Earlier that Night
After meeting with several of Lex Luthor's dignitaries and consumer clients, Lois found herself exhausted from the extravagant festivity. The party barely even started and the only thing she could think of is going to bed.
She wandered the floor for the next few minutes in hopes to see Clark and Chloe. She would at least like to see friendly faces.
Her friendship with Chloe has surprisingly grown to the likes of a sisterly camaraderie. She was amazed of how easily their minds melded. Sullivan was like another sister to her. Like Lucy, except easier to talk to and joke with. Lucy never was able to keep up with her when it came to quipping words, maybe that's one of the reasons why she was taken with Chloe so much.
As for Clark Kent, Lois is still trying to figure out how she feels about him. Think of it like a tennis match, at one end there are a certain set thoughts and feelings while on the other is a whole different set. Hit a ball around from one end to another, it can cause brain contusion if you aren't careful.
She isn't scared – just confused.
Or maybe she is scared.
As the night waged on, Lois suppressed the urge to yawn. She decided to take a walk out into the terrace overlooking the city and just stood gazing at its wonder.
It looks like she isn't alone.
"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" A handsome dashing young man says coming up to her from behind with a glass of champagne in both hands. He stood at 5'10" 170 pounds and blue eyes.
Lois knew that voice anywhere.
Chuckling, she turns. "Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm," she recited but most everyone knew him as the daredevil Johnny Storm. "I can't believe it, what are you doing here?" Lois greeted him in delight and with a quick hug before relinquishing his hold on one of the glasses.
She hasn't seen or heard from him in over a year so this was definitely a pleasant surprise.
"I was in the neighborhood this morning when I just happened to pick up a newspaper and Lex's face was splashed all over the front page"
Lois's eyes narrowed. "How did you get past security?" Lex, for the most part has always been respectful of the people she associates with both professionally and personally – friends and acquaintances alike. Johnny on the other hand was the only person he aggravatingly butts head with.
"You mean the big guy out in front talking with a fine European woman?" he says with a twinkle in his eye that implied mischief.
Lois shook her head amused. "Same old Johnny"
"Hey. I detest that." He paused. "I'm not old"
Lois laughs. "You do realize that when he finds you here, he's gonna kick you out," she says.
"Yeah," he nods knowing it all too well. "I don't get him. I'm a really nice guy," he says in a mock tone that expresses that the hostile feelings between him and Lex go both ways.
"As great it is to see you." Her face turns serious. "What are you really doing here?"
"Can a guy say hello to an ex-girlfriend?" He moved in to kiss her but Lois moved her head to the side catching his lips on her cheek instead of her lips. Johnny's eyes dropped, embarrassed by his never-ending idiotic moves.
"I'm sorry, I just thought – "
"That I'm available," she completed for him. "You don't show up out of the blue and expect things to become the way it used to be." There was no harshness in her voice, nor malice; just a statement of fact that feelings have moved on. "I'm not one of your escorts," she added softly.
"Would it matter much if I said that I've missed you?" he asked her in a half playful and half sincere tone.
She eyed him still, knowing something must be bothering him.
"Fine!" he says dejectedly. "I'm being put under house arrest courtesy of my dear sister." Johnny gulps his entire glass. Then he takes hers since she hasn't taken a sip out of it yet.
Lois raised her eyebrows, her face wanting to crack up at his childish display. Johnny's a talented guy, but he's also a kid trapped in a man's body.
"How exactly are you under house arrest? Wouldn't that signify you actually being 'in a house' as opposed to being at a party for that to actually be enforced?" she questioned.
"I hiked on out of there as soon as it was declared"
"What happened?" Lois asks bluntly.
"It was nothing," he shrugged off. "Just a tiny mishap that occurred in a race track, but it's all right Lois. I'm okay"
"I was actually going to ask about the car"
He glared at her. "Wrecked beyond repair," he says through his teeth. Failure in the eyes of a beautiful woman, especially Lois Lane, was not acceptable – unless of course you're Lois Lane.
"I doubt that. For a boy who claims can fix anything, I find that rather hard to imagine"
"Ah! That's Reed's job. I take what I can get"
"So I've noticed"
"Can I at least have another hug?" he says pleadingly. Lois shook her head once more before succumbing to his childlike antics and enveloping him into a hug. Despite their history, it's still good to see another good friend.
At the terrace's entrance, Clark Kent stood watching Lois take another man in her arms. His hopes dashed furthermore, he brushes past Chloe and exits out front. He wanted to be alone.
University Dorms (A Couple of Hours Later)
"Clark," Chloe calls to me from the other side of my dorm room doors. "Clark, I know you're in there, open up," she continued relentlessly. "Clark. Come on!" She knocks several more times. "I'll call you're mother"
My eyes open wide and I speed to the door, opening it while looking at my best friend angrily.
"That's low"
Chloe shrugged and walks right in. She must be taking pointers from Lois.
"What are you doing here, Chloe?"
"If I were Lois, I'd say that was a 'dumb' question"
I rolled my eyes. I'm so not in the mood for this, but on the other hand, I feel the need to talk so I briskly walk towards my couch and slump down on it.
"I don't get it. Why doesn't Lois like me?" I say and realize right then and there how selfish it was when I did.
Chloe grabs a seat and puts in directly in front of me. "Clark, she doesn't dislike you." I play the stubborn card and not react too much to her words. So she continued. "You had it pretty easy in high school. Practically every girl threw themselves at you. Did it ever occur to you that maybe this time you're the one who's going to have to fight for her?"
The image of Lois with another man broke through my thoughts and I relent.
"She made it clear she's not interested"
"People rarely mean what they say"
"Yeah, but Lois isn't one to comply with the general consensus. Besides, she's seeing someone now"
"How do you know?" Chloe shot back. "You see her hug and guy and you conclude they're ready to have and to hold. Boy, Clark, you've really got it bad if you're this delusional"
"It's not funny"
"Have you talked to her at least?"
"No"
"Then how do you know they're seeing each other"
"They looked pretty comfortable together," I tell when I saw them together.
"So does she with Lex, but they're not together," she reminded me.
Chloe left a few minutes later leaving me to my thoughts once again. Going back to the last couple of years since first meeting Lois, as forward and confident as she is, she also happens to be one of the most guarded people I've ever met. Perhaps she's scared or something. Anyway, I should really go see her, maybe it'll clear my thoughts.
Ten Minutes Later
I stand in front of her dorm room waiting for her to open the door. After a few grueling seconds, it flew open.
"Hey man, looking for Lois?" the guy greeted from the other side. I take a step back and make sure I got the right door. "Well…" the guy says.
"I – um – is Lois around?" He wasn't the person I expected to answer the door. I saw him briefly at the party, but now that he's right in front of me, I'm even more convinced something was happening between this guy and Lois.
"Yeah, she's in the shower." He opened the door wide. "Want to wait?" he asks nonchalantly and I'm wondering who exactly is this guy and what is he doing in Lois's room making himself incredibly comfortable. He wore slacks and a white t-shirt and…
"Are you wearing Lois's slippers?" Her favorite bunny slippers to be exact.
"What?" he says, opening a bag of just-made popcorn out of the microwave. "They're comfy," he claims and still manage to keep his pride in tact. He crosses the room and jumps over the back of the couch landing easily in its seat.
He flips on a channel. There's a football game on but he quickly switches it too Extreme Sports were a dirt bike race coverage was taking place.
I just stood staring at the display when Lois comes out dressed in nothing but a towel.
I swallowed hard.
"Hey Lo, you've got company!" The guy yells over while his eyes were glued to the screen.
Okay, that didn't seem the least bit romantic. Maybe I was wrong.
"I kind of noticed," she says passing him by the couch, slapping him lightly on the head. He smirked and I'm left wondering what kind of relationship these two have.
"Hey"
"Hey Smallville. I'm gonna get dressed, I'll be right out"
"Okay"
I'm beginning to wonder if this was a good idea.
Her 'friend' on the couch speaks to me. "You play sports…"
"Clark," I say.
"Clark. Hmm…" What's wrong with my name? It's a good name. "And you're…"
"Storm. Johnny Storm," he says arrogantly. "Do you race?"
"Not often"
"Ah," he beamed. "So you ride?"
"You can say that"
While he rested full-out on her sofa, I take the recliner and wait for Lois to finish getting dressed. I watch television with Johnny Storm, him and Lois's bunny slippers.
This is just awkward.
To be continued…