Chapter 7- Outburst
Chloe sped as fast as she could to Clark's house. She was surprised to find him already in his loft.
"I'm sorry it had to be this way," Chloe said softly, sitting next to him on the couch.
"What way?" Clark asked refusing to meet her eyes.
"I mean our impeccable timing," Chloe said.
"Chlo…" Clark said unsure of how much Chloe knew.
"Tell me how you feel, Clark," Chloe urged. "Please? I need to know."
Clark hesitated. "Alone…sad…angry…helpless," Clark replied.
"Why?" Chloe asked.
Clark looked at Chloe and shook his head sadly. "You know why," he told her.
"I want to hear it from you," Chloe said placing her hand on his arm.
Clark kissed her in reply.
Chloe pulled back after only a moment. "Clark, I can't."
"Lex," Clark clarified looking at his hands.
"Why, Clark? After all those years of me liking you, why reciprocate now?"
"I knew that you liked me, I was just afraid to ruin our friendship. I knew Lana wasn't whom I wanted to be with after she and Whitney broke up. I realized that I had stronger feelings for you than I did her," Clark said, his eyes still glued to his hands.
"Look at me," Chloe demanded. "You know I love you. I will always love you, Clark. But, finding this out doesn't make me feel any different about Lex."
"Why not?" Clark asked dejectedly.
"Clark, I waited and waited for you to feel the same way about me that I did about you. We were almost at that point once, remember?" Chloe asked.
Clark nodded not daring to look at her.
"Then, as quickly as it had come, that moment left. I kept waiting for you to remember. I waited for you to realize that I was right beside you, and I wasn't going anywhere. After you left me at the dance, you never showed any signs of liking me as more than friends, so I decided to move on. I couldn't have an emotional attachment to someone who would never come around," Chloe explained gently.
"I understand," Clark said.
"No. I don't think you do. I am truly sorry, Clark. If there was a way to fix it, then I would in a heartbeat," Chloe reasoned.
"You can fix it, you just won't," Clark said. Getting carried away in his emotions, he felt himself becoming angry with Chloe.
"You know that's not true. Listen to what you're saying," Chloe said.
"No! You listen! You claim to love me, but refuse to do anything about it!" Clark almost yelled.
"I'm trying, Clark," Chloe said also becoming angry. "But you're not helping."
"I've told you how I felt, I kissed you, and you still push me away."
"I'm not pushing you away. You can't fix the problem by kissing me, Clark. It's not that easy! I just want us to go back to being best friends," Chloe said trying to control herself.
"We haven't been best friends in years," Clark spat.
"How can you say that?" Chloe almost yelled. His words cut her deeply.
"I tell you how I feel and all I get is a 'poor-Chloe' speech. I would have been better off with Lana," he growled. He regretted the words as soon as he had said them.
Chloe gritted her teeth and slapped Clark. As soon as her hand connected with his cheek it flew to cover her mouth.
"Clark!" she whispered, horrified by what she had done.
Clark clenched his jaw and stared straight ahead.
Chloe stood, her hand still covering her mouth. She half-ran down the stairs and to her car. Chloe revved the engine and sped away. When she pulled into her driveway she turned the car off and leaned against the steering wheel. She stayed that way for a few minutes, trying to control her heavy breathing.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When Chloe left, Clark was in a daze. The one person he had cared for most had just slapped him. It didn't hurt, he barely even felt it, but it killed him that he had caused her outburst. She had come to talk to him about their problem, and he had pissed her off. He had pushed her over the edge on purpose, and he sincerely regretted it. He was sure that he had just ruined any chance of him ever getting things right with Chloe.
Chloe sped as fast as she could to Clark's house. She was surprised to find him already in his loft.
"I'm sorry it had to be this way," Chloe said softly, sitting next to him on the couch.
"What way?" Clark asked refusing to meet her eyes.
"I mean our impeccable timing," Chloe said.
"Chlo…" Clark said unsure of how much Chloe knew.
"Tell me how you feel, Clark," Chloe urged. "Please? I need to know."
Clark hesitated. "Alone…sad…angry…helpless," Clark replied.
"Why?" Chloe asked.
Clark looked at Chloe and shook his head sadly. "You know why," he told her.
"I want to hear it from you," Chloe said placing her hand on his arm.
Clark kissed her in reply.
Chloe pulled back after only a moment. "Clark, I can't."
"Lex," Clark clarified looking at his hands.
"Why, Clark? After all those years of me liking you, why reciprocate now?"
"I knew that you liked me, I was just afraid to ruin our friendship. I knew Lana wasn't whom I wanted to be with after she and Whitney broke up. I realized that I had stronger feelings for you than I did her," Clark said, his eyes still glued to his hands.
"Look at me," Chloe demanded. "You know I love you. I will always love you, Clark. But, finding this out doesn't make me feel any different about Lex."
"Why not?" Clark asked dejectedly.
"Clark, I waited and waited for you to feel the same way about me that I did about you. We were almost at that point once, remember?" Chloe asked.
Clark nodded not daring to look at her.
"Then, as quickly as it had come, that moment left. I kept waiting for you to remember. I waited for you to realize that I was right beside you, and I wasn't going anywhere. After you left me at the dance, you never showed any signs of liking me as more than friends, so I decided to move on. I couldn't have an emotional attachment to someone who would never come around," Chloe explained gently.
"I understand," Clark said.
"No. I don't think you do. I am truly sorry, Clark. If there was a way to fix it, then I would in a heartbeat," Chloe reasoned.
"You can fix it, you just won't," Clark said. Getting carried away in his emotions, he felt himself becoming angry with Chloe.
"You know that's not true. Listen to what you're saying," Chloe said.
"No! You listen! You claim to love me, but refuse to do anything about it!" Clark almost yelled.
"I'm trying, Clark," Chloe said also becoming angry. "But you're not helping."
"I've told you how I felt, I kissed you, and you still push me away."
"I'm not pushing you away. You can't fix the problem by kissing me, Clark. It's not that easy! I just want us to go back to being best friends," Chloe said trying to control herself.
"We haven't been best friends in years," Clark spat.
"How can you say that?" Chloe almost yelled. His words cut her deeply.
"I tell you how I feel and all I get is a 'poor-Chloe' speech. I would have been better off with Lana," he growled. He regretted the words as soon as he had said them.
Chloe gritted her teeth and slapped Clark. As soon as her hand connected with his cheek it flew to cover her mouth.
"Clark!" she whispered, horrified by what she had done.
Clark clenched his jaw and stared straight ahead.
Chloe stood, her hand still covering her mouth. She half-ran down the stairs and to her car. Chloe revved the engine and sped away. When she pulled into her driveway she turned the car off and leaned against the steering wheel. She stayed that way for a few minutes, trying to control her heavy breathing.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When Chloe left, Clark was in a daze. The one person he had cared for most had just slapped him. It didn't hurt, he barely even felt it, but it killed him that he had caused her outburst. She had come to talk to him about their problem, and he had pissed her off. He had pushed her over the edge on purpose, and he sincerely regretted it. He was sure that he had just ruined any chance of him ever getting things right with Chloe.