Hole through the floor
"Is he still pacing?" Jonathan's voice came behind from the newspaper.
Martha looked outside the kitchen window, a smile forming on her lips, "Uh huh" she replied with a simple nod.
"He's gonna wear a hole through the floor if he continues like this, you know…" he continued while folding the newspaper and placing it in front of him on the table.
"It's been less than a day. Like his father…." Martha's grin grew wider "…..he needs time to process new information. Just…. give him time!"
"It has been 21 hours 13 minutes and 47 seconds…. How much time does he need?" Jonathan blurted out with a hint of annoyance.
Martha tilted her head and replied in a soft and low voice "Jonathan….."
Minutes later the subject of their discussion walked in the kitchen, head hanging lower than his shoulders "Hey Mom, Dad…."
"Hi, sweetie, I'm making some cookies, new recipe, do you want some?"
"No Mom, thanks, I am not in the mood for cookies today."
"This sudden lack of appetite would have anything to do with what happened yesterday at the Talon between you and Lois by any chance?"
"How could this have happened?" Clark moaned before seating ceremoniously himself on the stool, his hands holding his head in defeat.
"No ….that's not true" he continued, "I know how it happened; Lois was drunk! The girl loses all control when she drinks! She knows that, but does she listen to anyone? Noooo …she has to prove that I can hold my liquor, Clark," he finished imitating Lois' voice and mocking her words with a grimace.
He got up, now it was the kitchen floor threatened by Clark's nervousness. Martha and Jonathan kept their eyes on their son, up and down, trying with all their power to conceal the grin that was threatening to form on their faces.
"Something's not right here…." He stopped. "I am not asking the right questions! Something's not right here!" he continued anxiously. "I should be asking why this could have happened …not how!"
A glint sparkled through his previously depressed eyes.
"What do you mean, sweetheart?" his mother asked, exchanging worried looks with her husband.
"But of course, this is the only thing that could make sense." He came to a sudden stop. The sparkle grew brighter!
"Could you share that chunk of thought with us too, son?" The worried looks kept on coming from both sides of the table.
"Think about it. What does Lois like doing best?"
"What?" asked Jonathan in a low growl, as if he was bracing himself for what was to come.
"Busting my chops!" he said matter-of-factly. "She did it on purpose! Don't you see?" Clark was literally beaming with joy.
He did it. He found his answer. And he was as certain of it as the sun comes up every day and sets every night.
"No, sweetheart. No, honey, don't say that! Lois would never go that far." Martha tried to put Clark's ridiculous claims to rest but without any success.
"You are right Mrs Kent, she wouldn't." Chloe's angry voice startled everyone.
"Clark, how could you even think of such a thing?" Lana quickly added with an equally angry look, entering the kitchen behind Chloe.
"We'll leave you three alone to talk." Jonathan and Martha slowly got up and made their way toward the kitchen door.
"Oh, I've just baked cookies and there is milk in the fridge. Clark…." Martha looked at her son to offer some to his fuming guests before she continued toward the kitchen door.
"Mom, Dad…" Clark whined, "No, you can't leave me here with them!" he pleaded after his parents.
"You're on your own here, son." Jonathan chuckled before speeding after his wife.
"Oh, brother… Ok, let me have it, I know what you're both gonna say and…."
"You are SO unbelievable!" Chloe shot out.
"Me? Your cousin…."
"My cousin resorted to drinking to finally get the courage to tell you how she feels and what did you do? Do I need to remind you what you did?"
Clark's head found itself below his shoulders once again. "No…" he whispered.
"No, Chloe, let's. Let's remind him what he did last night. Let's tell him what Lois has gone through this past week before muscling up the courage to speak to him last night. Before he ran out of the Talon like a rat whose tail was on fire."
"Aren't you curious to know why Lois has been so quiet the last couple of weeks? Why she wouldn't slot in in any kind of friendly banter with you? Why she would let you get away with anything and not nail your sorry ass to the floor before you even had the chance to open your mouth?"
"How about why she was working double shifts at the Talon and would return home after everyone had gone to bed?" Lana picked up where Chloe left off.
"No, no, and no! What do you want me to say ….I thought, finally, some peace and quiet!" Clark shamefully admitted, the head returning to its previous position below the shoulders.
"Here's a tip; she was avoiding you and trying to sort things out in her head!"
"And when she did, she came to me and Chloe, to make sure we were OK with this!"
"And when she finally opened up her heart to you….."
"… you run out on her like a scared little boy!"
"And to think, that we came to warn you to be gentle with her heart."
"I can't imagine what you would have done if you didn't even know…."
The girls kept on taking turns, Chloe then Lana, and Chloe, and Lana, Chloe, Lana, circling around the table like hyenas preparing for their final move. That's what it felt like to Clark. And when he least expected it, the sky fell on his head. Their final blow.
"So what are you going to do about it?"
"Do about it?"
"Yes, do about it. Don't deny that there's a spark between you and Lois. We can all see it. So what are you going to do about it?"
"You're kidding, right?" Clark's head shoot up in surprise.
"Do we look like we're kidding?" Lana answered. Clark swore that he could see heat vision developing there.
"I,… I,… don't know what to say." Clark held his hands up in surrender.
"Look, we're not here to wring you neck…" Chloe admitted.
"Don't think it didn't cross our minds!" Lana quickly added making Clark shake his head in disbelief.
"…but you can't keep on running every time someone tries to get close! You danced this tune with me and Lana already. Enough." She looked straight into those big blues. "We've seen the way you look at her when you think no-one's looking."
"And we know how she's checking you out when you're not looking."
Clark's eyes opened wide at Lana's remark but he dared not speak.
"Take a chance, make that first step. You won't regret it…."
For what seemed like an eternity, nobody spoke. Clark was looking between Lana and Chloe, who were both smiling at him trying to give him all the courage to do what he, very well, knew needed to do. He had to face his demons... He had to talk to Lois.
"C'mon Lana, this is our cue. It's up to him now." And with that both girls exited the yellow house and boarded Lana's SUV.
"You think it worked?" Chloe questioned.
"If that didn't set him off, I don't know what will!"
"We've been cooking this for weeks. First Lois and now Clark, it has to work."
"My heart landed on my heel last night when Lois decided to confront him in her drunken state."
"Don't remind me. Thank God, we can always depend on good ol' Clark to run away, literally, from anything resembling commitment."
"So, what now?"
"Cross our fingers and hope for the best?" Chloe said imitating a grin and dropping her head with a loud thud on the dashboard.
"I don't know who's gonna kill us first when they find out." Lana joined.
"My money is on Lois…"
"Those two have turned denial into an art."
"Ugh, why couldn't we leave them alone? Why did we have to meddle?" Chloe banged her head on the dashboard once again.
"Because they're our best friends and we couldn't see them waste their time playing this silly game any longer?"
"We're too good for them." Chloe chuckled.
"Yes, they don't deserve us!" Lana stated before starting the engine with a huge smile.
Clark spent the next two hours pacing, again, up and down in his loft. Million thoughts were crossing his mind and all of them focusing on one person; Lois Lane.
His parents left an hour ago for the Talon. He promised he would follow shortly. Saturday nights were always busy. His Mom could use all the help she could get.
"Ok, I am going to walk in there like nothing happened." he thought.
"I am going to ask Lois, politely, to join me for a coffee and then I am going to apologise for last night's mess", he continued out-loud this time.
"Yes ….yes. And, of course, Lois being Lois, she will not stop trying to embarrass me but I can always shut her up with a kiss. That will shut her up for sure." Clark smiled and shook his head in agreement with his thoughts. He left the loft, a plan in hand, confident that he could fix this and come out on top smiling and laughing about it later.
He had spend a good part of the last 24 hours trying to repress the thought that he actually liked Lois Lane, maybe even loved her? No, not yet, well, at least he didn't think so. But he was sure he wanted to try and find out. Could there be anything else between them apart from bickering? He knew he was attracted to her, that was true, something he had been trying to ignore since she first moved in. Yes, this time he knew what he wanted and he should not be afraid to reach for it.
He parked the car, walked toward the Talon, reached for the door and entered.
There she was.
"Keep your cool," he muttered, attempting to bury his anxiety.
"Steady, take a deep breath and out with it".
One unsteady foot in front of the other. The closer he got, the more he lost his confidence, his words, his thoughts. His mind. The ultimate betrayal.
"Lois….."
"Hey Smallville, what can I get ya?" She smiled and patted his back, while rushing behind the counter.
"Uhm…." Still no sound.
"What?"
Nothing. Blank. No thoughts. No sound.
"Smallville, I'm busy, if you have nothing to say, move. You're blocking my way."
"We need to talk," he said and grabbed her arm pulling her forcefully toward the exit of the Talon.
"Let go of my arm, you big lump." She wiggled free, pushing him away. "What's the matter with you?"
"We need to talk," he repeated.
"You want to talk? Fine. Talk." She placed both hands on her hips.
"Not here Lois, in front of everyone," he whispered, turning his head left and right, eyeing the patrons who had already started to take notice of the bizarre exchange between the two.
Lois brought her arms up and folded them in front of her chest. Taking a stance of defiance to his needs, she looked at him and waited.
"Fine!" he spat out, "Have it your way. It's not like this could ever lead to anything anyway. I see it now. How could it? You're bossy and rude and stuck up and, and… and rude! Ok, I said rude but I mean, it's not like I've fallen for you, I was just feeling sorry about last night and wanting to apologise but you….."
Lois placed a finger on his lips and silenced him.
"Smallville, you talk too much!" She pulled Clark by his shirt collar bringing his lips to her own level before assaulting them with a passionate kiss.
Clark lost all coherent thought and was left with his eyes open wide holding his hands up high as if he was trying to… he didn't know what he was trying to do. But then, out of no-where, they started to move, on their own, he could swear no command left his brain, and wrapped around her frame, pulling her more into their kiss.
"I was supposed to do that," he whispered trying to catch his breath when they finally broke up, never leaving each others arms.
"You're always welcome to try again, if you want," Lois smiled back, her lips barely touching his.
Clark didn't need to be asked twice. He pulled Lois even closer, tightening his grip around her waist and pressed his lips on hers, slowly working on her lower lip and allowing his tongue to slip between his lips and into her inviting mouth. The sensation of touching her so intimately felt like he was ready to set the whole place alight.
And Lois, the tremble in her spine had reached the top of her neck, rendering her completely paralyzed to any other movement apart from those of her lips and tongue.
The cheering and whistling around them didn't seem to exist in their universe. The only thing that did exist, that moment, was the two of them.
"It was about time!" Chloe shouted at the top of her lungs while standing on the bar stool. She turned and sat, extending her empty cup to Lana and Martha with a grin.
"Another espresso and make it a double. I predict this to be a looong night," she winked at them and turned her head around once again to see her two best friends who didn't seem to be bothered by their lack of air enough to break their kiss.
The End.
Author's Note:
This is my first and only attempt at fan-fiction. I wrote this story a while back as an answer to a challenge. I hope you like it, please take a minute and post your feedback.
Thank you
