The lunch date
… in which Lois explains the importance of good pizza toppings
It was a week before they had their next date. A week too long in Lois's opinion. Between work at the Planet and Clark's work on the farm and maybe a little bit of hesitancy from both of them, they had allowed a whole week to go by. She wasn't known for her patience but a week was a bit much.
After all, who didn't want to spend time with the man they lo- liked very much?
Liked. Liked.
She was staring so intently at her computer screen, pretending to work but really persuading herself that her feelings for Clark were 'like' only, that it took her name being repeated two or three times to get her attention.
She glanced up to see Clark standing beside her chair looking… ohhhhh, help.
He was wearing the dark purple shirt with the dark tie. The dark purple shirt that emphasised every muscle in his torso and the dark tie that brought out his eyes so well. Quickly reminding herself not to ogle Clark when he was looking right at her, Lois gave him her brightest smile and full attention. "Yes Clark?"
"I was thinking… we could get lunch?" he asked, his head tilted slightly as though he was studying her, waiting on her reaction. Why? It was only lunch. The prospect of food was suddenly very appealing and she replied brightly, "Lunch! Sure, I'm starving." He was still standing there, looking a little unsure and she added "Unless you meant something else?"
"I meant lunch like a date," he blurted out. Lois noticed that his hands were balled into fists, almost as if he was steeling himself to ask. This awkwardness was getting old very quickly.
They'd had lunch before, of course, but ten minutes practically inhaling food at their desks while trying to work over the noise of people talking and printers and fax machines and computers could hardly be called special.
A "lunch date", on the other hand, was full of exciting possibilities. "Okay" she said. Clark's face lit up. "Okay?" he repeated, a dazzling smile on his face. Lois smiled back and nodded, reaching for her purse at the same time. His eyes sparkled as he grabbed his coat off the back of the chair.
They really should've gone on another date sooner.
Lois followed Clark up the stairs, marvelling slightly at the ease with which he parted the lunchtime crowds. He was a big guy, there was no denying that, but there was just something…else…about Clark. Something strong and wonderful. It was one of the reasons she had fallen in lo-like with him.
She allowed herself a moment of indulgence and ran her eyes over his broad shoulders and back. Honestly? Clark was built.
The flush on Lois's face was mercifully gone by the time they reached ground level, and Clark steered them down the street towards the intersection, which left Lois alone with her thoughts.
Would it break any rules to just plant one on him right now?
Yes, it would, but if she should happen to trip… and he caught her… and their faces were close together… and then they kissed… wouldn't that be alright?
Lois was grateful Clark couldn't hear her thoughts and was therefore completely oblivious to what she was planning, or thinking about planning. But it was too much to ask of a girl, to have experienced some of the greatest kissing in her entire life – granted, it had been right in the middle of the bullpen, and then later in a slightly less public place – and then not get any at all. It was a crime!
Kissing Clark was like nothing else in the world. And she needed to stop thinking about it before she broke every single rule she had set for them and for herself.
Clark came to her rescue by stopping suddenly. Lois looked up, realising where they were. They'd walked six blocks and crossed three busy streets and she hadn't even noticed, and now they were standing in front of… Gino's. The best pizza place in Metropolis.
Lois could've kissed Clark there and then for his choice of lunch venue, but instead she watched him hold the door open for her and sent him an eyeroll on the way past. His small town manners showed him to be the gentleman his parents had raised, and she loved to make fun of him for it, knowing it would provoke him.
Even if it secretly gave her the warm fuzzies inside, not that she was going to let Clark know that.
She drew the line, however, at him pulling her chair out for her. "I can do that myself, Smallville, I'm a big girl" she told him, pulling the chair out herself. He just smiled and shrugged, as though he was saying 'Fine, you can do it this time'.
Lois managed to order her own pizza by herself too. It was always the same order in Gino's. Clark teased her about being predictable, but why meddle with greatness?
The smell in the pizzeria was making her stomach rumble, and Clark's eyes were full of mischief when he caught her eye. "Hungry, Lane?" he teased. "I've had a busy morning, and chasing down shady criminals burns up calories. What were you doing? You disappeared a couple of times," Lois retorted. He shifted in his seat, almost as though he was squirming, and said "I had a couple of leads to… follow. What story are you working on now?"
They chatted about their respective assignments, and Lois had never felt more comfortable with anyone. Clark was telling her about an article he was writing and she studied him a little, noting the way he sat forward slightly when he was interested in something, the way his enthusiasm just shone out of his face like a bright light on a dull day.
Not even the arrival of their pizzas interrupted his flow. Lois was a little surprised at him, talking so much. He wasn't quiet quiet, but he did talk less than most people, and she found that very appealing. She knew he kept a lot of things bottled up, and tended to keep his thoughts to himself, especially around other people, but around her he seemed freer, more at liberty to say what he wanted.
And that was also very appealing.
Clark paused to cut up his pizza, and Lois directed her attention to the heaven on her plate – deep crust pizza with chicken, pineapple, sweetcorn, mushrooms and extra cheese on top. She sliced it up the way she liked it; in half, then quarters, then eighths, before taking a bite and practically melting at the taste explosion in her mouth.
She might even have moaned a little bit in appreciation.
Lois munched happily on her pizza, and it was a while before she noticed Clark was staring at her. "What?" she asked, mumbling slightly over the pizza. "How do you eat that?" he wanted to know, his eyes never leaving hers. Was she blushing? She hoped not. Not in front of him.
"Well, it's easy. You open your mouth and put the food in," she deadpanned, and chuckled at him when he gave her his very best 'be serious' look. "What's wrong with what I'm eating?"
"It's just… that combination," he said, his nose wrinkling in distaste. "Oh Smallville," Lois sighed. "You have so much to learn." "Then teach me," he challenged, leaning forward slightly and folding his arms.
"It's all about balance. If you get the right combination of toppings, even if they seem like they won't go well together on their own, you can make a truly perfect, special, pizza," she explained.
On second thoughts, she could have worded that differently. Or at least not turned her explanation into a metaphor for their relationship. Judging by the way Clark's eyes were brimming with something that looked suspiciously like hope, he had obviously taken it that way too. He cleared his throat slightly and said "I think with the perfect combination, it's easy to get it right." Lois nodded and took an enormous bite out of another slice of pizza.
Awkward.
Clark grinned suddenly, that gorgeous, make-you-weak-at-the-knees grin that she saw more often these days. She swallowed and demanded "What? What are you grinning at?" In answer, Clark reached across the table and wiped away a blob of cheese that had been clinging to the corner of her lip. Damn him and his blue eyes, she hadn't even noticed.
The same blue eyes currently boring into hers, as his hand cupped her cheek and his thumb rubbed across her bottom lip. Lois couldn't help it. She leaned into his touch, her eyes drifting closed for a second.
At which point her brain kicked in and screamed "PDA! PDA!" at her. She opened her eyes and leaned back, away from his hand. "I think you got it all," she said, her voice a little shaky. Shaky? She needed to pull herself together. "Yeah," he replied, huskily, and she nearly reached across the table to grab him and kiss him senseless.
No, that wasn't a good idea. PDA#1 on date no.2 was quite enough. Clark was still staring at her and she raised an eyebrow at him in question. "I wanted to talk to you about our 'rules'," he said.
"What about them?"
"I want to tell my Mom about us."
Lois coughed and tried not to choke on the mouthful of water she had just sipped from her glass. Tell Mrs Kent? The coolest Mom, and one person she looked up to most, in the whole world?
"Why?" she choked out.
"Lois, she's my Mom. I think she'd want to know." Clark told her, looking at her as though he couldn't understand why she would object. Lois sighed. Could she make him understand? This meant too much, far too much, to her to just tell everybody that they were dating. What if it didn't work?
She wouldn't be able to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart if it didn't. Not this time.
Clark stood up slightly and shuffled his chair round the table to sit beside her. He leaned towards her, his voice low and serious when he said "Lois, I want people to know we're dating. I want them to know that of all the people you could've dated, you picked me. I want everyone to know just how lucky I am."
He always knew exactly what to say, didn't he? She hadn't wanted anyone to know, because she wanted to get this right with him, without anyone interfering. But maybe Mrs Kent knowing wouldn't be a bad thing. Who better to turn to for advice?
It was at that moment, when she turned to speak to Clark, that she noticed the thunderstruck look on his face. She turned her head in the direction of his face, wondering what he had seen to make him look like he'd been punched in the gut. Her breath caught in her throat.
There was a man standing at the counter, his back to them. Lois's eyes took in work boots, faded jeans, a blue plaid shirt and blonde curly hair. Of course it couldn't be Jonathan Kent, but that didn't stop her from willing the man to turn round so she could see his face and make sure. He lifted a pizza box and headed towards the door, his face and the way he walked nothing like Mr Kent. She breathed again and turned back to Clark.
Her heart nearly broke for him. His eyes, unseeing as they gazed at the door that the man had just left through, were cloudy with pain. For one of the few times in her life, Lois was at a complete loss for words. What on earth could she say to him that would ease his heart?
"I miss him too," she said, her voice almost a whisper. She did miss him, so very much. He had been more of a father to her, and at a time when she needed it the most, than the General had been. Clark's eyes flickered to hers and then to the table. "I miss him every day. I wish he could see what I'm doing now" he said, so lowly she almost didn't catch it.
"He'd be proud of you, Smallville."
"I know. I just… wish he was here. Sometimes I really need him, and Mom's busy a lot of the time."
Loneliness. Lois knew from experienced that it sucked. And it didn't seem fair that Clark, of all people, the kindest and best person she knew, should have to be lonely. He should be surrounded by people who loved him. He'd been through a lot, and he deserved to have that at least.
Of its own volition, Lois's hand reached under the table and rested on top of his. He turned it upwards to twine his fingers with hers, and his lips twisted into a sad smile as he looked at their joined hands. "I thought you said 'No touching'. And you meant it."
"It doesn't count," she said, also looking at their hands to avoid looking at him, trying to calm her racing heartbeat. It was ridiculous that such a simple thing could affect her so much, but then this was Clark. And it wasn't PDA, so it didn't count in the tally. "I just… I know what it's like to lose someone who was your whole world. The wound doesn't really go away, ever."
Lois fought the lump in her throat at the aching memory of her mom, lying so still in that hospital bed, unable to move or even speak. She absolutely would not cry in front of Clark, and definitely not in the middle of a pizzeria. Clark's hand tightened around hers, and for a long moment they sat there, two lonely souls holding onto each other, an anchor in stormy waters.
Eventually, Clark sighed, and his grip on her hand loosened. "We have to go, Lois," he said, his voice tinged with regret. Lois felt bereft when he let go of her hand completely and stood up before walking to the counter to pay for their pizzas. She was ready for him when he came back, and they walked out onto the street in silence, heading for the Planet buildings.
Clark held the door open for her again, and she smiled at him this time, a warm smile that said 'thank you', and maybe a little bit of 'I don't know what I'd do without you'. On the way down the stairs to the basement, Lois spoke. "Clark, I think you're right… we should tell your Mom about us."
She ignored the slight thrill that went through her when she said "us". In actual fact, she wanted to jump up and down in excitement – Clark and Lois are an "us"! – but that would've been very undignified, not to mention embarassing. A smile broke out on Clark's face, chasing away all the shadows, and he said "Thanks, Lois. I'll tell her tomorrow." He leaned over to her slightly and lowered his voice. "And thank you. For earlier."
"No problem, Smallville" she replied easily, not giving away how much the moment had meant to her too. And she was willing to compromise on at least one rule for the sake of the man she lo-liked. Liked.
No, not liked.
Loved. Loved.
Her heart had won out, and she couldn't deny it any more. It was the reason for taking it slow, and for doing her best to get it right with him.
She was in love with Clark Kent.
Dammit.
