Chapter 3- Lex and Late Night Talks
"Hey, I'm up here," Chloe told Lex.
Lex slowly lifted his eyes to Chloe's face.
Chloe laughed. "Typical," she said with another laugh.
"I am not typical," Lex told her.
"I meant typical Lex Luthor," Chloe said, her eyes twinkling.
"That I am," Lex said with a small smile. "Tell me something about you."
"Like what?"
"Something that almost no one knows," Lex said with a sly smile.
"I can sing."
"You can sing?"
"Like an angel, Clark says. Clark and Pete are the only ones who have ever heard me sing," Chloe said. Her features darkened at the thought of Clark.
"What are you thinking?" Lex asked.
"Huh? Oh, nothing," Chloe said.
"You're preoccupied. Do you want to talk about it?" Lex asked.
"It's nothing. I got into an argument with Clark. Well, more like I argued with Clark and he sat there and listened. We're fine now," Chloe said with a smile.
"Really? I could talk to him," Lex said.
"No! We're fine, I promise. Anyway, I'm not here to talk about Clark."
"Then what are you here for?" Lex asked with an amused smile.
"I'm here to talk about you," she told him. When Lex raised an eyebrow at her she went on. "I don't mean an interview, Lex. I just mean that I want to get to know you better." When Lex's look didn't change she said, "Stop looking at me like that!"
Lex couldn't help but laugh at the look on her face.
"I like that," Chloe said simply.
"You like what?" Lex asked.
"When you laugh. The sound of your laugh. You don't do it often."
"I don't usually have a reason. Not until now," Lex said looking into Chloe's eyes. When Chloe blushed he smiled genuinely.
"You treat all the girls like this?" Chloe asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Yes," Lex teased.
"Thought so," Chloe said. "I-"
Her sentence was cut off when Lex kissed her. His kiss was so gentle that it felt like butterfly wings. Chloe was amazed at how soft Lex's lips were. The kiss was over too soon when Lex pulled back. Lex looked into Chloe's eyes for a moment before moving in for another kiss. She moved out of his reach.
"Am I just another one of your many girls? Your one-night stands?" Chloe asked searching Lex's eyes.
"I'm not sure yet," Lex said looking deep into Chloe's eyes. "But I don't think so."
Chloe nodded. "I can live with that…for now," she said with her trademark smile.
Lex smiled at Chloe before they began to kiss again.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When Chloe knocked on Lana's door it was almost midnight. Lana opened the door in her pajamas. "Chlo, is something wrong?" Lana asked worriedly.
"No. I just wanted to talk. If it's too late I can go home," Chloe said turning to leave.
"No, Chloe. Nell and I were watching a movie. You can come in. Are you okay? I thought you had a date with Lex?" Lana asked.
"I did. I know we aren't really friends, but I needed to talk to someone. I can't talk to Clark or Pete," Chloe tried to explain.
"Do you want to come in and talk about Lex?" Lana asked trying to save Chloe some embarrassment.
"Yes," Chloe admitted.
"We can talk in my room," Lana said allowing Chloe to step past her into the house. When they passed the living room Lana said, "Aunt Nell, me and Chloe are going to go talk in my room."
"Okay, sweetheart. If you need anything, let me know," Nell called back.
"We will," Lana said leading Chloe up the stairs. Lana opened her door, let Chloe come in, then shut the door behind them. She curled up on the bed, and Chloe sat on a beanbag chair at Lana's feet.
"Thank you, Lana," Chloe said fiddling with her jacket.
"I'm glad you came to me. You're right, we haven't really been friends, but I'd like to be. You can talk to me about anything. It will stay between us," Lana said sincerely.
Chloe nodded. "Okay, I guess my main worry is that it's Lex Luthor," Chloe said.
"I'm not sure I understand," Lana replied.
"In really like Lex. I really do," Chloe started.
"I thought you liked Clark," Lana interrupted.
"I did. I guess I realized that it wasn't 'meant to be.' I don't really know why I am so worried about Lex, I'm not even sure if we are dating."
"There has to be a reason. Think hard."
"I want to be Lex's girlfriend so bad. I'm just afraid that instead of being his girlfriend, that I'll only be another one of his tramps. Does that make sense?" Chloe asked.
"Perfectly. What about Lex? Did he treat you like a tramp?" Lana asked.
"No. Well, half-and-half. I mean we made out. I asked him if I was another one of his one-night stands. He said that he wasn't sure but he didn't think so. I just don't want to get my hopes up when I have no chance," Chloe said.
"Like you did with Clark," Lana said. It was more of a statement than a question.
"Exactly. It's so hard to read Lex," Chloe said.
"He's had a lot of practice hiding his emotions. To tell you the truth, I don't think that your affections are totally one-sided," Lana told her friend.
"What do you mean?"
"I've seen the way he looks at you. He may not feel as strongly as you do, but there's something there. All you have to do is find it," Lana explained.
Chloe nodded thoughtfully. "What about you? How are you doing?"
"Well, besides being lonely, I'm pretty much okay. I feel like I need to find out who I am. I have always been 'Whitney's girlfriend', now I'm just Lana Lang. It's going to take some getting used to."
"Why did you do it?"
"Because I realized that I had spent most of my life being attached to Whitney. It made me think that I couldn't survive on my own, and that scared me. I knew that the only reason that I was still with him was because of his dad. If his dad hadn't gotten sick, and then passed away I would have done it a long time ago. It wasn't fair to either of us," Lana said.
"How is Whitney?" Chloe asked.
"At first he was angry. He thought that I broke up with him for Clark. When I didn't go to Clark after we broke up, he calmed down. We talked and he saw that it was better this way."
"I'm glad you two are still friends. I think that Whitney needs a friend more than a girlfriend, now that his father has passed away," Chloe said.
"My thoughts exactly. Do you want to stay over? It's pretty late."
"No, I better get home."
"I'll drive you. Let me tell Nell."
"I don't want to be any trouble," Chloe said following Lana into the hall.
Lana walked to a door down the hall. She knocked lightly then opened the door. "I'm going to take Chloe home," she whispered.
"Thank you, Lana," Chloe said on the way to her house.
"Anytime, Chlo. Seriously. Thank you for letting me vent about Whitney."
"Friends?"
"Friends," the brunette agreed.
Chloe smiled before stepping out of the car. She was relieved to find her father hadn't waited up for her. Chloe made her way to her room and shut the door before changing into her pajamas. She climbed into bed and curled up under the covers. Her last conscious thoughts were of Lex.
"Hey, I'm up here," Chloe told Lex.
Lex slowly lifted his eyes to Chloe's face.
Chloe laughed. "Typical," she said with another laugh.
"I am not typical," Lex told her.
"I meant typical Lex Luthor," Chloe said, her eyes twinkling.
"That I am," Lex said with a small smile. "Tell me something about you."
"Like what?"
"Something that almost no one knows," Lex said with a sly smile.
"I can sing."
"You can sing?"
"Like an angel, Clark says. Clark and Pete are the only ones who have ever heard me sing," Chloe said. Her features darkened at the thought of Clark.
"What are you thinking?" Lex asked.
"Huh? Oh, nothing," Chloe said.
"You're preoccupied. Do you want to talk about it?" Lex asked.
"It's nothing. I got into an argument with Clark. Well, more like I argued with Clark and he sat there and listened. We're fine now," Chloe said with a smile.
"Really? I could talk to him," Lex said.
"No! We're fine, I promise. Anyway, I'm not here to talk about Clark."
"Then what are you here for?" Lex asked with an amused smile.
"I'm here to talk about you," she told him. When Lex raised an eyebrow at her she went on. "I don't mean an interview, Lex. I just mean that I want to get to know you better." When Lex's look didn't change she said, "Stop looking at me like that!"
Lex couldn't help but laugh at the look on her face.
"I like that," Chloe said simply.
"You like what?" Lex asked.
"When you laugh. The sound of your laugh. You don't do it often."
"I don't usually have a reason. Not until now," Lex said looking into Chloe's eyes. When Chloe blushed he smiled genuinely.
"You treat all the girls like this?" Chloe asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Yes," Lex teased.
"Thought so," Chloe said. "I-"
Her sentence was cut off when Lex kissed her. His kiss was so gentle that it felt like butterfly wings. Chloe was amazed at how soft Lex's lips were. The kiss was over too soon when Lex pulled back. Lex looked into Chloe's eyes for a moment before moving in for another kiss. She moved out of his reach.
"Am I just another one of your many girls? Your one-night stands?" Chloe asked searching Lex's eyes.
"I'm not sure yet," Lex said looking deep into Chloe's eyes. "But I don't think so."
Chloe nodded. "I can live with that…for now," she said with her trademark smile.
Lex smiled at Chloe before they began to kiss again.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When Chloe knocked on Lana's door it was almost midnight. Lana opened the door in her pajamas. "Chlo, is something wrong?" Lana asked worriedly.
"No. I just wanted to talk. If it's too late I can go home," Chloe said turning to leave.
"No, Chloe. Nell and I were watching a movie. You can come in. Are you okay? I thought you had a date with Lex?" Lana asked.
"I did. I know we aren't really friends, but I needed to talk to someone. I can't talk to Clark or Pete," Chloe tried to explain.
"Do you want to come in and talk about Lex?" Lana asked trying to save Chloe some embarrassment.
"Yes," Chloe admitted.
"We can talk in my room," Lana said allowing Chloe to step past her into the house. When they passed the living room Lana said, "Aunt Nell, me and Chloe are going to go talk in my room."
"Okay, sweetheart. If you need anything, let me know," Nell called back.
"We will," Lana said leading Chloe up the stairs. Lana opened her door, let Chloe come in, then shut the door behind them. She curled up on the bed, and Chloe sat on a beanbag chair at Lana's feet.
"Thank you, Lana," Chloe said fiddling with her jacket.
"I'm glad you came to me. You're right, we haven't really been friends, but I'd like to be. You can talk to me about anything. It will stay between us," Lana said sincerely.
Chloe nodded. "Okay, I guess my main worry is that it's Lex Luthor," Chloe said.
"I'm not sure I understand," Lana replied.
"In really like Lex. I really do," Chloe started.
"I thought you liked Clark," Lana interrupted.
"I did. I guess I realized that it wasn't 'meant to be.' I don't really know why I am so worried about Lex, I'm not even sure if we are dating."
"There has to be a reason. Think hard."
"I want to be Lex's girlfriend so bad. I'm just afraid that instead of being his girlfriend, that I'll only be another one of his tramps. Does that make sense?" Chloe asked.
"Perfectly. What about Lex? Did he treat you like a tramp?" Lana asked.
"No. Well, half-and-half. I mean we made out. I asked him if I was another one of his one-night stands. He said that he wasn't sure but he didn't think so. I just don't want to get my hopes up when I have no chance," Chloe said.
"Like you did with Clark," Lana said. It was more of a statement than a question.
"Exactly. It's so hard to read Lex," Chloe said.
"He's had a lot of practice hiding his emotions. To tell you the truth, I don't think that your affections are totally one-sided," Lana told her friend.
"What do you mean?"
"I've seen the way he looks at you. He may not feel as strongly as you do, but there's something there. All you have to do is find it," Lana explained.
Chloe nodded thoughtfully. "What about you? How are you doing?"
"Well, besides being lonely, I'm pretty much okay. I feel like I need to find out who I am. I have always been 'Whitney's girlfriend', now I'm just Lana Lang. It's going to take some getting used to."
"Why did you do it?"
"Because I realized that I had spent most of my life being attached to Whitney. It made me think that I couldn't survive on my own, and that scared me. I knew that the only reason that I was still with him was because of his dad. If his dad hadn't gotten sick, and then passed away I would have done it a long time ago. It wasn't fair to either of us," Lana said.
"How is Whitney?" Chloe asked.
"At first he was angry. He thought that I broke up with him for Clark. When I didn't go to Clark after we broke up, he calmed down. We talked and he saw that it was better this way."
"I'm glad you two are still friends. I think that Whitney needs a friend more than a girlfriend, now that his father has passed away," Chloe said.
"My thoughts exactly. Do you want to stay over? It's pretty late."
"No, I better get home."
"I'll drive you. Let me tell Nell."
"I don't want to be any trouble," Chloe said following Lana into the hall.
Lana walked to a door down the hall. She knocked lightly then opened the door. "I'm going to take Chloe home," she whispered.
"Thank you, Lana," Chloe said on the way to her house.
"Anytime, Chlo. Seriously. Thank you for letting me vent about Whitney."
"Friends?"
"Friends," the brunette agreed.
Chloe smiled before stepping out of the car. She was relieved to find her father hadn't waited up for her. Chloe made her way to her room and shut the door before changing into her pajamas. She climbed into bed and curled up under the covers. Her last conscious thoughts were of Lex.