Disclaimer: Everything but the plot belongs to someone other than me.
Note: Still not sure where this is going, but I appreciate all the sweet words!
******
He wasn't reformed; you don't get a clubber, and occasional druggie, to change his ways. Lex was, however, truly happy for the first time -- no drugs or alcohol being involved -- following his coffee with Chloe. "I drank coffee in a bloody Starbucks, and had an enjoyable conversation that lasted several hours! I *talked* to a woman about things that were halfway meaningful!" This was said that night, when he laid awake in his huge waterbed, staring at his pure white ceiling.
In his purple silk pajamas, lying on his purple satin sheets, he looked more like a stuck-up rich boy than a self-absorbed partier who had an insane, school boy crush on an odd woman. "Appearances can be deceiving," he mumbled, rolling onto his stomach in hopes that a change of position would make sleeping easier.
"She's not even a raver chick!" he added loudly. The realization that his comely companion was, in reality, a Journalism major at Metropolis U had thrown him for a loop; he had been sure she was a rebellious, promiscuous high school drop-out who had several arrests on her record. (Lex himself had graduated for a prestigious college, but he was rebellious, and he *had* been in trouble with the law many times. He had grown to correctly assume that most of Zero's regulars were the same way.)
He was certain he fell for her when she confessed that she went to Zero for the dancing, not any of its other, more scandalous offerings; there was something extremely refreshing about that, about *her*; something that made him want to see her constantly.
"Go to *sleep*, Luthor!" he insisted against his shiny pillow case. "You have to get up in-" a quick glance at his grossly expensive digital clock "-five hours. Sleep."
His eyes closed willingly, and he drifted deep into the realms of unconsciousness. Then, she appeared on the backs of his eyelids, her laugh was in his ears, and he bolted upright in bed. "Screw sleep; I need coffee...and her."
This decided, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, and groped for his fuzzy black slippers with his toes. He didn't bother throwing on his red robe, it wasn't that chilly, before he padded down the stairs to his office.
Her phone number was scrawled on his arm; yanking up his sleeve, he glanced at the seven digits and punched them into his cell phone. *RING, RING, RIIING*. It was almost two in the morning, so he didn't expect her to still be up.
"'llo?" a female voice, slurred with sleep, mumbled.
"Chloe?" Lex asked, a teasing lilt in his voice. He tried not to think of her in pajamas, lying on her bed, phone to her ear.
"No, 'ts Lois," the voice continued, yawning.
"Oh, sorry. Is your cousin around?"
"Uh huh, jus' a second." It sounded as though she set down the receiver, then she yelled, "Clo! It's a guy! Get your cute butt away from that laptop, and pick up the phone so I can go back to bed!"
Mumbled words, then a familiar voice said curiously, "hello?"
*At least 'she' sounds awake.* "Did I awaken you as well?" Lex drawled wryly, leaning back in his chair and propping his feet on his desk.
"Nah; I'm always up late. Lo just got to bed two hours ago -- she was out with a friend of mine. Is this Lex?"
It was a bit of a non sequitor, but at least she recognized him. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd give you a call. You don't have to talk, though, if there are other things you'd rather do."
She chuckled softly, and his heart pounded in his chest. "No, I like talking to you. Rather, I did earlier...don't know if I still do. Or something. I have to stop babbling." When she punctuated the statement with a laugh, Lex closed his eyes. He was so whipped all ready, and they barely knew each other. He vowed that, if they didn't work out for some reason, he'd never fall for a girl ever again; it hurt.
"It's cute, Chloe, really. I don't mind if you don't shut up."
A pause. "That's big of you, Lex," she teased. There was a squeak, as though she was also on a chair.
"So. What are you working on?" He recalled that she worked on Metropolis U's newspaper, and he was desperate to make conversation, so that topic seemed a good, safe place to start.
"What do you mean?" Chloe returned, her tone amused.
"Don't you work for the school paper?" he prompted.
"Wow, you were paying attention to me after all! Yes, I'm Editor-in-Chief, but right now I'm online doing research." She sighed (he wasn't sure why), then added, "or I *was*; you called and I had to stop. I'll hold your charming self fully responsible if my article doesn't get turned in on time."
Wetting his lips with his tongue, Lex frowned. "You're kidding, aren't you?" When she laughed cheerfully, his face flushed; of course she was kidding.
"Yes, I was trying my hardest to flirt with you, Lex, but I guess I failed," Chloe clarified, chuckling.
He recovered a bit of his sanity --it was totally unlike him to let a woman get under his skin-- and retorted, deadpan, "you're right, you did. You're certainly not utterly adorable and intriguing, nor do I have a huge crush on you."
When a surprised gasp reached his ears, he closed his eyes again, as if to block out the embarrassment he felt. He never got embarrassed, but he'd found himself doing many things he didn't usually do since meeting Chloe; among them was using the word 'crush' to describe his feelings for someone.
Chloe was quiet again; her breathing was undetectable, and he feared she'd fallen asleep. Though Lex wanted to ask her if she was still there (as she could have wandered off to do something else) he bit his tongue; it would sound desperate if he did so.
"Lex," was what she finally whispered.
"Chloe," he shot back easily, almost smiling when he heard how frightened she sounded. It was cute; made her more human, and less like the ferocious woman he'd encountered the other day. (Not that he would have minded seeing the 'other' Chloe again...)
"I-I'm going to go sleep now. It's late, and I have to get up early, and I like you, and I want to see you again, but I need sleep, you know, 'cause I've been busy, and, good night!" (He didn't know yet that she was always hyper, so he chalked her babbling up to nervousness.)
He didn't apologize for making her uncomfortable (she obviously was) because he'd already been affected by her enough; he wasn't going to start taking back things (even if he wanted to on occasion) on top of everything else. "Good night, Chloe," he said simply, amused.
"Good night, Lex. Can I have your number so I can call you?"
Her voice was undercut with trepidation, but she at least sounded halfway normal. Were he thinking about it, he would have wondered about her mood swing. "Of course." After rattling it off, he told her to sleep well, then he hung up the phone.
******
A few days later, they were at Starbucks again. He got a feeling that if he was going to continue to see her, he'd have to get used to the place; yuppies, legal stimulants, and all. "Here we are again; caramel lattes, lovely company, and awful music." Lex dropped onto one of the plastic black chairs, wincing. He didn't imagine that anyone could get comfortable in one, regardless of how he was to sit.
"Yes, here we are," Chloe echoed. In everyday clothes --faded, frayed jeans and an orange peasant top-- she was still beautiful. "Thanks for meeting me here. I know how you feel about this sort of thing." She gestured vaguely to encompass the entire area.
Resting his elbows (covered in the finest black silk, of course) on the sticky tabletop, he leaned closer to her. "Do you?"
Chloe wrinkled her nose, playing with her blonde curls absently. (He didn't see it as a ditzy reflex; he called it, 'a really adorable nervous habit'.) "Don't play that game with me, Lex," she teased, grinning slyly.
To her delighted surprised, he stuck out his tongue, and crossed his piercing eyes. "Oh, *that's* mature," Chloe announced while stifling a laugh.
"Nobody said I wasn't immature."
She patted his head playfully then began to talk about school. (Or maybe she was discussing her cousin; he kind of zoned out the details, focusing instead on her voice.) There was something about the way she spoke that drove him absolutely crazy in the best way possible; it could have been her gesticulations, her dry sense of humor, her opinions...whatever it was, every time she opened her mouth to say something, he wanted to kiss her. (And she talked constantly.)
"Lex?" he heard her begin after a while.
"Hmm?" he asked absently.
"Lex," she repeated, a bit more forcefully, though she sounded amused.
"Mmm..."
"LEX!" she finally shouted. Several patrons turned, but didn't really acknowledge them.
"WHAT?" he yelped, bouncing once in his chair to avoid spilling his coffee in surprise.
When she grinned, her eyes twinkling, he prepared himself for a teasing remark. "Nothing, I just wanted to get your attention."
She drove him up the wall, but that was why he liked her as much as he did; she was never boring, she kept him on his toes, she was extremely charming. "Now that you *have* my undivided attention..." he began, smirking. The fingers of his free hand brushed hers lightly.
He was unprepared for what she said next, though he usually was. "You're admitting that I didn't have your attention before?"
His mouth opened and closed several times before he could think of a reply that wasn't totally pathetic. "I have no idea what to say to you, Chloe." He punctuated this with a smirk, and she squeezed his hand gently.
"Well, good, since I have no intention of letting you get a word in edgewise..." She laughed in a self-deprecating fashion, and he completely fell for her that second. He'd certainly had feelings for her before (otherwise he wouldn't have dreamed of enduring Starbucks just to be around her) but he was beginning to realize that he loved her.
******