Safe and Sound (Part Three)
Apr. 11th, 2006 09:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xtremeroswelliaPrologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen | Seventeen and Epilogue
Safe and Sound (Chapter Three)
There’s beauty in release
There’s no one left to please
It’s you and me
By the time Chloe got back to the dorm room she and Lana shared, it was nearly ten that night. While part of her was still crushed that she hadn’t gotten the internship at the Planet, she had to admit that spending the entire day with a cute senior guy who just happened to be the editor of the university newspaper had been uplifting, to say the least. Not to mention he seemed to really like her.
She couldn’t say that the feeling wasn’t mutual.
Unlocking the door to her room, Chloe tensed a bit involuntarily, wondering if she’d find her two best friends still curled up in bed together. God, she hoped not.
Luckily for her, the first thing she spotted was Lana sitting cross-legged on her bed studying the astronomy book in her lap. “Hey, Chloe.” She immediately shut the book, looking at her in concern. “You’ve been gone all day. How are you?”
A faint smile touched her lips. “I’m all right.” She dropped her stuff on the bed, raising her eyebrows at the bundle of flowers on the dresser. “Clark’s certainly been romantic lately, hasn’t he?”
Lana followed her gaze. “Actually, those aren’t for me.”
Chloe looked at her curiously.
“They came for you about an hour ago.”
“For me?” She wouldn’t have been more surprised if Lana had announced that she, too, was an alien from Krypton. She moved over to the dresser and sniffed the flowers, reaching out and pulling the card off its clip.
“I’ve been dying to see who they’re from,” Lana admitted, following her with a grin.
Chloe smiled, still confused until she opened the little envelope. “To my newest star reporter. Welcome to the Met. U. Daily. Marty.”
“Marty?” Her friend raised an eyebrow and Chloe couldn’t help but grin despite the faint blush that had risen to her cheeks.
Chloe moved the flowers to a vase that was on her desk, setting the card beneath her keyboard. “Yeah, he’s…I just met him a couple days ago. He’s the editor of the paper on campus.”
Lana grinned widely and plopped down on Chloe’s bed. “Spill. I wanna know everything.”
“Well, he’s tall and…really cute.” She bit her lower lip, sitting down beside her on the bed. “And he’s really sweet. He made me coffee.”
She giggled. “Well, that’ll do it. He must really like you if he’s sending you flowers already.”
“I don’t think it’s like that.” Chloe shook her head, refusing to get her hopes up too high. “I think he mostly feels sorry for me because I didn’t get the internship at the Daily Planet.”
“I seriously doubt that, Chloe.” Lana looked at her seriously. “You’re beautiful, and really smart and fun to be around. What guy wouldn’t want to be with you?”
There was a moment of awkward silence between them.
Chloe let out a breath. “Well, at least I’ll still be writing. So that’s a definite plus.”
“Well, that’s great. I’m really happy for you.” Lana hugged her.
“Lana, about earlier…I’m really sorry I was such a b*tch.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. Really. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Chloe smiled faintly and watched Lana head back over to her own bed. “I hope I didn’t ruin your afternoon with Clark.”
“No.” Lana smiled at her as she picked up the astronomy book once more. “He needed to get home to do some chores, though, so he left awhile ago. He wanted you to call him when you got in. He was really worried.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.” She nodded slightly.
“I think I’m gonna take a shower before I try to finish reading this chapter. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Okay.” Chloe watched her gather her bath things and leave the room, heading down the hall toward the bathroom. Her gaze drifted to her cell phone, and she somewhat reluctantly picked it up and hit the speed dial.
“Chloe! Hey!” Clark said less than half a ring later. “How are you?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m fine, Clark. Lana said you wanted me to call.”
“Yeah, I was--”
“Worried. I know. She told me. But I’m okay.”
“It’s just, I know how bad you wanted--”
“I did, yeah. But I just joined the Met. U. Daily staff, so, not all hope is gone.”
“Of course it’s not,” he said softly.
“Sorry I spoiled your afternoon with Lana,” she said somewhat tensely.
“You didn’t,” Clark said quickly. “We were just watching a movie together. No big deal.”
“Still, must be a pain to have me around all the time when you’re trying to be alone with your girlfriend.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Chloe, I don’t feel that way at all.”
She drew in a breath and closed her eyes, wishing she could believe him.
“Besides, it was your room first.”
Not exactly the reassurance she’d unknowingly been looking for. “Yeah,” she said, dejected. “Hey, I should go so I can get some homework done. And I’m sure you have a lot of chores to do.”
As if he sensed the abrupt change of her mood, he asked, “Do you want me to come back up there? We could get some coffee, talk?”
“No. I’m all right. Besides, it’d be kind of hard to explain to Lana how you got back here so quickly.”
He sighed softly. “Chloe…”
“What?”
“Nothing. All right, well, have a good night. If you wanna talk, call me.”
“Will do. Goodnight, Clark.” She slowly hung up the phone, closing her eyes. So much for being in a better mood.
* * *
There was a knock on the door shortly after nine the next morning. With a sigh, she glanced at Lana, who looked surprised even though it was likely Clark, although he generally didn’t spring over this early. Neither she nor Lana were exactly known for being morning people, and they hadn’t been awake that long.
Shrugging, Chloe brushed some hair out of her face and walked to the door, her eyes widening when she saw Marty standing there with a huge smile. “Hi.”
“Hey, beautiful. I know it’s early, but…I wondered if maybe you wanted to grab some coffee and breakfast with me before the Den stops serving it?” he asked hopefully.
For a moment, she truly didn’t know what to say. She was still shocked at the fact he was on her doorstep, not to mention the fact he’d called her beautiful. She couldn’t remember the last guy who’d paid her such a compliment for no apparent reason. And Chloe knew she wasn’t a raving beauty--she hadn’t even put on any makeup yet and she was still in a wrinkled shirt and jeans. She’d been planning to do some laundry and maybe a bit of cleaning before her afternoon classes. “Oh, uh…”
Marty pulled a single rose out from behind his back. “This is for you,” he said softly.
A genuine smile graced her lips and she reached out and took the flower for him, wincing a bit when one of the thorns pricked her finger and drew a tiny drop of blood. “Um, come on in.” Feeling nervous, she took a step back to let him inside the room. “This is my roommate, Lana Lang. Lana, this is Marty Adams.”
“Nice to meet you,” Lana said with a smile.
Marty smiled briefly at Lana, but instead of admiring her, turned his attention immediately back to Chloe, which she noticed because she’d watched him closely when making the introduction. Could it be that there was actually a guy on the planet who liked her instead of Lana?
“So what do you say? Breakfast and coffee? My treat,” he said again, looking hopeful.
She glanced down at her clothes. “I should at least change.”
“Why? You look amazing.” His eyes were full of warmth and though she didn’t realize it right then, a sliver of warmth made its way into her heart, a place previously reserved for only one person--a certain Kansas farm boy.
“I’d love to have breakfast with you. Let me just grab my purse.” Chloe smiled brightly and moved over to her bed, glancing at Lana and raising her eyebrows as if to say ‘what do you think?’
Lana grinned and winked at her before inconspicuously giving her the thumbs up.
Her grin brightened a bit more and she almost squealed. She quickly grabbed her purse and took the arm Marty had offered her, letting him escort her out of the room.
* * *
“So where’s Chloe?” Clark asked, glancing around the room almost an hour later.
“Oh, uh…she…had a date.” Lana smiled and tucked her astronomy book away.
Turning toward her with raised eyebrows, he repeated her words. “She had a date?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, leaning against her desk.
“At ten in the morning?”
“Nine, actually.”
Clark stared at her in disbelief, unable to speak.
“Don’t look so surprised, Clark,” she chided, shaking her head. “It was only a matter of time before some guy realized how great she is.”
“Well, yeah, it’s just…” He scratched his head. “It’s kinda sudden, isn’t it?”
Lana shrugged a bit. “He’s the editor of the campus paper. They have a lot in common.” She glanced across the room to where the flowers were set in a vase on her friend’s desk.
He followed her gaze, his eyebrows furrowing. “How long has she known this guy?”
“A couple days.” She shrugged a bit.
“He moves awfully fast,” he commented, a hint of worry in his voice.
“Or he’s just a romantic,” Lana replied, giving him a look.
“Maybe.” There was more than a bit of doubt in his tone.
“It’s good for her, Clark. She needs to get out more, do something besides stay cooped up…” She gestured to Chloe’s ‘wall of weird.’ “Doing that.”
Drawing in a breath, he forced a smile. “I’m sure you’re right.” But he wasn’t nearly as convinced as he sounded.
Safe and Sound (Chapter Three)
There’s beauty in release
There’s no one left to please
It’s you and me
By the time Chloe got back to the dorm room she and Lana shared, it was nearly ten that night. While part of her was still crushed that she hadn’t gotten the internship at the Planet, she had to admit that spending the entire day with a cute senior guy who just happened to be the editor of the university newspaper had been uplifting, to say the least. Not to mention he seemed to really like her.
She couldn’t say that the feeling wasn’t mutual.
Unlocking the door to her room, Chloe tensed a bit involuntarily, wondering if she’d find her two best friends still curled up in bed together. God, she hoped not.
Luckily for her, the first thing she spotted was Lana sitting cross-legged on her bed studying the astronomy book in her lap. “Hey, Chloe.” She immediately shut the book, looking at her in concern. “You’ve been gone all day. How are you?”
A faint smile touched her lips. “I’m all right.” She dropped her stuff on the bed, raising her eyebrows at the bundle of flowers on the dresser. “Clark’s certainly been romantic lately, hasn’t he?”
Lana followed her gaze. “Actually, those aren’t for me.”
Chloe looked at her curiously.
“They came for you about an hour ago.”
“For me?” She wouldn’t have been more surprised if Lana had announced that she, too, was an alien from Krypton. She moved over to the dresser and sniffed the flowers, reaching out and pulling the card off its clip.
“I’ve been dying to see who they’re from,” Lana admitted, following her with a grin.
Chloe smiled, still confused until she opened the little envelope. “To my newest star reporter. Welcome to the Met. U. Daily. Marty.”
“Marty?” Her friend raised an eyebrow and Chloe couldn’t help but grin despite the faint blush that had risen to her cheeks.
Chloe moved the flowers to a vase that was on her desk, setting the card beneath her keyboard. “Yeah, he’s…I just met him a couple days ago. He’s the editor of the paper on campus.”
Lana grinned widely and plopped down on Chloe’s bed. “Spill. I wanna know everything.”
“Well, he’s tall and…really cute.” She bit her lower lip, sitting down beside her on the bed. “And he’s really sweet. He made me coffee.”
She giggled. “Well, that’ll do it. He must really like you if he’s sending you flowers already.”
“I don’t think it’s like that.” Chloe shook her head, refusing to get her hopes up too high. “I think he mostly feels sorry for me because I didn’t get the internship at the Daily Planet.”
“I seriously doubt that, Chloe.” Lana looked at her seriously. “You’re beautiful, and really smart and fun to be around. What guy wouldn’t want to be with you?”
There was a moment of awkward silence between them.
Chloe let out a breath. “Well, at least I’ll still be writing. So that’s a definite plus.”
“Well, that’s great. I’m really happy for you.” Lana hugged her.
“Lana, about earlier…I’m really sorry I was such a b*tch.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. Really. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Chloe smiled faintly and watched Lana head back over to her own bed. “I hope I didn’t ruin your afternoon with Clark.”
“No.” Lana smiled at her as she picked up the astronomy book once more. “He needed to get home to do some chores, though, so he left awhile ago. He wanted you to call him when you got in. He was really worried.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.” She nodded slightly.
“I think I’m gonna take a shower before I try to finish reading this chapter. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Okay.” Chloe watched her gather her bath things and leave the room, heading down the hall toward the bathroom. Her gaze drifted to her cell phone, and she somewhat reluctantly picked it up and hit the speed dial.
“Chloe! Hey!” Clark said less than half a ring later. “How are you?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m fine, Clark. Lana said you wanted me to call.”
“Yeah, I was--”
“Worried. I know. She told me. But I’m okay.”
“It’s just, I know how bad you wanted--”
“I did, yeah. But I just joined the Met. U. Daily staff, so, not all hope is gone.”
“Of course it’s not,” he said softly.
“Sorry I spoiled your afternoon with Lana,” she said somewhat tensely.
“You didn’t,” Clark said quickly. “We were just watching a movie together. No big deal.”
“Still, must be a pain to have me around all the time when you’re trying to be alone with your girlfriend.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Chloe, I don’t feel that way at all.”
She drew in a breath and closed her eyes, wishing she could believe him.
“Besides, it was your room first.”
Not exactly the reassurance she’d unknowingly been looking for. “Yeah,” she said, dejected. “Hey, I should go so I can get some homework done. And I’m sure you have a lot of chores to do.”
As if he sensed the abrupt change of her mood, he asked, “Do you want me to come back up there? We could get some coffee, talk?”
“No. I’m all right. Besides, it’d be kind of hard to explain to Lana how you got back here so quickly.”
He sighed softly. “Chloe…”
“What?”
“Nothing. All right, well, have a good night. If you wanna talk, call me.”
“Will do. Goodnight, Clark.” She slowly hung up the phone, closing her eyes. So much for being in a better mood.
* * *
There was a knock on the door shortly after nine the next morning. With a sigh, she glanced at Lana, who looked surprised even though it was likely Clark, although he generally didn’t spring over this early. Neither she nor Lana were exactly known for being morning people, and they hadn’t been awake that long.
Shrugging, Chloe brushed some hair out of her face and walked to the door, her eyes widening when she saw Marty standing there with a huge smile. “Hi.”
“Hey, beautiful. I know it’s early, but…I wondered if maybe you wanted to grab some coffee and breakfast with me before the Den stops serving it?” he asked hopefully.
For a moment, she truly didn’t know what to say. She was still shocked at the fact he was on her doorstep, not to mention the fact he’d called her beautiful. She couldn’t remember the last guy who’d paid her such a compliment for no apparent reason. And Chloe knew she wasn’t a raving beauty--she hadn’t even put on any makeup yet and she was still in a wrinkled shirt and jeans. She’d been planning to do some laundry and maybe a bit of cleaning before her afternoon classes. “Oh, uh…”
Marty pulled a single rose out from behind his back. “This is for you,” he said softly.
A genuine smile graced her lips and she reached out and took the flower for him, wincing a bit when one of the thorns pricked her finger and drew a tiny drop of blood. “Um, come on in.” Feeling nervous, she took a step back to let him inside the room. “This is my roommate, Lana Lang. Lana, this is Marty Adams.”
“Nice to meet you,” Lana said with a smile.
Marty smiled briefly at Lana, but instead of admiring her, turned his attention immediately back to Chloe, which she noticed because she’d watched him closely when making the introduction. Could it be that there was actually a guy on the planet who liked her instead of Lana?
“So what do you say? Breakfast and coffee? My treat,” he said again, looking hopeful.
She glanced down at her clothes. “I should at least change.”
“Why? You look amazing.” His eyes were full of warmth and though she didn’t realize it right then, a sliver of warmth made its way into her heart, a place previously reserved for only one person--a certain Kansas farm boy.
“I’d love to have breakfast with you. Let me just grab my purse.” Chloe smiled brightly and moved over to her bed, glancing at Lana and raising her eyebrows as if to say ‘what do you think?’
Lana grinned and winked at her before inconspicuously giving her the thumbs up.
Her grin brightened a bit more and she almost squealed. She quickly grabbed her purse and took the arm Marty had offered her, letting him escort her out of the room.
* * *
“So where’s Chloe?” Clark asked, glancing around the room almost an hour later.
“Oh, uh…she…had a date.” Lana smiled and tucked her astronomy book away.
Turning toward her with raised eyebrows, he repeated her words. “She had a date?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, leaning against her desk.
“At ten in the morning?”
“Nine, actually.”
Clark stared at her in disbelief, unable to speak.
“Don’t look so surprised, Clark,” she chided, shaking her head. “It was only a matter of time before some guy realized how great she is.”
“Well, yeah, it’s just…” He scratched his head. “It’s kinda sudden, isn’t it?”
Lana shrugged a bit. “He’s the editor of the campus paper. They have a lot in common.” She glanced across the room to where the flowers were set in a vase on her friend’s desk.
He followed her gaze, his eyebrows furrowing. “How long has she known this guy?”
“A couple days.” She shrugged a bit.
“He moves awfully fast,” he commented, a hint of worry in his voice.
“Or he’s just a romantic,” Lana replied, giving him a look.
“Maybe.” There was more than a bit of doubt in his tone.
“It’s good for her, Clark. She needs to get out more, do something besides stay cooped up…” She gestured to Chloe’s ‘wall of weird.’ “Doing that.”
Drawing in a breath, he forced a smile. “I’m sure you’re right.” But he wasn’t nearly as convinced as he sounded.
