A/N2: January 8, 2013: Today's edit took a short (884 words), mediocre chapter and changed it into a much longer (2142 words), awesome chapter (if I do say so myself). I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.
Chapter 16:
Chloe liked the feeling of Lex's hand at the small of her back as he led her through his massive penthouse apartment that happened to be in a building his company owned.
The place was all lightness and brightness, done in shades of white and sea-green. It put an image in her mind of an early morning beach scene, standing bare-footed in the sand, a thick sweater wrapped around her, letting the breeze have its way with her hair.
It was so not what she thought Lex would go for, considering the dark mansion he lived in. Though the colors weren't what she'd expected, the warm, cozy vibe she got from the place was something she'd definitely come to associate with Lex, lately.
He led her down a hallway; the walls decorated with black and white prints of what she thought might be old Metropolis. Lex paused before one closed door; stepping away from her, he opened it and stood off to the side.
"This will be your room for your stay," Lex told her.
A curious look on her face, she stepped inside to quite a sight. The room was huge, at least twice the size of her bedroom at home, maybe even three times, considering she could see an en-suite bathroom to the right of the room and a walk in closet. A king sized bed sat in the center of the room, put against the only dark wall she'd seen in the apartment. The wall was a dark blue, the rest were white. And the bedspread on the bed was white with an intricate red pattern on it. The rest of the accents were the same color, red.
There was a flat screen TV pinned to the wall, across from the bed. And a little sitting area, complete with a chair and loveseat, nestled next to an honest-to-god fireplace, completed the room.
Chloe tentatively followed Lex inside. He pointed to the walk-in closet. "You can put your stuff away if you'd like." She peeked inside; the closet alone was half the size of her room.
She let out a nervous giggle of disbelief. "Lex, this is too much."
He gave her a perplexed look as he walked over to the white gauzy curtains. Pulling them open, he threw over his shoulder, "What do you mean?"
Her response was momentarily cut off when she saw that the curtains revealed not only a window, but a balcony, too. She rolled her eyes at his back, what did she mean? She'd have to show him her bedroom at home for him to get an idea of how not used to this she really was.
For now, Chloe joined Lex next to the window. He proceeded to open the sliding door and step outside. Chloe glanced over the railing, feeling slightly dizzy at the height. And then she switched her gaze to the darkened city before them, with all its twinkling lights. It was beautiful.
"I forgot how much I loved this city," she breathed out. "When I first moved to Smallville, I was so angry. I made my dad's life miserable; I really wanted to come back. But then Smallville started to grow on me… And now it's my home. Still…"
"Still… it can get a bit quiet," he finished for her, knowing she needed more than the local farmer's market to keep her occupied. "I know what you mean. Smallville's great. For now, it's my home, too. But, someday, I'd like to come back here, permanently."
She looked to her right, taking in Lex's profile as he gazed longingly at the vastness before them. For once, Chloe could see the hell his father had put him through. Making him jump through hoops to get back to the place he loved. She didn't much like Lionel Luthor just then.
He was just like her, she thought, amazed. Both were torn from the thing they loved most, both adjusted as quickly as possible. And both had come to unexpectedly love the small town they'd been forcibly re-located to.
"Me too," she added after the long quiet moment.
He met her gaze then; blue eyes sparkled at her, as he considered her words. She blushed slightly under the scrutiny, realizing it might have sounded like she wanted to move here permanently with him.
But before she could say anything else, Lex put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Why don't you get settled in. I have a few calls I need to make. And then maybe we can go out for dinner?"
"Sure," she replied. "I'd like that."
"Good." And with a kiss on her cheek, he left.
Chloe stood there an instant more, in the chilly air, just taking the moment in. She was back in Metropolis. With Lex. Something that was pretty unbelievable. If someone had told her a year ago she'd be here this moment, Lex's girlfriend, she would have done everything possible to deem that person certifiably insane.
She laughed to herself as she reentered the room. There, sitting on the bed, was her suitcase. Lex must have placed it there for her before he'd gone off to make his calls. She smiled at his consideration.
Her smile faded briefly when she remembered Lex's question earlier in the limo. She'd said yes to being his girlfriend. There'd been no doubt on her part, no hesitation. But, now that she thought about it, it had seemed so out of the blue, so unexpected. And she now wondered, confusedly, if he'd asked her in the heat of the moment.
A traitorous question sounded in her mind: Does Lex really care about me?
"Of course he does," she answered out loud. She began to place what little clothes she'd brought into one of the drawers of the dresser. "He wouldn't ask me to be his girlfriend if he didn't…"
A thought suddenly hit her. He didn't outright say he cares about me… Maybe I'm just one of his conquests…
She started throwing her clothes into the drawer more furiously, frustrated.
A second later a more calming voice took over her mind. Calm down, Chloe. He hasn't given you any reason to believe that you're just another girl to him…
So that left her at the beginning: "What does he feel for me?"
"Have those papers faxed over to my office by tomorrow morning," Lex said into his cell phone, as he flipped through some business contracts before him. "That's right; I need them by nine am at the latest… Thanks."
Lex snapped his phone shut, tossing the piece of technology onto the white leather sofa next to him. He'd done all he could to prepare for the meeting the next day. Now, all he could do was hope that everything went according to plan. Knowing his father though, that hope was fleeting.
He glanced at his watch, seeing he'd been at the calls for a little over an hour. He hoped he hadn't bored or starved Chloe to death. He'd promised her dinner, after all.
Just thinking her name put a bright smile on his face. He hadn't felt this way about a woman since… well, ever. He couldn't believe he'd asked her to be his girlfriend, but at the same time, he knew he wanted her in his life.
When he'd opened his mouth back in the limo, in all honesty, he'd had no intention of asking her that. He had simply wanted to know what she felt for him.
Leaning back against the couch, he couldn't help but feel pleased. The moment, though unexpected, had gone better than he thought it would. They hadn't even been officially dating; his question could have scared her off. But it hadn't. And now, he felt that it had actually killed two birds with one stone.
For one, her acceptance of his request told him that she did, indeed, care for him. And two, him asking her to be his girlfriend obviously showed his affections. All in all, the end result was that Chloe got to be by his side and only his side.
He smiled happily, very much liking this idea of Chloe being his girlfriend.
"Lex," a voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to see Chloe standing there, waiting for him expectantly. "Are we going out for dinner?"
He closed the folder of contracts and dropped it on the coffee table in front of him. "Yeah," he answered simply, standing up. "Let's go."
Taking her hand in his, he guided her towards the door.
"So, where are we going?" she asked curiously, as they stepped into the elevator.
"I was thinking McDonalds." He smirked at her when she looked at him with wide surprised eyes, enjoying the fact that he could still surprise her.
After enjoying an unhealthy and inexpensive dinner at the home of the Big Mac, the pair of them returned back to the Penthouse, both tired, still jetlagged from their trip to Paris.
They said their goodnights, each heading to their own rooms.
Lex changed into a pair of boxers, opting for no shirt in the warmness of the apartment. He was just settling back into bed, when a glint of light suddenly shone in his face. Leaning up on one elbow, he saw that his bedroom door had opened a crack.
"Lex?" he heard Chloe whisper.
The whisper was unnecessary, considering they'd each gone to their rooms a mere ten minutes ago. Grinning, he whispered back, "Yes?"
The door opened fully then, and he saw her silhouette in the doorway, clad in a pair of shorts and a tank top. She stepped inside slowly as he sat up in bed.
His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could see the expression of uncertainty on her face when she came to sit at the corner of his bed.
"Lex," she started slowly. "Why'd you ask me to be your girlfriend?"
So, she could surprise him too. That was definitely a shock. "You don't want to be my girlfriend?" he replied instantly.
She gave him a deep frown. "That's not what I said…"
He let out a sigh. She was right. He'd replied on the defensive. But there was nothing in her demeanor that said she didn't want to be there right then. He took that as a good sign.
Reaching across the bed, he grabbed hold of her small hand, never wanting to let it go. "Because, I care about you, I have feelings for you, Chloe…"
"You do?" she asked in surprise.
So, his question, before, hadn't really killed anything. He wanted to hit himself over the head at his obtuseness.
"Yeah," he said softly, placing a kiss on her knuckles. "I do. You're lovely, Chloe. For the first time in a long time I feel like I'm with someone who gets me… you know?"
She shifted closer to him, kissing his cheek. "I know. I feel the same…"
"You have feelings for me?" he wondered out loud.
"Mm hmm," she murmured, snuggling into him. "I almost can't believe it… I never expected anything out of… this…"
He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her against him. He knew what she meant. When he'd walked into the Talon office days before, a visit with Clark was all he'd thought would come out of that day.
Now they were together, and each knew where the other stood. "I'm happy," he revealed.
She lifted her head, to place an innocent kiss to the underside of his jaw. "Me too…"
Without any more words, Lex moved back onto his pillows, pulling Chloe with him. She snuggled close to his side, holding him close. He kissed the top of her head, never ever wanting to let her go.
Well that's it for this chapter. Was that not awesome, or what? Seriously, if you've read the original version of this chapter... you'd see how much more awesome this chapter has become. lol. Ok, enough praising myself, if you'd like to do so, I don't mind (he he).
But, seriously, if you'd like to let me know what you think, leave me a review. They're much appreaciated. Thanks!
