Clark sure was glad he and Chloe were going on this picnic.
He knew she and Jimmy Olson had a date earlier in the week, but he liked the fact that Chloe suggested this. They had been a little bit more affectionate since his return from the Phantom Zone. Sure the kiss - and whoa, what a kiss that was! - hadn't really led to anything, but Clark didn't want to admit there was a small part of him that wanted it to possibly lead somewhere. He liked Chloe; he always had on some level, so maybe that's why he had that funny little flutter in his stomach whenever she looked at him.
They had made it to Crater Lake fairly early in the afternoon, and Clark was glad to see that it wasn't too crowded. It was late in the summer, and most kids they knew were already on their way back to school. A few kids were swimming, others were tanning at the edge of the lake and several more had the same idea as Chloe, a picnic lunch and kite flying.
"This looks like a good spot."
Chloe plopped down on the sand and spread the blanket out. Clark helped even it out and proceeded to get out the food: Sandwiches, chips, and a package of Hershey's mint kisses was in the cooler along with the sodas. They sat in silence for a while, watching the other kids. Clark mostly watched Chloe. They way she laughed at something funny that someone else did, like a belly flop off the dock. The sound put Clark in a good mood. It also, however, made him a little fluttery.
"Hey Clark? You want another soda?"
That's when it happened. Somehow, Clark managed to knock the drink out of Chloe's hand. While it didn't go flying off at super-sonic speed, it did get punctured by his thumb. The spray went all over Chloe, drenching her. The can somehow hit her in the forehead.
Clark looked at her with horror. He began to stammer.
"Chloe...oh God, I'm so sorry...Here, let me help." He attempted to mop up some of the sticky drink when he realized he was touching Chloe's chest.
Chloe isn't the kind of girl that needed to worry about being a late bloomer.
Clark mentally kicked himself. He shouldn't be thinking that way about Chloe, but it was true. Her shirt now clung to her more obviously than before...
"Wow, Clark. It's a good thing you don't have heat blush, or your face would be on fire right about now."
His head shot down. Any feeble attempt at helping her died.
"Sorry."
"It's okay, Clark. No big deal." She brushed off the awkwardness of the situation by quickly changing into something else. She then began to pack up the picnic basket. It had begun to get pretty warm, so they decided on a early leave.
As they were leaving, Chloe had gotten in front of Clark. He had insisted on carrying everything, still feeling bad about "coping a feel" as Chloe liked to put it. Despite his earlier shame of putting his hands where they didn't belong, his gaze couldn't help but travel down Chloe's departing figure.
Hey, he might be from Krypton, but he was still human.