FEVER PITCH
Chloe opened the door and immediately saw the silver car parked out front. Lex placed the laptop down on the passenger seat and stepped out of his car. Their eyes met from the distance and never let go. Purposefully, Lex strode towards the house and the young woman who stayed unmoving on her porch.
When he reached her, Lex took her hands in his, only to have her pull them away. She turned her head away and looked instead at one of the plants that lined her home, as if they were more interesting or at least less hurtful to look at than he.
"You've got to talk to me," he said gently. Lex took her chin in one hand and tipped her face to his. "I miss your voice."
"I think I'm pregnant," Chloe replied simply. "I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow morning. The test I took now was positive."
The barrage of images in his brain that accompanied her words left him dizzy. There was the company on the verge of collapse, his father who remained the biggest threat to everything he held dear, Clark who would feel betrayed when he finds out about his two closest friends, Gabe whose trust Lex had repeatedly abused. But most of all, there was an image of a golden-haired child and a toothless laugh sucking milk from its young mother's breast. He was assailed by varying emotions topped with a voice inside his head repeating his own words for Chloe. She really was too young to be a mother. It did not take away the mind-numbing joy that gripped him when he saw that baby.
Carefully, he asked her, "How do you feel about it?"
She must have considered his eyes, the set of his shoulders, the line of his mouth. In the space of twenty-four breaths, she told him, "I want you to leave me alone."
"Chloe-"
"Just for one whole day, Lex, because I'm drowning."
"Then I can't leave you."
And then all the tears that she held in surfaced. She pushed him away determinedly. "I don't want you to see me now, Lex, because you'll get hurt. I want to think."
"I'm staying, Chloe." He knew she did not invite him in because she was planning to send him away. Lex made up his mind though. He was staying and there was no reason to do this within eye view of cars driving by. Lex propelled them both inside and closed the door firmly behind him. "So do whatever it was you were going to do."
The stubborn set of his jaw and hard eyes told her that was going to do whatever he pleased. Chloe shook her head and maneuvered herself away from his. His body had somehow become disturbing to her, when once she could fall asleep on him worrying about nothing. Lex's presence now, when she most needed time alone, was violating the space she wanted.
Lex saw the pictures and other novelty items scattered on the coffee table. He knew he could not ask. He had forced his way in at a time when she wanted privacy, but he could not intrude on this. But he could not leave her alone either. He knew Chloe. The more she was left alone, the more she would draw back into herself. She may solve her problem or not, but he would never hear about it again.
For a few minutes, Chloe kept glancing at him. She was obviously unsettled. He remained as still and silent as he could be. Soon, she was looking through the things on the table as if he had been forgotten. Lex watched at how fondly she looked at pictures of her, Clark and Pete. She set aside some clippings and lovingly touched cheap plastic and glass baubles that undoubtedly came from her teenage friends.
Lex's gaze went over the knick-knacks. He would never have thought about buying those for a girl he cared about. Yet here Chloe was, with her impeccable taste and unique ideas, treasuring worthless crap from the manufacturing industry. Lex thought he saw a picture frame embellished with macaroni.
He was almost certain that she had forgotten he was there when she picked up a pink slip of paper and said, "I want to be who I was before you came back into my life. I was a journalism geek, an honest friend, a girl pining desperately for her best friend." Chloe looked at him directly and continued, "I was pathetic but I was safe from this."
Lex rose from the couch and walked over to her. He knelt down beside her. "I know you're scared."
"This is my fault. I wanted to grow up too fast," she sniffled. "But I'm too young for this, Lex. I don't want to be a statistic. You may be a Luthor, but I will still end up a statistic."
"What do you need to do?"
Chloe held out the piece of paper that she had been holding. Lex took it and read silently. Afterwards, he reached for her purse and slipped it inside. He leaned in to kiss the corner of her lips and was thankful that she did not turn away.
"Go upstairs and sleep. I'll stay here in the couch. Tomorrow morning, we'll drive to Clark's."
Chloe swallowed and nodded. "Why to Clark's before the hospital?"
"Because I want you to settle this in your heart no matter what the results are."
"Lex, I'm in love with you," she said softly. "This is just something I need to do."
The next day, Chloe left Lex waiting in the car as she walked up to the house, sat beside Clark and read; "I want to let you in on a secret. I'm not who you think I am. In fact, my disguise is so thin, I'm surprised you haven't seen right through me. I'm the girl of your dreams masquerading as your best friend. Sometimes I want to rip off this facade like I did at the Spring Formal, but I can't because you'll get scared and you'll run away again. So I decided that it's better to live with a lie than expose my true feelings."
Even as the words slipped out of her mouth, Chloe knew. She had read before, about a brilliant light and the refreshing clearing that you feel in your mind when something important is revealed to you. She cried of the wonderful release that accompanied finally reading this aloud, even to a sick Clark, "My dad told me there are two types of girls. The ones you grow out of and the ones you grow into. I really hope I'm the latter. I may not be the one you love today, but I'll let you go for now, hoping one day you'll fly back to me because I think you're worth the wait."
Chloe stood up and walked to the door. She glanced back to where Clark lay sleeping. She was amazed by how much lighter her heart felt. "Thanks for listening," she whispered. Chloe opened the door to the even brighter day outside and walked, every step faster than the one before it, towards the isolated shade where Lex was parked.
"She's gone," she gasped the moment she was settled in the passenger seat.
Lex looked at her, not allowing his emotions to show through. "Who is, Chloe?"
"The girl I was before you came back. I'm a different woman now. And I have more problems, but I'm not alone anymore."
Lex smiled a little and nodded. "I'm sorry I stole your life away."
"Are you?" she challenged him.
Finally he answered, "No. Because I've never been so happy my whole life."
"I'm sorry I wanted you to give it back."
Lex grinned and kissed her fully on the lips. "I'll even stay while they draw your blood."
~~
Chloe leaned against Lex as they waited for the blood to be processed. She closed her eyes, completely comfortable with the man who loved her enough to let her confess her love for another guy. She grinned. She hoped her baby would have as much control and love as its father.
She opened her eyes when Lex stiffened. That was her only sign that the results had come in.
Helen handed her the envelope that held the reading. Before Chloe opened it, Helen told them, "Your dad has eyes and ears in this hospital, Lex. I suspect one of the interns. I'm sorry, but he saw that I was processing for possible pregnancy. I think he saw you come together. You'll have to think of a way to throw your father off, Lex."
When they were finally alone, Chloe tore the envelope open. She took out the folded paper. "We should thinking of names."
Lex nodded and smiled. She was making jokes, so he knew she was still okay. But she still did not open the paper. He was going to think of his father later. Right now was his moment with Chloe. It could turn out to be one of the most important moments, if it wasn't already.
"You open it."
Lex took the paper in his hands and opened it to the result. He felt her shiver beside him. "How do you feel now?"
"Strangely disappointed," she answered. "But it's for the best, right?"
Lex nodded. "When it finally happens for us, neither of us is going to have to ask how we feel about it. Do you trust me on that?"
"Always." Still, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt. Lex knew that she would leave a wet stain.
Chloe opened the door and immediately saw the silver car parked out front. Lex placed the laptop down on the passenger seat and stepped out of his car. Their eyes met from the distance and never let go. Purposefully, Lex strode towards the house and the young woman who stayed unmoving on her porch.
When he reached her, Lex took her hands in his, only to have her pull them away. She turned her head away and looked instead at one of the plants that lined her home, as if they were more interesting or at least less hurtful to look at than he.
"You've got to talk to me," he said gently. Lex took her chin in one hand and tipped her face to his. "I miss your voice."
"I think I'm pregnant," Chloe replied simply. "I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow morning. The test I took now was positive."
The barrage of images in his brain that accompanied her words left him dizzy. There was the company on the verge of collapse, his father who remained the biggest threat to everything he held dear, Clark who would feel betrayed when he finds out about his two closest friends, Gabe whose trust Lex had repeatedly abused. But most of all, there was an image of a golden-haired child and a toothless laugh sucking milk from its young mother's breast. He was assailed by varying emotions topped with a voice inside his head repeating his own words for Chloe. She really was too young to be a mother. It did not take away the mind-numbing joy that gripped him when he saw that baby.
Carefully, he asked her, "How do you feel about it?"
She must have considered his eyes, the set of his shoulders, the line of his mouth. In the space of twenty-four breaths, she told him, "I want you to leave me alone."
"Chloe-"
"Just for one whole day, Lex, because I'm drowning."
"Then I can't leave you."
And then all the tears that she held in surfaced. She pushed him away determinedly. "I don't want you to see me now, Lex, because you'll get hurt. I want to think."
"I'm staying, Chloe." He knew she did not invite him in because she was planning to send him away. Lex made up his mind though. He was staying and there was no reason to do this within eye view of cars driving by. Lex propelled them both inside and closed the door firmly behind him. "So do whatever it was you were going to do."
The stubborn set of his jaw and hard eyes told her that was going to do whatever he pleased. Chloe shook her head and maneuvered herself away from his. His body had somehow become disturbing to her, when once she could fall asleep on him worrying about nothing. Lex's presence now, when she most needed time alone, was violating the space she wanted.
Lex saw the pictures and other novelty items scattered on the coffee table. He knew he could not ask. He had forced his way in at a time when she wanted privacy, but he could not intrude on this. But he could not leave her alone either. He knew Chloe. The more she was left alone, the more she would draw back into herself. She may solve her problem or not, but he would never hear about it again.
For a few minutes, Chloe kept glancing at him. She was obviously unsettled. He remained as still and silent as he could be. Soon, she was looking through the things on the table as if he had been forgotten. Lex watched at how fondly she looked at pictures of her, Clark and Pete. She set aside some clippings and lovingly touched cheap plastic and glass baubles that undoubtedly came from her teenage friends.
Lex's gaze went over the knick-knacks. He would never have thought about buying those for a girl he cared about. Yet here Chloe was, with her impeccable taste and unique ideas, treasuring worthless crap from the manufacturing industry. Lex thought he saw a picture frame embellished with macaroni.
He was almost certain that she had forgotten he was there when she picked up a pink slip of paper and said, "I want to be who I was before you came back into my life. I was a journalism geek, an honest friend, a girl pining desperately for her best friend." Chloe looked at him directly and continued, "I was pathetic but I was safe from this."
Lex rose from the couch and walked over to her. He knelt down beside her. "I know you're scared."
"This is my fault. I wanted to grow up too fast," she sniffled. "But I'm too young for this, Lex. I don't want to be a statistic. You may be a Luthor, but I will still end up a statistic."
"What do you need to do?"
Chloe held out the piece of paper that she had been holding. Lex took it and read silently. Afterwards, he reached for her purse and slipped it inside. He leaned in to kiss the corner of her lips and was thankful that she did not turn away.
"Go upstairs and sleep. I'll stay here in the couch. Tomorrow morning, we'll drive to Clark's."
Chloe swallowed and nodded. "Why to Clark's before the hospital?"
"Because I want you to settle this in your heart no matter what the results are."
"Lex, I'm in love with you," she said softly. "This is just something I need to do."
The next day, Chloe left Lex waiting in the car as she walked up to the house, sat beside Clark and read; "I want to let you in on a secret. I'm not who you think I am. In fact, my disguise is so thin, I'm surprised you haven't seen right through me. I'm the girl of your dreams masquerading as your best friend. Sometimes I want to rip off this facade like I did at the Spring Formal, but I can't because you'll get scared and you'll run away again. So I decided that it's better to live with a lie than expose my true feelings."
Even as the words slipped out of her mouth, Chloe knew. She had read before, about a brilliant light and the refreshing clearing that you feel in your mind when something important is revealed to you. She cried of the wonderful release that accompanied finally reading this aloud, even to a sick Clark, "My dad told me there are two types of girls. The ones you grow out of and the ones you grow into. I really hope I'm the latter. I may not be the one you love today, but I'll let you go for now, hoping one day you'll fly back to me because I think you're worth the wait."
Chloe stood up and walked to the door. She glanced back to where Clark lay sleeping. She was amazed by how much lighter her heart felt. "Thanks for listening," she whispered. Chloe opened the door to the even brighter day outside and walked, every step faster than the one before it, towards the isolated shade where Lex was parked.
"She's gone," she gasped the moment she was settled in the passenger seat.
Lex looked at her, not allowing his emotions to show through. "Who is, Chloe?"
"The girl I was before you came back. I'm a different woman now. And I have more problems, but I'm not alone anymore."
Lex smiled a little and nodded. "I'm sorry I stole your life away."
"Are you?" she challenged him.
Finally he answered, "No. Because I've never been so happy my whole life."
"I'm sorry I wanted you to give it back."
Lex grinned and kissed her fully on the lips. "I'll even stay while they draw your blood."
~~
Chloe leaned against Lex as they waited for the blood to be processed. She closed her eyes, completely comfortable with the man who loved her enough to let her confess her love for another guy. She grinned. She hoped her baby would have as much control and love as its father.
She opened her eyes when Lex stiffened. That was her only sign that the results had come in.
Helen handed her the envelope that held the reading. Before Chloe opened it, Helen told them, "Your dad has eyes and ears in this hospital, Lex. I suspect one of the interns. I'm sorry, but he saw that I was processing for possible pregnancy. I think he saw you come together. You'll have to think of a way to throw your father off, Lex."
When they were finally alone, Chloe tore the envelope open. She took out the folded paper. "We should thinking of names."
Lex nodded and smiled. She was making jokes, so he knew she was still okay. But she still did not open the paper. He was going to think of his father later. Right now was his moment with Chloe. It could turn out to be one of the most important moments, if it wasn't already.
"You open it."
Lex took the paper in his hands and opened it to the result. He felt her shiver beside him. "How do you feel now?"
"Strangely disappointed," she answered. "But it's for the best, right?"
Lex nodded. "When it finally happens for us, neither of us is going to have to ask how we feel about it. Do you trust me on that?"
"Always." Still, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt. Lex knew that she would leave a wet stain.