“Earth to Clark !” Lana chimed, as she set a cup of steaming cup of coffee down in front of him. He lowered his book, his favorite book, Don Quixote, and blushed as he saw Lana standing in front of him, dressed in her cute waitress outfit and holding the tray she uses to carry drinks. “Whew,” she said sarcastically, putting a hand on her hip, “I thought we'd lost you for a minute!”
Clark smirked and rolled his eyes. “Ha. Ha.” He picked up the coffee and took a sip. He hesitated before setting it back down, almost wincing as he asked, “How long have you been standing there?”
Lana tried not to smile, “Oh not that long.” She sat down across from him. “Must be a pretty intriguing book.”
Clark shook his head and laughed, “Don't tell me you've never read Don Quixote!” Lana shook her head, grinning slightly. Clark looked away, sarcastically shaking his head, “You are missing out!”
Smirking, she replied, “Well when you're finished, maybe I'll borrow it and take a crack at it!”
“Heck,” Clark said, sticking a bookmark in the book and setting it in front of him on the little coffee table, “I've read it so many times, you can take it right now.”
Lana giggled, “Thanks, but I'm right in the middle of a Mary Higgins Clark novel.”
Clark took another sip of coffee and smiled, “I'm surprised you can handle that. Aren't they all mostly murder mysteries?”
“Yeah, something like that,” she laughed. “It's weird, but even those stories can surpass the one's we're going to be able to tell our grandkids. It let's you look at the way the world outside of meteor-ville is, what real murders are.”
“Didn't know there was such a thing,” Clark smiled. “Shows you how sheltered we are.”
“You start to think so sometimes, don't you?” They shared a brief laugh, thinking about how ironic the topic was. Through all of the craziness of their life, the bizarre near death experiences they've had, they were talking about how sheltered they were.
After a short awkward silence, “ Clark cleared his throat and sat up in his chair. “So are you guys prepared for the big storm predicted for the weekend? It sounds like we're actually going to get snow this time!”
Lana rolled her eyes, “Wouldn't we all be surprised! It's been pretty cold lately, so it wouldn't be a big shock.” Clark smiled and nodded in agreement. “To be honest, I'm a little nervius.”
“Oh?” Clark said, raising an eyebrow.
She sighed, “Nothing like ‘I'm scared!' but Chloe and her dad are going to Metropolis for the weekend. They've been planning to stay at her aunt's place over a month ago. She's been kicking herself for leaving me here alone for two nights. Imagine what they almost did when they heard about the storm tonight!”
“Let me guess,” Clark said, pretending to ponder and tapping a finger on his cheek, “they almost cancelled your plans. But you insisted that they go and you'd be alright. Seriously, you'd be alright.”
Lana made a face, “You're wicked. Yeah, they almost did.” She sighed, “As much as I'd rather not be alone, they'd been planning this for weeks and I'd hate to have them cancel because I'm a little nervous.”
Clark smiled, “Not too hot on staying home all by yourself?”
Lana laughed, “Not exactly!”
Clark shrugged, “You should tell them that. I know both Chloe and her dad would understand.”
Lana bit her bottom lip, “They left about an hour ago.”
Clark lips pressed together and he tried not to smile. “Ah. I see. So you're pretty much stuck here whether you like it or not?”
Lana nodded, laughing, “Yes it seems that way.” She stood up and pushed in her chair, “Wish me luck?”
Clark stood up with her and shoved a hand into his pocket, “Y'kno, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem if, y'kno, wanted to stay at my house during the storm.” Lana smirked, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, we've got a guest room, and it's not like we're going to be over crowded. Besides, look at the people who are just walking in.” She turned and noticed the snow caked individuals entering the building. “The storm has already started…”
Turning back to him, a bit taken back by his offer, she hesitated. She felt that the Kent farm would be the safest place she would ever be, and she didn't even know why she was hesitating (or scared for that matter). “If you don't want to, I completely understand. It may be a little…”
“No, Clark ,” Lana cut him off, “Actually, that would be really nice. Awesome actually. You don't think your parents would mind?”
A grin spread over his face, “Not in the least.”
She smiled back, “Great, I'll run home and get my things.” She began to take off her apron.
“Is your shift over?” Clark asked, a little surprised. It was late, nearly 9, it seemed like she would be here now or never. He picked his own jacket up off the chair.
Lana sighed, but didn't put the apron back on. “There are three other girls here,” she gritted her teeth, “who all, consequently, know of my fear, besides I think they can handle it.”
As Clark opened his mouth to speak, they were startled as a sudden gust of cold, loud air blew in from the front, and a deep voice echoed into the larger room. “Excuse me!” it was one of the deputies. “I am here to warn you all to that the snow storm has just been issued severe and you are all suggested to begin heading home right away before it gets any worse.” |