Clark walked through the doors of Met U. He rarely came here anymore, only if he really had too. Since his break-up with Lana and her getting together with Lex, he rarely went anywhere. Today was a different story. His best friend, Chloe, had asked him to come over. She probably needed his help with some article, or she needed some manual labor done.
He walked down the once familiar corridor and knocked on a door. He usually avoided coming to Chloe’s dorm room, as she shared it with Lana, but this time, Chloe had promised she’d be there.
Eventually, Chloe answered the door. She quickly put a finger to her lips, and pointed to the bed, indicating that Lana was asleep.
“Hi!” she said. Apparently, she’d had too much coffee again, and had an abnormally perky look on her face, contrasting with the dark circles under her eyes.
“Hey Chloe,” said Clark. “Did you sleep at all last night?” Chloe rolled her eyes.
“You obviously don’t know what it’s like to be me.” Clark smiled at her remark. She grabbed a couple of papers and the two of them walked down the corridor in the direction of the library.
“Tell me again why I’m here?” asked Clark.
“You’re here,” replied Chloe, “to help me complete an essay.” Clark gave her a blank look, and Chloe elaborated.
“The title is ‘What it’s like to be Different’.”
“Ah,” said Clark, nodding. Chloe opened the door and froze. Clark just avoided bumping into her.
“Chloe!”
“Sorry. I just remembered I left my notebook back in the dorm room. Could you run and get it for me, please?” Clark sighed. Might as well…
“Yeah. I’ll be right back.” He took the keys from her and started walking away.
“It’s on Lana’s dresser,” she yelled to his retreating back. He turned around slowly to give her a dirty look, but -what a surprise- she was gone.
Clark unlocked the door and quietly stepped inside. He had not actually been inside this room since his official break-up with Lana. Sighing to himself, he walked to Lana’s dresser and grabbed the notebook. Through the small mirror on the dresser, he saw the sleeping face of Lana. He smiled when he thought of how beautiful she looked. He slowly walked up to her sleeping form, and fell to his knees beside her.
She was wearing a hot pink camisole, with the blanket pulled up to her waist. Her hair was fanned out on the pillow. One hand was lying next to her head while the other was on her stomach. Knowing that Lana was a heavy sleeper, he lifted her hand from her stomach and gently held it. Clark closed his eyes as a flashback came to him.
Flashback:
Clark and Lana held hands as they walked to the Metropolis Airport. They stopped in front of the ‘Departures’ sign.
“I’ll be fine, Clark,” she said, stroking his cheek. He put his hands on her waist.
“I know. I just feel bad about you going all alone to Washington a week after you were discharged from hospital.” Lana smiled up at him.
“Clark. I’m just going to do some research. I’ll be back before you know it.” She slipped a hand around his neck and softly kissed him.
“Miss you already,” he murmured. Lana giggled and Clark pulled her close.
“I just don’t want to lose you…” he whispered, but Lana heard him anyway.
“No matter what happens, I will always love you,” she said, her voice muffled by Clark’s shirt front. He loosened his grip.
“I love you too.”
End Flashback
Lana’s hand tightened around his hand, and Clark’s eyes snapped open. Her thumb was slightly massaging the back of his hand in her sleep.
“Lana?” said Clark timidly. She mumbled incoherently. He remembered something from one of the movies Lana had convinced him to watch on one of their dates. It was The Sixth Sense. The kid had told the man to talk to his wife in her sleep, so she had to listen.
Clark continued holding her hand and moved closer to her.
“Lana,” he began, “I’m sorry I said that I don’t love you. The truth is that I don’t think I’ll love anyone more than I love you.” He laughed dryly. “I just… I’m sorry. I do love you, and it kills me that I hurt you. It kills me whenever I see you with Lex. It hurts way more than Kryptonite does. Just because I’m practically invincible and unbreakable doesn’t mean my actions have no consequences. The only reason I broke up with you in the first place was because being with me was endangering you, and I’ve told you so many times before that I’ll never ever do anything to hurt you. I know you’ve said you can handle my secret. You can, but others like Lex can’t. I still remember the day when knowing my secret killed you. There was nothing I could do then, I was too late, and the feeling was horrible.” By now tears were flowing freely down Clark’s face. “You were one person I could turn to, no matter what, and now I’ve ruined that. My dad’s… death has been so difficult to bear, and that with the added pain of seeing you and Lex together?” Clark wiped his face with his free hand. “I love you, Lana. I hope you know.”
He just sat there, exhausted by the emotionally-draining monologue. Tears were still spurting out of his eyes. He looked at the time, and realized he’d been there for twenty minutes already. It’s a wonder Chloe didn’t send out a search party.
Sighing, he kissed Lana’s hand and laid it across her stomach again. Noticing that she was shivering, he pulled her blanket up to her shoulders. Then he leaned over and kissed her nose.
“Sweet dreams, angel,” he said, using the nickname he used every night when she used to call him to say goodnight.
He grabbed the notebook off the side-table where he’d set it, and started walking out. He’d just opened the door, when he heard Lana stirring in her bed.
“Clark?” she whispered. He let go of the handle, and turned around. Her eyes showed signs of REM, so she was obviously still asleep.
“Yeah?” he replied.
“Never leave…never forget…” Clark’s eyes filled with tears again.
“Never in a million years, Lana. I can’t. I won’t.” He walked out and closed the door silently behind him.
Chloe was waiting for him patiently in the library.
“Hey Clark,” she said. “Ok, so you get started on the main points, and I’ll just expand them. How hard can it be? You should be thanking me. You finally get to express your innermost thoughts and emotions…”
“Aren’t you going to ask where I’ve been?” asked Clark. Chloe rolled her eyes.
“I know where you’ve been. I was coming by to see whether you’d been kidnapped and I heard you conversing with Ms. Lang. I decided to leave you alone for a bit,” she said. “But I can’t help wondering, how’d it go?” Clark shook his head.
“She was asleep. I just told her how I felt,” mumbled Clark.
“Oh, so she was asleep? I was hoping you’d tell me more about this dialogue, but it turned out to be a monologue,” she said perkily. “Don’t worry Clark, someday you’ll also find your soul mate.” Clark smiled.
“Thanks Chloe.”
“Good. Now that we have that settled, how about getting me some coffee.”
In a room just above the library, Lana was waking up. She’d had the strangest dream about her and Clark having this conversation, but it was fading away with each passing second. She sat up and immediately felt wetness on her cheek and hand.
They were tears.
A familiar smell was wafting about in the room. It was unmistakably Clark. She knew that smell anywhere. She got up and walked to the door, pulling it open.
Sticking her head out of the door, she hesitantly called, “Clark?” After ensuring that no one was there, she came back inside and sat on her bed. Why was he here? Why was he crying? As much as she hated him for the fact that he totally and completely broke her heart, she could not deny the fact that deep down, she still loved him. She always would, no matter who she was dating. It really hurt her to see him slowly breaking down after the death of his father. After that fateful day, things had never been the same between them.
At that moment, in Met U, two hearts were beating in love for each other, and would do so for eternity. And both hearts were also breaking in the knowledge that fate would never allow them to be together.
He walked down the once familiar corridor and knocked on a door. He usually avoided coming to Chloe’s dorm room, as she shared it with Lana, but this time, Chloe had promised she’d be there.
Eventually, Chloe answered the door. She quickly put a finger to her lips, and pointed to the bed, indicating that Lana was asleep.
“Hi!” she said. Apparently, she’d had too much coffee again, and had an abnormally perky look on her face, contrasting with the dark circles under her eyes.
“Hey Chloe,” said Clark. “Did you sleep at all last night?” Chloe rolled her eyes.
“You obviously don’t know what it’s like to be me.” Clark smiled at her remark. She grabbed a couple of papers and the two of them walked down the corridor in the direction of the library.
“Tell me again why I’m here?” asked Clark.
“You’re here,” replied Chloe, “to help me complete an essay.” Clark gave her a blank look, and Chloe elaborated.
“The title is ‘What it’s like to be Different’.”
“Ah,” said Clark, nodding. Chloe opened the door and froze. Clark just avoided bumping into her.
“Chloe!”
“Sorry. I just remembered I left my notebook back in the dorm room. Could you run and get it for me, please?” Clark sighed. Might as well…
“Yeah. I’ll be right back.” He took the keys from her and started walking away.
“It’s on Lana’s dresser,” she yelled to his retreating back. He turned around slowly to give her a dirty look, but -what a surprise- she was gone.
Clark unlocked the door and quietly stepped inside. He had not actually been inside this room since his official break-up with Lana. Sighing to himself, he walked to Lana’s dresser and grabbed the notebook. Through the small mirror on the dresser, he saw the sleeping face of Lana. He smiled when he thought of how beautiful she looked. He slowly walked up to her sleeping form, and fell to his knees beside her.
She was wearing a hot pink camisole, with the blanket pulled up to her waist. Her hair was fanned out on the pillow. One hand was lying next to her head while the other was on her stomach. Knowing that Lana was a heavy sleeper, he lifted her hand from her stomach and gently held it. Clark closed his eyes as a flashback came to him.
Flashback:
Clark and Lana held hands as they walked to the Metropolis Airport. They stopped in front of the ‘Departures’ sign.
“I’ll be fine, Clark,” she said, stroking his cheek. He put his hands on her waist.
“I know. I just feel bad about you going all alone to Washington a week after you were discharged from hospital.” Lana smiled up at him.
“Clark. I’m just going to do some research. I’ll be back before you know it.” She slipped a hand around his neck and softly kissed him.
“Miss you already,” he murmured. Lana giggled and Clark pulled her close.
“I just don’t want to lose you…” he whispered, but Lana heard him anyway.
“No matter what happens, I will always love you,” she said, her voice muffled by Clark’s shirt front. He loosened his grip.
“I love you too.”
End Flashback
Lana’s hand tightened around his hand, and Clark’s eyes snapped open. Her thumb was slightly massaging the back of his hand in her sleep.
“Lana?” said Clark timidly. She mumbled incoherently. He remembered something from one of the movies Lana had convinced him to watch on one of their dates. It was The Sixth Sense. The kid had told the man to talk to his wife in her sleep, so she had to listen.
Clark continued holding her hand and moved closer to her.
“Lana,” he began, “I’m sorry I said that I don’t love you. The truth is that I don’t think I’ll love anyone more than I love you.” He laughed dryly. “I just… I’m sorry. I do love you, and it kills me that I hurt you. It kills me whenever I see you with Lex. It hurts way more than Kryptonite does. Just because I’m practically invincible and unbreakable doesn’t mean my actions have no consequences. The only reason I broke up with you in the first place was because being with me was endangering you, and I’ve told you so many times before that I’ll never ever do anything to hurt you. I know you’ve said you can handle my secret. You can, but others like Lex can’t. I still remember the day when knowing my secret killed you. There was nothing I could do then, I was too late, and the feeling was horrible.” By now tears were flowing freely down Clark’s face. “You were one person I could turn to, no matter what, and now I’ve ruined that. My dad’s… death has been so difficult to bear, and that with the added pain of seeing you and Lex together?” Clark wiped his face with his free hand. “I love you, Lana. I hope you know.”
He just sat there, exhausted by the emotionally-draining monologue. Tears were still spurting out of his eyes. He looked at the time, and realized he’d been there for twenty minutes already. It’s a wonder Chloe didn’t send out a search party.
Sighing, he kissed Lana’s hand and laid it across her stomach again. Noticing that she was shivering, he pulled her blanket up to her shoulders. Then he leaned over and kissed her nose.
“Sweet dreams, angel,” he said, using the nickname he used every night when she used to call him to say goodnight.
He grabbed the notebook off the side-table where he’d set it, and started walking out. He’d just opened the door, when he heard Lana stirring in her bed.
“Clark?” she whispered. He let go of the handle, and turned around. Her eyes showed signs of REM, so she was obviously still asleep.
“Yeah?” he replied.
“Never leave…never forget…” Clark’s eyes filled with tears again.
“Never in a million years, Lana. I can’t. I won’t.” He walked out and closed the door silently behind him.
Chloe was waiting for him patiently in the library.
“Hey Clark,” she said. “Ok, so you get started on the main points, and I’ll just expand them. How hard can it be? You should be thanking me. You finally get to express your innermost thoughts and emotions…”
“Aren’t you going to ask where I’ve been?” asked Clark. Chloe rolled her eyes.
“I know where you’ve been. I was coming by to see whether you’d been kidnapped and I heard you conversing with Ms. Lang. I decided to leave you alone for a bit,” she said. “But I can’t help wondering, how’d it go?” Clark shook his head.
“She was asleep. I just told her how I felt,” mumbled Clark.
“Oh, so she was asleep? I was hoping you’d tell me more about this dialogue, but it turned out to be a monologue,” she said perkily. “Don’t worry Clark, someday you’ll also find your soul mate.” Clark smiled.
“Thanks Chloe.”
“Good. Now that we have that settled, how about getting me some coffee.”
In a room just above the library, Lana was waking up. She’d had the strangest dream about her and Clark having this conversation, but it was fading away with each passing second. She sat up and immediately felt wetness on her cheek and hand.
They were tears.
A familiar smell was wafting about in the room. It was unmistakably Clark. She knew that smell anywhere. She got up and walked to the door, pulling it open.
Sticking her head out of the door, she hesitantly called, “Clark?” After ensuring that no one was there, she came back inside and sat on her bed. Why was he here? Why was he crying? As much as she hated him for the fact that he totally and completely broke her heart, she could not deny the fact that deep down, she still loved him. She always would, no matter who she was dating. It really hurt her to see him slowly breaking down after the death of his father. After that fateful day, things had never been the same between them.
At that moment, in Met U, two hearts were beating in love for each other, and would do so for eternity. And both hearts were also breaking in the knowledge that fate would never allow them to be together.