Hi again! I was hoping to get this out sooner, but this chapter proved difficult to write.

Chapter 15: Afterglow

Clark wanted to get to work before Lois to try and fend off any unwanted office attention. Unfortunately, a bridge collapse in Ohio delayed him, and he stopped to pick up coffee from Lois' favorite place. He exited the elevator almost 30 minutes late.

As soon as he stepped off the elevator, he felt people's eyes glancing toward him and heard their whispered conversations. He usually tried to filter out those conversations, but he let himself listen in. Thanks to Lois kissing him in the middle of the bullpen, there was no hiding their relationship and no way to stop people from gossiping.

He decided to pretend like none of that was happening. He focused in on Lois, who had looked up when he entered. She had been watching for him and smiled. He also smiled as he walked toward her desk and deposited her coffee.

"You're late," she teased. "If only you had a good excuse."

"I'm doing great. How are you this morning?" he said. His smile turned into a cheeky grin. "Tired?"

"I slept pretty well. Wonderful dreams. A little sore though." She sipped her coffee. "I might have to start working out to keep up." She lowered her voice. "What are they all talking about?"

"Us mostly. Lots of different opinions. After your show yesterday, I don't think you need to worry about anyone thinking we aren't together." Clark focused in on a particular conversation. "Oh, and apparently, Ron is mad about losing some bet. You don't happen to know more about that, do you?"

"We should probably talk about that privately, away from the listening ears. We also need to talk about how to explain things to Jason. This morning he told me that you should be my boyfriend."

"Really? He asked me if I was your boyfriend a little while ago, but I told him we were just friends. What did you tell him?"

"That he had to go to school, and we can talk about that later. Redirection is the first rule of parenting."

"Good to know…am I?"

"What?"

"Am I your boyfriend?" Clark said nonchalantly, trying to hide his desire to hear her explicitly state their relationship.

Lois stared at him. "After last night, I would hope so."

Clark raised one eyebrow.

"You are going to make me say it, aren't you?"

Clark nodded his head.

"Clark, you are definitely my boyfriend."

Clark felt something give way within him, the small part of him who was still unsure this was happening. He wanted to grab Lois and kiss her until she ran out of breath but he held back.

Instead, he let a large, stupid grin spread across his face. "Lois, you're my girlfriend."

SSSS

Cat Grant watched Clark and Lois openly flirt with each other with mixed feelings. She couldn't hear their conversation, but it was obvious that they had finally redefined their relationship.

Part of her was proud of playing unintentional matchmaker, while another was annoyed that Clark was now unavailable. Cat never went after taken men, and Clark appeared completely taken.

Well, at least she could still look at him, and since he had started dressing better, it was quite a pleasant sight.