Chapter 12 - Truly Madly Deeply

Zoey yawns as she walks down the stairs of the private jet. She was exhausted from being up all night. Jonathan and Martha didn't like the idea of her traveling to Gotham alone, but Zoey had reassured her godparents that she would be fine. She had found it eerie riding the plane by herself. She was used to Uncle Max always being with her. She shoots a smile towards the ground staff as they place her bags next to her. "Thank you," she brightly tells them, gathering her bags.

Bruce was waiting inside the small private terminal building. "You look different," he greets.

Zoey frowns, unsure of what he meant. Her hair was piled into a messy bun on top of her head. She wore black sweatpants and a bright red Smallville high sweatshirt. Her glasses were perched on her face. She suddenly felt very self-conscious. "Oh."

Bruce shoves his hands into his pants pockets. He always looked well put together. She couldn't recall if he ever wore jeans. Khakis and polos with sweaters tended to be the most casual he would go. "Do you have more luggage?"

"No," Zoey softly answers. She felt like everyone was staring at them; wondering why the IT couple of the moment seemed to be so awkward around one another.

Bruce nods and walks out of the building. Zoey sighs and follows after him. The parking lot was empty except for a black Porsche. Silence is around them as they load her small suitcase and garment bag into the barely there back seat. "How was your flight," he questions, turning the ignition. The Porsche roars to life.

"Fine. I managed to get some sleep."

Bruce shifts. "I meant that I'm not used to seeing you so casual."

Zoey forces a smile. "It's fine."

A silence settles over them as Bruce navigates the car through the traffic. Wayne Manor resided in the Palisades, a very affluent suburb of Gotham. Zoey was familiar enough with the area to know that they were not going in the direction of Wayne Manor. She shoots him a confused look but he just grabs her hand. Eventually, they arrive at a small parking lot. Bruce climbs out and Zoey quickly follows. She watches as he grabs a picnic basket out of the small trunk in front of the sports car.

They walk along the trail until they come to a clearing filled with wildflowers. "Oh, wow," Zoey breathes. The clearing overlooked Gotham Bay and the city. "Bruce, this is amazing."

"I like to come up here when I want to be alone," Bruce tells her, pulling a blanket out of the basket and spreading it out on the ground.

Zoey amusedly smiles. "Because your house is super crowded, huh."

Bruce lightly smiles. "Too stuffy."

Zoey looks into the basket. "So what did Alfred pack us for breakfast?"

"I," Bruce emphasizes. "Packed us some fruit, cheeses, crackers, and orange juice."

Zoey raises an eyebrow. "You packed this?"

"Yes. I am capable of doing stuff."

"I think you're capable of doing a lot of stuff. I just think you have Alfred do a lot of stuff too."

"Well, I did this all on my own." He holds out a strawberry and she reaches for it, but he holds it out of her reach. She leans forward to grab it; he takes the opportunity to kiss her. She can't help but smile. The strawberry falls from Bruce's hand; neither of them were interested in eating anything at the moment. He leans back and she moves over him. Her hand slides down his chest and into the jeans he was wearing. Her hand wraps around his hardening cock. He jumps. Bruce wouldn't deny that he was hoping that this weekend would include sex; he just didn't think it would be so early. "Wait. Wait."

Zoey pulls back, worried. "Did I — did I do something wrong?"

Bruce shakes his head. "No. No. I just…" His hand slides under her sweatshirt and moves up her chest. He pushes her bra out of the way and gently cups her breast; thumb gently flicking her nipple. "I just want to feel you."

Zoey presses her lips against his. "Feel away," she tells him, hand resuming its previous position. He shifts under her. Her hand gently grasps his cock. Her movements are slow at first; taking her time. She wanted him to enjoy this. It was his birthday after all. He thrusts into her hand. She could tell that he was getting close. The hand that was cupping her breast slides down her body and into her sweatpants. His fingers slide through her wet folds. Her breath hitches. "It's your birthday."

"It's my birthday," Bruce repeats, pushing a couple of fingers into her. "And I want to feel you." Zoey rocks her hips into his hand, searching for her own release. Her grip on his tightens, and then she feels spill into her hand. She tightens around as her release causes her to shudder. She buries her face in his neck. He falls back to the blanket, pulling her with him. "I love you."

Zoey's eyes snap open. There was no way he actually said what she thought he said. And even if he did then what exactly did he mean.

Bruce was mentally kicking himself. Why did he say that? It just slipped out. He couldn't believe that he had said it.

Zoey shifts and gently pulls away. She wipes her hand on the blanket. "We, um, we should probably get going," she says. Should she ask him what he meant?

"Yeah, yeah. Alfred is probably wondering what's taking so long," Bruce replies. Did she even hear what he said?

Bruce was nervous. He had no idea why he was nervous. Just that he was. 'It's because you said I love you, you idiot,' he tells himself. He takes a deep breath. He shouldn't be nervous. It was his birthday party with his friends. His friends who were meeting Zoey for the very first time. He raises a fist to knock on the door of the room only for the door to open.

"Hi," Zoey softly greets. She wore a navy blue spaghetti strap dress that hugged her body and ended above her knees. The glasses were gone and replaced with a pair of contact lenses. She had light makeup on that accented her natural beauty and her hair fell in its natural curls around her face.

Bruce has a sudden desire to no longer to his party. He didn't want his friends to see the vision standing in front of him. He had gotten enough of their comments just from the paparazzi photos from their trip to the beach.

"Sorry I took so long to get ready," Zoey tells him. "I thought I had packed my straightener but turns out I left it at home and I was trying to figure out what to do with my hair since I didn't bring anything for my curls."

"I like it," Bruce blurts out. She softly smiles at him. I love you. He needed to drown out that voice. He clears his throat. "We should go."

Zoey darts back into the room and grabs the matching shawl. She closes the door. "Okay. I'm ready." Bruce grabs her hand and leads her through the manor. "When do you want me to give you the gift I got you?"

"I thought this morning was my gift," Bruce replies, intertwining their fingers.

"You can think of it like that," Zoey amusedly says. "But I did get you an actual present."

"We can do it after the party."

"So, you're the girl who took Brucie's v card." Zoey turns around to see a tall dark-haired boy with dark brown, almost black, eyes. He holds out a hand and she grasps it. Her gaze widens when he lifts her hand and presses a soft kiss to the back of it. "Thomas Elliot. Bruce's best friend."

"Oh," Zoey replies, pulling her hand out of his grasp. It takes everything in her to not wipe her hand on her dress. "I'm Zoey."

Thomas stands next to her at the drink table. "You know, we're surprised that Bruce went for you."

"Oh."

Thomas motions to where Bruce is standing and talking with a dark-haired young woman. "We kept telling him to go after Rachel. She's older and has been wanting to fuck him for the past year. He just ignored us. We were really surprised when we saw those pap photos last summer."

"Oh."

"I mean, you're no Rachel. Not by a mile. But you seem okay. Where do you go to school?"

Zoey shifts. She was growing uncomfortable talking with Thomas. She didn't like that he was comparing her to someone who was the complete opposite of her in every way physically. "Um. Smallville High."

"Smallville? Where the fuck is that?"

"Kansas."

Thomas bursts out laughing. "Kansas? Really? You got some ruby red slippers to take you home, Dorothy?"

"Excuse me," Zoey softly says, then quickly makes her way out of the party. She was used to jokes people made when they found she lived in Kansas. But somehow when Thomas said them it hurt worse. She's completely unaware of the fact that Bruce had been watching her the entire she was talking to Thomas.

Zoey pulls her shawl close as she steps out into the bitter November air. She wipes away a few stray tears that found their way out. She rubs her arms, trying to keep warm. A jacket is draped over her shoulders and she turns to see Bruce. "What did Thomas Elliot say to you," he questions.

"Just stupid jokes," Zoey answers, shrugging.

Bruce frowns. Thomas didn't just make stupid jokes; he used them to insult people. He steps closer to her. "What did Thomas say to you?"

Zoey shakes her head. "It doesn't really matter, Bruce."

Bruce reaches up and runs his thumb over her cheek. The makeup around her eyes was slightly smudged. He drops his hand before grasping hers. "We're leaving."

"Bruce, it's fine," Zoey tells him. "I'm fine. It was just stupid jokes."

Bruce looks at her. There was anger written in his gaze. "He made you cry. We're leaving." He leads her over to where he had parked his Porsche and opens the passenger door. Zoey silently climbs in and he closes the door. She was stunned. Some people got upset on her behalf, but nothing ever happened. She had never seen someone be so angry on her behalf before.

Zoey's snapped out of her thoughts when the driver's side door opened. "Bruce, I didn't mean to ruin your party," she softly tells him.

Bruce turns the ignition and the engine roars to life. He turns to her. "You didn't ruin a thing. You're my girlfriend. He made you cry. Thomas ruined the party."

Zoey softly smiles. He called her his girlfriend. "Okay."

Zoey knocks on the door of Bruce's bedroom. She was nervous. She hoped that he enjoyed the present she had got for him. She had changed out of the dress and into an oversized t-shirt and fleece pajama pants. The door opens and she smiles at Bruce. He was wearing a pair of black basketball shorts. She holds out the elegantly wrapped gift. "Happy birthday," she brightly says.

Bruce grasps her wrist and pulls her into the room. At the moment, he didn't care about the gift. He just wanted her. His lips land on hers; his hands are under her shirt. Feeling that she is still clutching the gift, he grabs it and drops it on the floor. Her hands lightly touch his chest. He picks her up and she immediately wraps her arms around him. He drops her on the king-sized bed and she lightly bounces. He climbs over her and he stares down at her. Her hair was fanned out on the dark sheets. And he can't keep it in anymore. "I love you."

Zoey blinks. He had said it. Which meant that he said it earlier. She had no idea what to do. She knew that she needed to do something. "I…love you too," she tells him. She wasn't sure if she actually meant it. It just felt like the right thing to say in the moment.

Bruce leans down and presses his lips against hers. It doesn't take long for their clothes to land on the floor. Her breath hitches as he slowly enters her. He never wanted this feeling to go away. He wanted her to stay with him. She could sense there was something different, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. She just knew it was different.

Zoey slowly opens her eyes to find Bruce sitting in the bed next to her. He was looking through the book she had gotten him. He looks down at her and softly smiles. She can't help but smile back. "You opened the present I got you," she says.

Bruce holds up the antique copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. "Where did you find this," he questions.

Zoey sits up, pulling the sheet up with her. "Antique store in Metropolis. Do you like it?"

Bruce leans over and softly kisses her. "I love it." He sets the book down and pulls her close. "I love you."

She places a hand on his cheek. "You keep saying that."

His lips trail across her shoulder. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it." His hand slides between her legs and he lightly runs his thumb across her clit. "You're my girlfriend."

Zoey's head falls back. "Bruce…"

"I'm your boyfriend," Bruce continues. He slowly pushes a couple of fingers into her. He lightly bites down her shoulder. "No one else can have you."

"Bruce…"

He could tell that she was close. "I love you."

She clenches down his fingers. "Oh, god, Bruce." Her body shudders. He pulls his hand away and slowly pushes his aching cock into her. Her hand runs down his back. "I love you," she whispers, before pulling him into a kiss. She had feelings for him. She couldn't deny it anymore. He grabs her leg and drapes it over his hip. She lets out a soft moan, feeling him go deeper. He comes with a grunt and collapses on her. Zoey runs a hand through his hair. "You were jealous of my secret admirer."

Bruce raises himself up. He presses a soft kiss on her cheek. "Immensely."

Zoey can't help but giggle when Bruce pulls her into a kiss as they stand in the small private terminal building. The jet was parked, waiting to take her back to Metropolis. His hand gripped her waist. He didn't want to let her go. She reluctantly pulls back. "Bruce, they're waiting for me," she quietly reminds.

"It's a private jet. They can keep waiting," Bruce counters before kissing her once more. His hand slides under her sweatshirt and his fingers dance over the bare skin.

Zoey softly smiles at him. "You're coming to my birthday party next month?"

"I wouldn't miss it. You'll come back for the gala?"

"Of course."

Bruce kisses her. "I love you."

Zoey lightly taps his nose. "I love you too." She reluctantly pulls out of his grasp and grabs her small suitcase. She shoots him a smile before walking out of the terminal building towards the private jet. Bruce stands at the window and watches her walk up the stairs. He didn't like the ache in his chest that had appeared.

I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy
I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need
I'll love you more with every breath, truly, madly, deeply, do
Mmm, mmm