The car journey to the mansion wasn't filled with the awkward silence Chloe has expected. Oliver had kept the conversation light, and thanks to an upgrade from Victor, Bart could be heard on the car's 'hands free' set.
"Dude, he's not around. I've run this route thirty times already, and there's no sign."
"That's great. Sweep the grounds at home a few more times. I want to make sure." Oliver instructed.
"You got it. Anything for Beautiful."
Chloe smiled while rolling her eyes at the endearment. Bart had always been that little beacon of positivity in her life, even if she had only met him on a handful of occasions before the move to Star City.
He had been the first person to make her feel like she was attractive, even if he had only been harmlessly flirting.
Bart was a good person and time with him was always well spent. Despite his obvious attraction and the blatant flirting, Chloe valued his friendship above all else.
She loved the guy – there was no way you couldn't. Maybe if Bart had been the first person she had run into in Star City, things could have turned out differently, and he would be the one taking her home.
She was genuinely concerned that the feelings developing between her and Oliver would upset him. Despite his carefree demeanour, Bart was a sensitive guy; and the last thing she wanted was to hurt him.
Maybe if Clark hadn't discouraged them from spending too much time together, something would have developed between them before. So many bad times could have been avoided.
Looking over at Oliver as he drove, she was glad that life had taken the route it had. As bad as the past year had been, it had led her to him, and that had to be a good thing.
She leaned back onto the head rest and closed her eyes. She knew she should enjoy the peace and quiet while she could. The thought of Clark reminded her that she could look forward to him gracing her with his presence again today.
To be truthful, she had no idea what she was going to say to him. If he couldn't understand what she had told him yesterday, what was the point of another one-sided conversation?
He probably wouldn't even have the decency to call before showing up.
She was so deep in her thoughts; she didn't even notice the car pulling up in front of the mansion.
"Grounds are clear, Bossman."
"Thanks, Bart." Oliver said before cutting off the engine.
His hand on her leg snapped her back to reality.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah. I think the meds still have me zoning out."
"Maybe once you're settled you could take a nap?"
Seeing the concern in his eyes she smirked. "I'll be fine."
"Okay," He smiled "Wait right there." He opened the car and got out.
Her door opened at the same time, and she was greeted by the smiling face of Victor Stone.
"Need a lift, hop-a-long?" He asked, offering her his hand.
She was about to accept it when Oliver stepped around the other man and scooped her up into his arms without a word, making her shriek in surprise.
Chloe was embarrassed that she felt a small thrill at the plainly territorial move.
"Caveman." She whispered under her breath.
Chloe knew he had heard her. He didn't respond - he just smirked and carried her into the house.
When he walked past the large living room and headed for the stairs, she began to feel nervous.
"Uh, Ollie? Where are we going?"
He laughed at the look of worry on her face as they continued up the stairs. "Yesterday, the guys completed a project of their own. I promised them we would give you your surprise the moment you got here."
He carried her until they came to a door Chloe knew led into a guest room.
"I lied about keeping this as a guest room. With everything that's been happening lately, and the time you spend hanging around here, it only made sense to give you your own room."
Oliver nudged the partially open door with his foot, revealing the room to Chloe for the first time.
"Oh…wow."
Oliver smiled at the amazed look on her face. He walked into the room and gently set her down by the pillows on the bed.
Chloe looked down at the comforter she was sitting on. It was a deep purple satin, and it was eerily familiar.
"I swear, this looks just like-"
"The one you used to have at the Talon? Yeah, I wasn't sure about the colours you'd like. You haven't decorated your own place yet, so I took a guess." He looked at her uncertainly. He hoped it didn't bring up negative memories of Smallville.
"Is it okay?" He asked.
"It's wonderful." She looked around the room. It really was her. "You really didn't have to go to all this effort."
He leant against the wall with his hands in his pockets. "I just wanted you to be comfortable."
Chloe sank further into the bed. She was sure that she had never felt anything so good. Maybe Victor could help her sneak the bed back to her apartment? "I'm comfortable Ollie, believe me."
There was a soft knock on the doorframe before AC and Victor entered with her things. They set them down on the bed before AC sat by her feet.
"Are you waiting for a tip?" She asked him, smiling.
"Depends – do you have any of those muffins left?"
"Sorry, you're out of luck."
"In that case, I'll have to leave you in the incapable hands of these guys. I've got to head into the city."
"Incapable? Way to instil confidence." Victor retorted.
"I'm glad you're alright, Blondie." AC gave Chloe a quick hug before jumping back up and heading to the door. "If you need me to pick anything up, just give me a call."
"I will." She smiled.
"Do you need any help unpacking?" Victor asked.
"I'm good, thanks." Chloe felt like shaking her head at the fussing.
"Are you sure?"
"Enough!" She laughed, throwing a pillow with her good arm. "I have never had a full time mom. I'm not sure I can go from that to living with four mother hens."
"Okay, I get the hint. I'll be downstairs if you need me." Victor threw the pillow back and left the room, clucking as he walked out.
"You're going to have to put up with their overbearing ways for a day or two. They've been worried." Oliver pushed away from the wall and came to sit next to her on the bed.
"I know. I'm just not used to the attention."
"But you're sure you're okay? You don't need anything?" Chloe gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. "Alright, I get the hint. But just so you know, I'm going to brew some coffee anyway."
Chloe put her arm on his shoulder to stop him from moving. "Actually, there is one thing you could do for me."
"Just name it."
"I need you to speak to Bart. Today." She pointed between the two of them. "If we're going to try this, I don't want anyone risking their friendships over it."
Oliver smiled. "No problem. I'm sure everything will be fine. I'll speak to him tonight."
Chloe felt her shoulders relax. "Thank you."
"Like I said earlier, I was going to speak to him anyway. You have nothing to worry about." He leant forward and cupped her cheek before kissing her softly. "I'll go see about that coffee."
Her lips were still tingling as he left the room.
Chloe wasn't entirely sure she could get used to Oliver's kisses. She couldn't remember a time when just a kiss left her feeling like she was on fire.
She sighed as she lay back on the pillows. She wondered if his kisses would feel just as great if they weren't on her lips.
Images in her mind of him slowly kissing her neck, her throat, and progressing further had her feeling flushed. Laying there on the bed he chose for her was not helping, she decided.
The wonderful aroma of freshly brewing coffee had made its way to her room, giving her the excuse she needed to move.
Carefully sitting up, she grabbed the single crutch from the bed with her good arm, and got ready to stand.
She just knew this was going to hurt like hell – her knee really didn't want to bend.
Standing, she bit her lip to hold back the yelp of pain. Using the crutch for support, she stood there for a moment, letting the sharp pain settle into a dull throb.
'This would be a lot easier if I had two good arms. Two crutches would really be easier than one.' She thought to herself, as she walked from the room.
"Or maybe not."
She had completely forgotten about the stairs. As great as the guys' surprise was, right now she really wished they had picked a room downstairs.
There was only one thing for it. Using the banister for support, Chloe managed to slide herself down onto the floor. Her legs lay straight on the steps.
This was ridiculous. She bet Lana didn't do this kind of crap when she injured her leg.
Putting her good arm on the bannister to keep her steady, she slowly slid her ass onto the next step below.
Surprisingly, it didn't jolt her knee as much as she thought it would. Feeling braver, she continued her descent.
"Chloe? What do you think you're doing?"
Chloe looked up to see Oliver staring at her with his phone in his hand, and mild amusement on his face.
"The coffee was calling me." She said as she slid further to the bottom of the staircase.
Oliver put his phone in his pocket before walking up the first four steps. "You could have just asked for help. It's what you're here for, right?"
Oliver pulled her to her feet, supporting her so she didn't put weight on the injured leg.
"That would have been too easy."
Oliver crabbed her discarded walking aid before slowly helping her to climb down the final stairs.
"An emergency situation's come up at work, so I have to head out for a couple of hours."
"Everything okay?" She asked as he led her towards the kitchen.
"It should be fine. I'm giving AC a ride into the city, but Victor will be around if you need anything. No more stair climbing on your own."
Chloe sniggered at the order. "Believe me, I have no plans to attempt that on my own again."
"Good."
Oliver helped her onto a stool in the kitchen before preparing her a cup of coffee. She could tell by the smell alone that he had stocked her favourite blend.
"Vic's just down the hall. He's making room for you in the study so you can write in there without battling his techno junk for space."
She smiled as he handed her the steaming mug. "That's really sweet of him. He doesn't need to do that."
"Believe me, he does. So don't say anything. It looks like a computer threw up in there."
Chloe laughed as she tried to imagine the mess being made in various corners of Oliver's home. When he asked the guys to move in, Chloe was sure that Oliver hadn't expected their bad habits to follow too.
"You all good here?" He asked.
"I'm fine. Get going!" She shooed him with one hand, as the other held on tightly to her mug.
Laughing lightly he grabbed a travel mug of coffee from the side, before kissing her lightly on the cheek.
"Just yell if you need anything. Victor is at your beck and call."
"I'll tell him you said that!" She called after him as he headed from the room.
Chloe sat there for what felt like an hour, just enjoying the quiet of the house and the taste of her coffee. She felt warm, and it wasn't just from her drink. Being around the guys made her feel that way; they were like a family, and appeared to want to include her in that. She had always wanted siblings, and in a way she had just inherited a house full of brothers.
Apart from Oliver.
The idea of him as a brother was just…wrong.
Reaching for the pot of coffee she refreshed her mug.
Out in the hallway she heard the doorbell ring, and the distant yell of Victor saying he'd grab the door.
She sat there contentedly in the kitchen, enjoying the sunlight settling on her back from the large windows.
There was a soft knock on the door frame. She looked up expecting to see Victor; instead Clark was standing there silently. Instantly, she felt her good mood shift.
"If you're here for round two, I'm really not in the mood."
"I haven't come here to argue." Clark walked towards her before taking a seat across from her at the table. "I thought about what you said to me yesterday. I shouldn't have blamed my problems with Lana on you. I'm sorry."
Chloe was stunned. It was a rare thing for Clark to believe he was wrong and genuinely sorry for his actions. "Apology accepted."
"I also know that it's not the only thing I should be sorry for." Clark bowed his head slightly. Chloe recognised it as a display of nervousness. He really must have gone home and thought about their conversation.
"I let myself become accustomed to always having you there when I needed you. I haven't been fair; I should have treated you like my best friend, no matter what."
"I really needed you, Clark. Even if you felt you couldn't comfort me about Jimmy because of Kara, I at least needed you to help me deal with my newfound freak status." Chloe could feel that ache rise in her chest again. Every time she thought of her past in Smallville, that same pain reared its ugly head.
Clark looked up to meet her eyes before reaching across the table for her hand. "I know; and I want to make it up to you."
"I'm not moving back."
Clark sighed. "I didn't hold out hope you would."
"Things are going so well for me here, I just couldn't do it. The change has done me good." She met his eyes with her own, confident with her words.
"You are happy, right?"
"Very."
Leaning across the table she grabbed an empty mug and poured Clark a coffee. He whispered his thanks before taking a sip.
"I think you should see Oliver while you're here. He deserves an apology too. He's been here for me when no-one else was; your comments about him at the hospital weren't fair."
"I know. I was planning on stopping by Queen Industries before I run back to Smallville." He took another sip of the warm drink, "Did you get the flowers?"
Chloe smirked. "Yes."
Clark frowned as he looked around the room. Chloe could tell he was checking the house for them. "Were they okay?"
"The reason you can't find them, Clark, is because they were hyacinths."
Chloe smirked at Clark's cringing face. It seemed that he did remember after all.
"I asked Lana to pick the flowers. I didn't think to check what she picked out." He ran a hand through his hair as his shoulders sagged. "I really need to start giving you more consideration. I suck as a friend."
"Maybe me living here in Star City will do our friendship some good. We can concentrate on the important things again." She offered.
Clark nodded and continued to drink his coffee; Chloe did the same.
An awkward silence descended. Chloe broke it by asking the one question she really wanted to know.
"How's Lois?"
"She's well. Still finding her way into trouble, but I'm keeping an eye out for her. I swear it runs in the family." He smiled.
Chloe looked into her cup. "Did she ask about me?" She asked softly.
"I spoke to her this morning. She's glad you're okay."
"Not happy enough to call though." Chloe muttered as she put her cup down.
Lois had been like a sister to her. Not having her in her life had been what hurt the most. She thought that no matter what happened in their lives, they would always be side by side; The Sullivan-Lane girls, a team forever.
"You know how stubborn she can be. She'll come around." Clark offered in sympathy.
"I can't put myself through it anymore, Clark." She could feel the tears starting to form in her eyes. "She's family, and the excuse for needing more time sucks. She's had weeks, and not even a near death experience could provoke her interest."
Chloe felt the anger replacing the sorrow. Even if Lois were to call out of the blue, what could she possibly say to her now?
"I'll speak to her for you."
Chloe simply shook her head. "You shouldn't have to. She should want to call."
"At this point, it's the least I can do for you."
"I don't know…"
"One thing she did ask me was how you ended up in the emergency room. How did that car crash Chloe?"
Chloe had expected the question to crop up at some point. "The details are a little fuzzy. Something burst the tyres, and Ollie lost control of the car. And before you say anything, it wasn't Oliver's fault."
Clark stayed silent. He'd noticed that whenever Oliver's name was mentioned, she jumped straight to his defence. There was a time when she did that for him too, he thought sadly to himself.
A beeping snapped their attention to his jacket pocket. Clark scrambled in his pockets and pulled out his phone.
He read the message quickly before looking back up at Chloe. "It's Lana, she needs me back at home for something."
Chloe gave him a small smile. "It's fine, Clark. Really. Go make sure everything's okay."
Clark stood and walked towards Chloe, before enveloping her in a tight hug. "I really am sorry, Chlo. I promise I won't let our friendship slide in the future."
Chloe enjoyed the warmth of his hug. It had been so long since her friend had offered her any form of comfort. "I hope so."
"Feel better soon, okay?" Clark asked before he let her go.
She gave him a quick wave before he sped from the room and out of the mansion.
Swilling the last of the lukewarm coffee around her mug, she realised she felt better about her relationship with Clark. Perhaps there was a chance for them to remain friends yet.
She just hoped that the optimism lasted.