Chloe stopped typing and stared into space again. It wasn't that she was at a loss for words--that almost never happened--but that her brain wanted to concentrate on words that could be used to describe the guy who seemed to be zipping in and out of her life but staying very firmly in place in her thoughts.
She wanted to figure that it was fate that kept dropping him into her life, but then that'd mean that fate was just as quickly whisking him someplace else again. It was like those cat teaser toys, with fate being very good at yanking him out of reach just the second she thought he was going to stay in place for a moment. "And Pete says I'm hyper sometimes," she muttered.
"Pete says a lot about you, Chloe," came a cheerful voice from across the room. "Even things like you've been in outer space for the last hour." He got up and came over with a casual stride but a concerned look in his eyes. "Everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah, just thinking."
"Well, that's it then! Not used to it."
She reached out to swat him but he dodged even before she was halfway through the movement. She felt like she was back in sixth grade again but, well, when you have to know, you have to know. No matter how pathetic asking is. She knew what her dad thought, but then that's part of the dad job description. And her mirror kept giving her different answers every day. For an inanimate object, it was pretty fickle. *Sound casual, Chloe, like you're setting up a joke. Here goes. Well, okay, now here goes. Last time, one, two, three.* "Pete, am I pretty?" She hurried on. "Say on a one to ten scale. And seriously." *Oh, that helps the casual a whole lot.*
He reached for the back of her chair, spinning it so that she was looking him right in the face. "You, Chloe Sullivan, are gorgeous. And don't you forget it." As if he could tell she was embarrased, he punched her arm and went back to layouts. She could feel a silly grin on her face, as well as a blush, but then wondered if it was just her imagination or if he really looked as though she'd hit him, hard enough to hurt, before he smiled and answered.
She wanted to figure that it was fate that kept dropping him into her life, but then that'd mean that fate was just as quickly whisking him someplace else again. It was like those cat teaser toys, with fate being very good at yanking him out of reach just the second she thought he was going to stay in place for a moment. "And Pete says I'm hyper sometimes," she muttered.
"Pete says a lot about you, Chloe," came a cheerful voice from across the room. "Even things like you've been in outer space for the last hour." He got up and came over with a casual stride but a concerned look in his eyes. "Everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah, just thinking."
"Well, that's it then! Not used to it."
She reached out to swat him but he dodged even before she was halfway through the movement. She felt like she was back in sixth grade again but, well, when you have to know, you have to know. No matter how pathetic asking is. She knew what her dad thought, but then that's part of the dad job description. And her mirror kept giving her different answers every day. For an inanimate object, it was pretty fickle. *Sound casual, Chloe, like you're setting up a joke. Here goes. Well, okay, now here goes. Last time, one, two, three.* "Pete, am I pretty?" She hurried on. "Say on a one to ten scale. And seriously." *Oh, that helps the casual a whole lot.*
He reached for the back of her chair, spinning it so that she was looking him right in the face. "You, Chloe Sullivan, are gorgeous. And don't you forget it." As if he could tell she was embarrased, he punched her arm and went back to layouts. She could feel a silly grin on her face, as well as a blush, but then wondered if it was just her imagination or if he really looked as though she'd hit him, hard enough to hurt, before he smiled and answered.