"I'm With You"--- by StormKait
Chapter Six: I Don't Know Who You Are
Chloe sat on her bed, staring at her phone. It was Sunday night, two days after her attempted suicide. She hadn't left the house since Lex brought her there Saturday afternoon, and she'd barely talked to Lana. Her dad poked his head into Chloe's room now and then, but Gabe decided it was best to leave his daughter alone in this time of teenage craziness.
She wondered if she should call Lex. She couldn't remember if she had ever formally thanked him for saving her (meaning, did she say it when she was sane and/or awake?), and was thinking about calling him. She didn't know what she would say, though. "Hi. Lex? Thanks for not letting me kill myself Friday night." Yeah, right. That sounded completely normal. She decided against it, and went to sleep. She knew she was going to have to face all her friends tomorrow in school, and she just hoped the entire Smallville High population didn't know about her little traumatic ordeal.
***
Lex was in his office, and picked up the phone. He looked as though he was going to call someone, but put the receiver back down. He had been doing it for the past hour, and it was now quarter of ten at night.
The young Luthor was scared of the revelations he had made yesterday while walking to his car after bringing Chloe home. He had always been attracted to her, but he thought it was completely platonic. Now, though, he wasn't so sure about that.
He dialed her number.
***
"Lex? Why are you calling so late?" Chloe had just been drifting off to sleep as the phone rang. She was hoping deep down inside that it was Clark, wanting to talk, but was pleasantly surprised to hear Lex's voice on the other end of the line.
"I. I don't know," he answered honestly. "I felt compelled to call you." Lex knew it sounded lame, but it was the truth.
"No, really, what is it? Did I forget my purse at the mansion or something?" Chloe's heart was beating rapidly, and actually skipped a beat when he began to talk again.
"I was thinking about you. I know it sounds lame, but I really was. Not just, 'Oh, I wonder if Chloe's okay with everything'-type thinking, but I was remembering the way you looked when I found you at the dam Friday night. Water was dripping off the tips of your hair, and your mascara was running, either from your crying or from the rain. But you still looked radiant, like you always do. I had to call you because I was scared. scared of what I'm saying. Because I don't know what I'm doing. The only thing I do know is that I want to see you tomorrow for coffee." Lex tried to say it all in one breath, because he knew that if he didn't, he might never say it. He waited for Chloe's response.
All he got was silence.
"Chloe?" Lex was nervous. Should he have not said that? Was it too much for her to handle at the moment?
"Yeah. I'm here." Chloe was in shock. Here she was, just days ago planning her suicide because a certain farmboy didn't like her. And now she had the affections of the most eligible bachelor in Kansas! "I was just caught a little off guard."
He laughed. "I figured as much. So how about meeting at the Talon at 5? Or would it be more convenient to bring two lattes to your office?"
"No, I think I can make time in my busy schedule to have a cup of coffee with Lex Luthor." She giggled. If she didn't know that she was awake, she would've thought this was just a very good dream.
"Great. See you then?" Funny how his tone went from passionate and in love to business-friendly in the course of a minute, Chloe thought.
"Sounds good. But if you don't mind, I think I'm going to go to sleep now." She didn't want to hang up on him, but she was tired. And she couldn't have purple circles under her eyes tomorrow if she was going on a date with Lex Luthor.
"Sure, I understand," Lex said. "Until tomorrow, my Sleeping Beauty."
She heard the phone click, and then Chloe went to sleep with visions of Lex dancing in her head.
***
The next morning, Chloe skipped downstairs.
"What's gotten into you?" Lana asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Chloe taunted. Then she noticed her father was in the room, and quickly changed the subject before he interrogated her again. "Did you eat breakfast already?" she asked her friend.
"Yeah, but I put in a bagel for you, too," Lana told her.
After they were ready for school, the headed for Smallville High in Chloe's car, which her dad had gotten from the dam that weekend. And Chloe resolved not to tell anyone about her date with Lex. If that got out she'd be dead.
Once at school, Chloe headed for the Torch office. She always did this on Monday mornings to see what new dirt had been faxed to her. This time there was no juicy gossip. But something was definitely there for her, because Clark was reading it, looking very perplexed.
"Dear Chloe," he read. "Last night when I called you, I didn't know what I was doing. It was like I was afraid to admit my feelings to myself. I have always been attracted to you, since that first time we met last year, but all of a sudden it's like I'm seeing someone else. I'm not just seeing the intrepid girl journalist I had seen for so long. Now I'v found someone different within the same beautiful person. I don't know exactly who this Chloe Sullivan is, but I want to. I was going to tell you this afternoon on our date, but I felt it couldn't wait. I know you may not feel the same way, but that's a chance I'm willing to take. Yours, Lex."
Chloe blinked.
Clark frowned. "What's all this about?"
"You of all people shouldn't care, Clark. You have your princess now. So why don't you just let me be?! Lex likes me. He called me last night to tell me that he'd been thinking about me. That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me: telling me they think about me. Come to think of it, it's the only time anyone's ever said that to me."
Clark opened his mouth to say something, but Chloe wasn't done.
"Don't flatter yourself, Clark. I'm not implying anything. You aren't the center of my universe anymore. You had your chance." Chloe grabbed the paper out of his hand, and stormed out of the room.
~TBC*~
Up next: A romantic rendezvous at the Talon!
Chapter Six: I Don't Know Who You Are
Chloe sat on her bed, staring at her phone. It was Sunday night, two days after her attempted suicide. She hadn't left the house since Lex brought her there Saturday afternoon, and she'd barely talked to Lana. Her dad poked his head into Chloe's room now and then, but Gabe decided it was best to leave his daughter alone in this time of teenage craziness.
She wondered if she should call Lex. She couldn't remember if she had ever formally thanked him for saving her (meaning, did she say it when she was sane and/or awake?), and was thinking about calling him. She didn't know what she would say, though. "Hi. Lex? Thanks for not letting me kill myself Friday night." Yeah, right. That sounded completely normal. She decided against it, and went to sleep. She knew she was going to have to face all her friends tomorrow in school, and she just hoped the entire Smallville High population didn't know about her little traumatic ordeal.
***
Lex was in his office, and picked up the phone. He looked as though he was going to call someone, but put the receiver back down. He had been doing it for the past hour, and it was now quarter of ten at night.
The young Luthor was scared of the revelations he had made yesterday while walking to his car after bringing Chloe home. He had always been attracted to her, but he thought it was completely platonic. Now, though, he wasn't so sure about that.
He dialed her number.
***
"Lex? Why are you calling so late?" Chloe had just been drifting off to sleep as the phone rang. She was hoping deep down inside that it was Clark, wanting to talk, but was pleasantly surprised to hear Lex's voice on the other end of the line.
"I. I don't know," he answered honestly. "I felt compelled to call you." Lex knew it sounded lame, but it was the truth.
"No, really, what is it? Did I forget my purse at the mansion or something?" Chloe's heart was beating rapidly, and actually skipped a beat when he began to talk again.
"I was thinking about you. I know it sounds lame, but I really was. Not just, 'Oh, I wonder if Chloe's okay with everything'-type thinking, but I was remembering the way you looked when I found you at the dam Friday night. Water was dripping off the tips of your hair, and your mascara was running, either from your crying or from the rain. But you still looked radiant, like you always do. I had to call you because I was scared. scared of what I'm saying. Because I don't know what I'm doing. The only thing I do know is that I want to see you tomorrow for coffee." Lex tried to say it all in one breath, because he knew that if he didn't, he might never say it. He waited for Chloe's response.
All he got was silence.
"Chloe?" Lex was nervous. Should he have not said that? Was it too much for her to handle at the moment?
"Yeah. I'm here." Chloe was in shock. Here she was, just days ago planning her suicide because a certain farmboy didn't like her. And now she had the affections of the most eligible bachelor in Kansas! "I was just caught a little off guard."
He laughed. "I figured as much. So how about meeting at the Talon at 5? Or would it be more convenient to bring two lattes to your office?"
"No, I think I can make time in my busy schedule to have a cup of coffee with Lex Luthor." She giggled. If she didn't know that she was awake, she would've thought this was just a very good dream.
"Great. See you then?" Funny how his tone went from passionate and in love to business-friendly in the course of a minute, Chloe thought.
"Sounds good. But if you don't mind, I think I'm going to go to sleep now." She didn't want to hang up on him, but she was tired. And she couldn't have purple circles under her eyes tomorrow if she was going on a date with Lex Luthor.
"Sure, I understand," Lex said. "Until tomorrow, my Sleeping Beauty."
She heard the phone click, and then Chloe went to sleep with visions of Lex dancing in her head.
***
The next morning, Chloe skipped downstairs.
"What's gotten into you?" Lana asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Chloe taunted. Then she noticed her father was in the room, and quickly changed the subject before he interrogated her again. "Did you eat breakfast already?" she asked her friend.
"Yeah, but I put in a bagel for you, too," Lana told her.
After they were ready for school, the headed for Smallville High in Chloe's car, which her dad had gotten from the dam that weekend. And Chloe resolved not to tell anyone about her date with Lex. If that got out she'd be dead.
Once at school, Chloe headed for the Torch office. She always did this on Monday mornings to see what new dirt had been faxed to her. This time there was no juicy gossip. But something was definitely there for her, because Clark was reading it, looking very perplexed.
"Dear Chloe," he read. "Last night when I called you, I didn't know what I was doing. It was like I was afraid to admit my feelings to myself. I have always been attracted to you, since that first time we met last year, but all of a sudden it's like I'm seeing someone else. I'm not just seeing the intrepid girl journalist I had seen for so long. Now I'v found someone different within the same beautiful person. I don't know exactly who this Chloe Sullivan is, but I want to. I was going to tell you this afternoon on our date, but I felt it couldn't wait. I know you may not feel the same way, but that's a chance I'm willing to take. Yours, Lex."
Chloe blinked.
Clark frowned. "What's all this about?"
"You of all people shouldn't care, Clark. You have your princess now. So why don't you just let me be?! Lex likes me. He called me last night to tell me that he'd been thinking about me. That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me: telling me they think about me. Come to think of it, it's the only time anyone's ever said that to me."
Clark opened his mouth to say something, but Chloe wasn't done.
"Don't flatter yourself, Clark. I'm not implying anything. You aren't the center of my universe anymore. You had your chance." Chloe grabbed the paper out of his hand, and stormed out of the room.
~TBC*~
Up next: A romantic rendezvous at the Talon!