The Longer You Run (22/28)
Author: serafina19
Title: The Longer You Run
Summary: On the surface, the only thing that tied together Chloe Sullivan and Oliver Queen was a story. But behind closed doors was an accidental relationship that unintentionally changed everything.
Rating: NC-17
Warning: adult content, coarse language, AU.
Thanks to: aradira for the fabulous banner.
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20
Chapter 21
The whole walk over, it was hard for Chloe to focus, something Matt had to have noticed as he started telling her about his move to California. He mentioned his mother once, a word that got Chloe to swallow hard, but thankfully, Matt was facing the other direction at the time. However, the more she walked, the more Chloe wondered how bad facing Clark and Lois would really be at this time. Staying in Star City, mere blocks from Oliver, didn’t sound like a much better idea than getting a sugar-coated version of the talk from Lois.
You should have told me.
Maybe she should have, Chloe wasn’t entirely sure about that right now. Her head felt pretty cloudy, so the silver lining she took from Matt finding her was that she could catch up on the new stage of his life. She hadn’t heard much from her friend since his trip to Metropolis, so she was looking forward to have something to take her mind off her problems, providing some optimism on a day that desperately needed it.
Matt wasn’t a fool though, he could see the pain she was trying to hide. However, that didn’t stop him from smiling at her when he opened the door to his new place. He hadn’t been in California for too long, so the furniture was still in progress, but it was coming along. It seemed awfully empty, but Matt actually liked it this way, as he wasn’t the biggest fan of the rich and famous lifestyle.
Anyone who knew Matt well enough knew that he actually felt more at home in his dorm than he did in the penthouse. Matt loved tight spaces, as it fit the tightened expectations that were placed on him from day one. It also allowed for less clutter, allowing him to focus on what mattered.
Of course, it was hard to say no to a penthouse with rooftop access. He couldn’t argue with the view, and based on her reaction as she walked towards the window, Chloe didn’t mind it either.
“Quite the place,” she said, dropping her purse on the floor. One thing was for sure, it had Matt written all over it. No over-the-top paintings or sculptures, just a penthouse that looked as simple as it could. His office across from them looked to be the only area that was finished, a relatively small room covered in wood furniture with files all over the place. “I can see you’re as focused on the magazine as you always were.”
Matt scratched the back of his neck. “What can I say? Considering my luck in my social life, I concentrate on what hasn’t let me down.”
“I think you’re underestimating your skills.” Chloe looked over her shoulder to smile at him before adding, “It’s hard getting back into the dating world after a long relationship and unlike most guys... you have standards.”
“I guess,” Matt replied, matching her smile. “You still take your coffee the same, right? I mean, I’m not sure how to do that with this fancy schmancy bar code machine that actually makes me miss my old coffee pot but -”
“No coffee, thanks.”
Upon hearing her interjection, Matt turned on his heel to face Chloe again. “Okay, what is going on with you?”
“Nothing.” Chloe tried to hide it through a shrug, but she could tell that Matt wasn’t buying it.
“I may be new in town, but I saw which building you left. I tried avoiding the subject, but then you refused coffee.” Matt exhaled loudly as he saw his friend’s expression sour by the second. “Chloe, it’s not that hard to put two-and-two together and I don’t want you to hide it from me.”
Chloe swallowed hard, knowing that he didn’t know the whole story. But he was also right. She had held it in long enough. Collapsing on his couch, Chloe stared down at her lap. “Matt, my mom...”
When her voice trailed, Matt froze as the blanks filled in his head. “Chloe, I....I didn’t realize.” This whole time he thought he knew what was going on, but he wasn’t even close. It alluded to a different reason why she was in Star City, but considering everything that had happened since he had met Chloe, it almost felt surreal. Moira Sullivan had survived to see so many moments that they used to joke about her being immortal, but the line had a bitter taste now.
After a moment of silence, Chloe felt Matt sit down next to her, but she didn’t move her gaze. “You know how you wished you were there when your mom died? Take it from me, you had it better.”
Matt’s mouth gaped open, as the story seemed to keep getting worse. “I’m so sorry,” he said, as words began to fail him as he stared at his friend, clearly broken inside.
“It shouldn’t hurt this much,” Chloe whispered, shutting her eyes as the floodgates officially opened. She hid her eyes with her hands, feeling Matt’s hand on her back, pulling her towards him.
“Chloe, you were by my side when I got the news.” Leaning forward, Matt tried to find her eyes before he added, “You know that my mother’s death crushed me and she had a deadline too. Only she beat it by three months.”
Chloe swallowed hard, remembering that night all too well. His reaction on the phone, the way his body collapsed against the wall. His mom was all he had family-wise, and instead of being there when time was up, he was in another state.
He recovered well, as Matt was always the professional. It was something Chloe could use a dose of right now, as she thought she could keep herself together, but instead, she kept making one wrong move after another.
“When it happened, I was able to say goodbye,” Chloe said, grateful that Matt couldn't recognize the significance of those words. For even though she didn’t use Oliver’s answer to that question in the article, she never forgot the accuracy of the sentiment. “I said it, but I didn’t want to believe it.”
Matt nodded, bringing his arm back as he heard the strength come back to her voice. “That explains why your first thought to deal with your mother’s death involved a one-way ticket to Star City.” Chloe always wanted to help people, it was her default setting even when she was inches from breaking herself.
"Trust me,” Chloe said with a scoff, “had I known you lived here, you would have been my first call."
His mouth opening, Matt deliberated calling Chloe on her lie. He didn’t want to bring up Oliver, but it was an obvious elephant in the room and he couldn’t ignore it forever. "Except then, you would have been in Chicago, freezing outside of my building." Seeing her reaction, Matt reached for her hand, taking it in his. “You didn’t come here because you wanted to forget, you did it because he would understand. Or at least, I figured that he would have understood.”
“He did,” Chloe immediately whispered, because after walking away from her mother’s bed, the only voice she could hear was Oliver’s. She must have sat in her car for ten minutes before putting her keys in the ignition, finding the strength to finally drive. But before she had a chance to go anywhere, Hal’s call came in.
The rest was history Chloe didn’t want to remember, bringing her out of her thoughts to speak again. “More accurately, he does. That’s not the problem.”
“Don’t lie to me, Chloe. Not about this.” Finally seeing her lift her head, Matt pursed his lips as he squeezed her hand tighter. “I saw you wiping tears and I know you too well to ignore that there’s more to this.”
“I’m the one who screwed up.” Closing her eyes, the final expression Oliver gave her was front and centre, which was only a little easier to bear than opening her eyes, reminding herself of the emptiness she felt. “I thought I had everything under control, but today... I said some things that I really want to take back.”
“I think he’ll understand that you’re hurting right now.” Trying a smile, Matt was hoping some optimism would lift his friend’s spirits. “Maybe after a good night’s sleep you can talk things over.”
Unfortunately, Matt’s efforts did little to sway Chloe, who knew that too much had changed between her and Oliver. “Saying sorry doesn’t solve the problems that we have.”
“Like what?” When that question gave him silence, Matt nudged his shoulder against hers. “C’mon Chloe, talk to me.”
“About what?”
“Oliver, your mother… anything.” Matt sighed as he realized that he was fighting a losing battle. “I remember that look on your face and I refuse to let you go back to how you were after Jimmy. Or worse.”
Chloe pursed her lips as she covered his hand with her other hand. “Matt, I’ll be fine... and you don’t owe me anything.”
“On the contrary, I think I’ve owed you this favour for awhile now.” He watched as Chloe opened her mouth, but Matt shook his head, stopping her from speaking. “The least I can do is try and return it... starting with that coffee.”
“Fine.”
“Good,” Matt replied with a smile, standing up so he could head to the kitchen. “While I’m handling that, you might as well unpack your stuff because you are staying here for the next couple of days. Down that hallway, second door on your left is a spare bedroom you could use and you’ll head back to Metropolis to plan the funeral when your head’s in a better place.”
“Matt, I can’t -”
“Sure you can. We’ll get ice cream and watch some bad movies, or we’ll sit on the roof and yell our lungs off... whatever you need. Just let me do this Chloe, please.”
Chloe chuckled as she finally lifted herself from the couch, walking over to the place she had left her purse. She seriously considered walking out on him, but Chloe knew that she could use a friend right now and there was no point running from his help. “Thank you.”
“Better,” Matt said, his grin widening as Chloe finally let herself smile before turning her back to him. It wasn’t much, but it was progress he would take. He made sure she was in the bedroom before pulling out his phone, hovering his finger over a familiar number he hadn’t dialled in a long time.
Chloe probably wouldn’t approve of him doing this, but there were two people she hadn’t mentioned in their entire talk, leading Matt to think that Clark and Lois had no idea where Chloe was. The least he could give his friends was a little peace of mind.
Sure enough, it took a grand total of one ring for Clark to pick up. “Hey man,” Matt said, “it’s... been a long time.”
“Matt,” Clark practically exclaimed, anxiety apparent in his voice. “Has Chloe called you?”
“She’s safe Clark,” Matt replied, cutting to the chase as his suspicions had been confirmed. “She’s with me.”
“Chloe’s in Chicago?”
Matt silently chuckled, realizing that he had done a pretty bad job of informing his friends of his impending move. “No, in Star City.” Looking down the hallway, Matt frowned slightly as he figured that she’d come back to the kitchen to retrieve the coffee cup that was cooling down on the counter. “Sometimes, the world’s smaller than you think.”
“Why was she in Star City?”
“C’mon, we both know the answer to that.” Within that lay the problem of her mood, as Matt wasn’t sure what to attribute to her mother’s passing and what to attribute to her problem with Oliver. “I don’t have the whole story but...I told her she could crash here for a few days.”
“Whatever she wants,” Clark replied, feeling helpless in this situation. The fact that she hadn’t called spoke volumes, but at least Chloe wasn’t alone. “Lois and I will handle the rest.”
“Thanks Clark.”
~0~
Well, it felt less like a bad idea now, Chloe thought as she unpacked what little clothing she brought with her to Star City. Matt had always been a great friend to her, and now was no exception. There was also the fact that he seemed fine with the cliff notes of everything, which Chloe greatly appreciated at this time.
However, there was one thing Matt said that stuck with her.
She was vulnerable right now, looking for a sign of comfort and out of everyone, she had picked Oliver. It was for so many reasons, but she had grown to genuinely respect him, to care about what he thought to bring her back to being okay. He always had faith in her, no matter what.
To be honest, Chloe had no idea what came over her at his place. They both knew that the friends label didn’t fit them and they had come too far to be just benefits, which left one very unfortunate conclusion that they likely both knew. She had seen it in his eyes when he left Metropolis and she heard it in her voice today when she realized it was mutual. However, that was also why she couldn't stay there another minute because she didn’t trust herself while she was like this.
Looking at her phone, she thought about calling to apologize, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. He had jobs to save and a company to run . Plus, she couldn’t help but feel a little guilty inside. After all, if not for her, he maybe would have noticed the siphoned funds and Queen Industries wouldn’t be in this situation.
He would get through this, Chloe knew that much for sure, but that also reminded her that his life was just starting and this was no time to get mushy. Besides, she couldn't shake the feeling that all this was just a mask for the pain she felt inside. They kept being pulled back into each other’s lives when tragedy struck, and that wasn’t how a relationship worked.
When everything went back to normal.... would it be the same? Would he look at her the same way, or were they just each other's way of finding their feet and pressing forward?
Chloe honestly had no idea, but considering her history, this story never had a happy ending. As much as Chloe hated to admit it, it was probably better to cut their losses now. Hearing Matt knock on the door, she dropped her phone and walked away. It was for the best, she told herself.
It had to be.
~0~
It had been a long day for Lois, and not because of the usual suspects. Work had been left by the way-side, as the news of her aunt's passing took precedence. She had dropped everything to be there for Chloe, but her cousin was nowhere to be found. Not at the care home, not at her apartment, and she wasn't answering her phone.
Hearing the knock on the door, Lois charged over towards the sound, partially hoping it was Chloe, but knowing it was going to be her boyfriend, who she had just buzzed up.
Fortunately for Lois, he recognized the stress on her face and said, "She's fine, Lois. Matt just called me and said that she's going to stay with him for a few days."
Smiling Lois felt her blood pressure go down a little. "That's good. I mean, I wasn't expecting her to run off, but after how she helped him, it makes sense." Grabbing her phone, she was about to text Chloe, tell her that she could come home when she was ready, but Clark covered her hand before she had a chance to type anything. Confused, Lois glanced up, but noticed his expression wasn't much help. "What?"
"Chloe's... not in Chicago."
"Even better," Lois replied, stepping back so that she could retrieve her purse from the couch. "What hotel is he staying at? I'm sure that -"
Clark stopped her words when he took hold of her arm to keep her from leaving the apartment. "Lois, they're not here either. They're at his brand-new penthouse suite... in Star City."
Her mouth gaped open, realizing everything that must have transpired. "Tell me that doesn't mean what I think it does."
"Matt all but confirmed it," Clark said with a shrug, as he couldn't give his girlfriend much more than that.
"Of course." Lois scoffed as she moved to sit down on the couch, her phone still clutched in her hands. "Of all days."
"Lois."
Hearing the tone of her boyfriend's voice, Lois sighed. "I know, I know." It wasn't right to feel frustrated about Chloe's personal life after something like this, however, those words had to be said. She couldn't not have a reaction to that. "Just let me be mad for a few seconds, okay?"
Clark wasn't about to deny her anything, so he nodded, knowing that Lois would pull what she needed together by the time Chloe got home. At the end of the day, they owed Chloe enough to wait and hear her side before jumping to conclusions.
"How are you doing though?" Clark asked, because Chloe wasn't the only one who lost a family member today.
"Fine." Lois wanted to feel worse, but she didn't visit her aunt Moira much after the accident. She was a lifesaver after Lois' mother passed away years ago, but for Lois, it was too hard to watch another family member in a hospital bed. "This hits Chloe ten times harder than me."
"We'll be here for her." Leaning against Lois, Clark placed his hand against her back. "And I'm here for you Lois, know that."
"I do, and I love you for that, but -" Lois’ words quickly stopped as her phone vibrated, her eyes widening as she noticed who was calling. "But right now, I need to answer this call." After clearing her throat, she said into her phone, “Where the heck have you been?”
Hearing her greeting, Clark grinned slightly and gave his girlfriend some distance to allow her to have her moment of chewing up Chloe for taking off.
“How about I start handling the funeral stuff for you?” she had asked, leading to Clark turning back around. Lois gave him a quick shrug before her game face re-appeared. “No I don’t have to, but after everything, I think it’s best you rest for awhile. So take care of yourself for once, cuz, I got this.” After a nod, Lois smiled slightly. “Say hi to Matt for me, will you? I’ll see you in a couple of days… love you too.”
As Lois hung up her phone, Clark walked back over to her, taking a seat on the coffee table across from her. “How does she sound?”
“Terrible,” Lois responded, knowing that Chloe was hiding a lot of the hurt she was experiencing, but it wasn’t the time to push that matter. For once, Chloe was going to listen to Lois and she had no intention of letting her down, so she stood up from the couch. “But sitting here isn’t going to accomplish anything. C’mon Smallville, we’ve got a funeral to plan.”
~0~
As the car pulled up to a stop, Chloe began to wonder how it had only been two days since she had left the Star City airport. Matt had done his best, and for the most part, it did help, but that didn’t change the facts of her life, the problems that she had avoided and caused.
“Are you sure that I can’t do anything more?”
Chloe shook her head. “I’ve overstayed your hospitality already.” Not the best way to say no, something that Matt would pick up on, so she added, “Plus, I’m feeling a lot better.”
Taking the hint, Matt opened his door to get out of the car. “By the way, I called Clark, let him know that you’ll be coming back tonight. I hope that’s okay.”
“Yeah it is, but thanks for letting me know.” If nothing else, it would lessen the blow she got from him and Lois when she got back to Metropolis. However, Chloe realized that she wanted to end this trip on something other than her problems. “You know I don’t think I’ve even asked you when you expect your headquarters to open up.”
“In about a month. The offices are still being built, but I should be starting to move things in soon.”
“That’s great,” Chloe replied, ducking her head as she pulled her bag from the back seat.
“Yeah, it is. Although to be honest, I always thought that if I was going to set up another headquarters, it was going to be in Metropolis.” Shaking his head, Matt was reminded of his plans to move to Kansas last year, along with the bitter reminder that stopped him. “I figured you would come aboard if the distance wasn’t a factor. I also thought...” After a scoff, Matt knew that this was far from the best time to rehash old memories, but he had to ask, “I wasn’t crazy back then, was I? If timing had been different...”
“There... might have been something? I think so.” But Chloe could easily admit to him that had changed. There was a reason she could stay with him after this. She had accepted who he was to her, but to her surprise, it appeared he had held onto her more than she thought.
“That’s what I thought. Too bad Jimmy happened, right?” He knew better now, he knew there was more to the reason they were never really more than friends, and if he had any guy to blame, it was the one she was currently running from.
Despite whatever transpired between them earlier this week, Matt couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky Oliver Queen was. Because the moment the two of them stopped fighting what was right in front of them, there was no way they were going to let go of each other again.
“Life happened,” Chloe countered, her eyes away from him as she slung her bag over her shoulder. “Life took us in different directions, but I like where we are.”
Matt agreed, smiling as he walked around the car to stand in front of Chloe. “That’s why I relocated here. Far enough west, different weather patterns... a chance to make my own mark you know.”
Chloe chuckled before looking back up at her friend. “I do, and I think you’ll do great here. I know your mother would be proud with everything you’ve done with the magazine.”
“Thank you,” Matt replied. “And sorry if this is too soon, but I know your mother is proud of you too. To be honest, I’m also kind of excited... because this is just the beginning for us professionally, but a chance to start again personally. We kind of lost touch last year and I want to remedy that. I know that you’re across the country, but don’t be a stranger this time because I’ll here for you, whenever and whatever you need.”
“Thanks Matt, really.” Chloe shook her head before adding, “I wish I could say more than that right now.”
Closing the distance between them, Matt hugged Chloe, his head leaning down to rest his chin on her shoulders. “It’s not needed, trust me.” After patting her back, Matt took a step away. “Have a safe flight home Chloe.”
~0~
Standing in front of the elevator, Hal knew that Oliver knew he was here. However, when he was like this, Hal knew it was best not to interrupt. At least he was some sense of calm, as work kept Hal from coming to Star City for a couple of days. Oliver was clearly still stressed, hence why the bow and arrow came out, but that was understandable.
He watched as Oliver released the string, not even flinching as he broke the silence. “Sorry for ducking your calls.”
Hal shrugged it off, knowing that things hadn't been great lately and Oliver was known to want some sense of distance. “Hey, at least you took Chloe’s.”
Bringing his arm to his side, Oliver realized that hearing her name was harder than he thought. Even after a few days, her visit was still fresh on his mind, especially after finding a sense of progress in his professional life.
“She actually flew all the way here... but I don’t even know if it was because of me.” Placing the bow down, Oliver couldn’t help but shake his head. “Her mom passed... and she didn’t want me to know.”
It was tough news to hear, however, Hal was stuck on the first part of what Oliver said. “Wait...where is she?” There was no sign of her shoes in the entryway, no sounds around them.
“She left and I... focused on figuring out what I needed to do to help Queen Industries.” Oliver didn't want to get into the details about how he had followed her downstairs, only to let her walk away from him. Hal had enough ammunition at this point, even if his next words related to business.
“You found a way?”
“Not completely, but I found the place to start.” After all, three days weren’t enough to fix the mess he was in. “S.T.A.R Labs goes back on hold but, if I’m lucky, the rest of the company should hold up.”
Standing next to Oliver, Hal said, “And now you want to call her.” It was clear on his face, oddly because of the differences. Hal had seen his friend go through business turmoil before, and this wasn’t the expression he wore.
That’s why Oliver didn’t even try to deny Hal’s last statement. “If she ever wants to talk to me again, then I’ll be there to listen. But something tells me we just said goodbye.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
After a sigh, Oliver turned to face Hal, ready to face this conversation. “Hal, come on. What was I -”
“Supposed to do? How about not letting her walk away? How about calling her?” Hal knew that Oliver was a lot of things, but he wasn't dense. He knew what Chloe's visit really meant. “She came here Oliver. She put her grief on hold because she wanted to be here for you. What more do you want? A neon sign?”
“It’s compli -”
“No, this is stupid and you know it,” Hal interjected. “Look, I’m not the best at the relationships, but I know a good thing for you when I see it, so I have to wonder when you’re going to screw the timing and man up?” He wanted an answer from Oliver, but it wasn’t to be, as his friend’s phone rang the moment he stopped speaking. “This conversation isn’t over.”
“Can’t wait,” Oliver muttered as he picked up his phone. “Hello?”
“Mr. Queen. Matt Wallace here.”
Oliver moved the phone from his ear, taking note of the unknown number on the screen. While he had looked forward to the call being a reprieve from the current conversation, something told him that wasn’t going to be the case. “How did you get this number?”
Matt chuckled as he watched Chloe disappear from his sight. “I stole it off Chloe Sullivan’s phone, and yeah, I know I’m probably overstepping my bounds here. But we both know that we need to talk.”
“Do we?”
Getting back into his car, Matt leaned back against his seat before closing his door. “You have questions that I have answers to, and frankly I have a few questions of my own.” With that, he hung up the phone, hoping Oliver would take the hint.
Chapter 22
Sera’s Scribbles: Okay, I want to re-phrase what I meant by so-so material. A lot of what transpires in last chapter was dependent on this one... which turned out completely different than I planned. Whether it’s written well or not... that I’ll leave up to you. Lately, I find that I'm not satisfied with these chapters until the day after I post it.
.
Title: The Longer You Run
Summary: On the surface, the only thing that tied together Chloe Sullivan and Oliver Queen was a story. But behind closed doors was an accidental relationship that unintentionally changed everything.
Rating: NC-17
Warning: adult content, coarse language, AU.
Thanks to: aradira for the fabulous banner.
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20
Chapter 21
The whole walk over, it was hard for Chloe to focus, something Matt had to have noticed as he started telling her about his move to California. He mentioned his mother once, a word that got Chloe to swallow hard, but thankfully, Matt was facing the other direction at the time. However, the more she walked, the more Chloe wondered how bad facing Clark and Lois would really be at this time. Staying in Star City, mere blocks from Oliver, didn’t sound like a much better idea than getting a sugar-coated version of the talk from Lois.
You should have told me.
Maybe she should have, Chloe wasn’t entirely sure about that right now. Her head felt pretty cloudy, so the silver lining she took from Matt finding her was that she could catch up on the new stage of his life. She hadn’t heard much from her friend since his trip to Metropolis, so she was looking forward to have something to take her mind off her problems, providing some optimism on a day that desperately needed it.
Matt wasn’t a fool though, he could see the pain she was trying to hide. However, that didn’t stop him from smiling at her when he opened the door to his new place. He hadn’t been in California for too long, so the furniture was still in progress, but it was coming along. It seemed awfully empty, but Matt actually liked it this way, as he wasn’t the biggest fan of the rich and famous lifestyle.
Anyone who knew Matt well enough knew that he actually felt more at home in his dorm than he did in the penthouse. Matt loved tight spaces, as it fit the tightened expectations that were placed on him from day one. It also allowed for less clutter, allowing him to focus on what mattered.
Of course, it was hard to say no to a penthouse with rooftop access. He couldn’t argue with the view, and based on her reaction as she walked towards the window, Chloe didn’t mind it either.
“Quite the place,” she said, dropping her purse on the floor. One thing was for sure, it had Matt written all over it. No over-the-top paintings or sculptures, just a penthouse that looked as simple as it could. His office across from them looked to be the only area that was finished, a relatively small room covered in wood furniture with files all over the place. “I can see you’re as focused on the magazine as you always were.”
Matt scratched the back of his neck. “What can I say? Considering my luck in my social life, I concentrate on what hasn’t let me down.”
“I think you’re underestimating your skills.” Chloe looked over her shoulder to smile at him before adding, “It’s hard getting back into the dating world after a long relationship and unlike most guys... you have standards.”
“I guess,” Matt replied, matching her smile. “You still take your coffee the same, right? I mean, I’m not sure how to do that with this fancy schmancy bar code machine that actually makes me miss my old coffee pot but -”
“No coffee, thanks.”
Upon hearing her interjection, Matt turned on his heel to face Chloe again. “Okay, what is going on with you?”
“Nothing.” Chloe tried to hide it through a shrug, but she could tell that Matt wasn’t buying it.
“I may be new in town, but I saw which building you left. I tried avoiding the subject, but then you refused coffee.” Matt exhaled loudly as he saw his friend’s expression sour by the second. “Chloe, it’s not that hard to put two-and-two together and I don’t want you to hide it from me.”
Chloe swallowed hard, knowing that he didn’t know the whole story. But he was also right. She had held it in long enough. Collapsing on his couch, Chloe stared down at her lap. “Matt, my mom...”
When her voice trailed, Matt froze as the blanks filled in his head. “Chloe, I....I didn’t realize.” This whole time he thought he knew what was going on, but he wasn’t even close. It alluded to a different reason why she was in Star City, but considering everything that had happened since he had met Chloe, it almost felt surreal. Moira Sullivan had survived to see so many moments that they used to joke about her being immortal, but the line had a bitter taste now.
After a moment of silence, Chloe felt Matt sit down next to her, but she didn’t move her gaze. “You know how you wished you were there when your mom died? Take it from me, you had it better.”
Matt’s mouth gaped open, as the story seemed to keep getting worse. “I’m so sorry,” he said, as words began to fail him as he stared at his friend, clearly broken inside.
“It shouldn’t hurt this much,” Chloe whispered, shutting her eyes as the floodgates officially opened. She hid her eyes with her hands, feeling Matt’s hand on her back, pulling her towards him.
“Chloe, you were by my side when I got the news.” Leaning forward, Matt tried to find her eyes before he added, “You know that my mother’s death crushed me and she had a deadline too. Only she beat it by three months.”
Chloe swallowed hard, remembering that night all too well. His reaction on the phone, the way his body collapsed against the wall. His mom was all he had family-wise, and instead of being there when time was up, he was in another state.
He recovered well, as Matt was always the professional. It was something Chloe could use a dose of right now, as she thought she could keep herself together, but instead, she kept making one wrong move after another.
“When it happened, I was able to say goodbye,” Chloe said, grateful that Matt couldn't recognize the significance of those words. For even though she didn’t use Oliver’s answer to that question in the article, she never forgot the accuracy of the sentiment. “I said it, but I didn’t want to believe it.”
Matt nodded, bringing his arm back as he heard the strength come back to her voice. “That explains why your first thought to deal with your mother’s death involved a one-way ticket to Star City.” Chloe always wanted to help people, it was her default setting even when she was inches from breaking herself.
"Trust me,” Chloe said with a scoff, “had I known you lived here, you would have been my first call."
His mouth opening, Matt deliberated calling Chloe on her lie. He didn’t want to bring up Oliver, but it was an obvious elephant in the room and he couldn’t ignore it forever. "Except then, you would have been in Chicago, freezing outside of my building." Seeing her reaction, Matt reached for her hand, taking it in his. “You didn’t come here because you wanted to forget, you did it because he would understand. Or at least, I figured that he would have understood.”
“He did,” Chloe immediately whispered, because after walking away from her mother’s bed, the only voice she could hear was Oliver’s. She must have sat in her car for ten minutes before putting her keys in the ignition, finding the strength to finally drive. But before she had a chance to go anywhere, Hal’s call came in.
The rest was history Chloe didn’t want to remember, bringing her out of her thoughts to speak again. “More accurately, he does. That’s not the problem.”
“Don’t lie to me, Chloe. Not about this.” Finally seeing her lift her head, Matt pursed his lips as he squeezed her hand tighter. “I saw you wiping tears and I know you too well to ignore that there’s more to this.”
“I’m the one who screwed up.” Closing her eyes, the final expression Oliver gave her was front and centre, which was only a little easier to bear than opening her eyes, reminding herself of the emptiness she felt. “I thought I had everything under control, but today... I said some things that I really want to take back.”
“I think he’ll understand that you’re hurting right now.” Trying a smile, Matt was hoping some optimism would lift his friend’s spirits. “Maybe after a good night’s sleep you can talk things over.”
Unfortunately, Matt’s efforts did little to sway Chloe, who knew that too much had changed between her and Oliver. “Saying sorry doesn’t solve the problems that we have.”
“Like what?” When that question gave him silence, Matt nudged his shoulder against hers. “C’mon Chloe, talk to me.”
“About what?”
“Oliver, your mother… anything.” Matt sighed as he realized that he was fighting a losing battle. “I remember that look on your face and I refuse to let you go back to how you were after Jimmy. Or worse.”
Chloe pursed her lips as she covered his hand with her other hand. “Matt, I’ll be fine... and you don’t owe me anything.”
“On the contrary, I think I’ve owed you this favour for awhile now.” He watched as Chloe opened her mouth, but Matt shook his head, stopping her from speaking. “The least I can do is try and return it... starting with that coffee.”
“Fine.”
“Good,” Matt replied with a smile, standing up so he could head to the kitchen. “While I’m handling that, you might as well unpack your stuff because you are staying here for the next couple of days. Down that hallway, second door on your left is a spare bedroom you could use and you’ll head back to Metropolis to plan the funeral when your head’s in a better place.”
“Matt, I can’t -”
“Sure you can. We’ll get ice cream and watch some bad movies, or we’ll sit on the roof and yell our lungs off... whatever you need. Just let me do this Chloe, please.”
Chloe chuckled as she finally lifted herself from the couch, walking over to the place she had left her purse. She seriously considered walking out on him, but Chloe knew that she could use a friend right now and there was no point running from his help. “Thank you.”
“Better,” Matt said, his grin widening as Chloe finally let herself smile before turning her back to him. It wasn’t much, but it was progress he would take. He made sure she was in the bedroom before pulling out his phone, hovering his finger over a familiar number he hadn’t dialled in a long time.
Chloe probably wouldn’t approve of him doing this, but there were two people she hadn’t mentioned in their entire talk, leading Matt to think that Clark and Lois had no idea where Chloe was. The least he could give his friends was a little peace of mind.
Sure enough, it took a grand total of one ring for Clark to pick up. “Hey man,” Matt said, “it’s... been a long time.”
“Matt,” Clark practically exclaimed, anxiety apparent in his voice. “Has Chloe called you?”
“She’s safe Clark,” Matt replied, cutting to the chase as his suspicions had been confirmed. “She’s with me.”
“Chloe’s in Chicago?”
Matt silently chuckled, realizing that he had done a pretty bad job of informing his friends of his impending move. “No, in Star City.” Looking down the hallway, Matt frowned slightly as he figured that she’d come back to the kitchen to retrieve the coffee cup that was cooling down on the counter. “Sometimes, the world’s smaller than you think.”
“Why was she in Star City?”
“C’mon, we both know the answer to that.” Within that lay the problem of her mood, as Matt wasn’t sure what to attribute to her mother’s passing and what to attribute to her problem with Oliver. “I don’t have the whole story but...I told her she could crash here for a few days.”
“Whatever she wants,” Clark replied, feeling helpless in this situation. The fact that she hadn’t called spoke volumes, but at least Chloe wasn’t alone. “Lois and I will handle the rest.”
“Thanks Clark.”
~0~
Well, it felt less like a bad idea now, Chloe thought as she unpacked what little clothing she brought with her to Star City. Matt had always been a great friend to her, and now was no exception. There was also the fact that he seemed fine with the cliff notes of everything, which Chloe greatly appreciated at this time.
However, there was one thing Matt said that stuck with her.
She was vulnerable right now, looking for a sign of comfort and out of everyone, she had picked Oliver. It was for so many reasons, but she had grown to genuinely respect him, to care about what he thought to bring her back to being okay. He always had faith in her, no matter what.
To be honest, Chloe had no idea what came over her at his place. They both knew that the friends label didn’t fit them and they had come too far to be just benefits, which left one very unfortunate conclusion that they likely both knew. She had seen it in his eyes when he left Metropolis and she heard it in her voice today when she realized it was mutual. However, that was also why she couldn't stay there another minute because she didn’t trust herself while she was like this.
Looking at her phone, she thought about calling to apologize, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. He had jobs to save and a company to run . Plus, she couldn’t help but feel a little guilty inside. After all, if not for her, he maybe would have noticed the siphoned funds and Queen Industries wouldn’t be in this situation.
He would get through this, Chloe knew that much for sure, but that also reminded her that his life was just starting and this was no time to get mushy. Besides, she couldn't shake the feeling that all this was just a mask for the pain she felt inside. They kept being pulled back into each other’s lives when tragedy struck, and that wasn’t how a relationship worked.
When everything went back to normal.... would it be the same? Would he look at her the same way, or were they just each other's way of finding their feet and pressing forward?
Chloe honestly had no idea, but considering her history, this story never had a happy ending. As much as Chloe hated to admit it, it was probably better to cut their losses now. Hearing Matt knock on the door, she dropped her phone and walked away. It was for the best, she told herself.
It had to be.
~0~
It had been a long day for Lois, and not because of the usual suspects. Work had been left by the way-side, as the news of her aunt's passing took precedence. She had dropped everything to be there for Chloe, but her cousin was nowhere to be found. Not at the care home, not at her apartment, and she wasn't answering her phone.
Hearing the knock on the door, Lois charged over towards the sound, partially hoping it was Chloe, but knowing it was going to be her boyfriend, who she had just buzzed up.
Fortunately for Lois, he recognized the stress on her face and said, "She's fine, Lois. Matt just called me and said that she's going to stay with him for a few days."
Smiling Lois felt her blood pressure go down a little. "That's good. I mean, I wasn't expecting her to run off, but after how she helped him, it makes sense." Grabbing her phone, she was about to text Chloe, tell her that she could come home when she was ready, but Clark covered her hand before she had a chance to type anything. Confused, Lois glanced up, but noticed his expression wasn't much help. "What?"
"Chloe's... not in Chicago."
"Even better," Lois replied, stepping back so that she could retrieve her purse from the couch. "What hotel is he staying at? I'm sure that -"
Clark stopped her words when he took hold of her arm to keep her from leaving the apartment. "Lois, they're not here either. They're at his brand-new penthouse suite... in Star City."
Her mouth gaped open, realizing everything that must have transpired. "Tell me that doesn't mean what I think it does."
"Matt all but confirmed it," Clark said with a shrug, as he couldn't give his girlfriend much more than that.
"Of course." Lois scoffed as she moved to sit down on the couch, her phone still clutched in her hands. "Of all days."
"Lois."
Hearing the tone of her boyfriend's voice, Lois sighed. "I know, I know." It wasn't right to feel frustrated about Chloe's personal life after something like this, however, those words had to be said. She couldn't not have a reaction to that. "Just let me be mad for a few seconds, okay?"
Clark wasn't about to deny her anything, so he nodded, knowing that Lois would pull what she needed together by the time Chloe got home. At the end of the day, they owed Chloe enough to wait and hear her side before jumping to conclusions.
"How are you doing though?" Clark asked, because Chloe wasn't the only one who lost a family member today.
"Fine." Lois wanted to feel worse, but she didn't visit her aunt Moira much after the accident. She was a lifesaver after Lois' mother passed away years ago, but for Lois, it was too hard to watch another family member in a hospital bed. "This hits Chloe ten times harder than me."
"We'll be here for her." Leaning against Lois, Clark placed his hand against her back. "And I'm here for you Lois, know that."
"I do, and I love you for that, but -" Lois’ words quickly stopped as her phone vibrated, her eyes widening as she noticed who was calling. "But right now, I need to answer this call." After clearing her throat, she said into her phone, “Where the heck have you been?”
Hearing her greeting, Clark grinned slightly and gave his girlfriend some distance to allow her to have her moment of chewing up Chloe for taking off.
“How about I start handling the funeral stuff for you?” she had asked, leading to Clark turning back around. Lois gave him a quick shrug before her game face re-appeared. “No I don’t have to, but after everything, I think it’s best you rest for awhile. So take care of yourself for once, cuz, I got this.” After a nod, Lois smiled slightly. “Say hi to Matt for me, will you? I’ll see you in a couple of days… love you too.”
As Lois hung up her phone, Clark walked back over to her, taking a seat on the coffee table across from her. “How does she sound?”
“Terrible,” Lois responded, knowing that Chloe was hiding a lot of the hurt she was experiencing, but it wasn’t the time to push that matter. For once, Chloe was going to listen to Lois and she had no intention of letting her down, so she stood up from the couch. “But sitting here isn’t going to accomplish anything. C’mon Smallville, we’ve got a funeral to plan.”
~0~
As the car pulled up to a stop, Chloe began to wonder how it had only been two days since she had left the Star City airport. Matt had done his best, and for the most part, it did help, but that didn’t change the facts of her life, the problems that she had avoided and caused.
“Are you sure that I can’t do anything more?”
Chloe shook her head. “I’ve overstayed your hospitality already.” Not the best way to say no, something that Matt would pick up on, so she added, “Plus, I’m feeling a lot better.”
Taking the hint, Matt opened his door to get out of the car. “By the way, I called Clark, let him know that you’ll be coming back tonight. I hope that’s okay.”
“Yeah it is, but thanks for letting me know.” If nothing else, it would lessen the blow she got from him and Lois when she got back to Metropolis. However, Chloe realized that she wanted to end this trip on something other than her problems. “You know I don’t think I’ve even asked you when you expect your headquarters to open up.”
“In about a month. The offices are still being built, but I should be starting to move things in soon.”
“That’s great,” Chloe replied, ducking her head as she pulled her bag from the back seat.
“Yeah, it is. Although to be honest, I always thought that if I was going to set up another headquarters, it was going to be in Metropolis.” Shaking his head, Matt was reminded of his plans to move to Kansas last year, along with the bitter reminder that stopped him. “I figured you would come aboard if the distance wasn’t a factor. I also thought...” After a scoff, Matt knew that this was far from the best time to rehash old memories, but he had to ask, “I wasn’t crazy back then, was I? If timing had been different...”
“There... might have been something? I think so.” But Chloe could easily admit to him that had changed. There was a reason she could stay with him after this. She had accepted who he was to her, but to her surprise, it appeared he had held onto her more than she thought.
“That’s what I thought. Too bad Jimmy happened, right?” He knew better now, he knew there was more to the reason they were never really more than friends, and if he had any guy to blame, it was the one she was currently running from.
Despite whatever transpired between them earlier this week, Matt couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky Oliver Queen was. Because the moment the two of them stopped fighting what was right in front of them, there was no way they were going to let go of each other again.
“Life happened,” Chloe countered, her eyes away from him as she slung her bag over her shoulder. “Life took us in different directions, but I like where we are.”
Matt agreed, smiling as he walked around the car to stand in front of Chloe. “That’s why I relocated here. Far enough west, different weather patterns... a chance to make my own mark you know.”
Chloe chuckled before looking back up at her friend. “I do, and I think you’ll do great here. I know your mother would be proud with everything you’ve done with the magazine.”
“Thank you,” Matt replied. “And sorry if this is too soon, but I know your mother is proud of you too. To be honest, I’m also kind of excited... because this is just the beginning for us professionally, but a chance to start again personally. We kind of lost touch last year and I want to remedy that. I know that you’re across the country, but don’t be a stranger this time because I’ll here for you, whenever and whatever you need.”
“Thanks Matt, really.” Chloe shook her head before adding, “I wish I could say more than that right now.”
Closing the distance between them, Matt hugged Chloe, his head leaning down to rest his chin on her shoulders. “It’s not needed, trust me.” After patting her back, Matt took a step away. “Have a safe flight home Chloe.”
~0~
Standing in front of the elevator, Hal knew that Oliver knew he was here. However, when he was like this, Hal knew it was best not to interrupt. At least he was some sense of calm, as work kept Hal from coming to Star City for a couple of days. Oliver was clearly still stressed, hence why the bow and arrow came out, but that was understandable.
He watched as Oliver released the string, not even flinching as he broke the silence. “Sorry for ducking your calls.”
Hal shrugged it off, knowing that things hadn't been great lately and Oliver was known to want some sense of distance. “Hey, at least you took Chloe’s.”
Bringing his arm to his side, Oliver realized that hearing her name was harder than he thought. Even after a few days, her visit was still fresh on his mind, especially after finding a sense of progress in his professional life.
“She actually flew all the way here... but I don’t even know if it was because of me.” Placing the bow down, Oliver couldn’t help but shake his head. “Her mom passed... and she didn’t want me to know.”
It was tough news to hear, however, Hal was stuck on the first part of what Oliver said. “Wait...where is she?” There was no sign of her shoes in the entryway, no sounds around them.
“She left and I... focused on figuring out what I needed to do to help Queen Industries.” Oliver didn't want to get into the details about how he had followed her downstairs, only to let her walk away from him. Hal had enough ammunition at this point, even if his next words related to business.
“You found a way?”
“Not completely, but I found the place to start.” After all, three days weren’t enough to fix the mess he was in. “S.T.A.R Labs goes back on hold but, if I’m lucky, the rest of the company should hold up.”
Standing next to Oliver, Hal said, “And now you want to call her.” It was clear on his face, oddly because of the differences. Hal had seen his friend go through business turmoil before, and this wasn’t the expression he wore.
That’s why Oliver didn’t even try to deny Hal’s last statement. “If she ever wants to talk to me again, then I’ll be there to listen. But something tells me we just said goodbye.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
After a sigh, Oliver turned to face Hal, ready to face this conversation. “Hal, come on. What was I -”
“Supposed to do? How about not letting her walk away? How about calling her?” Hal knew that Oliver was a lot of things, but he wasn't dense. He knew what Chloe's visit really meant. “She came here Oliver. She put her grief on hold because she wanted to be here for you. What more do you want? A neon sign?”
“It’s compli -”
“No, this is stupid and you know it,” Hal interjected. “Look, I’m not the best at the relationships, but I know a good thing for you when I see it, so I have to wonder when you’re going to screw the timing and man up?” He wanted an answer from Oliver, but it wasn’t to be, as his friend’s phone rang the moment he stopped speaking. “This conversation isn’t over.”
“Can’t wait,” Oliver muttered as he picked up his phone. “Hello?”
“Mr. Queen. Matt Wallace here.”
Oliver moved the phone from his ear, taking note of the unknown number on the screen. While he had looked forward to the call being a reprieve from the current conversation, something told him that wasn’t going to be the case. “How did you get this number?”
Matt chuckled as he watched Chloe disappear from his sight. “I stole it off Chloe Sullivan’s phone, and yeah, I know I’m probably overstepping my bounds here. But we both know that we need to talk.”
“Do we?”
Getting back into his car, Matt leaned back against his seat before closing his door. “You have questions that I have answers to, and frankly I have a few questions of my own.” With that, he hung up the phone, hoping Oliver would take the hint.
Chapter 22
Sera’s Scribbles: Okay, I want to re-phrase what I meant by so-so material. A lot of what transpires in last chapter was dependent on this one... which turned out completely different than I planned. Whether it’s written well or not... that I’ll leave up to you. Lately, I find that I'm not satisfied with these chapters until the day after I post it.
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