Chapter Two: Claims
Chloe sipped her latte absently, relaxing into her wonderfully overstuffed seat. Rather than deal with the massive amounts of flowers currently occupying her backseat, she had opted to stay at the Talon for a while. Every now and then she would read the poem again, enjoying the thrill it sent up her spine. Something about it seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what. Finally she tossed the note down on the table in front of her, frustrated with herself. For heaven's sake, she was acting like a dazzled teenager. A little voice in her head felt compelled to point out that she was a dazzled teenager. 'That's irrelevant,' she argued with herself. 'Just because I am something doesn't mean I have to act like it.' She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice someone settling on the couch beside her.
"Hello, Chloe."
Chloe jumped in her seat, spilling coffee all over her hand for the second time that day.
"Damn it!" She turned to glare at her friend as she reached for a napkin and began to mop up the mess. "Lex, how many times do we have to have the conversation about you not sneaking up on me anymore?"
"Sorry," he offered, his grin unrepentant. He gestured to her drink. "I'll buy you a new one."
"Damn right you will," Chloe snorted. Lex chuckled and flagged down a waitress. He leaned forward a bit to place his order along with Chloe's, bringing him in closer to her. As the waitress walked away, a puzzled frown marred his features.
"Why do I smell gardenias?" he asked.
Chloe rolled her eyes and leaned back into the couch. "That would be me," she told him. At his raised eyebrow she continued, "Someone sent me a boatload of them this morning, and they completely saturated the air of not only the Torch office, but now my car as well. I'll probably have the scent ingrained in my pores until I graduate."
Lex smiled in relief. "So someone sent you flowers. I was afraid Lana had ordered them for the Talon." At her curious look, he explained, "I'm allergic."
"Oh," Chloe responded, a bit deflated. 'Lex probably wouldn't have sent me something he's allergic to,' she thought, the idea oddly disappointing until she caught herself. 'Wait a minute, since when was he even on the list of possibilities?' Trying to snap herself out of that crazy train of thought, she focused on what Lex was saying.
"So I take it you don't know who sent them, then? Wasn't there a card?" His gaze followed Chloe's as she involuntarily glanced over at the note sitting on the table. Their eyes met, and since he was already sitting up while she was leaning back, he managed to grab the envelope before she could snatch it away.
"Lex! Give it back!" She lunged for it and Lex leaned back slightly, holding his arm above his head. Chloe leaned forward with him, still reaching for the note, and he kept his arm outstretched, enjoying the feeling of her body pressed up against his. After several minutes of trying unsuccessfully to regain her property, Chloe gave up and leaned back into her seat, a resigned, if irritated, expression on her face.
"Fine, fine, read it. You know, it's times like this that I regret ever getting to know you better," she groused.
Lex merely grinned like a boy who had been told he could finally open the huge present under the Christmas tree and pulled out the note. Nervously Chloe watched his face as his eyes scanned the paper, hoping he wouldn't make fun. Finally, his eyebrows raised, he handed it back to her.
"An admirer who quotes Sappho. Impressive."
'That's why it seemed familiar!' Chloe realized. She had read some of Sappho's work before—with only a few fragments of her works remaining, she had been an irresistible mystery to Chloe's curious personality. Well that was a bit of a clue there: her secret admirer was certainly well read.
"Sappho, huh? He's right—that is impressive."
She looked up at the unexpected voice and saw Connor standing in front of her with a mug of coffee and a grin.
"Hey!" A puzzled expression crossed Chloe's face. "I thought you were helping your parents."
"They said they had everything under control," he shrugged. "I figured I'd come hang in here for a while. D'you mind if I join you?" He glanced at Lex. "Or, am I interrupting…?"
"What? Oh, no," Chloe assured him. "It's not like we were discussing our top secret plans for taking over the world or anything. Well, not right now at least. Connor Maloney, Lex Luthor."
"Mr. Luthor. Pleased to meet you." Connor held out his hand, a polite but genuine smile on his face. Lex extended his own hand to shake before gesturing at the chair on the other side of the table.
"Call me Lex. Please, have a seat." Lex's eyes narrowed imperceptibly as Connor settled his tall frame into the chair. He didn't like the way Connor was looking at Chloe; it was entirely too much like the way Clark looked at Lana when he thought she wouldn't notice. He also seemed to have Clark's inability to look someone in the eye when he was lying to them—Lex had little doubt that it had not been Connor's parents' idea for him to take off early. Unfortunately, the boy seemed genuine enough in every other regard, and he was one of those people it was almost impossible not to like immediately. In fact he was, when it came right down to it, Clark Kent with blonde hair, which made him most definitely Chloe's type. Lex frowned slightly at the thought.
"So have you figured out who sent the flowers yet?" Connor asked as he sipped his drink.
Chloe frowned. "No, not yet. I was hoping the note would have some kind of hint in it, but there wasn't really anything useful. Flattering," she said self-consciously, "but not very revealing."
"I'm sure that if you're meant to know who your admirer is, he'll reveal himself eventually." As he said this, Lex stretched his arm out behind Chloe in a casual yet territorial maneuver. Chloe took no notice, but Connor understood the implied meaning of the movement and a frown briefly settled over his features.
"But why not just tell me?" Chloe complained. "Why all this secrecy? Wouldn't it be easier for this guy to just say who he is and be done with it?" The two men exchanged a glance, and Connor cautiously fielded the question.
"Well, haven't you ever really liked someone but been afraid to tell them how you felt?"
"Oh." By the expression on her face, Lex could tell that she was thinking of Clark, and although he knew she no longer harbored feelings for the farmboy, it sparked a small flame of jealousy. Just then Chloe glanced at her watch and groaned.
"I have to get home—I promised my dad I'd cook dinner tonight, and it's going to take forever to unload all of those flowers."
"I can help you," Connor offered quickly.
"Really? Would you?" Chloe was practically bouncing at the prospect of not having to haul the load in herself. "I could give you a ride home afterwards," she offered.
"No, that's ok," he grinned. "I have a car, so I can just follow you to your house."
"Great! Thank you so much!" She turned to smirk at Lex. "Lex, you should be grateful for your allergy—it's saved you from flower duty."
"Thank heavens for small favors," he smirked right back at her, only to have it turn into a smile when she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Well, Connor," she said in a comically haughty voice, "if you would care to accompany me, we can leave Mr. Luthor to his plans for world domination."
"My pleasure, m'lady." Flashing that same dazzling smile he rose and offered Chloe his arm. She took it as she stood, and made it a couple of steps before she broke down and grinned at Lex.
"See ya later, Lex. Be a doll and don't take over France without me." And with a little wave, she and Connor walked out of the Talon and left Lex sitting there, thoughtfully sipping his coffee.
He might have an unexpected obstacle in Connor. From what Clark had mentioned of him, as well as what Lex himself had seen, Connor had all of the qualities that made Chloe fall for Clark, but with what seemed to be an added dose of chivalry. He wondered briefly if Connor could have been the one who… no, surely Clark would have known and mentioned it. Lex was fairly certain that Clark had figured out how he felt about Chloe; thankfully he hadn't yet voiced any of his suspicions. In any case, Lex knew that he couldn't afford to wait much longer—his move would have to come soon.
Satisfied for the moment, he leaned back in his seat with a smirk. Young Connor Maloney would never have a chance.
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On the third and final load into the house Chloe trailed behind Connor, letting herself admire his long, muscular frame. One glance was enough to tell that he was a swimmer, with long, lean muscles and strong shoulders. Lex hadn't been the only one to note the similarities between Connor and Clark. But something was missing. Chloe couldn't put her finger on precisely what it was, but she just wasn't drawn to Connor the way she had been to Clark before, or the way she was to Lex now. Wait a minute. Drawn to Lex? She wasn't drawn to Lex. He was her friend, that was all.
Maybe she just hadn't given Connor enough time. Maybe she had been hurt enough by the whole Clark debacle that she was subconsciously keeping herself from falling for that type again. 'Or maybe you know that he just doesn't measure up to Lex,' a wicked little voice whispered. No! She refused to believe that she had gone and fallen for the one person who was probably even more unattainable than Clark Kent. She liked Lex, but only as a friend.
She followed Connor into the house, ignoring the fact that her protestations sounded hollow, even to her own ears. Well, no matter what her feelings were, she still appreciated the fact that Connor was able to carry twice as much as she could, making her job infinitely easier. The last armload of flowers was deposited in the living room, and Chloe stretched out her back as she smiled at Connor.
"Do you want something to drink before you go? We have iced tea in the fridge," she offered.
"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks. You don't mind?"
"Nah." They stepped into the kitchen where she pulled out glasses and the pitcher of tea. "Least I can do for my knight in shining armor," she said as she set his glass down in front of him. Connor grinned bashfully and downed half of the tea in one go.
"Can I ask you something, Chloe?"
"I think I can be on the receiving end of the interview process, yeah," she teased, trying to make him less nervous than he obviously already was.
"Well, you and Lex…are you two dating? I mean, I hadn't heard anything, but I thought maybe—" He cut off, alarmed, when Chloe started choking on the sip of tea she had just taken.
"Me…and Lex?" she sputtered when she was able to speak again. "No! God, no. What on earth would make you ask something like that?"
"I just wanted to make sure I wasn't stepping on any toes when I…" he trailed off.
Chloe narrowed her eyes slightly. "When you what?"
"When I came over to sit with you guys at the Talon," he finished quickly. "You know, I didn't know if you were trying to have time alone together or something."
"Connor, believe me, there is nothing like that between Lex and me. It's not…" she searched for the right words and, unable to come up with any, just shrugged. "It's just not like that."
Connor grinned again. "Ok. I just wanted to make sure." Another gulp finished off his tea. "Well, I guess I should get going. Thanks for the tea."
"Please, I'm the one who should be thanking you." Chloe set her own glass down and led him to the front door. "Not only did I get free physical labor," she grinned widely, "I also got an editorial on how chivalry is alive and kicking in small town Kansas."
"Always pleased to assist a lady," he tipped an imaginary hat at her. Still smiling, he walked to his car; after he had climbed in he sat for a moment, staring contemplatively at her now closed front door.
Interesting. So Lex hadn't tried to stake any kind of a claim on Chloe yet. Odd, considering his less-than-subtle body language in the Talon earlier. Well, if that's the way things stood, there was no reason not to continue with his current plan. All he had to do now was beat Lex Luthor to the punch.
A grin settling over his face once more, Connor started up his car and began the drive home, filled with new confidence. If everything went according to plan, Lex Luthor wouldn't get the chance he seemed to be waiting for.
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TBC…