V. Lex
Chloe shivered under her thick jacket. She held the cold metal in stiff hands, carefully turning the cylinder at the end to focus on the blurry spot of light that stood out against the black velvet sky.
"Do you see it?"
"That's a little hard to do considering I have the phone clutched at the crook of my neck and the telescope in my hands. But I'm getting there," she answered. "But I appreciate the thought. It's very 'Somewhere Out There.'"
Lex's voice on the phone was still silky even as he laughed. "I'm looking at the same star right now. I know that deep down, you're a romantic, Sullivan."
"And that's why I said I appreciate your effort, Lex."
"You don't sound like a woman melting under the intense glare of romance," he commented.
"Maybe I will be if I weren't on the rooftop of your building, with a cellphone and a telescope, desperately looking for a star that's supposed to bring me closer to the man I'm in love with, but really won't."
"Maybe," he replied, "it would help if you really saw the star, Chloe."
"Oh really. Well thank you very much, Lex. Unlike you, I didn't not spend most of my childhood looking up at the sky. I'm not used to doing this. I can't just conjure up a star no matter how much a girl inside me wants to experience being foolish and sickeningly sweet with you."
"You were always looking down on the ground, looking for stray meteor rocks."
"Not always," she sighed. "I'm sorry. I just miss you so much. I was so excited at the prospect of acting like an idiot, staring up at the sky and knowing that even as far away as we are, we're connected by that stupid senseless dot. Together."
"You're frustrated."
"And I'm freezing my ass off."
"Maybe I can help you," he offered.
"Oh really," she responded, a bit exasperated by the situation. It was never this hard. She'd been in love before. Despite the eternal insecurity that came with being involved with Clark Kent, she had not experienced the same highs and lows that being with Lex brought her. She had felt as abandoned with Clark longing for Lana as with Lex leaving for work. "How would you do that, Lex? Are you going to call your brother from the ground floor and ask him to set the telescope for me?"
"I'm starting with your ass, Chloe." Her breath caught when she felt warmth around her. Soon, another body was pressed against her, one so familiar that the simple act of his moving against her brought tears to her eyes. Gentle, cool hands removed the phone from her shoulder. His lips teased her ear when he murmured, "I hope I'm warming you."
She sniffled as answer.
Chloe could not move. His hands soon curved around the telescope. With swift, precise movements, Lex manipulated the lens and Chloe was looking at the brilliant star. It would have been clear had moisture not flooded her eyes. She didn't care about the star anymore. She didn't even care that she was on the rooftop of LuthorCorp. Right now, Lex was so close, and they were finally alone together.
She pushed away from the telescope and turned in his arms. His eyes smiled down at her. Chloe bit her lip and grabbed his face with both of her hands, pulling him down to catch his lips in a long and lingering kiss. "I'm never going to allow you to leave me again for such a long time, Lex," she gasped. "I hope you know that."
Lex's lips brushed the edges of her mouth, her cheeks, her eyelids. "I missed you too."
"That's good," she answered.
"I take it Lucas was not an interesting companion."
"Lucas was fine. But he's not you."
Lex wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "I still have to thank him for watching out for you."
They had been apart for so long. Chloe did not have the urge to talk about his brother. "So you're really not leaving again?"
"Not unless you agree to come with me," he promised.
Chloe nodded, satisfied. "Come on. We have to go home. And please send your brother home. I think I can take care of you for the night."
Lex closed his other hand around hers as they headed towards the elevator.
Chloe shivered under her thick jacket. She held the cold metal in stiff hands, carefully turning the cylinder at the end to focus on the blurry spot of light that stood out against the black velvet sky.
"Do you see it?"
"That's a little hard to do considering I have the phone clutched at the crook of my neck and the telescope in my hands. But I'm getting there," she answered. "But I appreciate the thought. It's very 'Somewhere Out There.'"
Lex's voice on the phone was still silky even as he laughed. "I'm looking at the same star right now. I know that deep down, you're a romantic, Sullivan."
"And that's why I said I appreciate your effort, Lex."
"You don't sound like a woman melting under the intense glare of romance," he commented.
"Maybe I will be if I weren't on the rooftop of your building, with a cellphone and a telescope, desperately looking for a star that's supposed to bring me closer to the man I'm in love with, but really won't."
"Maybe," he replied, "it would help if you really saw the star, Chloe."
"Oh really. Well thank you very much, Lex. Unlike you, I didn't not spend most of my childhood looking up at the sky. I'm not used to doing this. I can't just conjure up a star no matter how much a girl inside me wants to experience being foolish and sickeningly sweet with you."
"You were always looking down on the ground, looking for stray meteor rocks."
"Not always," she sighed. "I'm sorry. I just miss you so much. I was so excited at the prospect of acting like an idiot, staring up at the sky and knowing that even as far away as we are, we're connected by that stupid senseless dot. Together."
"You're frustrated."
"And I'm freezing my ass off."
"Maybe I can help you," he offered.
"Oh really," she responded, a bit exasperated by the situation. It was never this hard. She'd been in love before. Despite the eternal insecurity that came with being involved with Clark Kent, she had not experienced the same highs and lows that being with Lex brought her. She had felt as abandoned with Clark longing for Lana as with Lex leaving for work. "How would you do that, Lex? Are you going to call your brother from the ground floor and ask him to set the telescope for me?"
"I'm starting with your ass, Chloe." Her breath caught when she felt warmth around her. Soon, another body was pressed against her, one so familiar that the simple act of his moving against her brought tears to her eyes. Gentle, cool hands removed the phone from her shoulder. His lips teased her ear when he murmured, "I hope I'm warming you."
She sniffled as answer.
Chloe could not move. His hands soon curved around the telescope. With swift, precise movements, Lex manipulated the lens and Chloe was looking at the brilliant star. It would have been clear had moisture not flooded her eyes. She didn't care about the star anymore. She didn't even care that she was on the rooftop of LuthorCorp. Right now, Lex was so close, and they were finally alone together.
She pushed away from the telescope and turned in his arms. His eyes smiled down at her. Chloe bit her lip and grabbed his face with both of her hands, pulling him down to catch his lips in a long and lingering kiss. "I'm never going to allow you to leave me again for such a long time, Lex," she gasped. "I hope you know that."
Lex's lips brushed the edges of her mouth, her cheeks, her eyelids. "I missed you too."
"That's good," she answered.
"I take it Lucas was not an interesting companion."
"Lucas was fine. But he's not you."
Lex wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "I still have to thank him for watching out for you."
They had been apart for so long. Chloe did not have the urge to talk about his brother. "So you're really not leaving again?"
"Not unless you agree to come with me," he promised.
Chloe nodded, satisfied. "Come on. We have to go home. And please send your brother home. I think I can take care of you for the night."
Lex closed his other hand around hers as they headed towards the elevator.