Disclaimer: If I owned anything involving the show, I'd have Chloe and Lex
together already! But I don't so they're not.
Summary: At a confusing point in both their lives, Lex and Chloe decide to become friends, with unexpected results.
Rating: PG
Notes: Thanks for all the feedback! Ok, here's the next part.
Part 4
"Are you contributing to my caffeine dependency or just trying to get on my good side?" She smiled as he sat down across from her, placing the cup of coffee just out of her reach.
"Could be a little bit of both," he said as she reached for the coffee, but he shoved it even further away.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing," he replied, trying his best to sound innocent, but failing miserably.
"Don't tease me with coffee. I'm not a nice person when someone does that!"
"Should I be scared," he asked, clearly amused.
"I think you should be."
Both Chloe and Lex turned to the source of the sound.
"Pete!" Chloe all but squealed as she jumped up and into Pete's arms. "So happy you're back!"
Pete laughed. "Glad to see somebody missed me."
"Oh Pete. You want me to hug you too?" Lex asked comically. Chloe laughed and sat back down in the booth, taking the coffee that Lex was no longer guarding.
"Um...no thanks, Luthor," Pete replied, wondering why Lex was acting so...happy. He thought that Lex would be a bit more bitter after having another unsuccessful marriage. Pete suspected that maybe someone had slipped meteor rocks into the Smallville water system, but after inspecting the other patrons at the Talon, decided against that theory. He sat down beside Chloe and watched as she and Lex...flirted? No way. It couldn't be.
"I didn't think I'd live to see the day when Lex Luthor complimented me on my bantering skills," Chloe teased, staring Lex directly in the eyes.
"Something else to add to the Wall of Weird?"
Chloe smiled. "What? That you actually complimented me?
"No. That you actually have bantering skills," he replied, leaning forward and smiling brightly at her.
She gasped and hit him playfully on the arm. "Cheap shot! Oh Lex, that was so low."
He winked at her and settled back into his chair, still staring avidly at her. She returned the stare and Pete cleared his throat.
"Uh you guys! I'm still here, ya know," he interrupted, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with how close Lex and Chloe seemed to have gotten while he was gone.
Chloe broke the 'staring contest' she had going with Lex and turned to Pete. "Why are you back in Smallville anyway? I thought you were spending the whole summer in Metropolis."
Pete shrugged. "Parents wanted to come back. I don't mind, either. I kinda missed being here."
Chloe smiled genuinely at him and he hugged her tightly and got out of the booth. "I'd better get going. Gonna go see Lana and Clark before I head back home."
The mention of Clark made both Chloe and Lex shift in their seats, and this didn't go unnoticed by Pete.
"Later guys."
"Goodbye, Mr. Ross."
"See ya Pete."
Once Pete was out the door, Lex turned to Chloe with a hesitant look on his face. He breathed in deeply. "Chloe, I've been meaning to talk to you about something."
"Okay," she replied, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Well, I've been thinking...maybe you should go talk to Clark, try to get everything sorted out between the two of you," he said, trying to keep his voice calm.
"And why would I want to do that?"
"...Because you two have been friends for the longest time and you shouldn't let one fight screw up the friendship you have."
"Used to have," she corrected and studied him, taking in his slightly nervous demeanor and how he was trying to convince her. She suddenly smiled.
"Clark put you up to this, didn't he?"
"What? No...no he didn't. I just-"
"Don't lie to me, Lex."
He sighed and nodded.
"Well, I know you're just trying to be a loyal friend to him, but seriously, if he wanted to fix things between us, he'd come and find me. I'm not hiding from him and I'm not that hard of a person to find, don't ya think?"
He laughed gently at her choice of words and she found herself focusing on that sound and that sound only. It was a rare occurrence for Lex to laugh. Chuckle, he did. But he almost never laughed. And she found that the sound was wonderfully soothing.
"Can't blame a guy for trying," Lex said with a shrug. Chloe nodded and looked down at her now empty coffee mug.
"Need a refill before I leave," he asked, noticing her frown at her lack of coffee.
"You think you can afford it?"
"I don't think I'll go too broke," he answered and got up, heading towards the counter to get her coffee. She watched as he ordered the coffee and found herself growing sad at the thought that he was leaving her soon.
"Well, he does have a business to run. He can't stay here all day talking to you," she thought wryly.
"My wallet suddenly feels so much lighter," he said, surprising her out of her thoughts. He handed her the coffee and their fingers brushed, causing a spark to shoot through her system and a shiver to run down her spine. She thought it horribly clichéd for his touch to do that to her, and she shook her head, ridding her head of the thoughts.
"Well, I'd better get going. Hope to see you tomorrow, Chloe," he said smoothly and turned to leave. Her eyes traveled downward and her jaw dropped.
"I did not just check out Lex Luthor's ass. I did not just check out Lex Luthor's ass. I did not....ah hell, who am I kidding. I did."
She let her head fall to the table in despair.
"He's your friend. Don't go falling for him like you did with Clark. You're just going to get hurt," she thought, keeping her head down.
Outside, Lex walked to his car and got in, trying to rid his mind of the feelings he was beginning to get for Chloe. He knew he could never have her because...well, let's face it. He's a Luthor and Chloe would never date him. She'd become his friend and that's all he could ask for from her. For now.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Summary: At a confusing point in both their lives, Lex and Chloe decide to become friends, with unexpected results.
Rating: PG
Notes: Thanks for all the feedback! Ok, here's the next part.
Part 4
"Are you contributing to my caffeine dependency or just trying to get on my good side?" She smiled as he sat down across from her, placing the cup of coffee just out of her reach.
"Could be a little bit of both," he said as she reached for the coffee, but he shoved it even further away.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing," he replied, trying his best to sound innocent, but failing miserably.
"Don't tease me with coffee. I'm not a nice person when someone does that!"
"Should I be scared," he asked, clearly amused.
"I think you should be."
Both Chloe and Lex turned to the source of the sound.
"Pete!" Chloe all but squealed as she jumped up and into Pete's arms. "So happy you're back!"
Pete laughed. "Glad to see somebody missed me."
"Oh Pete. You want me to hug you too?" Lex asked comically. Chloe laughed and sat back down in the booth, taking the coffee that Lex was no longer guarding.
"Um...no thanks, Luthor," Pete replied, wondering why Lex was acting so...happy. He thought that Lex would be a bit more bitter after having another unsuccessful marriage. Pete suspected that maybe someone had slipped meteor rocks into the Smallville water system, but after inspecting the other patrons at the Talon, decided against that theory. He sat down beside Chloe and watched as she and Lex...flirted? No way. It couldn't be.
"I didn't think I'd live to see the day when Lex Luthor complimented me on my bantering skills," Chloe teased, staring Lex directly in the eyes.
"Something else to add to the Wall of Weird?"
Chloe smiled. "What? That you actually complimented me?
"No. That you actually have bantering skills," he replied, leaning forward and smiling brightly at her.
She gasped and hit him playfully on the arm. "Cheap shot! Oh Lex, that was so low."
He winked at her and settled back into his chair, still staring avidly at her. She returned the stare and Pete cleared his throat.
"Uh you guys! I'm still here, ya know," he interrupted, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with how close Lex and Chloe seemed to have gotten while he was gone.
Chloe broke the 'staring contest' she had going with Lex and turned to Pete. "Why are you back in Smallville anyway? I thought you were spending the whole summer in Metropolis."
Pete shrugged. "Parents wanted to come back. I don't mind, either. I kinda missed being here."
Chloe smiled genuinely at him and he hugged her tightly and got out of the booth. "I'd better get going. Gonna go see Lana and Clark before I head back home."
The mention of Clark made both Chloe and Lex shift in their seats, and this didn't go unnoticed by Pete.
"Later guys."
"Goodbye, Mr. Ross."
"See ya Pete."
Once Pete was out the door, Lex turned to Chloe with a hesitant look on his face. He breathed in deeply. "Chloe, I've been meaning to talk to you about something."
"Okay," she replied, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Well, I've been thinking...maybe you should go talk to Clark, try to get everything sorted out between the two of you," he said, trying to keep his voice calm.
"And why would I want to do that?"
"...Because you two have been friends for the longest time and you shouldn't let one fight screw up the friendship you have."
"Used to have," she corrected and studied him, taking in his slightly nervous demeanor and how he was trying to convince her. She suddenly smiled.
"Clark put you up to this, didn't he?"
"What? No...no he didn't. I just-"
"Don't lie to me, Lex."
He sighed and nodded.
"Well, I know you're just trying to be a loyal friend to him, but seriously, if he wanted to fix things between us, he'd come and find me. I'm not hiding from him and I'm not that hard of a person to find, don't ya think?"
He laughed gently at her choice of words and she found herself focusing on that sound and that sound only. It was a rare occurrence for Lex to laugh. Chuckle, he did. But he almost never laughed. And she found that the sound was wonderfully soothing.
"Can't blame a guy for trying," Lex said with a shrug. Chloe nodded and looked down at her now empty coffee mug.
"Need a refill before I leave," he asked, noticing her frown at her lack of coffee.
"You think you can afford it?"
"I don't think I'll go too broke," he answered and got up, heading towards the counter to get her coffee. She watched as he ordered the coffee and found herself growing sad at the thought that he was leaving her soon.
"Well, he does have a business to run. He can't stay here all day talking to you," she thought wryly.
"My wallet suddenly feels so much lighter," he said, surprising her out of her thoughts. He handed her the coffee and their fingers brushed, causing a spark to shoot through her system and a shiver to run down her spine. She thought it horribly clichéd for his touch to do that to her, and she shook her head, ridding her head of the thoughts.
"Well, I'd better get going. Hope to see you tomorrow, Chloe," he said smoothly and turned to leave. Her eyes traveled downward and her jaw dropped.
"I did not just check out Lex Luthor's ass. I did not just check out Lex Luthor's ass. I did not....ah hell, who am I kidding. I did."
She let her head fall to the table in despair.
"He's your friend. Don't go falling for him like you did with Clark. You're just going to get hurt," she thought, keeping her head down.
Outside, Lex walked to his car and got in, trying to rid his mind of the feelings he was beginning to get for Chloe. He knew he could never have her because...well, let's face it. He's a Luthor and Chloe would never date him. She'd become his friend and that's all he could ask for from her. For now.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
