Lex stalked into the Talon. He squelched his irritation while he
ordered. The girl working was new, and Lex couldn't help drumming his
fingers impatiently against the countertop as he waited.
"Sorry that took so long," the girl said, handing him a cup.
He couldn't think of anything to say that wasn't really mean, so he didn't answer her, just took his drink and found a seat. He set the mug down and tried to focus his thoughts, but he was still too angry to clear his mind.
He almost took out his cell phone, but stopped and watched as Clark and his friend Pete almost fell through the door in their haste. They rushed up to the counter.
"Have you seen Lana?" Clark asked.
Lex stood up and moved toward them as the girl replied, "She's not supposed to be here for another hour and a half."
Clark turned and spotted Lex. "Lex! You haven't seen Lana, have you?"
He shook his head. "What's the problem?"
Clark's eyes shifted away and then back to Lex's face. "Nothing. I just need to talk to her."
Lex raised an eyebrow.
Clark amended, "I need to talk to her really badly."
"Do you want help looking for her?" Lex asked.
"No," Clark said just a bit too quickly.
"Clark," Pete said, giving his friend a nudge. "It's almost seven."
Clark seemed torn. "I've gotta find Lana." He looked back at Lex. "I promised Raina I'd meet her for a movie at seven thirty."
Lex seized the opportunity. "Well, I'll meet Raina. I can tell her something came up, and you can find Lana."
Clark looked relieved. "Thank you. Raina said she'd kill me if I made her sit through Whistling in the Dark by herself." He hurried out, Pete following him, without another word.
Lex had had no intention of seeing the movie version of Whistling in the Dark, and after a couple of the conversations with Raina, he wasn't sure why she was seeing it. That didn't mean he was going to miss the chance to see it with her.
He would have to drive fast to make it on time.
He got to the theater in record time, bought a ticket outside and went in. Raina was waiting in the lobby, and looked surprised to see him.
Lex strode up to her. "Clark couldn't make it, but he sent me, with his apologies. I hope you don't mind."
She gazed at him for a moment, then shook her head.
"Are you coming?" He held the door for her, and she scooted past him into the darkness. He followed her and found her hand, which sent an irrational thrill through him, and he found himself grinning.
They found seats near the back. "This way we can make fun of the movie," she explained.
"Ah," he said, "so that's why you're here."
She giggled and then the previews were over.
Lex spent the next two hours more vastly amused than he'd expected to be, by far. Raina altered between groans of dismay and outright mockery of Hollywood and all the alterations it had made to Rigby's work.
As they left, she shook her head. "Devastating, just devastating. What an utter horror. Who the hell was that Brandon guy? Did they just make up an entire character?"
"And the ending!" Lex went along with her tirade. "A complete reversal from the book."
They reached her car, a beat up P.O.S. He stopped and waited, not wanting to leave, not wanting her to leave.
Not wanting to deal with the crap his father was throwing his way.
Raina hovered by the car door. She seemed to have run out of things to say about the movie, at least for the moment.
She was still holding his hand, and she looked up at him, eyes bright with the lights from the theater.
She gave a little tug and he leaned down to kiss her. Her mouth was sweet and soft, and she slid her arms around him like she couldn't be too close to him.
She kissed him slowly, kissed him until he wasn't sure anything else existed; definitely wasn't sure if he wanted anything else to exist. The kiss ended lingeringly. Raina dropped down from her tiptoes where she had gone to reach him.
"That was... different," he managed.
She blinked at him. "Was it?"
He groped for the right words. "You really like me, don't you?"
Her laugh was startling. "Lex, I wouldn't kiss you if I didn't like you."
He shrugged. "That's not always how women are with me."
Raina's expression turned serious. "Well, those are just silly women."
"I always thought so."
Laughing, Raina pulled him down to kiss him again. He would really have to tell her how very much he liked her, too.
"Sorry that took so long," the girl said, handing him a cup.
He couldn't think of anything to say that wasn't really mean, so he didn't answer her, just took his drink and found a seat. He set the mug down and tried to focus his thoughts, but he was still too angry to clear his mind.
He almost took out his cell phone, but stopped and watched as Clark and his friend Pete almost fell through the door in their haste. They rushed up to the counter.
"Have you seen Lana?" Clark asked.
Lex stood up and moved toward them as the girl replied, "She's not supposed to be here for another hour and a half."
Clark turned and spotted Lex. "Lex! You haven't seen Lana, have you?"
He shook his head. "What's the problem?"
Clark's eyes shifted away and then back to Lex's face. "Nothing. I just need to talk to her."
Lex raised an eyebrow.
Clark amended, "I need to talk to her really badly."
"Do you want help looking for her?" Lex asked.
"No," Clark said just a bit too quickly.
"Clark," Pete said, giving his friend a nudge. "It's almost seven."
Clark seemed torn. "I've gotta find Lana." He looked back at Lex. "I promised Raina I'd meet her for a movie at seven thirty."
Lex seized the opportunity. "Well, I'll meet Raina. I can tell her something came up, and you can find Lana."
Clark looked relieved. "Thank you. Raina said she'd kill me if I made her sit through Whistling in the Dark by herself." He hurried out, Pete following him, without another word.
Lex had had no intention of seeing the movie version of Whistling in the Dark, and after a couple of the conversations with Raina, he wasn't sure why she was seeing it. That didn't mean he was going to miss the chance to see it with her.
He would have to drive fast to make it on time.
He got to the theater in record time, bought a ticket outside and went in. Raina was waiting in the lobby, and looked surprised to see him.
Lex strode up to her. "Clark couldn't make it, but he sent me, with his apologies. I hope you don't mind."
She gazed at him for a moment, then shook her head.
"Are you coming?" He held the door for her, and she scooted past him into the darkness. He followed her and found her hand, which sent an irrational thrill through him, and he found himself grinning.
They found seats near the back. "This way we can make fun of the movie," she explained.
"Ah," he said, "so that's why you're here."
She giggled and then the previews were over.
Lex spent the next two hours more vastly amused than he'd expected to be, by far. Raina altered between groans of dismay and outright mockery of Hollywood and all the alterations it had made to Rigby's work.
As they left, she shook her head. "Devastating, just devastating. What an utter horror. Who the hell was that Brandon guy? Did they just make up an entire character?"
"And the ending!" Lex went along with her tirade. "A complete reversal from the book."
They reached her car, a beat up P.O.S. He stopped and waited, not wanting to leave, not wanting her to leave.
Not wanting to deal with the crap his father was throwing his way.
Raina hovered by the car door. She seemed to have run out of things to say about the movie, at least for the moment.
She was still holding his hand, and she looked up at him, eyes bright with the lights from the theater.
She gave a little tug and he leaned down to kiss her. Her mouth was sweet and soft, and she slid her arms around him like she couldn't be too close to him.
She kissed him slowly, kissed him until he wasn't sure anything else existed; definitely wasn't sure if he wanted anything else to exist. The kiss ended lingeringly. Raina dropped down from her tiptoes where she had gone to reach him.
"That was... different," he managed.
She blinked at him. "Was it?"
He groped for the right words. "You really like me, don't you?"
Her laugh was startling. "Lex, I wouldn't kiss you if I didn't like you."
He shrugged. "That's not always how women are with me."
Raina's expression turned serious. "Well, those are just silly women."
"I always thought so."
Laughing, Raina pulled him down to kiss him again. He would really have to tell her how very much he liked her, too.