrew from the hug, trying to show that she could take it, that she would live on.
She wasn't so sure that was true.
"Chloe…is everything…I mean was it something I said?" Clark's saddened voice broke Chloe's pep thoughts. She looked at him as a broken smile formed on her face. She reached over to touch his cheek lightly and then run her hand through his dark hair before moving down his back.
"I just didn't know you…felt so strongly…for Lana…I always just wrote it off as a simple crush," Chloe half-whispered again as she and Clark shared an understanding gaze.
"I don't know about 'simple'," Clark responded smiling. "I mean I had the mojo-flower induced pool incident, that didn't make things easier."
"It must've been tough to push her away like that," Chloe inferred aloud.
"You would think so right? But as tempting as the whole thing might seem it was a little too fast for me, and I was trying to avoid getting detention, which for all my moral high-grounding, I got anyway," Clark smiled in joking defeat as Chloe laughed.
"But you're right about one thing, it was a crush," Clark confirmed seriously, "a one-dimensional unrequited crush."
Clark got up from the couch and removed the darts from the dartboard and began throwing them back into it, presumably to get his mind off his last statement. Admitting it still hurt, as much as the first time he did it. Clark remembered Pete saying it would take time, but how long was what he wanted to know.
"They won't all be like that Clark," Chloe said reassuringly.
Clark stopped throwing darts for a moment and met Chloe's eyes. He wanted to believe that was true. The way she said it full of sincerity and hope. But every time he just started to believe in that idea, the vision of his spaceship sitting in the storm cellar would shatter the already fragile hope he had of being accepted, of being loved.
~ I can't be loved, for what I am…what I've done. ~
"What are you thinking?" Chloe asked curiously.
Clark shook his head to escape his thoughts. "Some people are meant to be alone."
"You think you're one of those people?" Chloe asked raising her eyebrows.
"The money I'm willing to bet on it would solve all of my parents' financial problems," Clark joked as he resumed throwing darts at the board. As he threw the last one Chloe got off the coach and approached him slowly, standing much closer than he was used to. She looked up at him and placed her hands on his shoulders.
"I hope that's not true Clark, I really do. Because if Clark Kent isn't meant to be with somebody, anybody, then there is absolutely no hope for any of us," she said sincerely, but seriously, as he met her gaze. Chloe's bottom lip was trembling slightly, she was really nervous standing this close to him and hoping her body language wouldn't betray her true feelings for him. She ran her left hand up through his hair, drew in closer, and kissed him on the cheek. She held it there for a while drawing in his scent and feeling him breathe.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow?" Chloe asked as she withdrew smiling.
Clark hesitated, a little unhinged from Chloe's gesture. "Sure, are you alright getting back home?"
Chloe didn't answer right away, but simply held up her car keys confidently. "I promise not to stop for any meteor rock mutants."
"Wise plan," Clark nodded his head smiling. He watched Chloe leave and sighed. Just as he was going to walk away another pair of headlights began pulling up to the Kent Farm. It was a pretty sweet ride, although he didn't immediately recognize the model, it could only be Lex.
The Talon…
"I think we should break up," Whitney said to a stunned Lana who had just finished cleaning up The Talon. She wasn't expecting this conversation tonight, certainly not like this. She stood there, eyes widened and waiting for an explanation. Whitney took her hand and lead her to a couch.
"I haven't been fair to you lately Lana," Whitney began to explain. "I'm at this point where I just can't fit being a boyfriend into everything else that needs to get done," Whitney looked as Lana still trembled at the idea that she and Whitney were no longer going to be a couple. It wasn't the rumors that would surround it and it wasn't necessarily the fact that he would be on the market again and that he would be pursued by other girls.
~ I don't know if I'm strong enough to be on my own yet. ~
"I've got the store, part time nurse duty with Dad, football, and then somehow squeeze schoolwork into all of that. All the time feeling guilty that I'm not doing enough to make you happy," Whitney explained as he looked at Lana who had her eyes closed and was nodding as if to agree.
Whitney squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I want you to go out and make your own happiness, Lana. My life, the way it is now, is just going to drag you down," he said as he wiped a tear away from her face with his other hand.
"Just don't walk away from me completely, Whitney," she whispered as he wrapped his arms around her. She had felt safe in those arms so many times, and she wouldn't have them around as often anymore. Her heart sank at the prospect of that, almost as if she had taken it for granted all that time.
She feigned a smile as they withdrew from the hug, trying to show that she could take it, that she would live on.
She wasn't so sure that was true.