Chapter 6: The Coffee Date Clark took it on himself to tidy away. Collecting up the counters and picking up the question cards scattered all over – Cindy refused to put them back after playing compare – he shuffled them into a tidy pile then slid them into the box.
He glanced to his side and saw Cindy gazing at him, her chin resting on her hand, itself resting on the coffee table. She’d been making her interest known all evening and Clark had yet to figure out how to gently let her down. He really wasn't interested, and his heart really and truly belonged to the other lady in the room, well, in the kitchen area behind.
“Good game, Cindy,” he attempted to lighten the mood. She leaned forward, her head now straight above the playing board. Shifting forward she came closer, so he shifted backwards. She reached out and took hold of the board, pulling and then flinging it behind her.
Clark shuffled away further until his back hit the couch. Standing he watched as she climbed over the table.
“Clark?” she said as she tipped her head to the side. She stepped towards him. “I get the feeling you’re uncomfortable.”
“No, um why would you think that?” He adjusted his glasses and stepped away. She advanced further on him.
“There’s no need to be. I think it’s time to be up front now. We’ve had a fun evening. I’d like to do it again sometime.”
“Uh, Cindy. I’m not sure ...” he gulped when she stepped up to him and placed a hand on his chest.
“Well, I am sure, Clark.” She put her other hand on his chest. “Don’t fight this. I think we could be good together. I’m attracted to you, and I know you’ve been watching me.”
Clark frowned at that, he’d been glancing, yes, but not for the reasons he suspected Cindy thought. He’d been watching her, but not because he was attracted to her. Rather he was concerned over her behaviour.
“I’ve noticed those eyes glancing at me, those beautiful, brown eyes – hiding behind dull glasses.” Her hands reached up from his chest and he stepped back in momentary terror to keep her from pulling off his glasses.
He couldn’t step very far though as Cindy grabbed his shirt and yanked him back. As he blinked in shock she tipped her head back and rose up on her toes.
“No!” A crash and a shout from the kitchen had both Clark and Cindy turning to look. Lois rushed over with an empty bowl in her hand. Clark could hear her heart pounding and see her heavy ragged breathing.
“What is it, Lois?” he asked.
“I, uh ... I, uh ... dropped the popcorn,” she replied but Clark could see the deadly glare that Lois was giving her cousin.
“Lo!” came Cindy’s strained voice. It seemed she was glaring back. She let go of Clark’s shirt and stormed into the kitchen.
Hushed voices were impossible to ignore but Clark steadfastly held his hearing in check. After a few minutes Cindy came storming past. She grabbed her coat and flung open the apartment door.
“Cindy?” he called out carefully. She turned.
“Sorry, Clark. Guess I got my wires crossed. From both of you.” She turned to look at her big cousin just standing in the kitchen area, then she left and shut the door behind her.
“Lois,” Clark turned to her. “What’s going on?”
“Clark, are you that naive?” He shook his head in confusion at her. “Cindy made a pass at you and you dealt with it like some virgin schoolboy.”
“You ...” he pointed to the door. “You wanted me to reciprocate?” he asked sharply.
“Well ...” she grinned, widely. Clark suddenly felt betrayed but dismissed the thought.
“If it wasn’t for the fact that she’s your cousin ... and you’ve been here all night ... and you just stopped her from kissing me I would swear you set me up again,” he challenged.
Her eyes widened and she took a step backwards. “My goodness,
Farmboy. Have a pretty high opinion of yourself there.” She turned and entered the kitchen, immediately bending down to start clearing the spilled popcorn from the floor.
Clark groaned in frustration at the sight. “Lois,” he said carefully. “I, uh, think I should probably go. I’ll see you tomorrow at the office.” He lingered for another moment taking in the sight of the soft, grey material pulled tightly over her behind, unknowingly burning the image into his subconscious before striding away.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Clark turned his head to the elevator at the sound of it ascending. His hearing picked up the slightest sound from inside, but all Clark needed to do was search for her heartbeat to know that she was nowhere near the Daily Planet. He looked over to the large window.
She’s somewhere in that direction. He stared out, through the wall, and over the Metropolis skyline.
I’m going to have to speak to her about this soon. Need to bring up The Pact. He rested his forehead on his hand.
I can’t believe I’m doing this. How did she even get me to agree to The Pact all those years ago? And now I’m the one that’s going to try and enforce it. He pushed up from his desk and wandered over to the coffee station.
Clark, you idiot. You can’t force her into anything; she’s Lois Lane. And even if she wasn’t Lois Lane it would be unfair to make her stick to The Pact if she no longer wanted to. And it was obvious she no longer wanted to.
Clark stirred two sugars into his coffee, his mind conflicted. It had been years since he’d struggled over a decision so much. Yes, he sometimes
pretended to be unsure about choosing things, but this was real. He knew what he wanted, but didn’t know how to get it, or whether he
should even try to get it.
“Okay,” he talked out loud to himself to work through the problem. “I know we are friends. Lois has admitted to being ‘best’ friends sometimes. That’s good enough for a marriage, isn’t it?” He sipped at the coffee and wandered back to his desk.
Another voice joined in. It was deeper, in his head, it was Superman’s.
But you cannot afford to be selfish in that way. The world needs you. A hero is not meant to love. Clark sat himself back at his desk. “But it’s too late,” he realised. “I already
do love.”
Well, Lois is a strong woman. Maybe she could be a stable force to return home to then, came the strong voice.
“Yes, but how would my heart cope with a lukewarm reception every time I walked, or flew, in the door?” Clark almost felt his heart break at the thought.
He groaned and pinched his nose, adjusting his glasses.
I can’t believe I’ve just argued with myself about this. And then changed my own mind, twice. What am I going to do? *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lois took a deep breath and adjusted her coat and bag. Stepping into the coffee shop she glanced around for the tell-tale red carnation which would signify her date.
Red Carnation indeed. Couldn’t he think of something more original? Surely he could at least afford some Roses! She put a bright smile on her face and strode forwards. As she drew closer she found that the smile began to drop so she steeled herself and kept it in place.
His profile picture is obviously a few years out of date. Not that he’s old and grey, Lois. Maybe he’s just having a bad hair day. She tried to give him the benefit of the doubt.
And a bad clothes day. He stood up to greet her as she approached.
And a bad body day. She groaned inwardly but stretched out her hand in greeting. “Brian? I’m Lois.”
“I’m so glad you wanted to meet, Miss Lane.” He let go of her hand and she dropped it to her side, surreptitiously wiping off the clammy feel. He held out a seat for her and she slid into it. He sat down once she was in place.
He’s a gentleman, Lois. It’s what you wanted. “I hope you don’t mind me insisting on a simple coffee date to start with, but I’m swamped with work at the moment.” She gave a winning smile over to him and he grinned back at her.
“It’s fine. I’m busy, too, with board meetings and sales projections. But I can take some time off late next week, so if you want we could go to see Madame Butterfly at the Theatre Magnifique.” His expression was so hopeful and Lois tried to say yes but visions of Lex suddenly overwhelmed her.
“Um. I’m not sure. I’ll have to get back to you on that.” Lois ordered a coffee and a piece of chocolate cake, then sat back. She usually hated uncomfortable silences but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything to Brian.
“So, what Operas have you attended recently?” he asked.
Oh no. What do I say? It’s been so long. And I only ever went with Lex. Think of an opera, Lois. Any opera. Nothing came to mind.
Well done Lois, she sarcastically commended herself.
“Oh, this and that. I’ve been rather busy. I guess it’s been over six months since I last went to the theatre.” She picked up her napkin and twisted it in her hands. She craned her neck around looking for the waitress with her coffee.
“I went to see Wagner’s Ring Cycle when I was in London last year. It was superb.”
Lois turned back. “Huh? Oh, yes. Wagner.” She’d seen one of his with Lex, hadn’t she? She nodded in what she hoped was a knowledgeable fashion. Before the conversation could progress her chocolate cake and drink arrived and she dived right in, sighing in relief. Brian began to spoon out some jam and cream onto the scone he'd ordered.
“So, have you ever seen the whole Cycle, or just the separate Operas?”
Lois raised her eyebrows and continued to drink from her cup, indicating that she was busy so unable to answer.
Lois, she shouted at herself.
Why did you choose Opera as an interest? Oh yes, because you considered it an upper class trait and you’d get a ‘classy’ gentleman. Classy indeed! More like ‘stuffy’. She put down her cup and tried to find a way to change the subject.
“Look, to be honest it’s been a while since I last had the time...”
“Oh, sorry. Well, what are your current interests then?”
“Well, my career,” Lois answered quickly before remembering that she’d mentioned being a traditional woman, hoping it was more likely to be appealing. She groaned inwardly.
How did I ever think that filling in such a wildly inaccurate profile would find me the perfect mate? This is not the kind of man I really want. “Career?” he asked in obvious confusion.
“Oh. I mean. Um. I enjoy my work.” She paused. “Journalism. Current events. News.”
“Oh!” He went quiet for a moment. “Lois Lane. Journalism. How come I didn’t put it together before? You’re THE Lois Lane. I read the Daily Planet from cover to cover every day. But I must confess that I linger over the business pages and the arts and society pages more than others.”
Lois gave a small smile and groaned once more, flooded by remembered conversations with Lex again. She hung her head and saw her cake directly in front.
YES! She picked up her fork and took a comforting bite all while her mind came to the obvious conclusion.
I’m really not compatible with Brian at all. I need to get back to the office and change my dating profile as soon as I can. Lois drained the last of her coffee and stood up. “Well, I need to be getting back to work now, Brian. It was nice meeting you.”
“So.” He stood. “How about a visit to the Opera then?” He asked hopefully.
“I’m sorry, Brian. I don’t think it would work. Let’s just leave it at that. Thanks for the coffee.”
She smiled and left a confused, but possibly relieved, Brian finishing his scone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Clark was engrossed in some serious editing when his hearing picked up her heartbeat heading this way at top speed.
Boy is she in a hurry. It was strange how easy he’d slipped into listening to it since discovering it last night.
Maybe I should stop. Maybe it’s like eavesdropping on someone’s conversation. What’s the moral code for listening to someone’s heart? Clark fought with his conscience over it then decided that it wasn’t as if he were actually stalking her. In fact there was a safety aspect to it which was beneficial, especially considering the amount of times Superman had saved her over the past eight years.
Superman. That would have to be addressed if The Pact ever came to fruition.
How will she take it? Maybe I should try and figure that out first. If the answer is not favourable then I guess there is no point pursuing this idea any longer. He looked up just as she exited the elevator and rushed in.
“Hi, Lois.” He couldn’t help but smile at her as she walked past his desk.
She stopped and almost stumbled. “Clark! Um, hi.” She shrugged out of her coat then strolled to her desk.
“So where have you been this morning?” he asked conversationally.
“Had a couple of interviews. Chased a lead on the leaked memos from the Mayor’s office and ...” she paused. Clark looked up in confusion. Her heart rate jumped incredibly at that ‘and’.
“And?” he questioned.
“Oh, nothing, that’s it.” She waved away the silence with her hands. Clark looked at her in confusion for a moment then returned to his editing. Her heart was beating a mile a minute but he had no idea what would make her so terrified.
“And you? Busy morning?”
“Not particularly.” Clark wondered about testing the water over the Superman idea. “Oh, I managed to catch Superman for a quote on his overnight saves.”
He heard Lois’ heart skip a beat again. “Were there many?” Clark looked up to catch her eyes.
“A couple of particular interest but most of them were routine.” He feigned boredom.
“Routine! Kent! There is nothing routine about Superman saving people. He is a miracle. And every life he saves, every disaster he averts is a gift to us all.” Lois spoke passionately.
“You really feel that way about Superman, Lois?” Clark asked her earnestly.
“You must know by now how I feel about him. We’ve been partners for years.” Clark did know. Lois never failed to express her admiration for his super alter-ego but what he really needed to figure out is how she would take the truth.
“But what do we really know about him, Lois. I mean. He saves people, but ... what else.” Clark tried to find a way to open up the discussion.
“You mean, like, what’s his favourite baseball team? Or who makes his capes?” Lois grinned. “Can’t say I haven’t wondered about those things in the past. But you seem to know him better than anyone else with the number of articles you submit on his activities. How
do you get those articles, Clark?”
Bad move, Clark. That didn’t go at all as you wanted. She turned it right back round on you. “Just lucky I guess,” he replied and then went quiet.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Desperate to modify her online dating profile Lois had completely blotted out the rest of the newsroom, so she’d nearly jumped out of her shoes in shock at Clark’s greeting. It had put her on the defensive and the resulting conversation had been difficult.
She’d nearly spilled the truth that she’d been on a coffee date. But that could have been a disaster. It might have resulted in revelations about the dating web-site or even led to mention of The Pact. Plus she would have had to confess that it had been a terrible failure.
Lois spent the rest of the afternoon alternating jobs. She typed up her interviews and compiled her information but also kept flicking to her profile. She carefully adjusted her responses, taking the time to think about each answer. In amongst all those jobs she also stopped to ponder the strange conversation that Clark had initiated about Superman. Unable to understand she dismissed the chat and then focussed on her latest quandary: How to tell him that she’d arranged a date for him tonight.
There would be no way to pretend that this wasn’t a setup. Jenny was from a dating website, she was bound to mention it. She hung her head and realised that she’d made a terrible mistake.
I can’t believe I thought I could set him up, and get away with it. It’s not going to work. “Lois.” Her head shot up at Clark’s voice. “Did you ever hear from your father for this birthday?”
Birthday. Pact. Lois felt the panic come over her again.
I CAN make it work. “Uh, yes.” She looked away. “Um, Clark?”
“Yes, Lois?”
“You know you’ve been accusing me of setting you up?”
Clark narrowed his eyes and looked at her accusingly. “Mm hmm.”
“Well, it got me thinking,” she continued in a false bright tone. “Even though your accusations were completely without any basis in truth and I am totally offended that you would think such things of me ... it occurred to me. You deserve someone special. You’re such a sweet guy, and you’re all alone. So ... I did something about it.”
“About what?” he asked, confusion evident in his tone.
“I signed you up to a dating website and you have a date for tonight.”
“You what!” he shouted as he stood up.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
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