Lost and Found (1/4)
Author: serafina19
Title: Lost and Found
Summary: Chloe decides that she needs space after her divorce and the Davis debacle. But she forgot that there were familiar faces in Star City until one of them approaches her in a crowded bar.
Timeline: AU Season 8
Rating: PG-13
Lost and Found
This probably wasn’t a good idea. Then again, if she wrote down everything she had done in the last year, going to Star City on a whim was far from the worst. Plus, it was nice that the noise around her came from more than two particular sources.
Chloe knew that she threw her life away for the wrong reasons. She knew that she made mistakes. But she couldn’t wake up another morning with their judging eyes on her. Clark and Lois meant well, but it wasn’t helping and she had reached the point where she needed to recharge.
As she finished her glass, she looked down at the bar counter. Tonight was about living a normal night, going out to party like there was no tomorrow, but Chloe knew that wasn’t a part of her life anymore. Even the alcohol didn’t have the same satisfaction. More importantly, she had really hoped the fresh air, some different scenery, would do her some good. But the longer she sat here, Chloe considered that maybe she had become so far gone that not even a distraction was possible anymore.
When a glass came down in front of her, Chloe shook her head out of her trance. This was the last thing she needed right now. “Look, I know you probably mean well, but I’m not-”
She turned her head to see who had put the drink there, but she had never anticipated that she would recognize the person standing next to her. “Oliver Queen.”
“No, you would be Chloe Sullivan,” he said with a smile before sitting down. “It’s been a long time.” Initially, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but it was a relief to know it was actually her.
“It has,” she replied, feeling a lot more inclined to accept the drink. Seeing his matching glass, she tipped hers towards him. “Cheers.”
When he saw she was about to take a sip, he asked, “To what?”
She shrugged. “Does it matter?” Feeling the liquid on her tongue, she felt relieved that for once, the burn felt right. Maybe she just needed access to the good stuff.
Oliver humored her and sipped his drink. “So... you’re far from your neck of the woods.”
Not that he was complaining. It was nice to see a familiar friendly face here. Granted, he didn’t really know where they stood after he left Metropolis, but the way she grinned at him implied that things were at least okay.
“You’re... I forgot you were from here. No offence.” She pursed her lips before taking another drink. How did that not cross her mind before she left home?
“None taken." He laughed before leaning in to add, "I doubt when you were considering vacation spots you thought ‘Let’s go visit my cousin’s ex.’” Not to mention the slim chance that they would actually run into each other while she was here.
She laughed back before her eyes narrowed. “You were a little more to me than that, you know." Leaning back in her seat, she swirled her drink. "Or did you forget that I was once your eyes and ears?”
“Not something I’m likely to forget,” he replied. It wasn’t every day that a petite blonde woman walked into his place and admitted that she knew his secret, that she wanted to help and wasn’t taking no for answer. That flashback brought about another chuckle. “You’re one of a kind Chloe.”
Despite her best attempt to hide it, her sigh snuck through. “Truer words never spoken.” If only he knew just how much that sentence applied to her. As recent memories flooded her mind, Chloe shot her glass back. It didn’t take long for her to regret that decision, but that didn’t stop her from motioning to the bartender for a few shots.
Her actions threw Oliver for a second. He never pegged her as much of a drinker, but the way that she had just finished her drink, combined with the way that the spark in her eyes had faded sent up a red flag.
Putting his drink down, he watched as her eyes met his. Oliver knew that he had been caught staring, but he didn’t care. “Are you sure that you should be drinking that much?” he asked. It wasn’t what he wanted to say, but all he had the courage to say until he knew more.
She gave him a glare before looking straight ahead. “I don’t think you of all people should lecture me on the amount of alcohol I consume.” A quick Google Images search would show the hijinks and the tough times in the billionaire's life. Then there was also the fact that Chloe knew that when it came to coping mechanisms, the bottle was Oliver’s first stop.
He nodded, realizing that she had kept tabs on him since he came back to Star City. “Is there at least a reason why?” It wasn't like he would get the whole truth, she was too guarded for that, but he wanted her to know that he cared and he wanted to help.
Luckily, she obliged him. “My marriage just imploded, Clark’s taking Jimmy’s side and Lois is spending all of her time yelling at either of them. At some point, they forgot I was there, so I left.”
Oliver’s face was full of pity, but that was the last thing that Chloe wanted. She didn’t deserve anyone’s pity because Clark and Jimmy were right. This was her fault. “I figured hot beaches and plenty of distance and a note saying I needed space will give me, I don’t know, three days without their incessant bickering.”
Unfortunately, that sounded about right to Oliver. He felt for Chloe, as she was someone who seemed like the ultimate person to have your back, but even with the limited time they spent together, he had seen examples of when her support system seemed to fail at returning the favour. “I’m sorry Chloe.”
Chloe bit her lip, as the sentiment was nice, but she was past the point of apologies. The denial was long gone, her cousin and best friend covered the anger base, and bargaining was out of the question. Heck, she had access to time travel and she knew that changing things would only make things messier.
Sure, this technically wasn't grief, as it wasn't like Jimmy died, but it felt like she lost a lot more than her marriage. Hence why she seemed stuck in the sadness stage. No matter how hard she tried to maintain her poker face, no matter how far she had buried the pain, all Chloe could hope was that acceptance would come as fast as the other steps had.
“It’s my fault,” Chloe blurted, and it caught her off-guard. Out of everyone, she didn’t think that Oliver would be the first person that she would say those words to. “I really thought I could have a sense of normal in this life." Oddly enough, she had seen the cautionary tale, but ignored it entirely until her marriage started to fall apart. "Thinking I could... be happy. Crazy, right?”
Oliver shook his head. “Just need the right person.” He couldn’t help her on the normal front, but happiness was possible in this life. He had to believe that or else he was in the wrong business.
Still, to her, that was rich coming from him. “Says the man who walked away from Lois." She raised her glass to clink against his on the counter. "Impressive feat, sir,” she added before giving a fake toast and downing the shot.
“Yeah, well, she told me I’d regret it.” He looked over at Chloe, matching her shot taking. “Do you think she’d understand?”
“Hell no,” Chloe said with a hiccup. “Wow, that was bad. What I meant was... she wanted to fry you for months. Well, not you you, but...”
“I get it,” he interjected, knowing that was the reason he left town. He wanted to believe that Lois would change her mind if she knew that he was Green Arrow, but the longer he was with her, the more he realized it was never going to happen. And considering she was the reason he stuck around, once they broke up, Oliver didn't take long to return to Star City indefinitely.
For a second, Chloe felt herself relax again, as it was oddly refreshing to have someone else in her life show their struggles to her. It almost made her feel like old times were coming back. Moving forward in her chair, she tried to erase some of her cynicism. “Break-up still stings, huh?”
“A little.” Remembering his earlier comment, he ordered something that would last a little longer for both of them. “I think if things were different, if I was just Oliver Queen, it could have worked.”
She wanted to agree, but she couldn't give him that satisfaction. When she shook her head, she wanted to make it clear that it wasn't any better with her. “I want to say that we’re in the same boat, but you not doing what you do would only delay the inevitable.”
“Then that does make us in the same boat.” When her head tilted, he added, “Think about it Chloe. I didn’t know Jimmy well, but I’m assuming that with your ambition, you would have left him in the dust in a year.”
He also knew her well enough that a failed marriage wasn't enough to get her like this. He had seen her put aside her feelings for her best friend before, she had seen glimpses of her putting her own life last, and that felt like nothing compared to this.
But they both knew it wasn't about that tonight, so Chloe nodded before bringing her glass closer to her, but not taking a sip. “Fair enough.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her put the glass back down. He grinned, knowing that was a good sign. “Do you have a place to stay?”
“Hotel a few blocks down,” Chloe said, knowing what he really meant by that question, but she couldn't do that. Honestly, he had done more for her in a few minutes than anyone else had in weeks. That was enough. “I’m not completely flying by the seat of my pants here.”
Fortunately, he seemed to understand. “I’m not surprised by that. Plans while you’re here?”
That was a good question. “Sit on a beach? Drink something stupidly expensive?” Well, technically she had already done that. “Be a tourist and relax?” After all, that was what this place was for, wasn't it? She had to give him credit, as working in this environment would take a decent amount of adjustment for her. However, she hadn't anticipated him chuckling in response.
“Relax? You?” He watched as she rolled her eyes, likely because even she knew she wasn't the best at it. After all, it took forever for them to meet because she kept rescheduling due to work and work and the reason they first met was because of work.
“It’s… possible.”
Maybe it was, but he still highly doubted that. “C’mon Chloe, all it take is one story and you’re off vacation.” Even in a different city, it was like trouble attracted her.
And before she never minded that. She used to be quite the thrill seeker, but it appeared that she needed and received her wake-up call. “I haven’t written anything in months.” Remembering that Oliver likely didn’t know why, she chuckled before adding, “Yeah, on top of personal incompetence, I was fired.”
“Let me guess… Lex?” When Chloe pursed her lips, he rolled his eyes before taking a drink. “Fuck him.”
“My thoughts exactly when he did it.” Chloe smirked, wondering why her plans didn't include this when she was fired. Oliver would have been a perfect drinking partner. Then she remembered why she didn’t leave town, why she didn’t call anyone. “But I was walking a tightrope long before that.”
“Still...you never considered another position?”
“I wanted to, or at least, I thought I wanted to, but instead I...” How did one explain this in a public place? How did anyone explain one of the weirdest thing that had ever happened to her? “We met someone who was… where Clark was from.”
It was a decent compromise, although it left out a lot of the details, not that mattered now. She really didn't want to bog someone else down with her problems, as the main reason for this vacation was to get away from them for a few days.
But Oliver saw through her mask, as he began to understand the aforementioned tightrope she had been walking on. “No kidding.”
“I wish I was. Believe me.”
He did and suddenly, he didn't care about where they were. It was obvious that she needed someone to listen to her, even if she didn't want it. “Chloe, what happened?”
But her walls were up too high, so all she could do was give him a grin. “Things that make my marriage crumbling and being fired look like a party.”
Oliver frowned. She was so used to joking about her problems that she couldn’t realize when someone genuinely wanted to help her. Reaching his hand over to hers, he tried to ignore the surprise in her eyes when he curled his fingers around her palm, hoping she wouldn’t fight him. “Do you want to talk about it? My place isn’t far either.”
The gesture had worked, as Chloe could see the compassion in his eyes. It shook her initially, as she figured that when he came over, they would just laugh about old times and then he would go back to his life.
But he had stayed, making it clear that, for some reason, she mattered to him. That sentiment almost felt foreign to her now. It wasn’t a slight to Clark and Lois, because she knew that they cared, and she most likely caused them to freak out back home, but it was different for Oliver. He only had a bit of insight in her life and instead of judging her for what she might have done, or blaming Jimmy for leaving her, he just asked if she was okay.
It was… refreshing.
Eventually, her mind wandered to the way he was holding her hand. Like his eyes and his words, there wasn’t anything forceful about it. She couldn’t remember the last time that contact like this had calmed her, or the last time she had contact like this for that matter.
She took a few deep breaths, as her mind raced to figure out what was going on. “It’s not that I don’t think you’d understand Oliver, because you would. I just can’t go back there.” Can't was probably the wrong word, but it was haunting her enough. She highly doubted that talking everything out was going to put her mind at ease.
He understood her message, knowing that he had days when he was in her shoes. What she didn't realize yet was that bottling up how she felt only made it worse, so he wasn't about to walk away just yet. “Not a problem,” he said, taking his hand back. “But know that if that ever changes, you can call me. Anytime, anywhere.”
Chloe looked down as she noticed his card come into her view. “Thanks.” Picking it up, she saw the personal cell number on the back. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she still had his number. But when she looked back up, she saw that his attention was elsewhere. Turning her head over her shoulder, she saw a person waving at him. “Looks like you’re being beckoned.”
“Unfortunately.” If he could have his way, he would stay with her, but that would draw unnecessary attention to Chloe, and she didn’t need that right now. “Thanks for the reprieve.”
She tipped her drink in his direction. “Thanks for the drinks.” It wasn't like she could afford to drink this quality all the time, and it did a lot more good than the cheap stuff she was drinking before. But she knew better than to ignore the kindness he had shown her. “And for listening.”
“Anytime.” Oliver got up from his chair, taking a step towards the company that he had left earlier, but soon realizing that he was forgetting something. He had initially come to the bar to get a bottle of champagne, so he returned to the bar to place his order, but as he waited, he put his hand on Chloe’s shoulder. Her head popped up, so he smiled at her, thinking that she could use one.
“Don’t be a stranger, Chloe Sullivan,” he said, words that he genuinely meant as he walked away from her. Seeing her now reminded her of how much he liked her in his life, and how he regretted not staying in touch after he left Metropolis.
Now that she was here, he wasn’t going to make that mistake twice.
Chapter 2
Sera’s Scribbles: This is one from the back of the archives/graveyeard. This was supposed to be an attempt at a five times fic, but that failed miserably, and this friendship fic took its place. Which works for me because I think I need a longer break from “Turn the Page.” Hopefully it also works for you.
In other news, I’ve also recently signed up for Archive of our Own for my new fandom adventures. From here on, LJ remains home for my Chlollie fics (past/present/future), but for my other fandoms (including The Flash, Agent Carter, Orphan Black and most recently, Brooklyn Nine Nine), check my A03: http://archiveofourown.org/users/serafina19 . Right now, it’s only a couple of fics, but with new seasons coming up, there will be more stories.
.
Title: Lost and Found
Summary: Chloe decides that she needs space after her divorce and the Davis debacle. But she forgot that there were familiar faces in Star City until one of them approaches her in a crowded bar.
Timeline: AU Season 8
Rating: PG-13
Lost and Found
This probably wasn’t a good idea. Then again, if she wrote down everything she had done in the last year, going to Star City on a whim was far from the worst. Plus, it was nice that the noise around her came from more than two particular sources.
Chloe knew that she threw her life away for the wrong reasons. She knew that she made mistakes. But she couldn’t wake up another morning with their judging eyes on her. Clark and Lois meant well, but it wasn’t helping and she had reached the point where she needed to recharge.
As she finished her glass, she looked down at the bar counter. Tonight was about living a normal night, going out to party like there was no tomorrow, but Chloe knew that wasn’t a part of her life anymore. Even the alcohol didn’t have the same satisfaction. More importantly, she had really hoped the fresh air, some different scenery, would do her some good. But the longer she sat here, Chloe considered that maybe she had become so far gone that not even a distraction was possible anymore.
When a glass came down in front of her, Chloe shook her head out of her trance. This was the last thing she needed right now. “Look, I know you probably mean well, but I’m not-”
She turned her head to see who had put the drink there, but she had never anticipated that she would recognize the person standing next to her. “Oliver Queen.”
“No, you would be Chloe Sullivan,” he said with a smile before sitting down. “It’s been a long time.” Initially, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but it was a relief to know it was actually her.
“It has,” she replied, feeling a lot more inclined to accept the drink. Seeing his matching glass, she tipped hers towards him. “Cheers.”
When he saw she was about to take a sip, he asked, “To what?”
She shrugged. “Does it matter?” Feeling the liquid on her tongue, she felt relieved that for once, the burn felt right. Maybe she just needed access to the good stuff.
Oliver humored her and sipped his drink. “So... you’re far from your neck of the woods.”
Not that he was complaining. It was nice to see a familiar friendly face here. Granted, he didn’t really know where they stood after he left Metropolis, but the way she grinned at him implied that things were at least okay.
“You’re... I forgot you were from here. No offence.” She pursed her lips before taking another drink. How did that not cross her mind before she left home?
“None taken." He laughed before leaning in to add, "I doubt when you were considering vacation spots you thought ‘Let’s go visit my cousin’s ex.’” Not to mention the slim chance that they would actually run into each other while she was here.
She laughed back before her eyes narrowed. “You were a little more to me than that, you know." Leaning back in her seat, she swirled her drink. "Or did you forget that I was once your eyes and ears?”
“Not something I’m likely to forget,” he replied. It wasn’t every day that a petite blonde woman walked into his place and admitted that she knew his secret, that she wanted to help and wasn’t taking no for answer. That flashback brought about another chuckle. “You’re one of a kind Chloe.”
Despite her best attempt to hide it, her sigh snuck through. “Truer words never spoken.” If only he knew just how much that sentence applied to her. As recent memories flooded her mind, Chloe shot her glass back. It didn’t take long for her to regret that decision, but that didn’t stop her from motioning to the bartender for a few shots.
Her actions threw Oliver for a second. He never pegged her as much of a drinker, but the way that she had just finished her drink, combined with the way that the spark in her eyes had faded sent up a red flag.
Putting his drink down, he watched as her eyes met his. Oliver knew that he had been caught staring, but he didn’t care. “Are you sure that you should be drinking that much?” he asked. It wasn’t what he wanted to say, but all he had the courage to say until he knew more.
She gave him a glare before looking straight ahead. “I don’t think you of all people should lecture me on the amount of alcohol I consume.” A quick Google Images search would show the hijinks and the tough times in the billionaire's life. Then there was also the fact that Chloe knew that when it came to coping mechanisms, the bottle was Oliver’s first stop.
He nodded, realizing that she had kept tabs on him since he came back to Star City. “Is there at least a reason why?” It wasn't like he would get the whole truth, she was too guarded for that, but he wanted her to know that he cared and he wanted to help.
Luckily, she obliged him. “My marriage just imploded, Clark’s taking Jimmy’s side and Lois is spending all of her time yelling at either of them. At some point, they forgot I was there, so I left.”
Oliver’s face was full of pity, but that was the last thing that Chloe wanted. She didn’t deserve anyone’s pity because Clark and Jimmy were right. This was her fault. “I figured hot beaches and plenty of distance and a note saying I needed space will give me, I don’t know, three days without their incessant bickering.”
Unfortunately, that sounded about right to Oliver. He felt for Chloe, as she was someone who seemed like the ultimate person to have your back, but even with the limited time they spent together, he had seen examples of when her support system seemed to fail at returning the favour. “I’m sorry Chloe.”
Chloe bit her lip, as the sentiment was nice, but she was past the point of apologies. The denial was long gone, her cousin and best friend covered the anger base, and bargaining was out of the question. Heck, she had access to time travel and she knew that changing things would only make things messier.
Sure, this technically wasn't grief, as it wasn't like Jimmy died, but it felt like she lost a lot more than her marriage. Hence why she seemed stuck in the sadness stage. No matter how hard she tried to maintain her poker face, no matter how far she had buried the pain, all Chloe could hope was that acceptance would come as fast as the other steps had.
“It’s my fault,” Chloe blurted, and it caught her off-guard. Out of everyone, she didn’t think that Oliver would be the first person that she would say those words to. “I really thought I could have a sense of normal in this life." Oddly enough, she had seen the cautionary tale, but ignored it entirely until her marriage started to fall apart. "Thinking I could... be happy. Crazy, right?”
Oliver shook his head. “Just need the right person.” He couldn’t help her on the normal front, but happiness was possible in this life. He had to believe that or else he was in the wrong business.
Still, to her, that was rich coming from him. “Says the man who walked away from Lois." She raised her glass to clink against his on the counter. "Impressive feat, sir,” she added before giving a fake toast and downing the shot.
“Yeah, well, she told me I’d regret it.” He looked over at Chloe, matching her shot taking. “Do you think she’d understand?”
“Hell no,” Chloe said with a hiccup. “Wow, that was bad. What I meant was... she wanted to fry you for months. Well, not you you, but...”
“I get it,” he interjected, knowing that was the reason he left town. He wanted to believe that Lois would change her mind if she knew that he was Green Arrow, but the longer he was with her, the more he realized it was never going to happen. And considering she was the reason he stuck around, once they broke up, Oliver didn't take long to return to Star City indefinitely.
For a second, Chloe felt herself relax again, as it was oddly refreshing to have someone else in her life show their struggles to her. It almost made her feel like old times were coming back. Moving forward in her chair, she tried to erase some of her cynicism. “Break-up still stings, huh?”
“A little.” Remembering his earlier comment, he ordered something that would last a little longer for both of them. “I think if things were different, if I was just Oliver Queen, it could have worked.”
She wanted to agree, but she couldn't give him that satisfaction. When she shook her head, she wanted to make it clear that it wasn't any better with her. “I want to say that we’re in the same boat, but you not doing what you do would only delay the inevitable.”
“Then that does make us in the same boat.” When her head tilted, he added, “Think about it Chloe. I didn’t know Jimmy well, but I’m assuming that with your ambition, you would have left him in the dust in a year.”
He also knew her well enough that a failed marriage wasn't enough to get her like this. He had seen her put aside her feelings for her best friend before, she had seen glimpses of her putting her own life last, and that felt like nothing compared to this.
But they both knew it wasn't about that tonight, so Chloe nodded before bringing her glass closer to her, but not taking a sip. “Fair enough.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her put the glass back down. He grinned, knowing that was a good sign. “Do you have a place to stay?”
“Hotel a few blocks down,” Chloe said, knowing what he really meant by that question, but she couldn't do that. Honestly, he had done more for her in a few minutes than anyone else had in weeks. That was enough. “I’m not completely flying by the seat of my pants here.”
Fortunately, he seemed to understand. “I’m not surprised by that. Plans while you’re here?”
That was a good question. “Sit on a beach? Drink something stupidly expensive?” Well, technically she had already done that. “Be a tourist and relax?” After all, that was what this place was for, wasn't it? She had to give him credit, as working in this environment would take a decent amount of adjustment for her. However, she hadn't anticipated him chuckling in response.
“Relax? You?” He watched as she rolled her eyes, likely because even she knew she wasn't the best at it. After all, it took forever for them to meet because she kept rescheduling due to work and work and the reason they first met was because of work.
“It’s… possible.”
Maybe it was, but he still highly doubted that. “C’mon Chloe, all it take is one story and you’re off vacation.” Even in a different city, it was like trouble attracted her.
And before she never minded that. She used to be quite the thrill seeker, but it appeared that she needed and received her wake-up call. “I haven’t written anything in months.” Remembering that Oliver likely didn’t know why, she chuckled before adding, “Yeah, on top of personal incompetence, I was fired.”
“Let me guess… Lex?” When Chloe pursed her lips, he rolled his eyes before taking a drink. “Fuck him.”
“My thoughts exactly when he did it.” Chloe smirked, wondering why her plans didn't include this when she was fired. Oliver would have been a perfect drinking partner. Then she remembered why she didn’t leave town, why she didn’t call anyone. “But I was walking a tightrope long before that.”
“Still...you never considered another position?”
“I wanted to, or at least, I thought I wanted to, but instead I...” How did one explain this in a public place? How did anyone explain one of the weirdest thing that had ever happened to her? “We met someone who was… where Clark was from.”
It was a decent compromise, although it left out a lot of the details, not that mattered now. She really didn't want to bog someone else down with her problems, as the main reason for this vacation was to get away from them for a few days.
But Oliver saw through her mask, as he began to understand the aforementioned tightrope she had been walking on. “No kidding.”
“I wish I was. Believe me.”
He did and suddenly, he didn't care about where they were. It was obvious that she needed someone to listen to her, even if she didn't want it. “Chloe, what happened?”
But her walls were up too high, so all she could do was give him a grin. “Things that make my marriage crumbling and being fired look like a party.”
Oliver frowned. She was so used to joking about her problems that she couldn’t realize when someone genuinely wanted to help her. Reaching his hand over to hers, he tried to ignore the surprise in her eyes when he curled his fingers around her palm, hoping she wouldn’t fight him. “Do you want to talk about it? My place isn’t far either.”
The gesture had worked, as Chloe could see the compassion in his eyes. It shook her initially, as she figured that when he came over, they would just laugh about old times and then he would go back to his life.
But he had stayed, making it clear that, for some reason, she mattered to him. That sentiment almost felt foreign to her now. It wasn’t a slight to Clark and Lois, because she knew that they cared, and she most likely caused them to freak out back home, but it was different for Oliver. He only had a bit of insight in her life and instead of judging her for what she might have done, or blaming Jimmy for leaving her, he just asked if she was okay.
It was… refreshing.
Eventually, her mind wandered to the way he was holding her hand. Like his eyes and his words, there wasn’t anything forceful about it. She couldn’t remember the last time that contact like this had calmed her, or the last time she had contact like this for that matter.
She took a few deep breaths, as her mind raced to figure out what was going on. “It’s not that I don’t think you’d understand Oliver, because you would. I just can’t go back there.” Can't was probably the wrong word, but it was haunting her enough. She highly doubted that talking everything out was going to put her mind at ease.
He understood her message, knowing that he had days when he was in her shoes. What she didn't realize yet was that bottling up how she felt only made it worse, so he wasn't about to walk away just yet. “Not a problem,” he said, taking his hand back. “But know that if that ever changes, you can call me. Anytime, anywhere.”
Chloe looked down as she noticed his card come into her view. “Thanks.” Picking it up, she saw the personal cell number on the back. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she still had his number. But when she looked back up, she saw that his attention was elsewhere. Turning her head over her shoulder, she saw a person waving at him. “Looks like you’re being beckoned.”
“Unfortunately.” If he could have his way, he would stay with her, but that would draw unnecessary attention to Chloe, and she didn’t need that right now. “Thanks for the reprieve.”
She tipped her drink in his direction. “Thanks for the drinks.” It wasn't like she could afford to drink this quality all the time, and it did a lot more good than the cheap stuff she was drinking before. But she knew better than to ignore the kindness he had shown her. “And for listening.”
“Anytime.” Oliver got up from his chair, taking a step towards the company that he had left earlier, but soon realizing that he was forgetting something. He had initially come to the bar to get a bottle of champagne, so he returned to the bar to place his order, but as he waited, he put his hand on Chloe’s shoulder. Her head popped up, so he smiled at her, thinking that she could use one.
“Don’t be a stranger, Chloe Sullivan,” he said, words that he genuinely meant as he walked away from her. Seeing her now reminded her of how much he liked her in his life, and how he regretted not staying in touch after he left Metropolis.
Now that she was here, he wasn’t going to make that mistake twice.
Chapter 2
Sera’s Scribbles: This is one from the back of the archives/graveyeard. This was supposed to be an attempt at a five times fic, but that failed miserably, and this friendship fic took its place. Which works for me because I think I need a longer break from “Turn the Page.” Hopefully it also works for you.
In other news, I’ve also recently signed up for Archive of our Own for my new fandom adventures. From here on, LJ remains home for my Chlollie fics (past/present/future), but for my other fandoms (including The Flash, Agent Carter, Orphan Black and most recently, Brooklyn Nine Nine), check my A03: http://archiveofourown.org/users/serafina19 . Right now, it’s only a couple of fics, but with new seasons coming up, there will be more stories.
.