Loved this! So sweet and emotionally immersive. I just raced through the whole middle section and had to go back and start over again!
...but he didn’t stay and talk afterwards. Not that he has to, but…I don’t know. I thought we were closer than that, so it hurts that he didn’t confide in me or ask for my help.
I think this is a brilliant point to name here - it's such a sticking point for me with Lois & Superman. Like... HOW do you end a conversation? You can't ever be like, 'let's finish this conversation over coffee,' or anything. And it's
Superman, so everyone is always watching, so conversations can't really be that long or involved. So he just ends up flying off, and leaving things unsaid, and leaving her wanting MORE, and it just creates more desire on Lois' part because he never gives her the closure of finishing a conversation. And I feel like he perpetuates this cycle. I love that you brought this in here because any time something obviously affects Superman, he still has to just end the conversation, and Lois has no idea she's continuing the conversation with Clark later. Of COURSE she's hurt! It would make me crazy.
and there he is, standing just inside my window, inviting himself right in because he knows he’s welcome. Always.
Awwww.
He’s got his arms crossed in front of him, relaxed but adding that small hint of distance between us. Always.
SLAYING me with this parallel sentence structure. And the 'hint of distance' is so sad.
I step closer, wondering if this now is him letting me in, being vulnerable.
Such a nice detail, because while it's true for Lois' question about the superhero, I feel like this is such a real question women always have to tiptoe in to figure out!
and I see it in his eyes, the moment he chooses to turn me down instead of let me in...
Ughhhh, nooooooo. It's crushing every time.
...what hurts me even more is how clearly painful it is for him to do it. Every time. And I don’t understand.
And there's no way, really, she'd easily piece this together, either. One of those moments you just want to slap Clark silly.
“Something’s gotta give, Superman, because I can’t play this game anymore.”
That one bothers him.
GOOD!
Right now, he’s never looked more human to me, and there’s almost this familiar comfort to it.
I love your moments where her brain latches onto something like this!
I nod and nod again, because my heart is in charge here. My brain might be mad later, but oh God, right now he needs me like I need him.
Awwwwwwwww! And he's just about the only person who can cut through all the barriers she puts up to get here.
Re-reading this, something I love is that he actually listened enough to let her change his mind. She asked him to come back; he did. She asked him why this was so hard; he answered her. He didn't go over there to tell her, but she actually tried to have a mature conversation about it, and he followed her lead. I love this version of them - it really feels like they fit.
