Lana stirred and leisurely took in her current surroundings. The bright morning sun shone in through the windows, speckling the floor with light. Lana lazily sat up and ferociously yawned with a small frown. She now realized that she was going to have to give Clark some kind of explanation. However, she didn't have much time to think of a good one as he briskly walked in through the door.
"You're awake?" Clark asked with concern as carefully he sat down on the bed next to her. "How are you feeling?" Clark cautiously handed her some water and a croissant which he had just swiped from the breakfast table. Lana didn't like the fact that he was walking on egg shells around her and treating her like a glass doll.
"I'm ok." Lana smiled brightly before leaning over to give Clark a small peck on the cheek. "So what are we doing today?" Clark was perplexed. Not one word of the previous night? What was going on with her. He found it odd that she could just wake up and be perfectly fine. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. There had to be more to the story than what she was saying, which was nothing to begin with.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Clark asked for a second time. "Because, last night you seemed pretty out of it." Clark had a feeling that she wasn't going to bring up last night, so he did.
"I was just tired, you know." Lana fidgeted with her hands nervously as she lied right through her teeth. "It was a long day and I just was ready to go to sleep, that's all." Lana gave him the most genuine smile that she could muster, which wasn't much, but it fooled him. Over the years lying had become one of her skills, a great defense mechanism.
"Do you want to leave?" Lana couldn't help but feel bad. She was lying to his face and all that he could do was think about what was best for her. "We can if you want to." He was definitely a keeper. "Last night, you said something about being anywhere but Paris."
"No, no Paris is great," Lana said a bit too quickly. She was so anxious in trying to cover up her tracks that she had forgotten a key part to making any lie believable; delivery.
"Are you sure?" Clark asked, narrowing his eyes. All that he wanted to do was make her happy and if he couldn't do it in this city then they would leave. He'd seen Paris before so he could care less where they were as long and she wanted to be there.
Lana nodded her head profusely. "J'adore Paris."
"I thought you didn't speak french?" Clark was becoming a bit suspicious of her. Had she been lying to him about something? She had obviously been hiding something. He'd hoped that she would just come clean with whatever it was.
"Oh no, I don't!" Lana blurted quickly. "That's all I know besides bonjour and oui." Lana smiled nervously in an attempt to mask her anxiety. "But anyway, what are we doing today?"
"It might be nice to get dressed first and later, we're going to meet Lex for lunch."
"We're meeting Lex Luthor?"
"Yep, it's basically like taking you to meet my family since he's all I have left." Clark walked into the bathroom and began to brush his teeth. "He's been bugging me to meet you for a while now," Clark called to Lana from the bathroom. "So when do I get to meet your family?" Clark asked just as Lana entered the bathroom door.
"My parents?" she asked, a bit taken aback. "Well you see, they're very busy people and..."
"Oh..." Clark abruptly stopped brushing his teeth and just stood there, frozen. "I get it."
"No, no it's not like that."
"It's ok Lana, you don't want me to meet your parents."
"Clark," Lana stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "It has nothing to do with you, it's just that they are always travelling or something, but when we go back to Metropolis I'll arrange it."
"You sure?"
"They'll love you like I do." The moment suddenly became awkward. The couple had been seeing each other for about nine months now and they were very much in love, but they refrained from using the 'L' word. It didn't mean that they didn't, they just weren't into saying it yet. "So where are we meeting Mr. Luthor at?"
"This one cafe downtown, it was his idea so naturally I have no clue."
"Then we should definitely get a move on," Lana softly whispered in his ear as she kissed his cheek. Clark didn't know what it was about her, but she always seemed to bring a smile to his face and that was all that mattered, it was enough. Even if she did have a billion dark secrets somewhere, they didn't matter. All that mattered was her. Clark wrapped his arms around Lana's shoulders and sighed. "Thank-you for everything," she whispered into his ear.
They stood in that pose for nearly ten minutes before Clark's phone rang, ruining any previous sentiments. He rushed to grab it and answer it. "Hello...oh hey Lex...yeah almost done...twelve? no problem...alright bye."
"Who was that?" Lana asked as she casually walked up to Clark.
"Lex, just telling me what time we should me him there." Suddenly, Lana grabbed Clark by the collar and pulled him back into the bathroom.
"You need to hop in the shower and I'll go after you," Lana commanded as she tossed a towel at Clark. "Don't take too long either sir because I still need to get in there."
"Well you know that old time saver..." Clark wiggled his eyebrows and smirked with a wink.
"That never really saves time, you know that, you're on your own Casanova."
After both of them had showered and done their daily beauty rituals, they headed down to the car that was waiting out front. "So did Lex tell you the name of this place yet?" Lana asked as she played with a stray piece of her hair.
"Nope, I guess its a surprise, but I do hope you don't pass out this time."
"Shut up Clark, don't make me..." Lana threatened with small eyes.
"Don't make you what?" Clark asked eagerly as he mocked her.
"This," Lana said as she dove forward and attacked Clark's midsection with unrelenting tickles. "Haha! I know your weakness..." By the time that their tickle fit was over, Lana was laughing way more than Clark. He was just trying to catch his breath.
"You are a very evil woman Lana Lang," Clark admitted as the car came to a halt. "Looks like we're here Ms. Evil-Pants," Clark pressed his lips in a firm line, trying to hold his laughter caused by the nickname that he had just bestowed upon her.
Lana stepped out of the car with the help of Clark and drank in her surroundings. "This place is really nice," she said with forced enthusiasm.
Clark accompanied Lana up the steps to the door where a man in a suit stood. "Do you have reservations?" the host asked in french. "I'm afraid we're all filled up if you don't."
"Actually, we're here to meet Mr. Luthor. My name is Clark Kent," Clark answered back in perfect french.
"Right this way." Clark and Lana followed the snooty host to a small room in the back. "Here you are, my apologies, Mr. Luthor seems to be running late today."
After they were seated, the waiter brought some water and bread. About ten minutes later, Lex Luthor made his entrance. He muttered something inaudible to the waiter before entering the private room. He saw the back of Clark's head and the back of his woman's. "Kent," Lex called to Clark.
"Lex!" Clark stood up and greeted his old time friend. "I want you to meet someone-" Clark was cut off by an over zealous Lex.
"Ahh, and you must be Lana Lang." Lex extended his hand, but withdrew it immediately as the girl turned around, revealing her face.
"Is everything ok Mr. Luthor?" Lana asked as she held her hand out in front of her awkwardly.
"It's fine, you just, have we met?" Lex knew her from somewhere, he just couldn't put his finger on it. How did he know her? It couldn't have been school because she was still in college...but where?
"No, I don't believe so, but it's great to finally meet you." Lex finally took Lana's hand in a handshake. "Clark's told me a lot about you Mr. Luthor."
"None of it's true I swear!" Lex chuckled as he sat down. "Please Lana, call me Lex." Lex picked up the menu and then set it back down. "So are you enjoying Paris?" Lana and Clark both nodded eagerly (Clark a bit more eager than Lana) as the waiter returned. The waiter quickly took their orders and then disappeared again. "Are you sure I don't know you from somewhere?" Then it hit him, she looked exactly like a childhood friend that he'd had. It couldn't be her though...
"I'm positive, but you know me now." Lana smiled brightly as she took a sip of her sparkling water.
"Oh never mind, you just remind me of a childhood friend, that's all." Their conversation was put on hold as their food arrived. "So how long have you two been seeing each other again?"
"About nine months," Clark answered quietly as he took a bite of his food. "It's been quite a while."
"I'll say, consider yourself blessed Ms. Lang." Lex flashed Clark a smirk before continuing, "Clark here has always been a love-em and leave-em type of guy." Lana's eyes widened at that comment. Was he being serious? "But it looks as though you've changed him, a job well done Ms. Lang." Clark glared at Lex across the table.
"Are you sure?" Lana asked questioningly. "When I first met him, he was really shy and reserved."
"You mean that's how he acted around you," Lex corrected.
The rest of the lunch was quite awkward and uneasy. When the bill finally came, Clark offered to pay for his and Lana's meals, but Lex insisted. Finally, they parted ways and went their separate paths.
"So what did you think?" Clark asked as he put his arm around Lana.
"Of what?" Lana didn't want to say it right now, but she actually liked Lex. He seemed like a very charismatic and funny guy. She could see why him and Clark were friends. "Of Lex?" Lana paused for a second as she contemplated the exact word to describe him. "He's um...eccentric."
Clark burst into laughter. "He is, at least you're honest about it." That word made her cringe, she was anything but honest. "I've known him for a while so I guess I've grown accustomed to it."
"So has he always been..." Lana trailed off, hoping that Clark would take the hint and perhaps fill in the blank that she had left so obviously.
"Been what, rich? Eccentric? Bald?" To Lana's disdain, Clark filled in multiple blanks. Always the overachiever, she loved this about him.
"The last one."
"Bald?" Clark repeated. "Well ever since he was a kid I think it started in his early teens though. Some kind of disease that makes you lose your hair but doesn't really affect your health."
"Wow, that had to be hard to get through."
"Not for Lex, he's a strong person, he's had to be with the type of father he has."
"Did he used to hit him or something?" Lana asked as she strolled down the streets of Paris arm in arm with Clark. "That would be awful."
"No nothing like that, but he's just insane." Clark held Lana tighter as they continued their stroll. "He's been like that ever since Lex's mom died."
"Oh, that's really sad, he's been through a lot." Lana frowned, she would have never imagined the life of Lex Luthor to be one with such complications. "Did you know her?" She kind of liked it though. It reminded her that rich celebrities were still people and not just robots.
"Who?"
"His mother."
"Yes, she was a really nice lady," Clark admitted. "She was kind of like a second mom to me I guess. I just never understood how such a great person like her could be married to Lionel."
"Anyway, let's talk about happier things." Clark smiled as he shook the memories from his mind. "Why don't we talk about that surprise that you spent half an hour packing."
Lana playfully hit Clark with her arm that was around him. "Patience is a virtue," she reminded him with a smile. "I suggest you learn it immediately."
"Not in my bible it isn't, the good lord made me just the way he wanted me, sans patience." Clark chuckled as he poked at Lana's side. "Fine, I guess that we can always talk about the two tickets that I got for us to the french ballet."
Lana frowned instantly, the ballet? Why did everything have to be so...french. She loved spending time with Clark, but the atmosphere was all too unsettling. However, Lana didn't want Clark to think that she was ungrateful so she put on her best smile and kissed his cheek. "The ballet? I've never been to a ballet before," Lana squealed in false delight. The person that once said that Paris was the city of love was a liar, for Lana it was the city of lies.