Music Theory [Smallville Chlex [18+]

Mountains to Move

Mountains to Move

        The sun filtered in through their bedroom window, a beautiful pink that glittered sweetly on Chloe’s blonde hair.  Too romantic a filter, bathing them both in what should have been a charming light.

        Lex thought again that perhaps he should apologize but saying sorry never fooled Chloe. She didn’t care if he was sorry or felt guilty. Chloe cared about the actions behind the emotion. Doing something good even if it hurt, even if it tore her up inside.  Lex was raised to sacrifice others, not himself. These were kinks he didn’t think they could work out.

        In the end, he just stood by watching as she packed up all her things, all her shoes, and all her books. The more she packed into her bags, the less of her there was in this room, the less heart he had in his chest.

         He could tell she was trying not to cry, but the tears were willful even through the wall of red lids and wet lashes.  He caught a glimpse of a droplet on her chin as she dragged her suitcase off their bed. The bag so heavy, leaving marks on his hardwood floor.

         The door closed with a click, he could hear her struggling down the hall, out of his life once again.

         He thought about their argument over and over. Her red face, her raised voice shrill but still articulate even in her agitated state. He remembered clearly the words he barked at her, hard ugly words he couldn’t take back.

         “You aim too high, Chloe,” at the start.

        “You can’t fight against them, Chloe, they’re virtual mountains and you’re getting in over your head!” when she didn’t listen the first time.

         “Good luck out there getting where you think you’re headed for,” nearer to the end. He wished he could go back in time to extract all his condescension.

         And the last thing he said to her before the days of silence was, “Go spread the news.”

         He’d been a fool. With Chloe, he’d forgotten all his fearlessness. He loved her so much, he’d tried to keep her safe from harm, hide her from a world full of people so much stronger than he was.

         Now that she was gone, Lex could see the world for what it was and what it hid. Chloe was the mountain, and she could not be moved.

         He sat on the bed, just within the indentation of her suitcase. By his feet, Lex saw a pair of shiny black high-heeled shoes. He picked them up, ran his thumb over the polished heel and tried to remember the last time he’d seen her in these.

         She’d been in jail, with a swollen lip and a cut on her chin. He was so worried but he bailed her out, took her home, and fed her before he railed at her. She’d been touring a casino surveillance area unauthorized, trying to get footage of fixed games.

         It had been a job she was hired to do by some arrogant gambler, to investigate the casino before his court date. In the end, she was thrown into the lion’s den and only a whisper of Lex’s name kept her alive.

         Lex gripped the shoe so tightly; the heel left a pink dent on his hand. Still, he couldn’t stop her, couldn’t keep her from doing what she thought was right.  And he knew better now than to keep her caged.

         He took off his shoes, lined them up, and placed Chloe’s heels next to them. It looked like she was still home. It looked like it did before their last goodbye.

         Lex wonder why winning against Chloe always felt like losing.

Song: Mountains to Move

Artist: Gavin Degraw

Album: Free