Don't own. Just my silly imagination.
It's one of those dull afternoons where nothing happens. The air is still and the environment is silent.
Lana pretends she is busy with the sugar sachets just so she has something to
do and doesn't have to think about the Math exam she has tomorrow.
This is when he walks in.
It's so unexpected that Lana can't even hold her smile! That only grows bigger as he approaches her at the counter.
"Hi Lana". He says with his trademark smirk sitting on the stool in front of her.
"Hey Lex". She answers hurrying herself with his coffee.
Since the Nicodemus incident Lex has switched his regular coffee and sugar to coffee, sugar and whipped cream.
Lana blushes every time she has to serve him now but refuses to ask why he changed his order since that issue had come along.
As she sprays the cream on his coffee she looks at him discreetly dying to know what he's doing there so soon in the afternoon. Usually at this time he's somewhere in Metropolis, lost in his office.
Lex seems to read her mind while she serves his coffee. "I had a business meeting cancelled, I just ran from there before my father found me". He says with a somewhat cheeky grin splattered on his face.
Lana smiles back in sympathy. Lex's work sounds boring sometimes, like he's on a never ending board meeting only changing the businessmen.
As he drinks his coffee a small amount of whipped cream smears on his lips. Lana's breath catches softly. She wishes she could wipe it out with her own lips. But instead Lex licks it off cleaning over with a paper napkin.
He starts a conversation about the difference between Colombian, Brazilian and Arabic coffee; Lana knows this is important if she wants to succeed in the coffee house business but right now the vision of Lex licking his lips with the tip of his tongue doesn't go anywhere out of her mind. She's really holding herself not to lean in and kiss him.
"You know, your coffee is still the best I've ever had". Lex concludes resting down the empty cup. He wipes his mouth with a clean paper napkin and looks at her nonchalantly.
"Lex…" Lana giggles and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. He has been to many places and certainly tasted many cups of coffee only to come all the way to Smallville and tell her she serves the best.
Although she's flattered Lana knows it's not true. She has a machine working for her, all she has to do is pour the hot liquid in a cup but then again if Lex Luthor says so then she will settle with that.
He stands up and leans forward. "Later". He says softly, so softly she can hardly hear him and before she can even understand it he kisses her cheek and walks away just as subtly as he came in.
Lana watches him go away and as soon as he closes the door walks to the back office as steady as her shaking knees allow.
Her cheek is burning on the exact spot he pecked her but Lana decides it's not wrong if she never washes her face again.
She's changed. Clark can't put a finger on it but he knows there's something going on. He just can't name it…yet.
He's observed her silently when she's not looking. Through the halls when she's heading to English or when she's talking to her former cheerleader companions.
Her hips now have a sway they hadn't before, her voice has a slightly slender tone, she has always been the towns' soft-spoken princess but now when she speaks especially about the Talon there's a certain beg he can't define.
The same Talon that has him now sitting on a carefully chosen - almost hidden - corner so that he can observe her better.
As much as intruding as it may sound, he wishes he had developed the sense of reading minds, because right now he's willing to give away all his savings that he's kept for Met-U in exchange of her thoughts.
Clark tried to talk about it with Pete but he knew he would just laugh at him and, as for Chloe, although her investigative soul would be interested she would never betray Lana's trust even if it was a headline matter.
Lex! That's it! Lex isn't just his close friend. He's also Lana's business partner. They get to hang together a lot now, he must know something or at least can research.
He's ready to beckon when he sees Lex sitting on the stool, Lana has just opened the widest smile he has ever seen on her, a smile he has only witnessed when she won a blue ribbon at the Smallville derby.
Clark shifts a little in his secret hiding place while she serves Lex.
She smiles a lot while Lex engages some small talk sipping his coffee. Clark's blood starts to stir inside his veins. He wants to reach them with his privileged audibleness but decides he won't. He's invaded too much of Lana's space already.
Lex stands up and Clark clenches his hands to the sides of the stuffed chair, his knuckles going white as he watches Lex kissing the only girl he's ever loved.
If he hadn't learned to control his strength the seat would be in pieces now and he would really have to use his savings to pay the damage.
Clark follows Lana with his near watering blue eyes. He knows that look on her face. It's the same absent, lost in love one he had when she kissed him on the cheek for the very first time. He was only fourteen and sometimes, when he remembers, it still burns on his cheek.
-end-
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