I know it's not like me to post two parts in two days' time, but a) I'll be gone for a week and I don't know if I'll have Internet access and b) this part is very small, like the icing on the cake (story). So... well... here you go!!
Thanks to everyone who read this story, and to all those who took the time to leave a comment. I hope you enjoyed!
See ya,
AnnaBtG.
TOC here From part 17:She hung up the phone and stared at it for a few seconds. Then she came back to reality.
She had been right! He wanted to propose! And, actually, he had!!
“Yes!”
She danced her way to the bedroom. She was definitely going to have the sweetest of dreams tonight.
Part 18:The next day passed quietly. When Lois returned home from the Planet, she took a shower and, after an hour of thinking, decided to wear a white buttoned shirt and blue jeans, which seemed to be the most suitable for the occasion.
At eight, Clark tapped on her window. He picked her up and quickly flew to the beach. She had a few minutes to explore her surroundings, while he left her there to go pick up the promised Chinese.
They were relatively close to Metropolis. More to the south, so the weather was pleasantly warm. There was no wind blowing and the sea was calm.
She grabbed a handful of sand and let it slip through her fingers. Its color was the most beautiful shade of… sandy color she had ever seen and it felt clean and soft as it touched her skin.
For a couple of minutes she got lost in gazing at the sea. Then, the serenity of the beach was greeted by Clark’s arrival. He left the bag with the food aside – it smelled deliciously – and retrieved a small, colorful tablecloth, which he unfolded and put down on the sand. Then, he placed a few candles on it, lit them and served the food. The sky was darkening, now only lighted by the few rays that escaped from behind the mountain where the sun had set. Adding the weak candlelight, it was a fantastic, dreamy result.
Lois was speechless. She could just stare at Clark with loving eyes.
“Do you like it?” he asked, once everything was in place.
“Yeah,” she whispered with a nod. A big lump was sitting on her throat. Nobody ever had done something so beautiful for her. And here was Clark now, who could, only by doing something as simple as organizing a picnic, make her feel cherished. His unique, special girl.
She was so lucky to have him.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said, and then gave her a playful frown. “But something’s missing.”
She stared at him, puzzled, as he pulled a velvet box out of his pocket.
“I know I’ve asked this before, but… Lois Lane, will you marry me?”
Instead of answering, she leaned across and kissed him fiercely, all her love for him reaching him through her lips.
When the kiss finally ended, she looked him in the eyes, provoking him to guess for her answer.
Clark cleared his throat. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
-----
The following days went fine. The diamond ring shining on Lois’s finger earned her a big deal of interested looks and congratulations.
On Monday, she woke up, got dressed and stood in front of the mirror, gathering her courage. When Clark came to pick her up, she was feeling strong and ready to make York Saulter pay for everything he had done.
-----
Lois and Clark met again in Lois’s apartment, that same evening.
“Thanks for coming,” she told him when he arrived at her window.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t wait for you earlier. There was a shipwreck in Panama.”
“Don’t worry, I understand.”
“So, how are you feeling now, after having testified?”
She fell on the couch with a sigh. “Relieved. We have enough evidence to make sure he’ll never hurt anyone again.”
“But you’re part of the evidence,” he said worriedly.
“I know. But so be it. I spent enough time worrying, and, really, it wasn’t worth it. They can say what they will, but it’s my life and I won’t let them affect me. It’s time for me to be strong again.”
“You have always been strong,” he said, taking her hands into his. “You’ve been through difficult times these past months, and you’re still here, stronger than ever.”
She gave him a sweet smile. “You helped me.”
“I didn’t really do all that much.”
“You did enough, just being here for me. And I hope you’ll never regret it.”
“I could never, ever regret loving you, Lois.”
“Me neither.”
-----
EPILOGUE:
Clark softly knocked on the white door.
“Come in,” he heard from inside the room.
He pushed the door open. “Good morning, Mrs. Kent.”
“Morning, Mr. Kent.” Lois gave him a bright smile.
“Sorry I couldn’t make it earlier,” he said apologetically.
“It’s okay, Clark, I watched the news. Don’t worry. Come sit here.”
He sat beside her on the bed. “I brought you these,” he said timidly, showing her the big, colorful bouquet he was holding.
“Oh, it’s nice. Now, here. Meet Miss Lily Kent.”
He leaned over to take a look at the peaceful baby girl sleeping in Lois’s arms.
“She’s adorable…” he whispered. “Just like you.” He looked up at Lois. “So you’ll name her Lily?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“And why is that?”
She raised her eyebrow playfully. “Are you blind?”
It took him a few moments to realize that she was talking about the bouquet he was still holding. Indeed, between the various flowers that composed it there was a bunch of lilies.
He grinned. “Not willingly blind, though, unlike a friend of ours.” He let the flowers on the bedside table and showed her the book he was holding underneath them.
“Oh!” Lois exclaimed. “You picked it up already! I still can’t believe it’s out so early!”
“Yeah. I took a look at the first couple of chapters. It’s magnificent. And check this out.” He began reading from the back of the book. “‘Being a teenager and being in love are two things very closely related. This is the first of the subjects I tried to treat in this book. The second is the way a teen’s friends affect each other’s attitude. It’s something that happens everywhere, but it’s weird how between teens it’s more subtle and yet more strong. The romance between the hero and the heroine is heavy influenced by their friends’ opinion.”
“This is from the interview she gave us last month,” Lois observed, very pleased.
“Yes,” Clark confirmed. “And the editor goes on: ‘Glory O’Gerald proves once more that her writing comes from deep study on people’s behavior and feelings. “Willingly Blind” may be a teenage love story, but Glory’s undeniable writing talent will keep every reader hooked until the last page.’”
“A little biased, isn’t he?” Lois grinned.
“Yes, but he’s not wrong.” Clark began skimming through the pages, when his gaze fell on the fifth page. “Hey, take a look at that!”
It was the dedication.
‘To Lois and Clark
for the walls they managed to break.’
-The End-
