Disclaimers in Chapter One
"What happened next was that the reporter unknowingly won the heart of the prince completely, but it wasn't time for her to know that..yet."
Chloe was in the middle of animatedly narrating a "stupid Clark" story when she noticed that Lex was barely saying anything. "I'm talking too much?" she shyly cringed, addressing the issue at hand.
Broken out of a trance, Lex immediately denied it. "No, of course not. I was just..can I say something honestly?"
"Absolutely."
"Without freaking you out?"
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Okay.." she said hesitantly.
Lex smiled warmly in an effort to ease her concern. "I was slightly distracted by our conversation, because you remind me so much of my mother."
"How so?"
"Just the way you speak so passionately about everything that you care about. The way you smile at my small, and often dry, attempts at humor. My mom used to be the only person that really did that with me. And now you."
"Thanks, I think," she accepted with some doubt. "Though I'm sorry if.."
"Reminding me of my mother brings nothing but joy in my heart, Chloe. Trust me. Even though I know that the woman could have been flawed in some ways, every bit of memory I have of her was just of perfection. And reminding me that perfection was part of my history—and with your friendship, my future—gives me hope."
A smile broke into Chloe's face at the compliment. "It's an honor for you to liken me to your mother, Lex. I know how much she meant to you."
Lex was about to interject about her importance to him as well, but thought the better of it.
"It's getting late," she pointed out. "I'll probably need to go."
Lex nodded in response, terribly disappointed that the night had to end. Somehow, acknowledging Chloe's departure gave him a feeling of emptiness inside. Yet, he maintained his composure as he walked her to the car.
Before she entered her transport, she turned to him and said, "Perfection isn't just a part of your history or your future, Lex. It is part of you." She quickly landed a peck on his cheek and entered the vehicle before he could say a word.
As her ride went away, Lex could not help but caress the area of his face, still tingling from the touch of Chloe's lips. He also could help but realize that a real smile had been plastered on his face since a very long time.
"Are they going to get married then?"
"Not quite yet, little one. Because the princess managed to encounter some problems when she got home."
Chloe entered her home only to find Clark, Lana and Gabe waiting for her in the living room. The younger ones had rather stoic expressions on their faces, but her father's emotional state was quite transparent from the expression he wore on his.
It seemed that the two just told Gabe Sullivan that his daughter went on a date with his boss.