Getting to Know a Stranger – Chapter 4
Chloe plugged her old laptop in the slot at the WIFI hotspot in town on the one day she had scheduled not to work either job. Slinking back into the seat in her shorts and tank top, she used the laptop pillow and put her feet up on the footrest. The café was open-air and beautiful. Chloe couldn't imagine many places better than overlooking the harbor of crystal blue water while sipping a lightly alcoholic beverage and emailing friends. Unfortunately, her real friends seemed to be more preoccupied with themselves.
Opening up her email account, she noticed an address that made her skin tingle. A small smile broke across her face as she opened the email and started to read.
Chloe,
As you can see from this email, Clark was civil enough to deliver
your hello personally. It was a bit odd seeing him not try to
accuse me of something. He is very interested in knowing where
you are at. He seems to think that I would be wiling to go
look for you. As for me, I am very pleased to hear that
you have found yourself a nice place to call your own.
Smallville was simply not large enough for you. Just be
safe. Take care.
Lex
Chloe sat and stared at the screen and wondered what and how she should respond. She knew that Clark was not the one that could hack her transmissions, but wasn't so sure about Lex. Then again, having Clark around to talk endlessly about Lana seemed more burdensome than Lex complaining about having sunburn on his head. She giggled to herself about the thought as she hit the reply button.
Lex,
Good to hear from you. Good to hear from someone. For
all the worry Clark seems to show to you, he seems to really
worry about me. I haven't heard from him. I really appreciate
the email although I'm pretty sure by the time you get this,
you'll know exactly the café I have emailed it from. So, under
the same confidence as we had before, I'll tell you it's gorgeous
here. You should really relax sometimes. I'm sitting writing an
email on the BEACH! Imagine taking down corporations from
your own lounge chair. Of course, the connection sucks so no
attachments. Speaking of, my little 5 minute timer is ticking
away. Keep in touch and thanks for your clandestineness.
Chloe
The next morning Lex opened his email to the brand new email from Chloe. It wasn't much, but she knew him. He watched her constantly even without her knowledge. She hadn't noted in her email that she noticed anything out of the ordinary with anyone on the island, in particular Chris. He couldn't ask either even though he wanted to. Clicking the reply button, he paused and tried to think of what to say. I miss you, I need you, you deserve the stars, fall in love with me. Dismissing all the cheesy lines he could think of, started typing.
Chloe,
As much as where you are sounds relaxing, I have this
inkling that holding business meetings in the sand
wouldn't be very productive, especially if the contracts
float away. Ok, my attempt at humor is wasted. It's good to
talk to you again.
Lex sat and stared at the blinking cursor and took a deep breath. Reaching for the small glass of scotch, he barely had the liquid touch his lips and put the glass back down. His taste suddenly changed looking at snapshots of her from a security camera at the café. Capturing her in her baseball cap that kept up her ruse of being from Boston. She was more slender than he remembered, her legs perfectly laid as she typed in her sunglasses with the small hint of a smile on her face. He called the kitchen and ordered a daiquiri to the cook's dismay.
You sound like you're having a wonderful time there. Tell
me more about your new life. It has to be more relaxing
than chasing freaks around cornfields. As for me, nothing really
has changed in the last day or so. Then again, I have no idea
how much of the outside world you hear about. My father is
ill again; his chances to survive liver failure is pretty grim. The
doctor's are generous with the three months they give him. I
would give him less if I had the chance. Business is good. I
had a group in Moscow call and practically beg for me to
take their dead Siberian oil wells. Small venture, nothing
newsworthy. After seeing the specs, they got out generously. I
have a call coming in. Talk to you soon.
Lex
A week went by before Chloe could get to the café again. Her life had been one moment after another. Her week seemed to have flown by between her two jobs and her new man. She couldn't believe things were progressing so well. Chris had taken her out twice in the last week, but he was still reserved. She didn't quite understand the lack of draw. He wasn't like Clark; he was affectionate and caring and only focused on her during their times together, but she wondered why there had been no advancements.
She sat down and opened her computer and stared at the screen patiently. Thinking about the time it took for the Internet to connect at the little café, she compared herself to Kathleen Kelly in You've Got Mail. She waited for the icon to show up on her computer and clicked to see the fairly long email from her old friend. She was glad to see his name at the top of an otherwise empty email box and replied.
Lex,
Amazing how someone that frightens grown men can
make me smile by just seeing his address on the top of
my screen. Sorry, but I can only write once a week b/c
of the connection here. Actually, the connection is not
anywhere near my living quarters so it adds a little more
challenge to carry the computer everywhere. But then
again, they want people to come here to visit and forget
their everyday life. Anyway, I'm glad to hear things are
not completely stressing you out. I would say I'm sorry
to hear about your father, but I would be lying. It's too bad
that he couldn't have even tried to make better of himself
in his last few months. Some people never change. Just
promise me, you won't follow his path. That gleam in your
eye at the next big business deal sometimes scared me. You
have promise, but you're not there yet. I haven't heard from
Lana or Clark still. What is up? Or do I not want to know. Just
Forget I asked.
Oh, I forgot to tell you. I met this guy and I need a guy's opinion.
I know asking you for romantic tips is like asking a person
that fights pit bulls for dog care tip, but still. His name is not
important, but he is very nice and we've gotten close. It's not
like Clark – he doesn't completely ignore my feelings, he's
just, I can't put my finger on it. Like he has something on the
side. Should I confront him? From the guy's angle, what's going
on? You probably feel uncomfortable talking about this – esp.
having to listen it for so many years with the lana clark sit.
Don't worry about it. WB soon.
Hugs, Chlo
Lex read the email in the silence of his private bedroom and pursed his lips together in thought. On the one hand, she called herself to a T. She sounded like the old days when Clark and Lana both filled his head with he said she said scenarios and expected him to play the love guru. This time, the scenario was of his own making. He wondered if maybe it was time to pull the plug. Thinking carefully, he flipped though his calendar on his PDA looking at the upcoming months. Seeing an almost packed schedule, he penciled in a small amount of time to hopefully visit her. The wait would be torturous. Laying down in the bed, he stared at the screensaver that faded as pictures from several of St Thomas's cameras eluded to Chloe's happiness.
That morning he grabbed the phone and stared at the clock. 4AM. Two hours of sleep was nearly enough to survive a board meeting on, so the person on the other line better be the fuck important. "What?"
"Sir, the hospital called. Your father passed away a couple of hours ago. They wanted to know if the arrangements are the same."
Lex sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was still in a dream. Sliding out of bed, he stubbed his foot against the bedpost and realized he was very much awake. "Yeah, I'll be right there." He threw the phone on the bed and stared at the computer. Tuesday was her email day. He always meant to beat her to it where she got an email. Today would be different.
*****
A week and then two went by without another email from him. Chloe sat and watched the cursor and refreshed the page several times before giving up and closing the computer. They had talked for a month as if they were still the closest friends, but she had thrown out the boyfriend question. That ended the conversation. She walked back to the café and picked up another drink and sat on the sand by herself. Maybe she had read too much into the emails from Lex. Maybe he was making conversation, or just trying to pry since he couldn't help it. She turned her computer on and got barely one tick of the Internet.
Gliding her fingers over the small mousepad, she curled up her lip in indecision. She hadn't investigated anything in almost four months. She felt bad by looking into Lex's agenda, but she was sure he was looking into hers. Opening the main news blotter, the reason for his absence was all over the main page. Lionel Luthor died. Chloe sat and intently read about the last days of suffering in a high security prison hospice center without a trace of his son nearby. She almost felt sorry for the man. Almost. It was strange to have something that in common with Lex again. They both had no parents to speak of.
Stopping to read another article about the small funeral, she spotted everyone from Smallville that at least paid their respects to the bastard even if he didn't deserve it. She wouldn't have gone. She understood Lex's reasoning for not communicating with her now. Still, it was frightening to see his same pattern after her own father's death emerge. This time, it would be different.
"Luthor." Lex picked up the phone while furiously signing company contracts over to his name.
"Lex, it's Chloe."
TBC...