Chapter 4:
"Chloe you need to understand."
"DON'T!" she screamed at him. He flinched from her tone of voice and finally looked at her. Her eyes screamed at him silently and he saw the hurt he caused. The pain that shone through and the anger that glinted. He sat back quietly. She leaned forward to resume resting her head on the steering wheel.
"Chloe." He said smoothly. "I have to say something."
She shook her head where it lay. "No, I was stupid, you need to go. And if you even so much as try to explain to me what just happened on your part I'm pretty sure I will kill you."
His eyes teared up. "Honestly I have no idea why I said her name. I don't know if I was confused or if she was just on my mind. I can't just let you cry, Chloe."
Her head shot up and she turned to look at him. They were bloodshot from tears and her makeup was smeared down her face. "Why not? You let me cry for the last two years and all of a sudden you have a conscience?"
"You left me! Don't turn this around on me. I woke up one morning to find you gone and Helen sitting in the living room. I didn't leave you and I had no plans on doing it so now you're berating me for letting you go? What was I supposed to do, Chloe? Was I supposed to follow you to school? Was I supposed to hunt you down in Metropolis? Tell me what I was supposed to do because I have beaten myself up for it over the course of many years."
"I left you because you were using me." She replied in a hushed voice. Lex protested but she rattled on. "All those I love you's that were meant for her. Those kisses we shared that were meant for her lips. The nights I spent harmlessly wrapped in your arms, arms that were meant to hold her. I loved you Lex. I woke up that morning determined to tell you that and she was just there. Crying and looking as though her heart had been trampled on. I left for you. For both of you. For me."
He looked at her and saw the pain overwhelming in her eyes. "I didn't love her. I loved you. I told you that because I truly did. You walked out on me. You left me alone. I didn't even start dating her until a year later. I gave you a year to come back to me and you didn't. Why didn't you come back to me? Huh, Chloe? Explain that one." He sat back smugly knowing that the words he spoke were hurtful but he was determined as all hell to get some answers finally.
"I did come back. I came back and she answered the door. When I asked to speak to you she told me it was best if I never came back. She told me you had moved on. So I left. I had no reason not to believe her. I figured all along I was a rebound, that's why I never slept with you. And I continued to let my love grow for you over the course of the time we spent apart. All the while continuing to hate you all the same. That's why I waited for you, Lex." She barely let out that last sentence. "That's why I waited for you." She said more firm and watched a confused expression cross his face before her words registered.
"You mean, you're still." she nodded. "Because you were waiting for me?" she nodded again. The thoughts that ran wildly through his mind wouldn't seem to shut up no matter how hard he begged them to. "Get out of the car, Chloe." He said firmly.
She shook her head. "I can't. All this time I hoped and prayed that maybe, just maybe you really did love me and when I came back here and you looked so happy to have me back. You smiled, Lex. I love that smile." Her face began to soften as she touched his face where her hand had struck it earlier. He put his hand over hers. "And then you said her name. I'm not her, Lex. I can't be her. I can't put on a pretty face and tell you everything's always going to be alright." Her eyes looked as if they'd forfeit any time now.
"I don't want her, Chloe. If anything she filled the void where you had been. I filed for divorce. She wasn't you. After I saw you at the wedding I just couldn't look at her the same. It was different when you two weren't in the same room. I couldn't be with her when all I wanted was to go to you." He paused to study her face. She looked as though she was going throw up or kiss him. He took a chance on the latter. Her lips felt softer than ever and she kissed him back. He let the tears he was holding roll down his cheeks. 'This is what I wanted.' He thought silently. Chloe pulled back from him. "Now what?" Chloe sighed leaning back against the car window.
"Now we start over." Lex grabbed her hand in his and kissed her palm before turning it over and kissed the rest of her hand. "Let's start from the beginning."
She nodded with an unsure look on her face.
"Chloe?"
"Yes, Lex?"
"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"
A thin smile crossed her lips. "I'd like that." She said quietly before kissing him again.
The end!!!
"Chloe you need to understand."
"DON'T!" she screamed at him. He flinched from her tone of voice and finally looked at her. Her eyes screamed at him silently and he saw the hurt he caused. The pain that shone through and the anger that glinted. He sat back quietly. She leaned forward to resume resting her head on the steering wheel.
"Chloe." He said smoothly. "I have to say something."
She shook her head where it lay. "No, I was stupid, you need to go. And if you even so much as try to explain to me what just happened on your part I'm pretty sure I will kill you."
His eyes teared up. "Honestly I have no idea why I said her name. I don't know if I was confused or if she was just on my mind. I can't just let you cry, Chloe."
Her head shot up and she turned to look at him. They were bloodshot from tears and her makeup was smeared down her face. "Why not? You let me cry for the last two years and all of a sudden you have a conscience?"
"You left me! Don't turn this around on me. I woke up one morning to find you gone and Helen sitting in the living room. I didn't leave you and I had no plans on doing it so now you're berating me for letting you go? What was I supposed to do, Chloe? Was I supposed to follow you to school? Was I supposed to hunt you down in Metropolis? Tell me what I was supposed to do because I have beaten myself up for it over the course of many years."
"I left you because you were using me." She replied in a hushed voice. Lex protested but she rattled on. "All those I love you's that were meant for her. Those kisses we shared that were meant for her lips. The nights I spent harmlessly wrapped in your arms, arms that were meant to hold her. I loved you Lex. I woke up that morning determined to tell you that and she was just there. Crying and looking as though her heart had been trampled on. I left for you. For both of you. For me."
He looked at her and saw the pain overwhelming in her eyes. "I didn't love her. I loved you. I told you that because I truly did. You walked out on me. You left me alone. I didn't even start dating her until a year later. I gave you a year to come back to me and you didn't. Why didn't you come back to me? Huh, Chloe? Explain that one." He sat back smugly knowing that the words he spoke were hurtful but he was determined as all hell to get some answers finally.
"I did come back. I came back and she answered the door. When I asked to speak to you she told me it was best if I never came back. She told me you had moved on. So I left. I had no reason not to believe her. I figured all along I was a rebound, that's why I never slept with you. And I continued to let my love grow for you over the course of the time we spent apart. All the while continuing to hate you all the same. That's why I waited for you, Lex." She barely let out that last sentence. "That's why I waited for you." She said more firm and watched a confused expression cross his face before her words registered.
"You mean, you're still." she nodded. "Because you were waiting for me?" she nodded again. The thoughts that ran wildly through his mind wouldn't seem to shut up no matter how hard he begged them to. "Get out of the car, Chloe." He said firmly.
She shook her head. "I can't. All this time I hoped and prayed that maybe, just maybe you really did love me and when I came back here and you looked so happy to have me back. You smiled, Lex. I love that smile." Her face began to soften as she touched his face where her hand had struck it earlier. He put his hand over hers. "And then you said her name. I'm not her, Lex. I can't be her. I can't put on a pretty face and tell you everything's always going to be alright." Her eyes looked as if they'd forfeit any time now.
"I don't want her, Chloe. If anything she filled the void where you had been. I filed for divorce. She wasn't you. After I saw you at the wedding I just couldn't look at her the same. It was different when you two weren't in the same room. I couldn't be with her when all I wanted was to go to you." He paused to study her face. She looked as though she was going throw up or kiss him. He took a chance on the latter. Her lips felt softer than ever and she kissed him back. He let the tears he was holding roll down his cheeks. 'This is what I wanted.' He thought silently. Chloe pulled back from him. "Now what?" Chloe sighed leaning back against the car window.
"Now we start over." Lex grabbed her hand in his and kissed her palm before turning it over and kissed the rest of her hand. "Let's start from the beginning."
She nodded with an unsure look on her face.
"Chloe?"
"Yes, Lex?"
"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"
A thin smile crossed her lips. "I'd like that." She said quietly before kissing him again.
The end!!!
