One of the guys from research was flirting with a cute intern who was giggling and blushing like a schoolgirl. The new gossip columnist was busy chatting on the phone, feet propped up on her desk, fanning herself with a file folder. Clark was there, too, a pencil in his mouth, typing furiously.
You know, I really love lines like that. They create this great atmosphere. You could easily have gotten away without them but they help us to feel as if we were “in” the story
"Some fluff piece you wouldn't like," he replied, looking slightly embarrassed. He moved his notebook to the other side of his keyboard.
...
"Well, I just thought it would be fun to do." He shrugged, though he had a fairly embarrassed expression on his face.
Awww, that’s sooo cute of him
Over the next fifteen minutes, Lois read a total of thirty-nine posts on the message board, looking for a hidden gem that could be quoted in the story. She'd lost count of the number of times she had rolled her eyes, shook her head and just plain laughed at the entries and their replies.
Lol, that’s sooo Lois!
"How many of these do you think are fake?" she asked Clark.
He stopped typing barely long enough to give her a surprised look. "Fake? Why would any of them be fake?"
"Well, some of the anonymous ones are just way too... out there," she explained. "You know?"
"Doesn't mean they're not real, Lois," he offered.
...
Lois couldn't help but smile. Of course he'd think they were real. Clark was optimistic to the point of being naïve sometimes. It was one of his most endearing qualities.
Awww, I love that he’s being so romantic. I mean, really... I’d like to believe that there are no “fake” entries
After reading a few posts, several of which she could easily have convinced herself might had been written for her, Lois decided it would be better for her sanity to read notes from a different folder. One where she couldn't jump to silly conclusions from reading love notes. One where reading posts wouldn't leave her feeling strangely lonely and heartbroken.
Aww... poor Lois
This page is indeed tempting and I can understand how it would make her feel lonely. Um, well, not that I would do anything like that...
And if that wasn't surprising enough, it appeared as though every single one had been answered - and judging by the replies, Lois was just about convinced that they could only have been posted by one person, and one person alone.
And it’s so sweet of him to stay at work so long just to answer these messages “in time”. So very clark-ish
That meant... Oh, god. It was him, wasn't it?
Lois shook her head and returned her eyes to her screen. She was stunned. She was beyond stunned. In all of two minutes, her entire world had just been turned completely upside down.
Clark was Superman.
Oh, yeah, you managed to describe this „Whoaaa, Clark is Superman“ feeling so well
Remember when I told you that I would love you even if you were just an ordinary man, leading an ordinary life? I believed it then - heart and soul - even though you didn't.
Well, I was wrong that night, my reasoning was flawed. There is nothing, not a single thing, that is ordinary about you. There can never be. It's in everything you say, everything you do. You are, and always will be, extraordinary.
Somehow, there was a part of you that I'd managed not to see before. It was always there, right under my nose, but I never noticed it until just now. I guess you could say that I was blind, but now, I see.
If I could turn back time, start over again, I wouldn't push you away like I did that afternoon in the park. I'd tell you that I love you, right then and there. For everything that you are. No ifs. No buts.
I'll wait until you're ready to tell me what I already know. I could be wrong - I hope I'm not.
Please tell me that I'm right, and that it's really you.
Awwww, that is one of the sweetest messages I’ve ever read. And, yes, I’ve read a lot of the ones posted at LJ
It’s so... *wow* I’m stunned.
This was bad. This was really bad. This was the worst idea she had ever had. This was not the right way to tell him that she knew! And this was not the right way to tell him... to say...
There was no way she could delete - or even edit - the message now. She'd posted it anonymously, there was nothing she could do, but... brace for impact.
What had she done? Oh, what had she done?
Heart pounding in her chest, her cheeks burning, Lois got up from her chair and headed for the ladies' room, stumbling as she went.
Oh, and I can soooo picture her, absolutely panicky, no idea what to do about this after having sent the “Send” button. Poor Lois!
There was no need to turn and see who that was. She knew.
"Lois?" came his voice, barely above a whisper.
She couldn't turn, she couldn't speak. She just stood there, heart pounding, feet rooted in place.
"You're right," he said, against her ear. "And I love you, too."
That is such a wonderful ending! A great “revelation” and a wonderful starting point for a very sweet evening for the two of them
*happy sigh* I love it!
