Lana stepped into The Fortress of Solitude. She walked over to his
telescope and looked through it. It was pointed at her house.
"Hey."
She jumped up, startled, and turned around quickly.
"God, Clark! You scared me!"
"I'm not the one sneaking around in your loft," he said grinning.
"Good point." She turned her gaze to the telescope. "Nice view?"
He laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess it is."
"I'm going to have to remember to close my curtains."
Clark blushed. "Oh, I wouldn't…you know, if you were—."
"I know Clark, it's okay." She was smiling, so he knew she wasn't mad at him.
His expression turned serious and he motioned for her to sit down on the couch.
"So, Chloe said you guys talked. She was kind of cryptic about it. How did it go?"
Lana thought back to her earlier conversation with Chloe. "It went fine. We're "almost friends" again."
Clark nodded. "Good, I'm glad." He thought carefully of how to pose his next question. "Lana," he said tentatively, "Do you and Chloe ever talk about me?"
"No," Lana said too quickly.
"Oh."
Lana looked at him and relented. "Actually…it's pretty much the only thing we talk about together. Why?"
"Chloe has a crush on me doesn't she?"
Lana felt slightly panicky. An awkward moment passed as she tried to figure out what to say. She didn't want to betray Chloe's confidence, but she also didn't want to have to lie to Clark. "Yes," she finally admitted.
"I thought so. I mean, we always flirted, you know, as friends. I guess I just always assumed it was innocent."
"Oh, Clark. It is innocent. Chloe doesn't have any misconceptions about her relationship with you. She knows…that it isn't going to happen between the two of you."
Lana paused and glanced at Clark, then turned her attention to her shoes, before speaking. "It isn't going to happen, right? You don't like Chloe, do you?"
"No! Of course, I like her," he said embarrassed, "but only as a friend."
Lana looked relieved.
"Do you think I should talk to her about it?"
"No!" Lana said quickly. "She doesn't know that you know, and she'd probably kill me for telling you. Besides I think she'd rather admire you from afar then do anything that would jeopardize your friendship." Clark nodded.
"Chloe's in love with you Clark." The words came out too fast. Lana was surprised that she had even said them. She felt horrible, telling Clark Chloe's secret. But Lana wanted him to know, so he could make an informed decision. She needed to know that he didn't love Chloe. She saw the shocked look on his face, knew that he didn't, and immediately regretted saying it.
The words hung thick in the air. "What?" Clark finally stammered. Lana nodded. "She loves you."
"How do you know? Did she say anything?"
Lana was taken aback by his questions. She hadn't expected them. "No, she didn't exactly say it. But I can tell. Woman's intuition?" she suggested.
He looked at her skeptically. "Are you sure Lana?"
Lana swallowed hard, choking on her words. "Yes, I'm positive. The way she looks at you Clark—." She looked away, guiltily. "I should have never have told you."
"Lana--."
"No, it wasn't my decision. It was Chloe's. For whenever she was ready."
"I'm glad you told me. You're a good friend."
Lana cringed at the word "friend." She unhappily faked a smile. He saw right through it, and his look immediately changed to one of concern.
"Lana, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said softly.
"Yeah right. I know you better then that. What is it?" He stared at her quizzically, and then looked down at the ground.
"It's Chloe, isn't it?"
She looked up. "Bingo," Clark thought. He took her small hands in his. "Lana," he started. "Look, I do love Chloe."
Lana paled and her pulse quickened. She felt sick, as if someone had just punched her in the stomach. Clark took one look at her and felt awful.
"No Lana, you don't understand. I do love Chloe, but only as a friend."
"Right," she whispered, as she got up to leave. He grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Wait!"
"No," she said struggling to get away from him. "Clark, let go of me."
He did, but followed her down the loft steps. "Lana wait! Look, I don't love Chloe. I do, but-we're only friends. And if that's what you're worried about, I promise, you don't have to be." She stopped at the door, listening to what he was saying.
"Nothing will ever happen between Chloe and I. Ever."
She turned around to face him. She was about to cry. Tears threatened to spill over her cheeks. He walked down the steps and met her at the door.
"Lana," he said desperately, trying to get through to her, "I'm sorry. Really, I am."
She nodded.
"God Clark, I know. It's not your fault. It's not."
"Then what's wrong?" he said, upset that he couldn't help her. He felt helpless.
She shook her head. "I don't know. It's just…everything is happening so fast, you know? And this whole Chloe's in love with you thing, and then there's Whitney, and, and the article, and I don't know I just-I can't. I just can't. Deal with it all." Her voice was breathless and panicky; she was on the verge of hysterics.
He grabbed her and pulled her close, so that she could feel his heart beating. He held her so tightly, that she felt like she was suffocating, but in a good way, because it felt right. It felt safe and warm and just, right. He kept whispering "shhh" into her ear, and she felt slightly calmer.
Clark held her protectively until she moved away, putting distance between them.
"I'm sorry…for freaking out like that."
He shook his head dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It's okay. Let's just talk about all of this."
She nodded. Lana stood two feet away from him. She wanted to just reach out and touch him. To feel close to him again.
"Okay, Whitney's a moron, and you shouldn't ever have to think about him again. But seeing as how the last time you two spoke, I was throwing him out of your bedroom, I can see how getting over this might be an issue for you. But you have to just try and forget about him, because if you don't, then it will drive you crazy. And believe me, I know you're stressed about it. I don't even know what happened with Whitney that day, but you can't spend you're whole life thinking about it. And if you ever find yourself thinking about it, just come over here. I can help."
"We could go to the field and scream again," she suggested.
"Yeah. We could do that," he said smiling. "And the article, well…people will get over it Lana. They will, eventually. And until then, just lie low. Relax. You have to stop caring what the people at school say about you. It's uncomfortable, but…I don't think there's any other way."
She nodded again, trying to absorb it all.
"Lana, about Chloe, maybe you're…" his voice trailed off.
"Jealous?" she suggested.
"Yeah."
"That's the worst thing of all Clark. Us. I have no idea what's going on between us. We've never even talked about it. Where is this going? What are we doing?"
He shook his head. "I don't know Lana. But I do know that whatever it is, I'm enjoying it."
She smiled. "Me too. And about Chloe? You're right. I am jealous of her. And Chloe's jealous of me."
Clark laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"I have two great girls fighting over me."
She looked up at him with wide eyes. "So, which one are you going to choose?"
Clark leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.
"You," he whispered softly.
"Hey."
She jumped up, startled, and turned around quickly.
"God, Clark! You scared me!"
"I'm not the one sneaking around in your loft," he said grinning.
"Good point." She turned her gaze to the telescope. "Nice view?"
He laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess it is."
"I'm going to have to remember to close my curtains."
Clark blushed. "Oh, I wouldn't…you know, if you were—."
"I know Clark, it's okay." She was smiling, so he knew she wasn't mad at him.
His expression turned serious and he motioned for her to sit down on the couch.
"So, Chloe said you guys talked. She was kind of cryptic about it. How did it go?"
Lana thought back to her earlier conversation with Chloe. "It went fine. We're "almost friends" again."
Clark nodded. "Good, I'm glad." He thought carefully of how to pose his next question. "Lana," he said tentatively, "Do you and Chloe ever talk about me?"
"No," Lana said too quickly.
"Oh."
Lana looked at him and relented. "Actually…it's pretty much the only thing we talk about together. Why?"
"Chloe has a crush on me doesn't she?"
Lana felt slightly panicky. An awkward moment passed as she tried to figure out what to say. She didn't want to betray Chloe's confidence, but she also didn't want to have to lie to Clark. "Yes," she finally admitted.
"I thought so. I mean, we always flirted, you know, as friends. I guess I just always assumed it was innocent."
"Oh, Clark. It is innocent. Chloe doesn't have any misconceptions about her relationship with you. She knows…that it isn't going to happen between the two of you."
Lana paused and glanced at Clark, then turned her attention to her shoes, before speaking. "It isn't going to happen, right? You don't like Chloe, do you?"
"No! Of course, I like her," he said embarrassed, "but only as a friend."
Lana looked relieved.
"Do you think I should talk to her about it?"
"No!" Lana said quickly. "She doesn't know that you know, and she'd probably kill me for telling you. Besides I think she'd rather admire you from afar then do anything that would jeopardize your friendship." Clark nodded.
"Chloe's in love with you Clark." The words came out too fast. Lana was surprised that she had even said them. She felt horrible, telling Clark Chloe's secret. But Lana wanted him to know, so he could make an informed decision. She needed to know that he didn't love Chloe. She saw the shocked look on his face, knew that he didn't, and immediately regretted saying it.
The words hung thick in the air. "What?" Clark finally stammered. Lana nodded. "She loves you."
"How do you know? Did she say anything?"
Lana was taken aback by his questions. She hadn't expected them. "No, she didn't exactly say it. But I can tell. Woman's intuition?" she suggested.
He looked at her skeptically. "Are you sure Lana?"
Lana swallowed hard, choking on her words. "Yes, I'm positive. The way she looks at you Clark—." She looked away, guiltily. "I should have never have told you."
"Lana--."
"No, it wasn't my decision. It was Chloe's. For whenever she was ready."
"I'm glad you told me. You're a good friend."
Lana cringed at the word "friend." She unhappily faked a smile. He saw right through it, and his look immediately changed to one of concern.
"Lana, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said softly.
"Yeah right. I know you better then that. What is it?" He stared at her quizzically, and then looked down at the ground.
"It's Chloe, isn't it?"
She looked up. "Bingo," Clark thought. He took her small hands in his. "Lana," he started. "Look, I do love Chloe."
Lana paled and her pulse quickened. She felt sick, as if someone had just punched her in the stomach. Clark took one look at her and felt awful.
"No Lana, you don't understand. I do love Chloe, but only as a friend."
"Right," she whispered, as she got up to leave. He grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Wait!"
"No," she said struggling to get away from him. "Clark, let go of me."
He did, but followed her down the loft steps. "Lana wait! Look, I don't love Chloe. I do, but-we're only friends. And if that's what you're worried about, I promise, you don't have to be." She stopped at the door, listening to what he was saying.
"Nothing will ever happen between Chloe and I. Ever."
She turned around to face him. She was about to cry. Tears threatened to spill over her cheeks. He walked down the steps and met her at the door.
"Lana," he said desperately, trying to get through to her, "I'm sorry. Really, I am."
She nodded.
"God Clark, I know. It's not your fault. It's not."
"Then what's wrong?" he said, upset that he couldn't help her. He felt helpless.
She shook her head. "I don't know. It's just…everything is happening so fast, you know? And this whole Chloe's in love with you thing, and then there's Whitney, and, and the article, and I don't know I just-I can't. I just can't. Deal with it all." Her voice was breathless and panicky; she was on the verge of hysterics.
He grabbed her and pulled her close, so that she could feel his heart beating. He held her so tightly, that she felt like she was suffocating, but in a good way, because it felt right. It felt safe and warm and just, right. He kept whispering "shhh" into her ear, and she felt slightly calmer.
Clark held her protectively until she moved away, putting distance between them.
"I'm sorry…for freaking out like that."
He shook his head dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It's okay. Let's just talk about all of this."
She nodded. Lana stood two feet away from him. She wanted to just reach out and touch him. To feel close to him again.
"Okay, Whitney's a moron, and you shouldn't ever have to think about him again. But seeing as how the last time you two spoke, I was throwing him out of your bedroom, I can see how getting over this might be an issue for you. But you have to just try and forget about him, because if you don't, then it will drive you crazy. And believe me, I know you're stressed about it. I don't even know what happened with Whitney that day, but you can't spend you're whole life thinking about it. And if you ever find yourself thinking about it, just come over here. I can help."
"We could go to the field and scream again," she suggested.
"Yeah. We could do that," he said smiling. "And the article, well…people will get over it Lana. They will, eventually. And until then, just lie low. Relax. You have to stop caring what the people at school say about you. It's uncomfortable, but…I don't think there's any other way."
She nodded again, trying to absorb it all.
"Lana, about Chloe, maybe you're…" his voice trailed off.
"Jealous?" she suggested.
"Yeah."
"That's the worst thing of all Clark. Us. I have no idea what's going on between us. We've never even talked about it. Where is this going? What are we doing?"
He shook his head. "I don't know Lana. But I do know that whatever it is, I'm enjoying it."
She smiled. "Me too. And about Chloe? You're right. I am jealous of her. And Chloe's jealous of me."
Clark laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"I have two great girls fighting over me."
She looked up at him with wide eyes. "So, which one are you going to choose?"
Clark leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.
"You," he whispered softly.