As Lex and Lois left the restaurant, they discovered the rainstorm had ceased. The clouds had dissipated and the night was clear and cool, the air fresh with the scent of rain.
"Wow, this is amazing," Lois smiled as they walked out to the waiting limo, Lois stepping out from under the covered entrance.
"I don't remember seeing a night so clear in a very long time. It's kind of…" Lois let her voice trail off.
Lex had been looking up at the stars and he turned to Lois when her voice faded. She was looking down, her arms crossed over her chest as if she were chilled. She had a look on her face, pensive, confused, happy...Lex couldn't quite decipher what she might be feeling.
He removed his jacket and draped it over Lois's shoulders. She looked at him and smiled. They stood out on the driveway of the restaurant, out from under the awning, staring at the stars.
It's kind of romantic, Lex thought.
"Are you ready to go?" Lex asked after a few minutes of staring. Lex saw Lois shiver slightly, than she nodded.
Back in the limo Lois started to remove Lex's jacket but he shook his head and placed it back around her shoulders, this time leaving his arm around her. He felt her stiffen, but as the limo pulled out onto the empty street she slowly relaxed into him, and Lex felt completely comfortable with the feel of her weight against him.
"So, where're we going now?" Lois asked, her hands folded in her lap.
"Well, something you said earlier gave me an idea," Lex cryptically answered then said nothing more.
Lois turned her head and looked up at Lex, an amused but questioning look on her face. Lex turned his head down to her, his breath momentarily catching in his throat. Their faces were inches apart. As they stared at one another Lex watched Lois's face soften. Her big, brown eyes stared into the fierce green ones of Lex. There was electricity in the air between them. Lex slowly moved his face towards her, his pulse quickening at the prospect of what was to come.
Their lips were centimeters apart when the limo came to a sudden halt, jarring Lex and Lois, and interrupting the kiss that was going to be.
"What the…" Lex grumbled. "Are you okay?" He asked Lois, and as she nodded and sat up, Lex angrily pressed the button that lowered the window to the driver.
"What's going on!" He asked the driver, forcefully.
"Sorry, sir. A dog ran out in front of the car. I didn't want to hit it. I apologize for the sudden stop."
"Well, be more careful," Lex snapped, raising the darkened window once more.
He looked to Lois and smiled apologetically. Lois had retreated to the corner of the seat, leaning her body against door. She returned his smile, a bit nervously, and then turned her head out the window.
Lex cursed his luck, the moment they had shared now gone. The two rode in silence until the limo slowed and came to a stop.
Lex glanced at his watch. It was only a little after 10, still early. Jack opened the back door of the limo and Lex stepped out, followed by Lois. As Lois finally saw where it was they were headed next, she looked at Lex with a doubtful smile.
"Ah, are you sure you want to go in here?"
Lex smiled confidently. "Of course. Why not? We can have some fun and relax," Lex reached his hand out and Lois took it without pause. That's a good sign, Lex thought happily as he and Lois walked towards the Smallville Bar and Bowling Alley.
Laughter, talking and the sounds of bowling balls knocking over pins assaulted Lex's ears as they entered the alley.
"Where to?" Lex asked Lois. She smiled and pulled him towards the cashier where he and Lois gave their shoe size and were each given a pair of bowling shoes. Lex was reluctant to touch his. They were kind of dingy, and who knew what kind of foot fungus might be lurking in the lining of the shoes. Lois started laughing and Lex looked at her.
"It's okay, Lex. The shoes are sprayed with an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-whatever after each wear. They are probably cleaner than your own shoes."
Lex doubted that, but he took the shoes from the pimply faced cashier anyway. After they were assigned a lane, Lex and Lois made their way towards the center of the bowling alley. They were soliciting a few stares, Lois in her backless, spaghetti strapped silver dress, and Lex in his dark blue suit, Lex was fully aware and felt proud to have Lois on his arm.
Lois led Lex down to their lane, and as they sat Lex looked around, taking it all in. Lois had her shoes (and some borrowed socks) on in no time, and when Lex turned in her direction he was confronted with a smirk.
"You've never been bowling before, have you?" She asked, a teasing accusation in her voice.
"Well, once, before my mother died, she took me to a birthday party for one of the kids at school. He had a couple bowling lanes in his house. That was the one and only time I've bowled. And I wasn't that good," Lex was a little taken aback at his apparent inability to not speak the complete truth to Lois. He could just hear his father's voice, A Luthor is good at everything son, never advertise weakness, no matter what the task.
"Well, you are in for a game then, cause I am a bowling maniac," Lex had to grin at Lois, she was now standing in front of Lex, her dress hanging perfectly off her, hugging her curves in all the right places. But on her feet were insane looking red, blue and yellow bowling shoes.
"What?" Lois followed his eyes to her feet. "Watch it, rich boy, you won't look much better in your Armani and these clown shoes."
Lex, surprising himself, actually laughed out loud. The groups of bowlers on either side of Lois and Lex turned their way for a moment, Lex's laugh echoing through the alley.
Lois was staring at Lex, an amused look of surprise on her face as well. Lex stifled his laughter and set to lacing up the incredibly tacky bowling shoes he was given by the pimpled teen at the counter.
As Lex straightened up from lacing his shoes, he didn't see Lois. Panicking for a moment, he spun in his chair and was relieved to find her looking for a ball right behind him. Lex stood, sliding a bit in the traction-less shoes and smooth wood floor.
"So, how do I do this?" He asked, coming up behind Lois and talking softly over her shoulder, into her ear.
Lois turned and thrust a ball into Lex's hands. "Find one that's heavy enough for you, with holes large enough for your fingers," she teased, batting her eyes at Lex, leaving him gaping at her as she made her way down the shelves of bowling balls.
After about five minutes Lex was confident he had found the right ball. As he walked it over to their spot where Lois sat waiting, he noticed she had filled in the scorecard, Richie, and Lala.
He looked at her, confused, as he placed his ball in the return machine. "Richie? Lala?" He questioned her.
"Richie-you know, your rich; and Lala was my nickname when I was little. I was feeling nostalgic, what can I say?"
Lex only nodded. He was continually bewildered by Lois. Her behavior was changing with each passing moment. She must feel comfortable here, Lex thought. And she's probably being more herself than I've seen all night.
"You're up, Richie," Lois nodded her head towards the lane. "You do know what to do, don't you?"
Lex, not sure if he liked this Lois, but feeling titillated by her spirit, only nodded at Lois, and walking forward, he threw what he thought was a good turn down the lane. At least it wasn't a gutterball. Now the game was on.
Halfway through their second game, Lex was feeling so at ease, he was trading innuendos with Lois. At the start of the 6th frame, Lex suddenly craved something he'd never craved before. Beer.
"Lala," Lois mocked laughter at Lex, "How about I get us a pitcher of beer from the bar?"
Lois nodded in agreement, and Lex made his way towards the bar. He checked his watch out of habit, and was shocked to see it was almost 11. Where had the last hour gone?
Lex weaved his way through the larger crowd gathered around the bar, and ordered a pitcher of draft beer.
Lex was waiting for the bartender to fill the order he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Luthor, Junior. What are you doing out here with the blue-collar crowd?" A heavyset, bearded man with breath heavily laced with the smell of alcohol, jeered at him. The men around him grumbled and sniggered in agreement.
"I'm just here, having a good time, like all of you," Lex smiled and turned back to the bar.
"You aren't just like us. Have you ever had to work an honest day in your life?"
Lex knew this was going to a place he'd rather avoid, so instead of reflecting back on his two days of homelessness when Lucas and his father had kicked him out of the house, he simply succumbed to their apparent need to make him feel unwelcome.
"No, I never have had to work for my money," Lex saw shadows cross most of the faces of the men around him. "Let me buy all you hard working fellows drinks, a round for the whole bar," Lex hollered the last part loud enough for the room to hear and there were a few cheers from the back wall, near the pool table. But the men that had blocked Lex in at the bar weren't smiling, nor appreciative of Lex's offer.
"Keep your money. And leave," the bearded man who had started at Lex stepped in closer.
"Like I said, I'm only here to have a good time," Lex had a very bad feeling.
"Have a good time somewhere else!" The bearded man yelled as he swung his right arm across, catching Lex right between his nose and his left eye. Lex heard a crunch and felt the blood flow from his nose just as his eye starting stinging, watering profusely.
Several men grabbed the bearded guy, who was still swinging wildly, and dragged him out of the bar. Lex threw his hands up to his face leaning heavily against the bar. The bartender and a few other patrons gathered around Lex, offering assistance.
"Lex, what…Oh my God!"
Lex opened his one good eye and saw Lois in front of him, her expression betraying her horror.