STRAYING FROM THE GAME
Chloe modeled in front of the full-length mirror in her room. She stood straight like a beauty pageant contestant, faced left, back and then right. She puffed her hair around her face and smiled brilliantly. And then she tamed the smile so that she only curved her lips.
Chloe padded to the small dresser and picked up a comb and several pins. Holding the pins between her lips, she combed her hair and pulled it back, then glanced at her reflection from the left and the right.
There was a brief knock on the door. It was most likely her father, checking up on the dress that she charged to his credit card. Like any good father, he would want to inspect if it showed too much skin, was too tight, or had a very high slit.
"Cumin," she mumbled without opening her mouth. She had to be careful. There were only so many pins in the Sullivan house. She wasn't that much of a hair do person.
The door slowly swung open and a bald head peeped in. She gasped, almost choking on the pins. She quickly coughed them out and wiped her tongue on a blanket. "Lex!" Her eyes quickly met his, then flew to the bed, and then back to him. They should have left things as they were. Now she was never going to be as comfortable in enclosed areas and soft cushions with Lex as she had been before.
"You look gorgeous," he told her appreciatively as he looked her over. Lex smiled at the sight. "Proving to me everyday that you're all grown up."
"As if you didn't know already," she threw back. "So what are you doing here?"
Lex walked over to stand behind her. She could see their reflection on the mirror and marveled at how lovely they looked together. She thought of stepping backward and pressing herself against him. He was in his trademark suit and she was in her princess gown. How dreamy would it be for his arms to go around her waist and his chin to rest on the top of her head? She could even just lean back and rest against him. And then she would put her hands on his that would be pressed on her tummy.
And then they would sway to the music that would play in the background.
"I wanted to talk to you."
"Really," she breathed. "About dad."
And that clearly ruined her fantasy. Chloe blinked up at his reflection. She turned around so he could look into his eyes, not versions of his eyes that were far duller than his real ones. Facing him like this, she saw the confusion in his face. "It's bothering you, so share."
Chloe shucked the high heels from her feet and found herself in the disturbing position of being as high as his shoulder. Just a few inches and her lips could be kissing his clothed chest. Her hand would move, a foot or two, and she could be pulling the jacket off of him. A few more minutes and her fingers would be peeling away his shirt.
And Lex had a very real problem while she was having sleazy naked Lex thoughts.
She forced herself to focus on his words.
"Sometimes you wish for something so hard and then it happens. And you don't even get any satisfaction. Then you curse the day you even expressed a desire for it."
Chloe nodded even though she had no firsthand experience about that. She didn't get wishes. That was a fact in her life. Whenever she wanted something so bad, it slips father away. When she was five she wanted a kid brother to boss around. Her mom left. No siblings any time soon then. And then she started liking Clark. He confided in her the next day that she liked a girl. Lunch that same day she saw him slack-jawed, drooling over perfect Lana Lang.
Recently, she fell in love. And it did not to be rehashed in her head what the results of that were.
That's why she figured that she would not wish for anything else in that aspect of her life. Her little jinx may start working and he could-
"Dad finally extended his invitation for me to come back to Metropolis."
And see, Lex was going to be gone when she hadn't even wished it. That jinx was getting more potent every day!
"So when are you leaving?" she asked hesitantly. She would not wish for him to stay because the outcome would be the opposite.
"Still thinking about it." He turned and walked towards her bed. He sat on the edge and Chloe's mouth dried at the sight of him there. If he moved to the center, stripped and lay down, he would be reenacting her dream last night. "I wouldn't have decided anything before I consulted you."
Chloe blinked at him for a few seconds and then broke into a tentative smile. "Yeah?" He nodded, still unsmiling. "Thanks." She moved over to him and sat beside him, the cushion giving under her added weight, squishing them together. "You don't know but it means a lot."
Lex picked up her hand and massaged circled on her palm with his thumb. "Actually I do know."
She watched the invisible drawings he created on her skin, entirely absorbed by how pale their skins were. Against each other, rather than contrast, their colors blended. Chloe thought about all the friends she had, from those girls in Metropolis and to Clark and Pete. None of them would ever touch her like this. And the game she had were Lex had one implicit rule. Friendship. So why was it that they can do this and feel so utterly right?
"That's a beautiful dress. Is it for prom?"
She nodded, closing her hand over his busy one and twining their fingers together. "I'm hoping Clark would ask me," she said softly, because wishing that Lex would take her was not only ridiculous, it would also end the dilemma of whether or not he would accept the position his dad was offering.
"Yeah?" he said, in a voice just as modulated.
"Uhuh."
"You'll make a lovely couple, Chloe."
"I know. He's tall and dark haired. And I'd totally look like a princess beside him, you know. I bet our pictures would look good too. I might even have one framed," she stated, nodding her head to emphasize her very valid points.
"Well Clark would be stupid not to ask you then," he continued, agreeing with everything that she said. "No one would look better beside you than he would."
"No argument here." She tightened her grip on his hand. Chloe felt his hold on hers tighten as well.
"I wouldn't trust anyone else with you, Chloe."
She raised her face to meet his again.
"And I owe Clark my life. That should be enough to restrain me from killing him."
And she grinned.
Chloe modeled in front of the full-length mirror in her room. She stood straight like a beauty pageant contestant, faced left, back and then right. She puffed her hair around her face and smiled brilliantly. And then she tamed the smile so that she only curved her lips.
Chloe padded to the small dresser and picked up a comb and several pins. Holding the pins between her lips, she combed her hair and pulled it back, then glanced at her reflection from the left and the right.
There was a brief knock on the door. It was most likely her father, checking up on the dress that she charged to his credit card. Like any good father, he would want to inspect if it showed too much skin, was too tight, or had a very high slit.
"Cumin," she mumbled without opening her mouth. She had to be careful. There were only so many pins in the Sullivan house. She wasn't that much of a hair do person.
The door slowly swung open and a bald head peeped in. She gasped, almost choking on the pins. She quickly coughed them out and wiped her tongue on a blanket. "Lex!" Her eyes quickly met his, then flew to the bed, and then back to him. They should have left things as they were. Now she was never going to be as comfortable in enclosed areas and soft cushions with Lex as she had been before.
"You look gorgeous," he told her appreciatively as he looked her over. Lex smiled at the sight. "Proving to me everyday that you're all grown up."
"As if you didn't know already," she threw back. "So what are you doing here?"
Lex walked over to stand behind her. She could see their reflection on the mirror and marveled at how lovely they looked together. She thought of stepping backward and pressing herself against him. He was in his trademark suit and she was in her princess gown. How dreamy would it be for his arms to go around her waist and his chin to rest on the top of her head? She could even just lean back and rest against him. And then she would put her hands on his that would be pressed on her tummy.
And then they would sway to the music that would play in the background.
"I wanted to talk to you."
"Really," she breathed. "About dad."
And that clearly ruined her fantasy. Chloe blinked up at his reflection. She turned around so he could look into his eyes, not versions of his eyes that were far duller than his real ones. Facing him like this, she saw the confusion in his face. "It's bothering you, so share."
Chloe shucked the high heels from her feet and found herself in the disturbing position of being as high as his shoulder. Just a few inches and her lips could be kissing his clothed chest. Her hand would move, a foot or two, and she could be pulling the jacket off of him. A few more minutes and her fingers would be peeling away his shirt.
And Lex had a very real problem while she was having sleazy naked Lex thoughts.
She forced herself to focus on his words.
"Sometimes you wish for something so hard and then it happens. And you don't even get any satisfaction. Then you curse the day you even expressed a desire for it."
Chloe nodded even though she had no firsthand experience about that. She didn't get wishes. That was a fact in her life. Whenever she wanted something so bad, it slips father away. When she was five she wanted a kid brother to boss around. Her mom left. No siblings any time soon then. And then she started liking Clark. He confided in her the next day that she liked a girl. Lunch that same day she saw him slack-jawed, drooling over perfect Lana Lang.
Recently, she fell in love. And it did not to be rehashed in her head what the results of that were.
That's why she figured that she would not wish for anything else in that aspect of her life. Her little jinx may start working and he could-
"Dad finally extended his invitation for me to come back to Metropolis."
And see, Lex was going to be gone when she hadn't even wished it. That jinx was getting more potent every day!
"So when are you leaving?" she asked hesitantly. She would not wish for him to stay because the outcome would be the opposite.
"Still thinking about it." He turned and walked towards her bed. He sat on the edge and Chloe's mouth dried at the sight of him there. If he moved to the center, stripped and lay down, he would be reenacting her dream last night. "I wouldn't have decided anything before I consulted you."
Chloe blinked at him for a few seconds and then broke into a tentative smile. "Yeah?" He nodded, still unsmiling. "Thanks." She moved over to him and sat beside him, the cushion giving under her added weight, squishing them together. "You don't know but it means a lot."
Lex picked up her hand and massaged circled on her palm with his thumb. "Actually I do know."
She watched the invisible drawings he created on her skin, entirely absorbed by how pale their skins were. Against each other, rather than contrast, their colors blended. Chloe thought about all the friends she had, from those girls in Metropolis and to Clark and Pete. None of them would ever touch her like this. And the game she had were Lex had one implicit rule. Friendship. So why was it that they can do this and feel so utterly right?
"That's a beautiful dress. Is it for prom?"
She nodded, closing her hand over his busy one and twining their fingers together. "I'm hoping Clark would ask me," she said softly, because wishing that Lex would take her was not only ridiculous, it would also end the dilemma of whether or not he would accept the position his dad was offering.
"Yeah?" he said, in a voice just as modulated.
"Uhuh."
"You'll make a lovely couple, Chloe."
"I know. He's tall and dark haired. And I'd totally look like a princess beside him, you know. I bet our pictures would look good too. I might even have one framed," she stated, nodding her head to emphasize her very valid points.
"Well Clark would be stupid not to ask you then," he continued, agreeing with everything that she said. "No one would look better beside you than he would."
"No argument here." She tightened her grip on his hand. Chloe felt his hold on hers tighten as well.
"I wouldn't trust anyone else with you, Chloe."
She raised her face to meet his again.
"And I owe Clark my life. That should be enough to restrain me from killing him."
And she grinned.