The next day, Evelyn felt far more in control.
The pain on her arm was still stinging here and there, but at least her mind was clear again - plus, the stinging was nothing that medication couldn't fix.
Her new calming tactic was doing breathing activities to ensure she didn't fall into a panic attack again, which she'd picked off of some random site. That was her last resort before forcing herself to go back to therapy, so she was determined to make it work.
Today, Lois had turned up to her apartment bright and early so that they could grab a quick coffee together before her flight later that day. Truthfully, after arriving at the hospital the day before, Lois had quickly become increasingly concerned over Evelyn. She could tell that something wasn't quite right based on her attitude and overall demeanour, and now she was desperate to ensure she was doing well mentally before going on holiday. Although Lois' life had become awfully hectic since joining The Daily Planet a couple of years ago, she really did care for Evelyn so much. She always tended to prioritise her wherever she could - and Evelyn did the exact same for her.
Well, she used to.
Evelyn pre-incident and post-incident were two different Evelyns and everyone, Lois included, was forced to process that quite quickly. They were all fully prepared for Evelyn never to turn back into the fun, bubbly woman she once was…ever again.
This morning in particular, Evelyn wanted to pass through Martha's Delights to ensure that her role hadn't been replaced by some new waitress, whilst Lois was just on the hunt for a good coffee. "Are you sure you wanna visit your workplace when you're meant to be relaxing?" she frowned as they approached the shop together. "And also, you look way too pretty for a coffee shop today. We should be going into…like…an all day bar or something-"
It was true, Evelyn did look particularly beautiful today. Her deep auburn curls were tied in a messy high ponytail, a few loose strands of hair curtained over her face, and she was wearing a casual short black dress paired with sheer tights and an oversized cardigan - it was such a cute fit.
Her arm was still bandaged up, and still hurt, but she carried on as if she didn't even notice.
What she wasn't expecting was to walk into Martha's Delights to see none other than Clark sat casually at the bar, chatting to his mother. Admittedly, he looked great as well. Yes, he was only wearing a simple black top and jeans, but the top strongly highlighted those defined muscles, tightening ever so slightly around his large biceps.
Martha glanced up at the sound of the cafe's bell, and her face broke out into a knowing grin as soon as she spotted Evelyn and Lois walk in, dragging Lois' suitcases behind them.
"Evelyn! Oh, welcome back sweetie!" Martha beamed with her arms outstretched, edging her way out from behind the bar to hug her. Evelyn felt her cheeks tinge pink as Clark glanced behind him at the mention of her name.
He began to give her a slightly awkward wave, before his eyes fell onto her properly and his breath caught in his throat.
Evelyn, who had also picked up on his sudden change in attitude, pulled herself together and smiled brightly in response. She did not want to make it uncomfortable - particularly after what had happened a few days ago.
She wanted to act as normal as possible.
"Morning Martha! Morning Clark," she hummed casually, giving Martha a careful hug hello.
It was clear that Clark found he couldn't tear his eyes from her, whereas Martha immediately noticed her bandaged arm and frowned.
"Sweetie, what on earth happened? Did you hurt yourself when you were meant to be relaxing?" she gasped, gesturing toward the injury as they let each other go again. Clark's surprised eyes also wandered towards it, his eyebrows narrowing in clear confusion.
"Oh, yeah. I just…burnt myself whilst trying to make tea. Just some stupid, clumsy mistake," Evelyn waved them both off with a small reassuring smile, Clark included. He squinted his eyes slightly and said nothing further, but Martha was clearly far more concerned - just as Katherine was.
"But Evelyn, you don't usually do stuff like that," she muttered in concern, lowering her voice slightly. Lois bit down on both her lips and said nothing, unsure how to interject in order to save her friend. "You're usually super safe with handling hot stuff. I mean, that's gotta be so painful-"
"Ma, she's fine," Clark suddenly mumbled to his mother with a playful smirk. "She wouldn't be here if she was still in pain - she seems smart enough to avoid that kinda predicament." With her heart racing, Evelyn shot him a brief grateful smile, whilst Lois blinked at him as if she'd just seen him there for the first time.
"Wait, do I know you?" she suddenly frowned at him, causing Evelyn's eyes to widen in realisation as Clark blinked back to her in confusion.
"Oh right - Lois this is Clark Kent, Martha's son - Clark, this is my best friend, Lois Lane," Evelyn introduced them both swiftly. "Lois here works for the Daily Planet, and Clark-"
"…also works for the Daily Planet," Clark nodded, raising his hand shyly. Evelyn's mouth shut in shock, stunned at the connection that she'd never made. "Probably why I seem so familiar to you… we could've met in the hallways or something-"
"Probably - to be honest, I tend to blitz through that place like a bat out of hell. Either way, it's nice to meet you properly Clark," Lois smiled brightly, shaking his hand. "You got a day off or something?" she casually started up conversation. Clark cleared his throat before answering - he was almost desperate to talk to Evelyn and check how she was really feeling after what he'd witnessed, but knew it was impossible with Lois being there.
"Uh, yeah, today and tomorrow. Technically I'm still working, just out of office. They want me to write an article on…" Clark trailed off, now unsure of whether he should mention it.
He'd never forget how Evelyn reacted the last time.
"'The Chosen One'," Lois guessed with a risen perfectly arched brow. Evelyn glanced at her in confusion.
"The Chosen…wait, isn't that the article you were meant to be working on?" she whispered, conscious that she may not have wanted Clark to know.
"Yup! Office politics Ev, it's so dumb. Perry gets multiple reporters writing on the same thing - they combine it into one mega article and BAM, Daily Planet gets first place on bestselling news for their stellar, all-including, ultra-informative article on Superman. That's why I'm going to Mauritius - I'm gonna get the scoop that literally nobody else has," Lois drawled, tapping Evelyn's nose.
"How do you know nobody has got the same idea?" she blinked.
"Because I checked our accounts team and nobody else has booked a flight on the company card," Lois smirked knowingly, nudging Evelyn's side as she rolled her eyes playfully. "Did you want a drink? I'm buying."
"Oh, um…a strawberry lemonade would be great, thanks," Evelyn answered sweetly.
"Sure thing! Clark, can I get you anything?" Lois offered up politely.
"I'm good, thanks - got my trusted coffee here," Clark smiled back. Lois nodded and spun around to order from Martha, finally leaving Clark and Evelyn alone.
He grabbed the chance to speak to her before they were interrupted yet again.
"Hey, are you sure you're doing okay? I was actually pretty worried when you…you know," Clark murmured, looking dead into Evelyn's eyes to show his sincerity. Evelyn's heart did a little hop, skip and jump at his gaze's intensity, but she simply smiled slightly at his caring nature.
"I'm fine. I'm sorry for freaking out and worrying you. It was just a panic attack…kinda happens sometimes," she admitted quietly. "But I recover quickly - I'll be back at work before you know it." Clark nodded cautiously, just as Lois popped back up to them again with the drinks in her hands.
"Should we take a seat?" she suggested to her best friend brightly. Evelyn nodded and hoisted her bag a little higher on her shoulder.
"Sure!"
Then she had a genius thought.
"Clark, did you wanna come and sit with us?"
Lois blinked at her best friend in surprise, and even Clark's head jerked back slightly.
"I…uh, sure thing," he nodded, hopping off his stool and following them to one of the tables, his coffee gripped in his hand. Lois settled herself down in one of the chairs immediately, now clocking onto something a little more interesting that was happening in front of her.
Then, to both hers and Evelyn's surprise, Clark quickly scooted behind Evelyn's chair and pulled it out for her before she could sit down.
"Oh…! Thanks, Clark," Evelyn smiled shyly, taking a seat as Clark sat opposite them both with a small smile.
"Wow Clark, such a gentleman," Lois smirked, leaning back in her own chair. "Pray do tell, is there a Mrs Kent anywhere?" Evelyn attempted not to show a single expression on her face.
"As in, am I dating?" Clark asked as if it was ludicrous. "N-no, I'm not. Although, I think my mom is desperate for…something."
"Ah. Aren't they all?" Lois hummed knowingly, her eyes darting between him and Evelyn in the least discreet way possible. Evelyn shot her a little glare. She knew that look in Lois' eyes from anywhere. She knew damn well that she was totally immersed in what she saw, and was no doubt about to make something happen.
Luckily, Lois' phone buzzed harshly from where it rested on the table, interrupting wherever she was about to go next.
She glanced down and read the notification in surprise.
"Everything okay…?" Evelyn murmured.
"Ugh, yeah. Just got an invite to a restaurant reopening tonight downtown," Lois sighed, locking her phone again.
"Oh the re-opening of the West Cuisine? Yeah, I got that, too," Clark hummed absentmindedly. Evelyn frowned and took a sip of her cool lemonade.
"I have no idea what you guys are talking about," she shook her head. "To be fair, I tend not to go too deep into the city these days. I'm sure a lot has changed."
"You will eventually, Ev - give it time," Lois smiled, reaching out to squeeze her hand comfortingly. Evelyn let out a small laugh and simply went back to her lemonade. "Either way, I think it's pretty sweet that businesses are getting themselves back up on their feet again! Shows we're all trying to get back to normal…whatever 'normal' is."
"Mmm," was Clark's vague response.
He put down his own coffee with a short sigh of his own. Evelyn quickly noticed that it looked as if he was fighting against himself to say something. Honestly, she didn't think it was particularly fair that she and Lois dominated the conversation, especially as she was the one who invited Clark there to begin with, so she was keen to involve.
"What?" she encouraged him sweetly with a smile, causing Lois to look over at him too. "You can talk about whatever you want, Clark. I promise, I won't freak out again."
"Again?" Lois' eyes squinted.
"Not now Lo - Clark's speaking," Evelyn tutted playfully as she clamped her hand over Lois' glossed lips. "Carry on, Clark!"
"I...uh…" Clark cleared his throat again, fiddling with his napkin anxiously as Evelyn slowly lowered her hand, "it's…nothing. You know what, I should get back to writing my article-"
"How far along have you come on the Superman stuff, anyway? Don't worry, I won't steal anything, I have my own plans - which you also cannot steal," Lois found herself asking, the irritation from their earlier conversation coming back to bite her again. Evelyn raised her eyebrows and placed both of her hands under the table so that she could trace patterns on her palms.
She had to prevent a full blown panic attack, because she could sense exactly where the conversation was about to go.
Lois wasn't stupid, though. She noticed the discomfort on her best friend's face almost automatically, and immediately felt guilty for asking.
"Actually, we can just talk about it when we're both back in the office or something," she quickly decided - but now Evelyn was feeling more stubborn than anything else. They were going to talk about this, whether it drove her to a panic attack or not didn't even matter.
It wasn't one of her best qualities.
"No don't worry, you can talk about it now," she interrupted slowly, gaining another uncertain glance from Clark. He just wanted to make sure that she was okay - and if that meant avoiding certain conversations, he was willing to do it.
But weirdly, it was Evelyn that wasn't.
"You sure, Ev?" Lois frowned worriedly.
"I mean, he did what he did and look where we are, right? Can't really avoid it - all this chaos is all down to him," Evelyn continued to speak calmly, her voice unwavering.
"Hear hear," Lois hummed, shooting her a small thankful smile for keeping the conversation going on her behalf. "Although, it really does makes you think, right…?"
"Makes you think what?" Evelyn blinked.
"I just mean…okay I know that he caused destruction, awful destruction but sometimes I wonder if he could've been trying to do…something else and the destruction was as a result of that?" Lois suggested, leaning on her fist.
"What, like it was an accident?" Clark blinked casually. "It's possible-"
"An accident whilst he was trying to do what exactly?" Evelyn scoffed sceptically, beginning to feel a weird knot build in her stomach.
"He might have been…saving us all from a greater danger?" Clark tried feebly. He was taken aback to see Lois click her fingers with a nod.
"Wait, you guys are saying that the magical guy that caused all this hell is basically misunderstood?" Evelyn asked them both in disbelief, her finger now tracing abrupt patterns with more corners than swirls in her palm.
"People can be misunderstood, Ev," Lois shrugged quietly. "And everyone has a story - that's why the guy has a steadily growing number of fanboys. They swear he's a superhero, so he can't be all bad, right?"
Evelyn squinted her eyes at both her best friend and Clark, trying to figure out where all this was coming from. It all seemed so sudden and incredibly deep for no reason - and part of her didn't really care to keep talking about it.
But something within her wanted to entertain them just a little bit longer and, irritatingly, that was the part of herself that she wanted to pay attention to.
"Okay, look…even if there was a larger threat-" she began carefully.
"There was – General Zod," Clark reminded her helpfully. Evelyn blinked at him, baffled on how he could possibly remember all the small details like that. But then she remembered that he was a reporter, and some things were just in his nature to never forget - whereas she was eager to forget the situation as soon as it happened.
Not everybody was like her - Martha had given her that talk many a time already.
"Right…none of that makes a difference to the people that lost their loved ones to the destruction that he caused to eliminate General Zodge - bigger threat or not. In fact it doesn't really matter to those people what the bigger threat was," Evelyn explained as fairly as she could.
"Zod - but yeah, I get what you mean," Clark corrected her with a slight sigh.
"Same," Lois added in carefully. "And don't get me wrong, I'm not excusing his actions, Ev. You know I wouldn't. I just find it interesting to pick the brains of people who believe he's a terrorist - you know me. It'll help with the article in the long run. Clark, you are also forbidden from taking this-"
"Wait, a t-terrorist?" Evelyn suddenly coughed, gaining another little glance from Clark. "Well…no. Zod would've been the terrorist, as he was trying to inflict terror. I mean if your guy…Superman… really was trying to save us, I could go with that. But I'm not gonna call him something as little as 'clumsy'. He did more than accidentally break a few plant pots, ya know? Maybe if he was to come out and acknowledge he did or whatever, maybe I'd feel different. But I doubt he would. He just doesn't seem to care is what I guess I'm trying to say."
Clark clenched his jaw and nodded, whilst Lois cocked her head to the side in thought, wondering if she should've been recording the entire conversation - and Evelyn could see it in her eyes.
"And no, Lo - you cannot quote me," she quickly jumped in.
"Damnit," Lois hissed, gaining a roll of the eyes from Evelyn.
"And anyway, how can you both be so sure that he's even a good guy in the first place?" she frowned sceptically, still not ready to let this go yet.
"Just a hunch, I guess," Clark casually shrugged off the question before Lois could even answer.
"Oh? So you try and change everyone's minds about this one guy, arguably our generation's biggest villain…based on a hunch?" Evelyn clarified amusedly. Clark looked at her properly and pushed his tongue into his cheek for a few moments, making Evelyn squirm in her chair slightly.
Somehow, she always found herself slightly hot and intimidated under his intense gaze.
"Not everyone's mind, no. Changing your mind will be enough for me," Clark hummed, before his eyes darted back to his coffee again. Evelyn blushed again and turned her attention to out of the window distractedly.
Lois smirked and cleared her throat, pushing herself out of her chair. Both Evelyn and Clark blinked up at her.
"Well! I've enjoyed this super brief catch up, but I do have a plane to catch!" she beamed at them both brightly.
"Already?" Evelyn gasped, glancing down at the time.
"Yeah. Apparently there's traffic leading up to the airport so I wanna go a little earlier," Lois shrugged, shoving her bag over her shoulder. "So come and give your best friend a hug before I disappear!" Evelyn jumped up and gave her a huge joyous hug, before hearing Lois whisper into her ear, "Ask him out! He likes you!" with an extra squeeze.
Clark's eyes darted over to them both, but he quickly tore their eyes away from them before they could notice.
They weren't to know that he could hear them.
"Shut up, Lo," Evelyn smirked as they let each other go and she fixed her hair for her. Lois pulled a playful face and turned to Clark.
"Mr Kent, it has been a pleasure meeting you properly - I'll see you back at work in a couple of weeks?" she smiled, shaking his hand firmly.
"For sure. Great meeting you too, Lois," Clark nodded back humbly as their hands broke apart. Lois swiftly made her way out, giving them both another excited wave and mouthing 'DO IT!' to Evelyn before finally slipping away.
So once again, the two of them sat opposite each other. But unlike the first time, it wasn't awkward. In fact, they seemed to enjoy each other's company.
But Clark had to say something…anything.
It was already eating him alive.