VIII. Your Heart
The wind was bitter against her cheeks. It always had been up here, on top of the LuthorCorp tower. Then she had a reason to come here. Now, she wondered why a simple call from Lionel Luthor, a man she still loathed beyond comprehension, sent her back here.
When she smiled at the thought, Chloe could almost feel the parched skin of her lips stretching to the point of cracking. She knew why she was here. Lionel made certain in his letter that she would come. How could she not, when the reward he offered for the trip was more than the Luthor billions?
This was her chance for proper closure. The interment, as beautiful and solemn as it was, had been a blur to Chloe. According to Lucas, Lionel had not invited her because he had her best interests at heart. Chloe would be given the chance to move on, spared from seeing her lover buried. Despite the cleverness of the older Luthor, Chloe wondered how Lionel never thought that having been as prominent as Lex had been, she would not find out from the news. Chloe had arrived only in time to toss her final stargazer on the coffin, to hear a thud that would resound in her ears for a lifetime.
Now, three years, four months and eleven days since the day Lionel had thought it fit to exclude her from what would have been the final chapter of Lex's life, she stood at the very same spot where Lex had once wrapped his arms around her and whispered a promise that, "We will explore the whole world." She could see the entire Metropolis from here. He had pointed to the horizon and told her that she would see everything the clouds hid.
The letter was short but more inviting than anything she had read before. Lionel told her she would have the chance to meet the man whom Lex gave hope to. The man was grateful and would like to meet her. She could think of nothing else more important than one more moment to feel close to Lex.
"Do you believe that no matter how far two people are, they will be connected as long as they are looking at the same star?"
And it hurt her that even three years, four months and eleven days from his death, Lex's voice still lingered in their spot, haunting her and taunting her with the knowledge that she would never really hear him say those words again.
Chloe's gaze rose to the stars, and she could see thousands spread across the sky. Her eyes quickly scanned for a special one. And then she gave up. Chloe closed her eyes because even if she picked the most perfect one up there, there was no chance that Lex was looking at the same one.
But the warm breath that grazed her ear was too real. "We should get you inside."
And then she could drown for all the tears that clogged her throat. She slowly turned around, not of her own volition but because of the firm hands on her arms. She opened her eyes and saw a shadowed face silhouetted by the starlight. Her hand rose to cup a cheek that appeared familiar. She felt the roughness of stubble. "Lucas?" she choked out.
"It's been too long, Chloe." He took the hand on his cheek and grazed his lips on her fingers. She shivered at the contact. Lex had always been smooth. Lucas was too different and she did not know whether to be pleased or disappointed. In one hand, she could never pretend he were Lex. On the other, she could never pretend he were Lex.
"Lucas, why are you here?" she whispered, still exposed to the cold wind. "Did you dad ask you to meet the man too?"
Instead of saying yes or no, Lucas' eyes closed. He took a deep breath. When he opened them, they were smokier, wetter, more glazed than they had been before. "Lex died," he started needlessly. "I-I lost you. For the two years before that I knew what I was supposed to do. I was supposed to protect Lex, and then you. Suddenly you were both out of my life and I had no purpose." She tightened her hand around his. "I backpacked to the Andes, to the Amazon, to Tibet, to Malaysia. I was looking for my soul. I was in the tropics when I contracted a viral infection that caused the muscles of my heart to atrophy."
He placed her hand, open palm, to his chest and waited. There was a long moment of silence while the heart in his chest beat steadily against her hand.
And again, as if Lex's presence on that rooftop, built around her, she heard the voice. "When I gave you my heart, I gave you all of me. This heart is yours, Chloe. My heart will always beat for you."
Comprehension dawned and was chased away by betrayal. The man that Lionel promised she would meet. The letter that said that if she wanted to see the man who now had Lex's heart, she should come to the rooftop because he wanted to thank her personally. And now, under his palm, she felt her Lex's heart beating in her friend's chest. Lucas lived and Lex did not.
"No," she said firmly. Chloe ripped her hand away, chilled not by the temperature but by the still throbbing feeling of Lex's heartbeat. She wanted to tear open his chest and take Lex's heart out, because Lex promised her his heart. The Luthors did not have the right to take it as they pleased.
Chloe ran quickly to the door and pulled it open, running down the steps until she breathless and she felt as if her heart would burst out of her body.
We had the right love
At the wrong time
Maybe we've only just begun
Maybe the best is yet to come
Cause somewhere down the road
Our roads are gonna cross again
It doesn't really matter when
But somewhere down the road
I know that heart of yours
will come to see
That you belong with me
The wind was bitter against her cheeks. It always had been up here, on top of the LuthorCorp tower. Then she had a reason to come here. Now, she wondered why a simple call from Lionel Luthor, a man she still loathed beyond comprehension, sent her back here.
When she smiled at the thought, Chloe could almost feel the parched skin of her lips stretching to the point of cracking. She knew why she was here. Lionel made certain in his letter that she would come. How could she not, when the reward he offered for the trip was more than the Luthor billions?
This was her chance for proper closure. The interment, as beautiful and solemn as it was, had been a blur to Chloe. According to Lucas, Lionel had not invited her because he had her best interests at heart. Chloe would be given the chance to move on, spared from seeing her lover buried. Despite the cleverness of the older Luthor, Chloe wondered how Lionel never thought that having been as prominent as Lex had been, she would not find out from the news. Chloe had arrived only in time to toss her final stargazer on the coffin, to hear a thud that would resound in her ears for a lifetime.
Now, three years, four months and eleven days since the day Lionel had thought it fit to exclude her from what would have been the final chapter of Lex's life, she stood at the very same spot where Lex had once wrapped his arms around her and whispered a promise that, "We will explore the whole world." She could see the entire Metropolis from here. He had pointed to the horizon and told her that she would see everything the clouds hid.
The letter was short but more inviting than anything she had read before. Lionel told her she would have the chance to meet the man whom Lex gave hope to. The man was grateful and would like to meet her. She could think of nothing else more important than one more moment to feel close to Lex.
"Do you believe that no matter how far two people are, they will be connected as long as they are looking at the same star?"
And it hurt her that even three years, four months and eleven days from his death, Lex's voice still lingered in their spot, haunting her and taunting her with the knowledge that she would never really hear him say those words again.
Chloe's gaze rose to the stars, and she could see thousands spread across the sky. Her eyes quickly scanned for a special one. And then she gave up. Chloe closed her eyes because even if she picked the most perfect one up there, there was no chance that Lex was looking at the same one.
But the warm breath that grazed her ear was too real. "We should get you inside."
And then she could drown for all the tears that clogged her throat. She slowly turned around, not of her own volition but because of the firm hands on her arms. She opened her eyes and saw a shadowed face silhouetted by the starlight. Her hand rose to cup a cheek that appeared familiar. She felt the roughness of stubble. "Lucas?" she choked out.
"It's been too long, Chloe." He took the hand on his cheek and grazed his lips on her fingers. She shivered at the contact. Lex had always been smooth. Lucas was too different and she did not know whether to be pleased or disappointed. In one hand, she could never pretend he were Lex. On the other, she could never pretend he were Lex.
"Lucas, why are you here?" she whispered, still exposed to the cold wind. "Did you dad ask you to meet the man too?"
Instead of saying yes or no, Lucas' eyes closed. He took a deep breath. When he opened them, they were smokier, wetter, more glazed than they had been before. "Lex died," he started needlessly. "I-I lost you. For the two years before that I knew what I was supposed to do. I was supposed to protect Lex, and then you. Suddenly you were both out of my life and I had no purpose." She tightened her hand around his. "I backpacked to the Andes, to the Amazon, to Tibet, to Malaysia. I was looking for my soul. I was in the tropics when I contracted a viral infection that caused the muscles of my heart to atrophy."
He placed her hand, open palm, to his chest and waited. There was a long moment of silence while the heart in his chest beat steadily against her hand.
And again, as if Lex's presence on that rooftop, built around her, she heard the voice. "When I gave you my heart, I gave you all of me. This heart is yours, Chloe. My heart will always beat for you."
Comprehension dawned and was chased away by betrayal. The man that Lionel promised she would meet. The letter that said that if she wanted to see the man who now had Lex's heart, she should come to the rooftop because he wanted to thank her personally. And now, under his palm, she felt her Lex's heart beating in her friend's chest. Lucas lived and Lex did not.
"No," she said firmly. Chloe ripped her hand away, chilled not by the temperature but by the still throbbing feeling of Lex's heartbeat. She wanted to tear open his chest and take Lex's heart out, because Lex promised her his heart. The Luthors did not have the right to take it as they pleased.
Chloe ran quickly to the door and pulled it open, running down the steps until she breathless and she felt as if her heart would burst out of her body.
We had the right love
At the wrong time
Maybe we've only just begun
Maybe the best is yet to come
Cause somewhere down the road
Our roads are gonna cross again
It doesn't really matter when
But somewhere down the road
I know that heart of yours
will come to see
That you belong with me