Chapter 7

Now what?

The last two hours of my existence had revolved around those two words. I had lost count how many times I had tossed and turned trying to come up with an answer. Giving up, I turned my head to look at the clock on my bed-side table.

I mean, I ran after the guy, we had a completely normal, yet wonderful evening, and now I'm second-guessing everything.

Even though we both put our hearts out there, we know the realistic situation ahead of us. It just... can't... happen. He's going back to California and I couldn't do the long-distance thing.

I refuse to be that girl. You know... the one who worries what her man is up to all the time because he's away so much. We'd crash and burn faster than you can say 'disaster.'

We couldn't just be friends though; we got past that point the moment we fell asleep together watching embers fly in the fireplace.

I shut my eyes again, trying to erase the memory of the week we had shared, even though I knew it was pointless. What happened to just being on a last name basis? What happened to hating everything he stood for?

Hearing the door creak open, I pretended to be asleep.

"Rise and shine cuz. I know you're faking it."

My eyes bolted open. "Lois?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out."

I sat up and leaned against the headboard. "You're early."

Lois sat down on the bed and ruffled my hair. "Morning to you too. So glad you're happy to see me."

Pushing her arm off me, I tried to hold myself together. "I am… it's just… your flight was at six tonight, wasn't it?"

"Oh, we flew alright." Lois' gaze left my eyes to look out the window as a grin grew across her face.

"What?"

"You don't have to hide it anymore Chloe. I know."

I had an idea of what Lois was talking about, but I wanted to tread carefully. "You know what exactly?"

"Clark flew us home."

Well... can't say I was expecting that exact sentence. "Wait, hold on... Clark can fly?"

She quickly rolled her ears as she looked back at me. "You want to play the naive card with me, that's fine, but tell me... how you were planning on picking us up without a car?"

"Let me guess...you stopped at the Talon?"

Lois nodded. "We called your phone to let you know that we'd be early but when you didn't answer, we thought we would stop by and grab you some coffee. Then Tammy told us that we could find you here."

"I did promise Clark I would look after the farm."

"Which does not explain why you stayed here all week."

"The power was out while we experienced the rainstorm of the decade, and I didn't feel like walking to Smallville after my car broke down."

Not that I blamed her, but it was easy to tell that Lois wasn't buying that from her expression. "All valid points, but you forgot the most important reason why you stayed here."

"Which one is that?"

"The six-foot tall blonde one."

I figured it was Oliver-related, but I wasn't giving Lois any ideas, nor did I want to get into this conversation with Lois. "Don't jump to conclusions Lois."

"Considering the leads given to me, I have a reason to believe there's something going on here."

I buried my head in my hands. "I'm your cousin, Lo... not a human interest story."

After patting her hand on my shoulder, Lois said, "Hey...I'm glad you're finally putting yourself out there."

Safe to say after that comment, my head bolted back up. "Wait a minute... who said anything about... What did Tammy tell you?"

"That Oliver Queen offered her a marketing deal for her coffee... and something about you running out the door after him, leaving her with this." After digging in her pockets, she passed me my cell phone. "Last I checked, you didn't chase after any guy, let alone Oliver Queen."

I snatched my cell phone from Lois' hands. "I didn't... and I don't... it's just that... it wasn't fair that he should take over my responsibility, and I figured Bryan would bring my car back here anyway. That is, of course, if they can even fix my car."

"I'd have a little easier time believing that story if you had a different text waiting for you."

"What text?" Then I remembered my phone buzzing being the reason I tossed it to Tammy.

"Read it for yourself."

I filed through my phone and found a single message from Tammy that I didn't recognize.

I won't serve you another Talon special if you let him walk out of here. T

I tried to shrug it off as I laid my phone on the table. "I never read it."

I could tell Lois still wasn't convinced of my indifference, and from her face, I realized I only fed her argument. "I know – that's what makes it so unbelievable. Our favourite barista wouldn't ban you from coffee for just any reason. Besides, I can tell you like him, it's written all over your face."

"Is it?"

Seeing the defeat on my face, Lois jumped at the opportunity. "Aha! I knew it."

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Doesn't matter, him and me... it doesn't make any sense."

"Actually, it makes plenty of sense. Aesthetically-wise, you'd make some cute blonde babies together."

I brought my palm to my forehead and said in desperation, "Lois, please... don't start this conversation."

"Seriously though, I've interviewed him a couple times and he never smiled like he did when he talks about you. It's almost as if you bring something positive out of him... and the fact you're contemplating this scenario means that he's gotten to you too."

"I'm not contemplating anything." I knew it wasn't going to work with Lois, but I had to try.

"Why else would you pretend to be asleep? You're letting your past cloud the chances for your happiness."

Sticking my ring-less hand up for Lois to see, I said calmly, "I'm not. I even put the ring in the jewellery box... you were right. It was time to move on."

"While I'm glad to finally hear you say that, this has nothing to do with me. If it did, that ring would have been buried in that box by now."

Staring at my hand, I stroked my ring finger before looking back up at Lois. "Did you know that he knew Jimmy?"

"What?"

"He... Oliver, I mean, convinced Jimmy to ask me out. I owe my marriage to a fluke encounter between them."

Lois narrowed her eyes at me. "Is that why you shared your dad's scotch with him?"

"I never said I did."

She simply shook her head and continued, "Oliver doesn't know the significance of that bottle, does he?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why would I tell him that? It's not a memory I just dish out to anyone."

"Yet out of everyone, you shared it with him."

A smile started to break across my lips. "He was having a hard time, and I thought it would help him. Besides, it probably was the only thing I had that lived up to his standards."

"Cuz...forget falling in love, with a smile like that, it's obvious that you've fallen hard already."

I considered telling her otherwise, but I knew it was a pointless cause. The truth was I wasn't completely convinced Lois was wrong. "It was just nice to be noticed. After being overlooked so long, you know how I decided to sell a facade to everyone. He didn't buy it, not for one second. Oliver sees past that and sees... me... and I'm not sure how to react to that."

The smile faded as I brought myself back to reality. "Like I said, it doesn't matter what my feelings are because we both know that he'll return to Star City after the press conference."

"We also know that he has a penthouse here. He could set up shop in Metropolis and you two could figure something out."

"It's not as easy as that Lois."

"Weren't you the one who told me that nothing in life worth having is easy before Clark and I started going out?"

I averted my eyes from my cousin to look at the ceiling, remembering saying those words to Oliver. Furthermore, I knew that she was going to make me pay for what I did to her and Clark, but I didn't think it would happen this fast.

Pulling my arm to make me look at her, Lois continued to argue. "Sorry, Chloe, but I'm with Tammy here. You're making a big mistake if you let him leave."

"It was only a week Lois. He'll forget all about me once he heads home."

"Doubtful."

Not believing my ears, I narrowed my eyes at Lois. "How would you know?"

"On top of the aforementioned smile...your wager. Tammy told me that you never established stakes, but Oliver asked Tammy to keep an eye on you in exchange for the marketing offer for her coffee. He's worried about you, Chlo."

"I know, but it would never work. We're from two different worlds."

"Hello? Do you remember who you're talking to? You knew that my boyfriend was a flying, life-saving person from another planet and you were our own personal Emma. There is no way a billionaire from another city can top that."

"Ahem." Both Lois and I turned to find Clark standing in the doorway.

Looking around Lois, I waved at Clark. "Welcome home Clark."

Clark momentarily smiled and pointed towards the stairs. "Thanks. I just thought that I would let you know that Oliver is waiting at his car to say goodbye to you."

I glanced towards the stairs, reminding me of what I had to do today. I faked a smile before getting off the bed. Looking out of the window, I finally responded, "I… I just need a minute to get changed."

Once we could hear Clark's footsteps on the stairs, Lois got off the bed and said, "Please Chloe, this would be something good for you. Don't let it slip through your fingers."

She closed the bedroom door behind her without another word. If only Lois truly understood what happened here.

At the farm, it was our own little world, we were Chloe and Oliver. No formalities, no responsibilities, just living lives. Even in Smallville, it felt like we could do anything. But Lois and Clark coming back allowed reality to set in, and we both had to move on.

Staring at myself in the mirror, I thought to myself that this was it. No matter how many times we tried to fight it, this was the final act. I knew that this was coming, but I was still fighting it.

I walked down the steps wondering what I was supposed to do. I couldn't run after him like last time, but I couldn't pretend that we could start something. Pulling the front door open, I started considering what to say to him because based on his body language; I could tell that he was as scared of this moment as I was.

So I started with the only ice-breaker I could think of. "Did you get what you needed from Clark?"

If his body language didn't sell his emotions, his expression sure did. I could tell he was holding back before he responded, "No, but I understand his decision."

"You want me to talk to him for you? Being his best friend and all, I do have pull in his decisions." I grinned, trying to brighten up the mood, but it felt useless. The look on his face never changed, and I doubted that mine had either.

"We agreed to leave you out of it."

"But you never told me what you needed from him, it's not like I can..."

He placed his arm on my shoulder. "It's for your own good, Chloe. Leave it at that."

My eyes looked at his hand, tempted to grab it to reassure him, but I didn't want to make the situation harder than it already was. "How long are you going to be in town?"

"I have some things to sort out, but I don't know."

"So…. I guess this is..."

Before I had a chance to finish, Oliver had slid his arm around my back and pulled me towards him. Not that I wanted to finish that sentence, saying goodbye was too formal... too permanent. I shut my eyes and leaned my head against his chest as he rested his head on top of mine. My arms rubbed up and down his back as I tried to come up with a good reason for him to stay, but in true personal fashion, I took the selfless way out and stood there. In fact, we both just stood there, listening to the wind blowing in our ears, and the effortless silence that filled the air.

I didn't even realize that I had started crying until he backed away and wiped a single tear from my cheek. For what felt like forever, we just stared into each other's eyes, trying to find the words to say.

Eventually, I gained enough courage to turn my head towards the farm. "You should probably..."

I was cut off by Oliver grabbing my arm. My heart skipped a beat as my head moved slowly to look back at him.

"Regardless of now, Chloe, I want you to know that I'll never forget this...and I'll never forget you."

The next thirty seconds were a blur. I don't remember him letting go, I don't remember him getting in his car or even taking off.

All I could think of was whether I should just collapse right there or if I should just screw the consequences and run after him. But of course, I did neither; I compromised and stood there like an idiot, stroking the place where he grabbed my arm.

Once I was no longer able to see his car, I shook my head and turned towards the farm. Life had to go on, and that feeling would go away... it had to go away. Because it wasn't just my legs that were turning into mush... it was me.