Tainted Love series, Story 2: Torn , Conclusion

[xtremeroswellia]

Torn (Part Three)

For a long moment, Clark was sure she was going to slam the window shut in his face. He gazed at her intently and she didn’t look away. Then she slowly stepped back away from the window, reluctance in her expression. She didn’t want him there.

He swallowed hard, trying to absorb that realization as he climbed in through her bedroom window, careful not to break it.

Chloe folded her arms across her chest, keeping a wary eye on him. “So what brings us to this reversed Dawson and Joey moment?” Her voice was clipped--an attempt to be funny without really meaning it.

“About what happened in Metropolis…” He took a step toward her.

“I know. You weren’t yourself.” She gazed at him with a steely look in her eyes.

He dropped his head and stared at her bedroom floor for a long moment. “You have no idea how much I wanted to tell you.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you were just dying to tell me your secret, Clark,” she said with bitter sarcasm.

“Do you think I like having to keep this from everyone?” He shook his head, looking at her in disbelief.

“No, of course not. But I think on the list of people you’d want to tell, I’m probably pretty far down there.” There was more than just anger in her voice and eyes. Somewhere beyond the lashing out there was also hurt. She waited, hoping against hope that he would deny it, that he would tell her she was the first one he wanted to know the truth. But she was too much of a realist to believe he would ever say that.

“Chloe, you’re my friend,” he whispered.

“Am I?” Tears stung her eyes and she turned away so he couldn’t see. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her cry. “Because correct me if I’m wrong, Clark, but this is far from the only thing you haven’t been honest with me about.”

Lana.

Clark closed his eyes, swallowing hard. “I never meant to hurt you, Chloe.”

She felt her throat tighten at the regret in his voice, and she closed her eyes. “No. You never do.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want your apologies, Clark.” I want you to love me. A tear slipped down her cheek. “It’s not enough this time.”

The breath caught in his throat. “What are you saying?”

Feeling ill, she wrapped her arms around herself, still turned away from him. “I want you to go.”

Clark closed his eyes. “Chloe…”

“Just go. Please. And don’t come back.” Her words were so quiet that if he hadn’t had super-hearing, he never would have heard them.

His chest ached and he rubbed it without thinking about it. “So that’s it? We’re not friends anymore?”

She gave a short, humorless laugh. “I’m not sure we ever were.”

Stunned by her words, Clark slowly moved toward the window. “Chloe, you can’t tell anyone,” he said softly, pleading.

What was left of her heart crumbled at that soft plea. “I never would.” She bit down hard on her lip in an attempt to keep the sobs she felt coming on at bay.

Another tear slipped down her cheek. And when she turned to face him once more, he was already gone.

He showed me what it was to cry