She started to put her things away. Lex put down the ink pen he had in his hand and looked at her. She said, "I guess I better get back to the hotel."
"It's late and there are plenty of empty rooms here," he began, "Actually, I think it is larger than the Smallville Hotel." Rhone Chade sleeping under his roof… Lex immediately realized that he just volunteered for an absolutely sleepless night and he didn't mind in the least. He didn't sleep much anyway…
"Most tool sheds are larger than the Smallville Hotel," she joked. Was he really serious about her staying there? She might have to take up sleepwalking… This was a bad idea.
Lex smiled widely at her verbal jab at her living arrangements.
Ok, this would be a horrible idea, she convinced herself. She shoved what was left of her things into her portfolio. "We really don't have that much left to do," she said as Lex scooped up the portfolio before she could sling it over her shoulder. He was getting quite good at that – but then, it wasn't exactly like she wanted to stop him either.
"It didn't seem to take that long," Lex observed as he began to leave the room.
She gave him a sideways glance, "Well, it is a pretty short story. And I think it took more time than you realize."
Lex quickly calculated the approximate time that they worked on the comic book, "I guess time flies when you are in good company."
"I'm beginning to find that out," she repeated his earlier words without looking at him.
Lex smiled at the floor, blushing slightly. He made sure that she wasn't looking at him and rubbed his left hand over his head. She never did answer his question, as to whether or not she would stay the night. He straightened, "I'll have Mark make up a guest room." Maybe she wouldn't notice -- of course she would.
"You would wake up that poor guy at this hour? You are an ass, Mr. Luthor," she said with a smirk.
Lex glanced at his watch. So it would be – less than considerate to wake up Mark now. "Do you speak that way to everyone that offers you such hospitality?" he asked with a smile.
"The men that invite me to spend the night either want to take advantage of me or kill me," she added after a moment, "Usually the later."
Lex chucked.
"Ok, always the later," her voice was exasperated. There was a few times that she had an inkling that they – didn't want to kill her. …That was ridiculous. They certainly didn't want…
"I don't believe that," Lex looked at her with a smile.
"Well, normally I don't make that good of a house guest," she admitted. She thought back to more than one instance where she made an entrance by shattering a large, expensive window with a poised automatic weapon.
"This is well behaved?" Lex taunted.
"You have no idea how hard I have been trying," she said with a slight laugh.
"Probably not as hard as you think," he complimented. They reached the door and Lex pulled it open.
The evening was cool and a faint breeze brushed Rhone's face. She breathed in deeply and absorbed the smell that was uniquely a fall evening in the country. Before she met the man that accompanied her, this was the smell she most associated with relaxation – with peace – with calm. She gazed at the night sky, just enjoying her surroundings instead of analyzing them. …Before she met Lex Luthor.
Lex had an idea of what she was doing. He looked around and – didn't see it. He wasn't the outdoors type. Although, when he looked at her, a serene look on her face – he still didn't get it. But she struck that same primal cord of tranquility in him.
He opened the door of her car, "So, I'll see you tomorrow?" He handed her the portfolio after she got in. He leaned down and into her car, resting one hand on the roof of the car and the other on the doorframe.
"I don't know, Mr. Luthor," she began.
He felt his heart jump slightly, why not?
"We might be done with the audit before three in the afternoon. Do you think that you can make it to the Plant before then?" she finished.
He nodded his head and attempted to look annoyed but was betrayed by an upturning of the corners of his lips, "Nice. I thought you were on your best behavior?"
"I said that I was trying. As in, I'm not very good at it," she looked into his eyes, returning his small smile. He was searching her face with perfect blue eyes. …His face was close to hers. She had to commandeer her autonomic reflexes to stop the blush in her cheeks. Why was he looking at her like that? She immediately broke their gaze and slipped her key into the ignition of her car, "So, I'll see you tomorrow." She put on a practiced smile that conveyed ignorance to the moment they had just experienced – or almost just experienced.
"Yeah," he said as he retreated out of the car. He took a step back and shut her car door. He watched her tail lights recede into the darkness as she drove down his driveway. Lex just stood there, he didn't know what else to do. He ran both his hands over his head and laced his fingers at the base of his skull, directing his gaze at his feet on the ground.
He turned slowly, thinking. Did I do something wrong? Did he do the right thing, just letting her go? …Am I second-guessing myself? Have I ever second-guessed myself? At least he knew the answer to that was no, but somehow that was not comforting.
He was close enough; he could have kissed her. He felt his cheeks and ears get hot at the thought. He didn't even want to think about the last time he had reacted in such a way to a mere thought. He knew it was a really long time ago – he was still a kid. You can't even bring yourself to hold her hand – to touch her at all. He unlaced his fingers and looked up at the mansion. The only light that was on was the one in the entryway. …One light on, alone. He looked back down the driveway, where he had last seen Rhone's taillights – blackness.
She could still see Lex's mansion. Ok, she was watching Lex's mansion. Something told her not to drive, so she pulled over. It wasn't a premonition; it was just a feeling of… It was just an odd feeling. Maybe she wasn't getting enough fluids, because this obviously had nothing to do with what had just happened. It had nothing to do with Lex Luthor, bald Adonis, being so close to her. It had nothing to do with her wanting… Wanting what? Nothing happened.
…She was scared? Scared of what? No, she couldn't be frightened; he felt right – their friendship – friendship felt right. Besides, Rhone Chade knows nothing of fear; at least that is what everyone told her. But then, she was to know nothing of desire either – do not use that word, she warned herself.
She relaxed into her seat and lessened her grip on the steering wheel. She was rattled. It was an interesting sensation. One she had not known since – well, it had been a few years.
The lone light at Luthor manor extinguished. Rhone continued to watch where it had been.