Worst Timing Ever
Chapter 2
There wasn't very much activity in the small deli for a Saturday afternoon. It was one of those places that only locals knew about and frequented.
That was a part of the quaint appeal it held for the tiny group that loved to spend time there on occasion.
Lana and Chloe were huddled together on one side of a small booth while Lois and Clark sat opposite them.
Chloe watched as Lois picked off all of the cucumbers from her chicken sandwich then traded them with Clark for his pickle and coleslaw. That was just one example of the close friendship between the two reporters. And not the first time Chloe had witnessed such an exchange between them at mealtime.
She thought it was nice actually.
They had a friendship that most would envy and to be honest it was hard to admit that over the years Lois and she had not been as close as they were when they were teenagers.
But at the same time it was hard to stay that way when she saw how happy Clark could make Lois. They were the type of friends that were unconditional. The push and pull relationship they had was something neither had had before and both enjoyed that uniqueness.
She was happy for them except when it came to the fact that their constant denial was driving her crazy, and Lana too. If only they could see what was so obvious to even the most casual observer.
Yet neither was brave enough to confront it.
Suddenly she was pulled out of her thoughts when Clark asked her a question.
"So Chloe, how are you doing with the magazine? What is the next place you are gonna visit? Rome… Paris? Maybe somewhere really exotic like… Fiji?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Haha Clark, you're real hoot, you know?"
Clark chuckled but Lois hit him in the chest which took the grin right off his face as Lana joined in.
"Seriously though Chloe, where?"
"Umm, I am not sure where they are sending me next. I just turned in that piece on Death Valley and the different places to stay in that area. I may stay here for a while but who knows?"
Several years ago Chloe had snagged a job at a prominent travel magazine based in the city. She traveled all over covering different traditions, cultures, and deciding where people should hang out and the places a tourist should avoid. She loved the adventure of meeting new people and seeing new places, and she was rarely bored.
Although it had one drawback, and that was the amount of time she got to spend with Jimmy which was not much. He probably spent more time with Clark and Lois than he did her through no fault of his own.
She picked up her bag of potato chips to distract herself from really following that depressing thought all the way through.
Clark looked at her and smiled a little. "Do you think they will send you abroad any time soon?"
Chloe sighed, and put the bag back down on the table. "Apparently I have not yet paid my dues so no traveling abroad for this little lady which sucks because I would so love to do that."
Lois sipped at her drink through the straw before turning her attention to her cousin. "When will they realize how awesome you are over at that stupid place? I mean how many years have you worked for them? Like seven years?"
"Just five."
Lana glanced at her with a slight frown. "But that is still a really long time."
Chloe nodded as she took a bite of her sandwich.
"Yep but at this point there is nothing I can do about it. I don't have as much seniority as a few others that get those types of assignments. So they get them before I would."
Clark smiled at her with a friendly twinkle. "Your day will come I'm sure."
Lana added in. "Of course she will! And when she does she has to bring back tons of pictures for us to look at."
Both Lois and Clark nodded.
"And souvenirs."
"Lots of them."
Lana smiled before popping a French fry into her mouth, "So what about you two? Anything new and exciting in the lives of Lois and Clark Kent?"
Chloe choked on her water slightly as the said pair wore identical shocked expressions on their faces. After a moment they glanced at each other cautiously then returned their gaze to her.
"You forgot my last name in there; you make it sound like we are married, when we are far from it." Lois said snorted.
"Yeah, just friends."
Lana nodded as she flipped her shoulder length hair away from her neck and stared seriously at the pair across from her. "Um yeah I know that, why exactly?"
Chloe sat next to her having recovered from her bought of light laughing. The soft features of her face held a curious and very interested expression. It was a very valid question, after all.
Lois chuckled a bit awkwardly, "Me and farmboy, here? We could always be just friends, it is just how it is."
Clark nodded in agreement next to her. "Yeah I mean, we fight all of the time—"
"We fight all of the time? No we don't, we bicker. There is a major difference Clark."
He let out an irritated but slightly amused sigh. "Fighting and bickering is the same thing Lois. It is not like comparing oranges to apples."
"Yeah it is, fighting would imply that there is anger between us. Bickering is like annoyance. And Lord knows there is plenty of that."
Clark rolled his eyes. "I annoy you all the time, is that what that means? Like you are a walk in the park 'Miss Clark needs his typos underlined and circled' even though you and spelling aren't exactly the best of friends."
As Lois went into her rebuttal Lana and Chloe looked at each other. A look of defeat and frustration exchanged between the two women.
No matter how many times either brought the subject up it was hard to get any direct responses. It was starting to get old watching Lois and Clark dance around the fact that they were pretty much made for each other. It was so simple and easy to see that they fit together perfectly. It was getting harder to drop hints all of the time like the "slip" Lana had just had because it was always breezed over and forgotten. They always got distracted by another bantering session that was just blatant flirting, really.
Lana shrugged at Chloe.
What could they do if Lois and Clark weren't ready to face their feelings yet?
~x~
After lunch Lois and Clark headed to an antique shop down the street. It was a store that they visited from time to time to check out all of the knick knacks, and see if they could make any fantastic finds for a cheap price.
Lois loved it.
She dropped down to her knees as she inspected a silver tea pot with a serving tray on the lowest shelf on one of the walls. She checked out the price tag, and shrugged as she picked it up. Her eyes then searched for that tall dark haired man she had come in with.
She, of course, spotted him easily.
"Smallville," She yelled across the store causing a few other customers to look her way.
But he turned his head immediately, and Lois smiled. At one point in time he had hated that nickname but now she knew that Clark was used to it and enjoyed it too. No one else could call him that and get away with it which was what she loved the most.
"What do you think?" She asked as he approached her.
Clark looked at the pot briefly and got that look of dislike on his face that she knew very well.
"I don't know Lois, they will have about five of these in their pile of gifts, do you really want to make it six?"
Lois sighed. "I guess not but you know mine would be their favorite."
Clark smirked, "Yep, sure."
She threw him a mock glare. "Oh, and I suppose you have found them the most spectacular gift in all the land, huh? What is it a gift certificate to 'Farmers R Us'?"
"As a matter of fact, that is exactly what I would get them." Clark said with a smile. "If there were such a store but there is not."
Lois bent down and returned the tea set to its original spot before standing up to her full height. She grinned at Clark with one hand on her hip.
"You would know." She quipped before tugging on his arm. "Now, seriously what do you think Tina and her hubby-to-be would need or want?"
Clark shook his head as they strolled further through the store. "To be honest I have no clue what to buy as a wedding gift."
Lois sighed again, "Money?"
He glanced at her. "I guess but don't you think that is impersonal? Kind of lazy, too?"
"Not at all, I mean we are busy people, Tina knows that because we work together. So I think she would be very grateful to get some money in an envelope."
"In an envelope? So don't even bother getting them a card?" Clark asked skeptical. "At the very least they should get a card."
Lois smiled at him as they turned the corner to another section of the back of the store where all of the antique clocks were kept. "Yeah, a nice cheesy Hallmark card that sends a message of true love, soulmates, and finding your happily ever after."
Clark looked out of the corner of his eye. "Why are you always so cynical when it comes to love?"
Lois shook her head. "I'm not really it just, gosh if you have read one of those cards you have read them all, don't you think?"
He nodded. "Yeah… you have a point there."
"Aw, Clark, when are you going to learn that everything I say has a point and it is always a very good one."
Clark smiled, and took a step toward a grandfather clock to his left. "So are you bringing a date?"
Lois stood beside him and peeked around his shoulder at the beautifully finished wood of the clock's base. "I don't know, weddings kind of bring expectations even if it is that of a co-worker. Plus, I have no time to date and I am not going to waste one of my only date nights on dancing the hokey pokey, eating bad cake, and hearing the incessant noise of people clinking their glasses waiting for the lovebirds to kiss."
Clark chuckled to himself at the very vivid and accurate account of a wedding reception.
"You?" She asked as she bumped her shoulder with his and turned toward another counter with a display of pocket watches.
"Um, nope. I don't have time to find a date before the wedding."
He brought his head around to look at her as an idea struck him. "So you don't have a date."
Lois looked at him incredulously. "Yeah, we just covered that."
"And I don't have a date, why don't we just go together?"
She stared at him for a second, "Seriously?"
"It makes sense, come on Lois, what are you afraid of? Not being able to resist me and my charm?"
"You? Charming? Oh get over yourself Kent… "Lois said warningly. "If you let your ego get any bigger I will just have to take you down a peg or two."
Clark laughed again before looking at her for an answer. "So, what do you say?"
Lois hesitated for a moment then added, "Oh, what the hell."
Clark beamed a smile at her as he ran a hand through his hair, and rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. Lois smiled back at him and quirked an eyebrow at him. "So it's a date and it will be the best one you have ever had, bucko."
"Great, now let's go and find one of those cheesy, sappy cards for you to give to them as a gift. Maybe you could get them one of those cards that sing?" He said bumped his shoulder with hers as he moved passed her.
Lois smirked at him before following him as they headed for the door. "Not gonna happen, ever."
End of Chapter 2.
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