Hidden Feelings
Author's Note: Once again, thank you for the alerts/reviews/favorites! I missed this story very much, so thank goodness finals are over! I hope you all enjoy Chapter 3.
Chapter 3: Dinner For Two
"And here we have Jimmy trying to do the backstroke."
Chloe showed her cousin pictures of her and Jimmy during their honeymoon on her laptop. Upon seeing Jimmy's face in the photograph, she couldn't help but let out a giggle, remembering how frightened he was since he didn't know how to swim. It was hard to believe that their one week of paradise had gone by so quickly.
"I'm glad you lovebirds had fun," Lois said, watching as Chloe clicked on several more pictures of them.
"How about you Lois? What'd you do when you had the whole apartment to yourself?" Jimmy asked, walking up to his wife as he buttoned his favorite shirt. He kissed Chloe on the cheek, the usual way he greeted her every morning.
"Eh, just the usual. Work, monster truck marathons, sleep in peace."
It had been a week since Chloe and Jimmy had their wedding, which meant that it had also been a week since Lois had her unexpected semi-meltdown. For the most part, she continued doing her normal routine: wake up, go to the Daily Planet, follow a lead, go home. Things with Clark had also gone slightly back to normal, and she was glad that they were. Every time they were together, she tried to maintain some distance from him, to not let herself get too attached. She seldom thought about the feelings she had for him, and that made things a bit easier for her.
"And where are you off to, loverboy?" Chloe asked.
"I'm just going to drop these off to the post office, and run a couple of errands. I promise, I'll be back in time for the dinner thing."
"Wait a second. What dinner thing?" Lois asked, meeting Jimmy's eyes, then Chloe's.
"…And that's my cue. I'll see you later," he continued, kissing Chloe on the lips, "Mrs. Olsen." He ran to the front door and excused himself out of the apartment. Lois widened her eyes, waiting for Chloe to give her some response.
"Well, now that Jimmy and I are back from our honeymoon, Lana insists we all have dinner at the farm today. You know, to catch up and stuff."
Sitting and working across from Clark at the Daily Planet was one thing. Sitting across from Clark at a dinner table watching him admire Lana's perfection was another. Just when things with him were starting to become normal again, Lois didn't think it would be a good idea to go to the dinner Lana planned. It would just ruin all the effort she put into setting aside her feelings for him.
"So, you're coming with us for the dinner, right?"
Lois thought about it again. No, it definitely wouldn't be a good idea to come.
"Yeah, actually…sorry cuz. I can't," she answered, walking out of Chloe's room and into the kitchen.
Chloe turned off her laptop and followed Lois to the kitchen, who was pouring herself a cup of coffee.
"What's so important that you can't come?" she questioned her, slightly suspicious.
"I-uh, have to finish this article that I'm working on. Need to have a thousand words by Monday," she replied back, lying through her teeth. Lois didn't have an article she needed to finish. As a matter of fact, she turned in all her articles before leaving work yesterday.
"And it's Saturday. Can't you work on that tomorrow or something?"
"Nuh-uh. Crime never sleeps, and neither do front-page news." She held a finger up in the air as she took a sip of her coffee from an orange mug.
"Lois, don't you think I know you well enough to know when you're lying to me? Why don't you really want to go?"
"My work means a lot to me, Chloe. You of all people should understand that," she countered, hoping her cousin will buy it.
"Oh, I understand, believe me. But since when did you pass up on free dinners at the Kent farm? If I'm not mistaken, you treat Clark's house as if it were your own."
Just then, Lois couldn't come up with an answer to Chloe's endless rebuttals. She just wanted to end the discussion and finally enjoy her cup of coffee. Besides, it's not like it would make such a huge difference if she didn't show up. When Lana said they needed to catch up, she probably meant catching up with Chloe anyway.
"Sorry cuz. Still doesn't change things," she finished.
"Okay, fine. I give up. Suit yourself, then." Chloe left Lois in the kitchen and walked back to her bedroom.
The afternoon passed by quickly and Jimmy & Chloe arrived at the Kent farm just in time for the dinner. Lana welcomed them both with open arms and led them to the dining room where the plates and silverware were set in place. She then ran back to the kitchen and prepared the dishes.
"Where's Lois?" Clark asked Chloe.
"Said she can't make it. Something about finishing up some article," she rolled her eyes, still not believing the excuse.
"Oh," he replied back, a slight hint of disappointment in his tone.
"Well, I'm glad you two were able to come," Lana interrupted as she walked back to the room. She set the dishes on the table, making just enough room for the drinks.
"Wow, everything looks delicious, Lana," Chloe complimented as she admired Lana's work.
"Thank you," she smiled, "just one of the few things I learned when I went away," she replied, her eyes shifting immediately to Clark's.
Over dinner, both Chloe and Clark filled Lana in with the events that happened when she left. Clark explained how his life took a different turn when he started working at the Daily Planet, while Chloe shared a couple of stories of her own. Jimmy indulged himself with the food, making little comments here and there whenever it was appropriate.
"You might want to wipe that before going inside, or else Jimmy's going to think you didn't really use the bathroom for the fifth time," Chloe warned Clark, pointing to his cheeks.
During the entire course of the dinner, Clark excused himself from the table as he went out to fulfill his Red-Blue Blur duties. Since Jimmy was there, he had to find a way to escape and used the bathroom as an excuse. He and Chloe stood outside on the front porch of his home.
"Is Jimmy—"
"No, he's in the kitchen with Lana." She looked down on the wooden floor and frowned.
For a brief moment, silence filled the area. Clark wiped his face like Chloe told him to, and Chloe looked up at him, confusion written all over her eyes.
"So you and Lana are back together. Does anybody else know?"
Ever since she returned from her honeymoon, Clark never informed Chloe that he and Lana were back to being a couple. Sure, she knew Lana was back, but she didn't think much about what would happen next now that she entered their lives once again. During the wedding, she was solely focused on the fact that her best friend was back. For some reason, however, she had a gut feeling that things were going to turn out the way they did.
"No. I haven't told Lois yet. Not officially, anyway."
"Are you trying to hide this from everyone? Clark, I think we both know that Lois will find out on her own eventually. The woman has her ways, trust me."
"I think she already knows. I just…denied it," he said hesitantly.
"Well why haven't you told her?"
"Lois was the one who picked me up when I became a mess when Lana left me. She helped me get started at the Daily Planet, and I owe all that to her. It's not easy to admit that I stepped backwards when she was trying to help me move on with my life."
"It's also not right to lie to someone who tried to help you get through one of the toughest times of your life," she paused. " All I'm saying is that if you and Lana decide to be back in each other's arms, then keeping it a secret to everyone else would be a useless effort."
"I didn't lie to her. I'm still finding a right time to say it."
"Okay. Then I suggest that time comes sooner because it won't be pretty if she heard it from someone else."
Chloe made her way to the door only to be stopped by Clark's response.
"Love—first love, that has to count for something, right?"
She met Clark's eyes and sighed.
"I-I don't know, Clark. All I know is that the only one that matters is the last."
She opened the door and went inside to reunite with Jimmy and Lana, leaving Clark pondering by himself on the front porch.
Lois looked at the clock for the umpteenth time. Nine-fifteen pm.
"What's taking them so long?" she asked herself angrily.
After turning down Chloe's—technically, Lana's—dinner invitation, Lois had been stuck in the house ever since the married couple left. Since her article excuse was just a front, she had been doing nothing but watch re-runs of monster truck shows, and to her surprise, she was getting a bit bored. She needed something, maybe someone, to entertain her. Unfortunately, no one else was in the apartment but herself.
She pressed a button on her cellphone. Nine-twenty pm, she thought.
Lois grabbed the remote sitting on the coffee table and began surfing different channels. At one point, she saw Pretty Woman by Julia Roberts and decided to watch it for a few minutes.
"That would make a good costume," she laughed to herself jokingly, making a mental note of the stripper-inspired outfit Julia Roberts wore when she was shopping at Rodeo Drive.
A few minutes later, Lois heard her stomach grumble. She was starving. To her dismay, there was literally no cooked food lingering around the house. She would have to cook if she wanted to eat. Unless…
Well, Clark's house is just fifteen minutes away from the Talon, and since Jimmy & Chloe aren't back yet, that means they're probably still eating…
Lois shook her head lightly.
"No, no, no. That's the worst idea you ever had, Lane. Come on, think!"
She paced around the living room, the sound from the TV playing like a soft melody.
Her stomach made another round of grumbling sounds and that's when Lois finally made her decision. She marched back into her room and changed into some jeans and a shirt, grabbing the first coat she found in her closet.
"'Oh, hey guys! Yeah, so guess what Chloe, I finished my article, so I thought, why not come here? You know me, I can never resist an offer when it comes to food!'"
Looking at herself in the mirror, Lois smiled. "That was pathetic. I have to make it sound a bit more…convincing."
She continued to talk to herself as she made her way out the door and into her car.
"I like what you've done with the place, Chloe."
Lana and Chloe walked around the Isis Foundation and admired the vicinity. Jimmy stayed behind in the car, since Chloe told him they wouldn't take long.
"I'm glad that you do," she replied back, smiling proudly.
They each sat on a chair as Chloe waited for more of Lana's reaction. She didn't say anything else.
"I'm happy that you decided to come back, Lana," she started.
"Chloe, can I be honest with you?"
"Of course. We're friends for a reason."
"I wasn't planning on coming back—for good. When I heard about your wedding, all I wanted was to be there for you on the most important day of your life," she confessed.
Stunned at Lana's words, Chloe didn't say a word.
"I knew that if I was really going to do it—to really come and see you, I would have to face the man whose heart I've probably broken into a lot of pieces. I thought I would be strong enough to walk away, but I was wrong."
Her voice began to crack a little, each word just becoming harder to enunciate.
"Lana…"
"After the wedding reception, Clark and I talked. We talked about a lot of things, and I saw it in his eyes…the pain, the torment, the suffering I put him through. From that moment on, I knew I couldn't fight it any longer. I couldn't leave Clark again, and truth is, I still love him."
Chloe nodded her head in approval, soaking in everything Lana just told her. She didn't know what to say so instead, she brought her arms closer to Lana and hugged her tightly.
No going back now, Lane.
Lois knocked on the front door of the Kent residence, expecting to see her cousin's head pop out to see who would dare stop by at such a late time at night. She was going to play it off coolly, hoping everyone inside would believe her not-so-convincing story.
"Lois?"
"Hey, Clark. Jimmy and Chloe still inside?" Her eyes scanned what it could see inside.
"Uh, no…but come on in."
Lois removed her coat once she got inside the house and placed it on the coat rack. She looked around the living room realizing that the house was quiet—way too quiet.
"Where's everyone? Did I miss the dinner?"
Clark nodded in agreement.
"Jimmy and Chloe took Lana to the Isis Foundation and volunteered to drop her off to her hotel," he explained.
"Oh, that explains why I didn't see the car…well, in that case, I guess it's best if I just leave. I don't want to take some of your beauty sleep, Smallville."
Lois grabbed her coat off the coat rack and wrapped it around herself. She opened the door to walk back to her car, when suddenly, she felt Clark's hand reach out for hers. Her cheeks turned red so she immediately looked down to prevent him from seeing her reaction.
"It's okay, Lois. Stay."
Embarrassed, Lois quickly slipped her hand away from Clark's. She finally looked up at him hoping the shade of her cheeks turned down just a slight shade of pink.
"If you insist."
They walked back inside the house and went straight to the kitchen. To her surprise, Lois saw Shelby patiently sitting down, his bowl empty with the package of dog food lying on the counter.
"Aw, hi Shelby! I missed you!" She ran her hands through his fur.
"I was just about to feed him dinner," Clark said as he placed some food on Shelby's bowl.
"There, boy. Go, go eat," Lois uttered.
"So where are the leftovers for the humans?" She washed her hands at the sink as Clark opened the refrigerator.
"I just finished packing them up, so let me reheat some so you can eat."
"If you say so."
Clark heated the food in the microwave as Lois helped herself with a plate and a glass of water to drink. As Clark placed the food on the table, her stomach growled even louder, sure enough that he had to have heard it. She bit her lip.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she told him.
As soon as the food was put on the table, Lois helped herself, tasting every flavor and chugging down every bite one after the other. It was obvious enough for Clark to realize that she was extremely starving.
He pulled out another chair and sat across from Lois, watching her attack the massive amount of food Lana cooked. Good thing there were plenty of leftovers. He chuckled to himself, his eyes still fixed on her.
"Aren't you going to join me?" she asked, a little disturbed that he was watching her eat.
"No, I-uh, I ate already. I just enjoy seeing you eat," he declared.
Out of nowhere, for reasons Lois couldn't explain, her stomach that was starving just a little earlier were now filled with butterflies. She looked up at Clark and met his eyes. She couldn't help but think how hypnotic they were; whenever she stared at them, she always felt safe and secure. They were beautiful. No, he was beautiful.
Before her mind even starts to wander off in that direction, Lois moved her gaze from his eyes to the glass of water, reminding her just how thirsty she was. She took a quick sip.
"There are some more in the fridge if you'd like to go for seconds."
"Alright, fine. Keep 'em coming. Just don't put too much like the last time."
"Your appetite for food never ceases to amaze me, Lois Lane."
He took her plate and went back to the kitchen.
Hearing Clark's comment, Lois couldn't help but smile. It felt so good to feel comfortable around him, almost as if she had nothing to be ashamed of, when, in fact, she was hiding something from him. She would never, in a million years, ever admit to Clark that she has feelings for him—especially now that the love of his life has returned. She just continued to smile as she watched Clark get her more food—realizing that this'll all they'll ever be: co-workers and good friends.
"Thanks for the dinner again, Smallville. Lana sure has more skills in the kitchen than Chloe and I combined."
Clark walked Lois toward the door as she grabbed her coat off the rack.
"Yeah, maybe if you didn't come so late, we could've still had time to watch a movie."
It was at that moment when Clark realized that his weekend movie traditions with Lois would never happen again. Watching a movie in his house was something they used to do together, before Lana arrived. It was Lois' way of getting Clark to stop moping around and get the break-up off his mind, and, soon enough, it turned into a weekly tradition. Now that Lana was back, it wouldn't be a good idea if they still continued with the said routine.
"Eh, there's nothing good out anyway. Maybe next time."
As Lois put on her coat, Clark remembered the conversation he had with Chloe earlier that night. She claimed that he needed to come clean to Lois and admit that he and Lana were back together, as hard as it might be to do. He was looking for the perfect time to do it, and now would've been the time. For some reason, he's still hesitating whether or not he should tell her. He didn't want things to change between them, but, if he was going to be a good friend, she deserved to know the truth.
"Alright Clark, see you—"
"Lois."
"Hm?"
"There's something I need to tell you."
Just then, Lois' heart started to beat much, much faster. She could hear her heart pound loudly in her ears. The butterflies in her stomach came back once again. What was he going to say?
"Believe it or not, these past few months, I've gotten to know you much better than I ever did for the past four years. You were there when I was at the lowest point of my life and you never gave up on me. I guess it's safe to say that you are someone I can always lean on."
Clark took one step closer to Lois, his eyes locked on hers.
"And whether you like it or not, I care for you. I do. These past couple of days, I've been thinking, and I realized something. You gave me my life back, Lois. I never would've done it without you. Which is why, I think it's only fair if I told you. I care about what you think of me."
"Truth is, I've been keeping a secret from you, Lois. I've been ashamed to tell you, but it's important you hear it from me first."
"Clark…" She didn't know what else to say. Her heart pounded heavily, beat after beat.
He took another step closer to her, and sighed. He didn't understand why it was so hard for him to tell her, but it had to be done.
A short pause clouded the air. Then, slowly, he finally let out the words.
"Lois, I'm back together with Lana. I'm still in love with her."
Author's Note: Well, that was Chapter 3! I forgot to mention earlier, the grammar & all other mistakes are all mine, so I apologize if they offended you. The next chapter should be up in a couple of days, now that I don't have anything else to stress about! Thank you for reading! :)