It's cliche, but I kinda like going to C for the first ? as long as you go back up to E7 (E major with a minor 7, that is... a dominant chord leading to the false cadence into the F chord of the chorus)
If that sounds too vanilla, perhaps you might like an Amin chord over top of C in the bass... again leading to the dominant E7.
a truly 'classical' approach would be to simply do an Amin over E for the first ? then resolve it to E7. But regardless, to my ear, it really wants to go there eventually.
Why don't you like goin to C? Were you then following the circle to G? THAT would be cheesy, yes, but where were you going with it?