Note: Wow, you guys are absolutely amazing! Your feedback is so very appreciated. Ok…so, I know I said one more chapter, but it seems there will be two. Which I should have known would happen when these two finally got in the room together. ANYWAY, I hope you don't mind and I really hope you enjoy. This is kind of a set up for all the big reveals/emotions in the next chap. Thanks again for the support. Would love to hear what you think!!
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Chapter 8
Clark Kent couldn't reach the loft fast enough. He bounded the stairs as if they were invisible. Looking back on it later, he wondered if his feet had even touched them at all.
At the top, he stopped abruptly. And just stared. Breathless. Giddy. Suddenly, overwhelmingly shy.
Raw, newly discovered emotions held them both silent.
Clark drank her in.
She was beautiful. Beyond beautiful. The soft lines of her face made his fingers itch to touch her. To trace each feature. Especially her lips. Bowed, slightly parted. And so very tempting. Her thick hair lay in gentle folds against the long column of her creamy neck. How he wanted to just gather her in his arms and bury his face in that hair. To just breathe her in. Her snug red top and fitted jeans hugged every tantalizing curve. His mouth watered. He swallowed hard.
But beyond all of that, it was her eyes that held him mesmerized.
Two constant swirls of green and brown with tiny, unexpected flecks of gold. So deep and full of emotions he'd only dreamed he'd find there. When he'd dreamed it, how, for how long he didn't know. He just knew with perfect clarity that everything he ever wanted was standing in the room with him.
Centered in her eyes.
Lois wasn't fairing much better.
A god stood before her. His six foot three inch frame had always been impressive. Broad at the shoulders and narrow at the waist, she wasn't sure when he had turned into a wall of solid rock. But turned he had. Standing there, he exuding a sense of coiled, barely controlled power beneath a casual pair of jeans and a white t-shirt.
In perfect contrast, his cheeks were wildly flushed with that mixture of excitement and embarrassment that too often had been the secret reason for her frequent taunts. His raven hair, which of late had been pushed back, now lay in a ruffled mess on his forehead. He looked almost boyish. Untamed.
She ached to ruffle him even more.
And his eyes? They had never looked so blue. So clear. So filled with awe. Tiny shards of ice cut through fathomless depths making them sparkle and blaze with light. The warmth, the desire, the naked longing in his eyes set her body on fire. She unconsciously leaned back against the window frame and curled her fingers into the wood for support.
Clark was the first to consciously move when he tossed the folder Lana gave him onto the table, shoved his hands in his pockets and nervously shifted from one foot to the other.
Lois was the first to speak.
"Hi." Her tone was soft, a near whisper. As if she were afraid any loud noises would break the delicious spell, the tantalizing tension, hanging over them.
"Hi." Clark followed suit. "When did you get back?"
"Just a little while ago."
"So did I."
"You've been gone?" A surprised, curious brow rose.
"Yeah. I uh…I went up north for a few days. I needed to think."
"About?"
"The past. Present." A pause. "Our future."
"Our?" She caught the word, a hint of hope filtered through her question.
He could go there. In a heartbeat. But there were questions that needed to be answered first. By both of them.
Clark cleared his throat and glanced away, unsure he wanted to know the answer to one disturbing question. But needing it just the same, he asked. "I called you when you were in Star City. A man answered your phone."
"Right."
Her non-committal response brought his gaze back to her face. "Who was he?"
"No one worth putting even a hint of green in those baby blues."
Not good enough. After all, it had been that call that sent Clark into a tailspin that led him here. To this moment. To this loft. To her.
"Who was he?"
Surprised by his insistence and the sudden edge to his tone, Lois answered without further hesitation. "Bruce Wayne."
"Hunky billionaire. Playboy. Bruce Wayne." Clark stated, eyes widening. Boy, when she picked rivals for him…
"That would be the one." She actually sounded amused.
"Wow. Um…I didn't even know you knew him." He ran an unsure hand through his hair, dislodging even more waves.
Her chest tightened with desire and Lois struggled to keep her voice steady. "I…didn't. I met him the night you called."
"I see." His shoulders dropped an inch.
"I doubt you do." Her response brought his gaze back to her. "It was a case of Lois being Lois. I recklessly went down the wrong dark alley and ran right into a ring of troublemakers. Bruce rescued me and took me back to my hotel room."
Instant concern etched his features. He took an unexpected and unconscious step forward. "Are you ok? Did you get hurt?"
That reaction alone made her heart swell beyond capacity.
Her eyes never left his face, though his were now carefully scanning every inch of her. Well, every exposed inch. Or so it seemed.
She felt the smile coming and bit it back. "Yeah. Yeah, I have a few bruises and scraps, but nothing I can't handle." She continued with her confession when Clark sighed with relief. "But…that night, I was a bit shaken up…more than a bit actually, so Bruce stayed with me." A pointedly raised eyebrow emphasized her words. "On the couch."
Clark blinked rapidly, understanding relaxed his features. "Oh. Because he made it sound like…"
"Yeah, I know. Apparently, that was his version of a test." Lois shrugged as if she didn't get it either.
"A test. Of me." Clark's brows furrowed. "But…he sounded like he knew me."
"Right. That would be my fault." An embarrassed chuckle and a roll of her eyes. Lois shifted nervously at her perch. "Apparently, excessive drink doesn't only increase my desire to belt out Whitesnake tunes, but I happen to divulge quite personal aspects of my life to total strangers as well."
That revelation sent a thrill through Clark. He couldn't stop the quirk of his lips or the teasing in his eyes. An inquiring eyebrow rose. "Oh, so I'm a personal aspect now?"
Her lips tilted in response, a past conversation in this very space echoed through her mind. "Well, I won't tell anyone if you won't." She sent him a playful wink.
And that was it. The spell was broken. It no longer hovered over their heads, separating them. In now sprinkled down around them, weaving in and out, enveloping them in a familiarity that was uniquely Lois and Clark.
"So, this test." Clark took a step forward. "Did I pass?"
Choosing her words carefully, Lois' response was slow and deliberate. After all, Clark Kent still had quite a few questions of his own to answer. "Let's just say…when he told me what you said and how you said it…it removed a few black marks from your record. And then…" She picked up a folder and brandished it in front of her like a shield. "…I received this. From Lana of all people."
Her eyes openly gauged his reaction to the name. There seemed to be none. No hint of sorrow. Not the predictable puppy dog eyes. No longing. "So…how is she?"
Clark shrugged. "Fine, I suppose. She just left."
"I see. And…" Hesitant assumption layered her tone. "…when will she be back?"
"My guess is…baring the end of the world, never."
Her frank open gaze met his. Inquiring. Probing. Needing more than just Lana's current absence to dispel the anguish she'd endure the past several weeks. "Are you ok with that?"
"I should be. I'm the one that told her to go." Clark was just as frank. Just as open.
"So to clarify…" A Lois gesture prompted him for more. "…the two of you are…"
He eagerly obliged her not-so-subtle request. "Over. Done. Finished. The last chapter has been written. The book is sealed and locked away. The fat lady has sung. Stop me anytime I've convinced you..." A grin began to spread over Clark's lips.
"And us?" Her question was breathlessly uncertain.
"Us." Clark repeated taking another slow step forward. "Now, that's a bit more complicated."
"I see." Lois' gaze lowered as she nervously bit her lower lip.
"The term 'us' assumes there's a me and a you. Together. And on the same page." Clark picked up his identical folder from the table and tapped it with his finger. Understanding flared in Lois' eyes. "And while, I think it's been made abundantly clear what my feelings are, the only remaining question mark seems to be hanging over your head."
"Seems to be." Her double-edged agreement was delivered with an unreadable expression. He'd made her suffer these past few weeks, now it was his turn to wait. Besides, her curiosity wasn't satisfied.
"So this." She nodded to Clark's copy and touched her own. "It's not bad. She…has talent."
"You think?" Playing along with Lois' obvious reluctance to jump to the bottom line, Clark's face scrunched in uncertainty.
"What? You don't?"
"I don't know." Shaking his head, Clark glanced back down at his copy then placed it back to the table with a shrug. A steady, meaningful gaze snapped back to Lois. "I think the material pretty much stands on its own. Regardless of who wrote it."
Lois swallowed hard. Clark Kent couldn't be making things any more clear. And Lois Lane wasn't quite sure what to do with that. So, she did what came natural. She asked questions.
"So, is it true? Or did she use creative license to embellish?"
"It's true." He tilted his head in concession. "It's not complete, but…it's true."
"Not complete…how?"
"Well, for one…" He moved with sudden ease to his desk and leaned back against it. Though he was dying to close the gap between them and step into her orbit, he sensed she wasn't quite ready for that.
Yet.
He was careful to address her unspoken doubts as he answered her inquiry. "…she had no way of knowing how many nights I lost sleep because I couldn't get you out of my head. Or that your bunny slippers are now a permanent fixture in my room."
"I wondered where those went." She quipped, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Kitchen pantry." Clark supplied as a way of explanation. The quirked brow turned it into an inquiry he chose not to pursue. "They're raggedy and old and wouldn't fit even if I tried, but I like seeing them at the foot of my bed just the same." He chuckled, obviously amazed at his own actions. "I've even asked for vinegar to go with my French fries five times the past two weeks."
A disbelieving grin flashed. "But you hate that."
"Apparently, I've acquired a taste." His words laced with a double meaning, an intense gaze was pulled back to her face.
Lois felt her chest hitch, as her grin faded. She pushed herself away from the window and moved to the arm of the couch. Sinking down, her gaze was glued to the folder in her hand.
They had both shifted. Though the distance between them remained the same, all physical barriers had been removed.
Only the obviously strong doubts still rumbling around in Lois' heart kept them separate.
Clark watched her intently. The morphing expressions on her face were nearly unreadable. Nearly. He was able to see the struggle she was having play out. It pained him how much uncertainty his own choices, his own fear, had put in those brave eyes.
He would convince her. Wait for her. Answer her. No matter how long it took.
She wanted so much to believe this was happening. That every word Lana had written was true. That his own actions, the evidence playing out in front of her very eyes was the real deal. But history and her own insecurities needed a bit more convincing.
Quite a bit more.
She pulled in a breath and continued, unable to keep the question out of her voice. "So, you really stood up to Tess to protect my desk."
"Well, someone had to."
"It's just a piece of wood."
"It's more than that to me." Clark's sincerity was unwavering. Lois was glad for the support of the seat beneath her.
She cleared the emotions out of her voice and shrugged nonchalantly. Keep things light. Keep things breezy. "I guess I should thank you."
"For?" Since he'd not been able to keep her desk from being removed, Clark's eyes narrowed with confusion.
"Not revealing my clown phobia."
His sudden chuckle warmed her from the inside out. "Well, certain information just isn't fit for public consumption. I shudder to think what would happen if that tidbit ever fell into the wrong hands."
Her smile was quick and full. Her giggle was light and carefree. "You mock me now, Smallville, but I promise one day I will expose Bozo as the menace he is." Their eyes locked and held. The delicious tension between them tightened. Lois was the first to glance away. "There's one thing I don't understand."
"What's that?"
"Lana said something about super speed. She said you super sped past her…like twice." Inquisitive eyes gauged his expression. "Was that just a creative illustration or…something more?"
Clark wasn't surprised. Leave it to Lois to pick up on that one innocuous slip up in Lana's novella. Though that revelation would certainly need to be addressed, at the moment he had a bigger task at hand. The irony of that thought hit him. That he would have a harder time convincing Lois Lane of his true feelings than that he was an alien from another planet was so…typically Lois.
"Why don't we save that question for another day?"
An 'ah-ha' light came on in Lois' expression. "So it is something more."
"Another day."
"When?"
"Soon."
"How soon?"
"Very."
"Promise?"
"Boy Scout's honor." Clark held up his fingers in the well-known salute. Shifting gears, he asked a question of his own. "Why did you leave?"
The sudden, unexpected inquiry hit her hard. "Clark, you know why."
"Yes. For Jimmy. Chloe." Clark answered slowly with a thoughtful nod. "But then you stayed away. Why?"
"For you." A bittersweet smile touched Lois' lips and her gaze shifted to a night she'd been trying to forget. A night she couldn't help but remember. Her dreamy whisper electrified the room. "I saw the look on your face that night, Clark. You were going to kiss me. And it was going to be amazing."
"Yes. It was." Clark barely breathed.
"Then Lana walked in." Her gaze snapped to his face. Reality controlled her features. Her eyes. The suddenly sad lips. "And I saw that look too."
"Lois…"
"You know, I've never really quite gotten the two of you. I mean, I get that she's the perfect princess every guy wants. The thing is…you're not every guy. You're…so much more." She watched Clark's adam's apple bob and found it hard to voice a truth she'd allowed herself to forget for a while. "Still, you love her. And that's been clear from day one."
"Lois…"
Lois interrupted him again. "Clark, whatever was happening between us that night, whether fleeting or real, couldn't move forward until you went back." A helpless shrug moved her shoulders as she tilted her head in a way that sent Clark's pulse racing. "And even though I had to let that happen, it didn't mean I had to watch."
"Most women would have stayed." Clark probed gently. "Tried to stake a claim. Fight or influence. Or been curious, at least."
"I'm not most women." Lois stated with self-confident simplicity, then proved her point without even trying. "Besides, this is one you had to figure out on your own. Any other way would have been no good."
He stared at her a long moment. The admiration in his eyes deepened. When he spoke, the tremor in his sigh was filled with tender conviction. "There you go again."
"What?"
"Knowing me…better than anyone." Though that was true, Lois' explanation had a few glaring misconceptions Clark needed to clear up. "Did you really say love doesn't hurt?"
Lois shrugged, her eyes never leaving his. "Something like that."
"Did you mean it?"
Lois bit her lip and nodded.
"Good." He nodded his own acceptance of events. "I'm glad we're on the same page."
"Are we, Clark?"
It was a simple question, yet so very complicated.
Because it was a challenge.
Not angry or harsh, but a challenge just the same. Lois was ready. As always, she was courageous enough to face the truth head on. To ask the tough questions. And hear the unpleasant answers.
To follow the truth wherever it led.
Which left Clark Kent praying his truth would be enough.
Enough to satisfy her doubts. Enough to answer her fears.
Enough to lead her…straight to his heart.
Tbc…
