Chapter Six
"Said & Meant"
Metropolis
A smiling Clark Kent made his way up the stairs to his apartment. His night with Karen had been beyond anything he'd imagined. Part of him didn't want to leave and just spend the rest of the day in bed with her, but he'd made a promise. He unlocked his door and stepped inside to find Kara already dressed in jeans and a tee shirt sitting on the couch waiting. She had her knees pulled up to her chin and her arms wrapped around them. She didn't look happy.
"Morning, Kara." (She looks pissed.)
"Morning, Clark." (It's about time!)
"So why don't I change my cloths and we can go out for breakfast? Okay?" (She really looks pissed.)
"Shower first." (I can smell her on you. I don't want that stink to be reminding me all day of what you were doing.)
"Okay." (This should be an interesting day.)
Clark took a long shower, the hot water feeling glorious. His mind kept returning to the night before. It had just been amazing. He'd never imagined how being completely himself, without worry, would actually feel. Now that he'd experienced it, he wanted more. Pushing these thoughts aside, he focused on today. Today was Kara's day and hopefully, whatever that was bothering her they could talk about. He toweled off and put on a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt before walking back out to the living room.
"Better?" (I hope her mood has improved.)
"Yes." (At least I won't have to think about you and some bimbo while I eat.)
"So you hungry? My treat, anywhere you want to go." (Is she pissed because of the date? Maybe I can get her to talk to me over breakfast.)
"Yeah, I guess I could eat." (You're not going to buy me off that easy, Clark. I'm still mad at you!)
Kara picked one of the higher priced restaurants for their breakfast. A pleasant young hostess showed them to their seats. She smiled the whole time as she told them of the specials and handed them the menus.
"So enjoy your meals," the hostess said. (Only two of them and she's not his daughter. They don't look like brother and sister, either. Jeez, even the nice ones like them young.)
"Thank you," Clark replied, giving her a smile. (She seemed nice enough.)
"Yes, thank you." (Are you going to sleep with her too, Clark?)
Both Clark and Kara opened the menus and began to look at the offerings.
"Everything looks good," Clark offered. (Good and expensive.)
"I think I already know what I'm having," Kara said. (Definitely something from the pricey column.)
"Great." (I'm glad I brought extra money. I have a feeling this day is going to cost me big time.)
The waitress came over and smiled.
"Hi, I'm Linda and I'll be your waitress. Can I start you off with something to drink or do you know what you want?" (He's good looking. I like the glasses.)
"Kara, do you know what you want?" (This should be a good indication of how pissed she is.)
"Yes, I'll have a mocha caramel latte and the egg white omelet with shallots and portabella mushrooms. Oh, and a glass of orange juice." (I'd order something more, but I'm really not that hungry.)
"Excellent and for you sir? (She's kind of a snot, but he seems nice, so far.)
"I guess I'll try the chef's sampler, but could you make it a double order, please? I'm kind of hungry this morning. Oh, and coffee would be great too. Thanks Linda." (I could really eat about four of those I'm so hungry, but I don't want to look like a pig.)
"Okay, a big appetite for a big man," the waitress joked. (Eating a lot, but he seems in pretty good shape.)
"I just really hungry today," Clark replied. (Great, she thinks I'm a pig.)
"Well, you came to the right place." (He has a nice smile.)
"Everything does look good," Clark said. (She seems nice. This is a nice place.)
"I'll see if I can't bring out some biscuits with your coffee and your latte." (Nice guy.)
"Thanks." (She definitely thinks I'm a pig.)
"Yes, thank you," Kara added. (God, what's with you Clark? Are you going to flirt with every girl in the restaurant?)
"You're welcome. I'll be right back with your drinks," the waitress replied to Kara. (Snot.)
"Great," Kara smiled. (Whore.)
The waitress brought their drinks and some biscuits, along with some honey and assorted jams and preserves. Clark dug right in, while Kara sampled one.
"Great choice on the restaurant, Kara," Clark offered. "These biscuits are delicious." (I could eat the whole basket I'm so hungry. Maybe I can get Kara to talk to me.)
"The Strawberry preserves are good, you should try them," Kara replied. (He is being nice; maybe I was a little harsh earlier.)
"Well, I know I ordered a lot, so I hope you'll let Ma know I am eating here in the big city next time we're back home," Clark smiled. (Hopefully, I can lighten the mood and she'll open up about what's bothering her.)
"She does think everyone is too thin," Kara replied, smiling for the first time. (It must be something about farm people; they like to pack it in. Ma Kent must think everyone should be a full figured. Her food is great though, especially those muffins with the blueberries.)
"Yeah, that's Ma," Clark chuckled. "You're going to have to be careful around her." (Maybe I'll make a quick trip to Smallville after breakfast. I could go for a couple of stacks of Ma's pancakes. God I'm starving!)
"What's that suppose to mean?" (Is he calling me fat? I'm not fat!)
"Oh, I just remember how Ma thinks everyone's too thin, especially when they've been to the city. As slender as you are, I imagine she's always trying to get you to eat something." (Why do I have the feeling she's taking this the wrong way?)
"I eat," Kara replied. (So he's not saying I'm fat, I'm anorexic? Sorry I'm not hogging it down like you farm folks, Clark!)
"I was just kidding, Kara," Clark said. (Great going, Clark, talking body image with a young woman! Why not bring up something less controversial, like politics or abortion.)
The waitress brought their food and refilled their drinks. The food was very good, so they both dug in. They ate in silence for a few moments. Clark had to will himself to eat slowly. He'd worked up quite the appetite the previous night. Kara found her appetite once the food was in front of them. About half way through his meal, Clark decided to try getting her to talk.
"So I'm sensing you're a little angry at me this morning, Kara." (Might as well get straight into this.)
"I wouldn't say angry," she replied. (Pissed, yes, hurt, yes, angry no.)
"Well, unhappy then." (She's not going to make this easy.)
Kara just shrugged and kept eating.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with last night, would it," Clark asked. (It has to be, I can't think of anything else.)
"You didn't answer any of my calls or texts," Kara replied. (You were too busy sleeping with your bimbo to return a message from your own flesh and blood!)
"I texted back to your first message," Clark said. "The other twenty were pretty much the same thing. I just figured the four calls were too." (My phone was going off every five minutes.)
"I only called three times, which you didn't answer any of them, but the way." (I guess I wasn't as important as what you were doing with her.)
"Were they about the same thing as the texts?" (Only three calls?)
"Yes, there was an attack in Metropolis and I thought I might need your help," Kara replied. (I guess the city and me take a backseat to you getting laid.)
"I was confident you could handle it Kara," Clark offered. (It was only Toyman, after all.)
"I did, but you didn't even call to ask how it went," she said. (That nasty little puppet has a dirty mouth.)
'I had faith you wouldn't have any problems. Besides, didn't Steel help out?" (I know Toyman can be a little annoying, but it shouldn't have been that big a deal.)
"Yeah, Steel was there to help," Kara admitted. (It was a good thing too! If he hadn't showed up when he did, I was going to put my boot up that foul-mouthed puppet's ass!)
"So there wasn't really any crisis, was there?" (Maybe we can get to the real problem, now.)
"No, but you didn't even check to find out," Kara replied. (You were too busy with her!)
Before they could continue, the waitress came back.
"How is everything," the waitress smiled.
"Great, it's really delicious," replied Clark. (It is a little pricy, but the service is really good here.)
"I'm glad to hear it. Can I get you a refill on your coffee or anything?" (He's a nice guy. I wonder what he sees in her? Sure she's great looking, in a bitchy way, but he could do better.)
"A refill would be great. (I didn't get any sleep last night so I'm going to need all the caffeine I can get.)
"I'd like another latte, please," Kara said. (When you're done flirting with him right in front of me, you tramp.)
"Of course, I'll be right back." (Snot.)
"Thanks." (Whore.)
Clark waited while the waitress came back with Kara's latte and his refill.
"If there's anything else you need, just let me know," the waitress said to Clark with a smile. (He's really good looking.)
"Thank you, I appreciate it. Everything's great," Clark replied with a smile. (She seems nice. This is a good restaurant; I'm going to have to come back.)
"Yes, thanks, we'll let you know if we need anything else," Kara added. (Go try and sleep with some other customer, slut!)
"Okay," the waitress replied. (Bitch.)
"Right," Kara smiled. (Tramp.)
After she left, Clark waited a few moments before trying to get Kara to open up to him. He also managed to wolf down more of his food.
"So are you going to tell me what's bothering you, Kara? Is it that I had a date?" (It has to be, although, I can't figure out why.)
Kara seemed to debate what to say for a moment before she replied.
"Isn't-Isn't this all a little fast, Clark? I mean how long have you been seeing this girl, anyway? I know you won't talk about it, but I can figure out you slept with her last night. That doesn't seem like you," Kara finally said. (Some bimbo puts out and you forget everything that should be important.)
"I've been out on dates before and you never had a problem," Clark countered. (Never anybody like Karen though.)
"This seems different," Karen replied. "You-You've only been going out a short time and already you're going all Twilight about it." (He's probably thinking of sleeping with her right now!)
"I think you're exaggerating a little bit." (I saw Twilight, but I didn't get it. The guy's supposed to be like three hundred years old or something and he's hanging out with high school girls and that's romantic? If he was thirty and doing that, it would be creepy and they'd arrest him.)
"You left the city and didn't even worry about it yesterday, Clark. It isn't like you to forget about what's important like that," Kara said. (You forgot about everything, the city, me.)
"I knew I left the city in good hands." (I think I'm getting an idea what this is really about.)
"Yeah, you say that, but you didn't even check to make sure it was okay," she replied. (You haven't even asked what I did or how I handled it.)
"Are you sure it's me not checking on the city that's bothering you?" (Stupid, Clark. I keep forgetting how new she is to this world. I should have called.)
"I don't know what you mean?" (Well, duh, Clark, maybe you finally stopped thinking about that bimbo you're sleeping with and figured it out.)
"Kara, look at me, please." Clark softly said as he reached across the table and took her hand gently in his. "I'm sorry for not calling and checking last night. I'm still trying to figure out the balance between you and me. I know I was a little overprotective when you first arrived and I've been trying to not to hover over you so much. You're my only cousin and blood relative, that's never going to change, no matter what, okay?" (I hope she believes that, because it's the truth.)
"Thank you," she smiled. (That's the Clark I know.)
"My dating someone isn't going to change that, Kara. I mean I only have one cousin." (I think I'm getting through to her now.)
"Well, there is Power Girl," Kara offered. "Everyone thinks she's your cousin, too." (I know she never says she's my cousin, thank God.)
'Ah, um, she's definitely not my cousin," Clark quickly replied. "Absolutely sure on that one." (Absolutely, not cousins, thankfully, or we'd have broke like twenty laws last night. That and I'd have to take a shower from now to forever if we were.)
"She always tells people she's your cousin," Kara said. (I don't like that either. It's not like she doesn't get enough attention already with those huge boobs practically hanging out of her costume.)
"I'm pretty sure she's not saying that anymore. In fact I think she's telling anyone that asks we are definitely not cousins," Clark replied. (Should I tell Kara now that it's Karen I'm dating? I know they're not the friendliest of people. I wonder how she's react?)
"Well, that's good news. She's all right, I guess, I just never care for her that much," Kara admitted. (She beat me in that fight when I first arrived, before I was ready or knew all my powers. Plus I hate it when team member accidently call me Power Girl. I mean, come on, I've got the logo right on my top! Besides, it's not like I'm shoving my breasts in everyone's face like she is. She should just stay over in the Justice Society.)
"She's nice once you get to know her," Clark offered. (Definitely not the time to tell her.)
"Maybe." (I doubt it.)
Clark was uncomfortable with this whole subject and dug back into his food, finishing it off in record time.
Kara had eaten most of her breakfast and sat back sipping her latte when the waitress came back.
"Wow, you finished everything. You weren't kidding about being hungry." (He must work out or something. He looks in great shape.)
"It was all so delicious," Clark smiled. (She thinks I'm a pig. Scratch coming back to this place.)
"So can I get you anything else?" The waitress asked, looking at Clark the whole time. (He can come back anytime.)
"No, everything was great, thank you." (She's still nice, so maybe I wasn't that big a pig, really.)
"Nothing for me, either. Just the check." Kara spoke up. (God, do they staff this place with nothing but whores?)
"Of course, right away, miss." (What a bitch! I hope he breaks up with you and soon!)
"Thanks," Kara smiled. (Tramp.)
The waitress smiled and went to get the check.
"So what do you want to do next, Kara? I said anything you want today," Clark asked. (Hopefully, something not too expensive.)
"I don't know yet, why don't we just walk around for awhile?" (I was probably a little hard on him. This breakfast must have set him back quite a bit. He's trying and I did like him saying I'm his only real family. Maybe if we hang out a bit, he'll tell me who this girl is he's sleeping with. God, I'm dying to know!)
The check came and Clark tried not to wince as he saw how much it was. He paid it and left a generous tip, as the service and food were excellent. As Clark and Kara left, the waitress and hostess thanked them for coming. They returned the kind words as they walked out the door.
"They seem nice," The hostess commented. (They'll never last.)
"Yeah, I hope they come back," the waitress replied. (Him, not her.)