Disclaimer: see Chapter 1

CHAPTER 4: Confiding

CHLOE´S FLAT

"Chloe, sweetheart, what´s the matter? " asked a worried Gabe.

"Nothing´s the matter, dad, " she responded with one of those smiles she reserved for the times when she felt the world around her was falling to pieces.

"You can´t fool your old man, honey. I´ve known you for twenty-seven years. What´s bugging you? "

"I saw Lex yesterday night. He´s staying at Wayne Mansion... "

"And? " said Gabe to encourage her to elaborate.

"He invited me to have dinner with him tonight. "

"Dinner? " And what did he say? " he asked stranged at Chloe´s behaviour.

"I said ´yes´, dad. But..."

"But... are you worried because of me, Chloe? He´s no longer my boss and you´re a grown-up woman. I´m still your dad and you´re my little girl. I can´t lie to you; I´d rather you went out with someone whose surname wasn´t Luthor, but I´ve always respected Lex. And besides, it´s just dinner, isn´t it? " stated Gabe."Isn´t it? " he insisted when Chloe didn´t answer and shuffled on her seat.

"You don´t understand, dad. "

"What is it I don´t understand, Chloe? That you´re afraid of going out with somebody after three years? You´re a great girl, Chloe, and I´m proud of you and what you´ve done, but it´s time to start thinking about yourself. I know what I´m talking about, honey. Don´t let life pass you by. "

"Dad, have you ever regretted...? "

"No, never. Not for you, sweetheart. However, I forgot to think about myself for a long time, inventing excuses. Don´t let that happen to you. "

"I don´t know if going out with Lex is the wisest thing to do, dad, " she responded, her eyes brimming with tears.

"What is it you´re afraid of, Chloe? Is it him? Because if that´s the case, you shouldn´t have accepted his invitation. "

"Oh, dad, this is so uncomfortable! "

"You don´t need to speak about it with me, honey. Maybe Vicki..."

"No, no. I don´t want to involve anyone outside the family circle, dad. "

"It´s your life, sweetie. You don´t have to consult with me or anybody else for that matter. You know that whatever decision you make, I´ll be right by you- even if I don´t agree with you. "

"I don´t know... what...I´d have done without you, dad, " stuttered a tearful Chloe.

"Come on, honey. That´s the past now, " he responded, wiping her tears with his thumbs.

"It´s not the past, dad. If only you knew... "

"Lex? " asked a surprised Gabe when the truth dawned on him. "Oh, my God! "

"Now you see why I´m a nervous wreck. "

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, Chloe. You´ve been playing with fire all this time. Lex isn´t like anyone you know. Are you ready to face the consequences of what you did when you left Metropolis for good? "

"I´m not planning on telling him, dad. You said it yourself, it´s dinner and then, we´ll go our separate ways. "

"Are you sure this is what you want, sweetheart? "

"He said dinner...no strings attached. "

"I´m not asking what he said but how you feel. I could tell when you left Metropolis that you loved the man. Now, tell me how this has changed. "

"It hasn´t changed, but it cannot be. "

"Why not? "

"Because he doesn´t love me, and I know him, dad, just I knew him then. He´ll feel obligated, and I couldn´t do that to him. "

"You have to see the big picture, Chloe. This isn´t only about you. Think. What will happen in a couple of years? Honey, if you wait more... if you don´t hurt him now... I don´t believe he- or they, for that matter- will ever forgive you. "

Eager to read more soon?Any hunches? I promise the next update´ll be longer.