Knowing I would see her again made my concerns fade away. I was quickly assured that the real Chloe Sullivan was still as sane as she was intrepid. Which meant I could hang out with her stress-free, in person for the first time in months.
But that doesn't mean I forgot. I don't think I'll ever forget.
Clark told me about the bomb squad pact a couple weeks back and its been annoying me for a while. Apparently, so much so that my subconscious decided to scare the hell out of me, with that terrible nightmare.
I think Chloe sensed it was why I was here. Ever the reporter it wasn't like her not to scrutinize. She saw through me in a heartbeat. After all, I haven't stepped a foot in Smallville in almost three years.
Except now I was in Metropolis, Chloe's real center, trying to decipher the directions of where she was located in the building. The girl had gone on and on about The Planet for years but I never appreciated its size until now. There was literally a universal studios-esque globe in the entrance hall.
Finally, I descended the steps to the basement and I saw her talking to a scrawny looking boy with close attention. From the camera that hung around his neck I was pretty sure this was the infamous Jimmy, her current boyfriend. I hadn't seen him before but I knew from Clark's slightly biased description this guy wasn't going to be on the cover of GQ anytime soon.
I knew the exact moment when she saw me. The confusion, the recognition, and the joy on her face told a story of emotions. She was more beautiful than ever. Her now dirty blonde hair was almost shoulder-length, wavy in just the right spots. Her blazer clung to her just as her dress pants did to her hips.
Chloe had been the cute, smart one back in high school and though guys came to her every now and then, she was always the friend, never the girlfriend. Time and maturity took to her and it was hard to imagine that any guy wouldn't throw himself at her. After staring a second more, she ran towards me with remarkable speed, leaping into my arms.
Her parts, pressing on my parts uncomfortably…in that really comfortable way. She held me so close; I worried that she might not let me go.
She pulled away after catching my hint about Jimmy's presence. "You were supposed to be here 20 minutes ago, what happened?" Normally she would be mad, but she was still sporting a smile that I very much returned.
I shrugged. "I got lost."
She laughed heartily. "I told you no good could come from moving into politics, Pete. Your smooth talking ability might go up but your common sense decreases just as dramatically."
"It's not that." My own smile broadened. "When I got into the lobby elevator I was stupidly expecting to go up. Imagine my surprise when—"
"Shut up." She countered playfully, smacking me on the arm.
"You first." I dared, fully aware the girl couldn't keep quiet for five minutes.
Her cling on…erm, I mean respectable boyfriend edged closer to us and I wordlessly told Chloe to introduce me. I don't know when it started but we have always been able to communicate that way. Even after all this distance it was still true. 600 miles away and we were just as close.
"Hey, come over." She waved to Jimmy and he walked to us with an awfully unsubtle determined swagger. "Peter Ross, meet… Jimmy Olsen." She watched as we shook hands.
"Pete." I amended. I absolutely hate when anyone calls me 'Peter', not unless you are my mother in which case I love it…not.
"Pete's the old friend of mine from high school I told you was visiting for the week." Chloe played middle woman, speaking to both of us in hopes we will connect so that at least one of her friends would accept him. Unfortunately, she knew early on that she was going to have to keep on searching.
"Since I have the rest of the day off I thought we could spend it catching up. Is that okay?"
'No.' I could practically hear him say it.
"Yeah sure." He managed instead. "Have fun." He might as well said, 'Go die.' for all the positive enthusiasm it had.
When he finally left us to do some "urgent duty" I hooked my arm over her shoulders as we walked side by side up the steps.
Two friends reunited.