This is a story I've been working on for years - and now, finally it's finished and translated and I'm a bit nervous now that I'm posting it.
It's mostly B-plot driven, and although there is some fluff, I would not exactly call it a fluff piece. It's more likely an emotional roller coaster ride.
But I promise that you'll get a happy end, no matter how bad things may seem throughout the story.
Concerning the rating, I think this should get a PG-13.
Last but not least, I need to thank VirginaR and IolantheAlias for their encouraging beta.
Italics denote dreams or memories.
Only in my dreams…
Part 1
"Lois?" His voice was gentle and affectionate. My heart skipped a beat and then suddenly started pounding madly in my chest. I raised my head. Clark’s lips twitched into a smile, basking the newsroom in light like a sunbeam in dark woods. "Coffee?" He asked softly, holding out a cup for me.
With a sigh, I pushed the files on my desk aside. An aromatic scent emanated from the cup he offered me. Graciously, I took it. The taste was even better than the smell. Clark cautiously took a sip of his own coffee and sat down on the edge of my desk. Fascinated, I watched the play of his muscles underneath his shirt; I saw the strength in his movements. He slowly leaned towards me and reached out to wipe milk foam from my lips that I had not even noticed. Clark’s touch was intense, though. A tingling sensation spread through my face as his hand gently cupped my cheek.
"I would like to invite you to dinner," Clark murmured, his voice sounding deeper than usual. He looked at me in silent admiration. His breathing became faster. With the hand that had just touched me, he started fumbling restlessly with his tie as if he could barely keep himself from touching me again.
"How about tonight?" I asked, excited and at the same time annoyed with myself that I was sounding so eager. But I had been waiting way too long for him to finally work up his courage and ask me out. "You could pick me up at seven."
Clark nodded and surprise was written all over his face. A thin smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, soon turning into a full-blown grin. I loved the way he smiled; it was like the dawn of a new day, a perfect sunrise, warming my heart from within. I could not help but join him in smiling, shy at first but with increasing boldness.
My partner set his coffee cup on my desk and slid along the edge, closing in on me. I felt drawn to him. All of a sudden, I desperately wanted to get up from my chair. But if I did that, the whole newsroom would see, would know that...
Clark leaned forward. Gently he brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and his thumb moved over my cheek, until finally his entire hand was resting there. Behind the glasses, his eyes seemed even darker. A fine blush colored his cheeks. I saw him swallow as his face came closer. His lips parted slightly and then he kissed me.
I closed my eyes. There was only his mouth as his tongue gently caressed mine. Tenderly, he nibbled at my lower lip, sucking lightly and letting go again. Was it just me, or was it getting hot in here? My cheeks burned and I hungrily returned his kiss, sealing his lips with my mouth, drowning in their soft tenderness.
Clark was breathing heavily and his hands tenderly explored my arm. Wherever he touched me, his fingers left my skin aching for more. I started exploring his body. His muscles felt firm under my hands. Clark pulled me closer, hugged me and began to cover my face with kisses. The touch of his lips was light and warm as the droplets of a summer rain falling on my nose, my eyelashes and my cheeks. I could feel his breath on my face, felt the tingle that soon covered my whole body ...
Gradually, last night’s dream faded, leaving me with a distinct feel of loss. Instead loud voices from the editor's office brought me back into the reality of the newsroom. Perry’s voice was calm, dangerously calm. I had not heard his exact words, but everybody in the whole newsroom could discern the warning tone in his voice.
"No way, Chief!" the reply was loud enough for everyone to hear. I was not the only one wincing at that.
Every reporter in the newsroom stared at the door of Perry's office. Self-consciously, I put down my right hand that up until now had rested on my chest. I quickly looked around, but apparently no one had even noticed what I had been doing. I was not the least bit surprised. My partner had made certain that I was not the center of interest.
Everyone sat on the edge of their seats, surprised at this exceptional outburst in Perry's office, everyone but me. I sighed, and with growing anger I tried to force my concentration back on my work. When had we stopped being friends? And why did he have to spell it out for the whole newsroom to hear? I would rather die than admit openly that this was eating at me. So I kept pretending that I was not even listening. And if I did my very best to ignore him - then maybe, eventually I would get over him. If only I stopped having those dreams…
*Come on, girl, get a grip,* I thought desperately, trying to forget about the heated argument in Perry's office.
"This is not an offer, it’s an assignment," Perry shot back, testily. I did not believe that they had planned for everyone to witness their fight. But Clark had forgotten to close the door properly. "I need you, both of you! Would you please remember that you're professional reporters and do your job?"
"It’s not that simple," my partner said angrily. "Perry, I ..." Clark, who had been sitting in front of Perry’s desk, now jumped up and started pacing. He ran his hand through his hair, like he always did when he felt uncomfortable with something. Then he raised his hands as if to make another comment. Perry did not let him.
"I asked you to go undercover as a married couple and test a hotel that specializes in marriage counseling. Why would this not be easy?" Perry said through clenched teeth. It was obvious that in his book, the discussion had come to its overdue end.
"Perry, please ..." Clark tried again, but he did not stand a chance.
”Clark, what’s the matter with you?” Perry asked, but did not leave Clark the time to answer his question. “If it was Lois protesting, I wouldn’t be surprised," Perry went on. "I really thought that you both are mature enough to keep your private problems from interfering with your job. But what really annoys me is that you obviously think my decisions are open for debate. There’s no one who could do this job better than the two of you," Perry pointed out, and then his voice became quiet. "And if anyone here is in need of partner counseling, it’s you. I don’t want to know what happened," he said as Clark again raised his hand to make another attempt at explaining. "You guys have an assignment. Period!" He turned on his heel. “Great Shades of Elvis!” he mumbled and fell silent.
With a loud thud the door to Perry's office slammed into the wall as he opened it. Perry looked confused as he realized that it had been open all along. Then his gaze fell on me. He was probably trying to figure out whether Clark’s visit had been my idea or his own. What he saw in my eyes seemed to confuse him even more. Without making a comment about the fact that no one was working anymore, Perry went back to his office and pushed the door shut.
His head hunched between his shoulders, Clark strolled back to his desk. He did not even look at me. But that was to be expected. He kept ignoring me for no good reason. It made me furious and it hurt like hell. Blinking away the tears in my eyes, I was tempted to just run and hide. I could not go on like this any longer, but I had to. With sheer will, I forced myself to look at the screen again. The words of the article changed from clear to blurry as more tears filled my eyes.
In this very moment I wanted nothing more than for someone to make a mistake, so I could yell at him. But nobody did. On the contrary, they all seemed to avoid me. Pete of the sports department took a detour to get his coffee, instead of walking past my desk. Jimmy rarely came to tell me about his research. And right now he was talking to a strange man with a bowler hat at the other end of the newsroom.
Never in my life had I felt so lonely while working at the Planet. Where was my best friend? Where was my partner, who had been there for me whenever I needed him? Secretly, I watched him as he sat at his desk, grumpily typing something into his computer. He was probably working on one of those smaller articles he no longer told me about. Not that it was important for me to know about each mood piece he was writing. But I missed talking to him. I deeply regretted ever calling him Mr. Green Jeans. I wanted to apologize for whatever I might have done wrong to deserve being treated like this. But there was nothing I could think of.
Clark had not been working for long when he suddenly looked up and stared into space. Then he jumped up and hurried over to me.
"I need to go, Lois. Be right back," he said and my heart clenched in my chest when I realized that I even missed his bad excuses.
to be continued...
