For most people, Mondays were the worst kind of evil; they meant saying goodbye to lazy mornings and laid back days and hello to alarm clocks and a day of work you hate. For Clark, the Daily Planet felt like some escape where the focus was off his life and onto the rest of the world's news. It also happened to be the place where he got to spend time with Lois; meaning time he'd spend being frustrated by her stubbornness and aggravated at her inflated ego. He breathed in the atmosphere and smiled.
However, as his gaze fell across Lois sitting at her desk and watched for a moment her hair fall across her face, Clark's mood twisted like the direction of a hurricane as it tore up the land, unpredictable and uncontrollable. Having had a sleepless night tossing and turning on how to phrase what he had to say perfectly, it all went out the window the moment he actually saw her.
Adjusting his tie, he headed towards her in the most nonchalant way he knew how. "Hey Lois." For a second, he thought the nerves in his voice would give him away, but as always, Lois remained unmoved.
Without taking her eyes off her monitor, she replied, "Morning Smallville." She typed one last letter and looked up at him. "Wow, get any sleep last night?" Having realised that she probably just walked into that one, she quickly added, "Actually, don't answer that. Really."
Lois suddenly felt very uncomfortable with Clark lingering over her desk, seemingly with something more to say. "Actually Lois, I need to talk to you about that..." Bingo. Lois logged off and stood up as casually as possible.
"You really don't Clark." She meant it to sound like she was too busy to listen, but it came out flat. She busied her hands fiddling with pens and notebooks and put them into her bag. "Besides, that's what you have Chloe for."
"Lois," He started; she headed for the lift with him following.
She spun round to face him suddenly. "Is Chloe out of the hospital now? I called her cell this morning but it wasn't on."
"She's with Jimmy." He answered, but she nodded briefly and then continued to the lift. Clark was getting frustrated that, as usual, Lois' 100mph attitude meant that anyone and everyone trying to get a word in couldn't. "Lois, would you hold on a minute? Where are you going, it's only 9am."
"Time waits for no man, Smallville, and time is money, a concept that only the best of reporters can grasp." She gave her pompous smile, thinking that insulting his glorified copy boy status might get him off her back. She entered the lift and turned to face him as the doors closed. No luck. Clark blocked the doors with his arm and jumped in beside her. "Clark!"
"Is it me or are you avoiding what I have to say?" Clark smiled arrogantly. "You're awfully jumpy this morning."
Lois looked at him incredulously as he crossed his arms and smiled to himself. "Excuse me Smallville, but as much as this will pain you to hear, not everything is about you."
"So, some things are?" He teased.
Lois cocked her head to the side and glared, "Apart from my copying needs, no."
Clark inwardly laughed as a comfortable silence settled between them. Clark, with renewed courage, began again while he had the rare opportunity of a quiet Lois. "Lois, I wanted to talk to you... well, Lana and I –"
The lift bell rung and the doors opened, relieving Lois so much that she hadn't realised that she was holding her breath. She stepped out, "Sorry Smallville, but I've got things to do – is it urgent?"
"Well, ur, not urgent, so much as –"
"Great, I can't wait to hear all about it later." Lois cut him off, smiled and walked away leaving Clark in the lift. The doors closed again, leading Clark back down to the basement. He should have known she would be stubborn, but something told him that Lois was a lot more determined to get out of talking to him than she would let him believe. Still, things needed to be said; next time he would have to make sure she couldn't escape.
Lois escaped the lift quickly, and from what she could tell, rather suavely. She couldn't have bared to have heard about whatever it was Clark was going to say if it involved Lana. He would probably end up telling her they got engaged or something, and without practising her reaction, she didn't trust herself. I guess I did a better job convincing him he meant nothing more to me than I realised.
It was only by walking through the revolving doors of the Daily Planet that she realised the flaw in her Great Escape... she lied, she didn't have anywhere to go; fleeing was a panic reaction. So somehow, she had to waste a day avoiding Clark but come up with a story for him tomorrow convincing him that blowing him off was worth it. Oh yeah, today's gonna be fun. I hate Mondays.
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Feral XXX