Previously - Chapter 24 ***
Chapter 25 ***
He didn’t see the upturned corner of the rug. How could he? It was almost pitch black in this hallway, the only light coming from under the door to the room where Lois was held captive. None of the passages he’d gone through were well lit. Some even had dirt or stone floors. How he’d made it this far without stumbling was a mystery.
Clark paused for a moment, to ensure he’d regained his balance before taking the few remaining steps to the door. He pressed his ear to it but only heard his own heartbeat pulsing through his head. Quickly reviewing the plan Scott had concocted, he prepared himself to enter the room.
Taking a deep breath, he tried the door knob and wasn’t surprised when it opened without effort. After all, it was a trap. But he couldn’t have anticipated what awaited him.
She was standing at the other end of the room, arms straight and held out a few inches from her body, as though she’d stood up quickly. Most likely a result of so much noise in the hall. She was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, her short hair barely tucked behind her ears. Her face was pale with her mouth slightly open and the look in her eyes was a jumble of emotions. Realizing they were alone, he quietly entered the room and shut the door behind him, pressing himself flat against it with his eyes closed.
He’d done it. He’d found Lois, whether she wanted him to or not. But standing here in the same room with her, even with his eyes closed, he became conscious of this indescribable draw to her. Something familiar, like it had always been there. None of this fit with what he knew, but it did fit with those dreams. Were they memories? Had he asked this woman to marry him? Had she professed her love?
He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and pushed off the door, taking a step further into the room only to find her eyes locked on his and a frown gently creasing her forehead. The jumble of emotions he witnessed moments ago had settled into confusion; clearly, she wasn’t expecting him. He felt her eyes drilling into him, searching. What was she looking for? Was she finding it?
“Clark?” she said his name with a hint of disbelief then stepped toward him, slowly at first, then quickly. “Clark!” she said again this time with relief. But it didn’t quite reach her eyes and he could see her trying to force the uncertainty away. What had happened to make her feel this way?
“Lois,” he said as he carefully put his arms around her, his hesitancy a result of the combination of guilt he still carried and his own uncertainty in the entire situation. Hoping she didn’t notice his awkwardness, he held her at arm’s length and asked, “Are you alright?” She locked her eyes on his and he could see that she was so unsure about something.
“I’m fine,” she said, placing her hands on his chest. She opened her mouth to speak but the words seemed to get stuck. There were questions in her eyes and her hands burned holes where they rested on his chest. Did she feel it, too? This pull between them? “I didn’t know if you’d come,” she finally said. “Lex … he said he would stop you.”
He could hardly concentrate on anything else as he stared into her eyes. How was it possible that he would have ever done anything to hurt her, to ruin her life? How had he been able to walk away from her, let alone stay away? And in this moment standing here, feeling every point of contact between them, he was sure that those memories were that – memories. He’d spent the past two years trying unsuccessfully to forget her.
Unforgettable. How appropriate.
She looked away first, toward the door and he mentally shook himself, remembering what he was here to do. “It’s all right, I’ll get you out of here.”
She nodded, and he turned them toward the door. He had been so nervous moments ago, but now having seen her and held her in his arms, he knew this was exactly what he was meant to do. Taking her hand, he led her out of the room and down the hall. Years of guilt and shame fought to keep their hold on him, but he easily bit them back when he glanced at their hands.
He stopped at the end of the hall before opening the door and looked at her hand once more, her slender fingers wrapped around his. Even if he never remembered anything else, he knew he would never be able to live without her. How he wished he could clearly see her face, but the lighting was only barely enough to know she was there.
Without turning, he reached to open the door, but found it locked.
“What’s the matter?” she whispered, and the sound of it in this dangerously intimate proximity did things to him that he wasn’t sure it should have.
“It’s locked.”
“I know another way,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze as she pulled him in another direction.
He followed her. He’d follow her anywhere.
***
She began their meeting feeling startled, but there was nothing awkward or uncomfortable about it. Moments after seeing the article, he had entered and leaned against the door, breathing heavy. There was nothing sinister about him. Instead he seemed anxious and just as startled as she. His face was tense but determined. She stared at him there with his eyes closed and was filled with the impression that he was so … magnetic, trustworthy.
When he opened his eyes, they collided with hers and it knocked the wind out of her. She was frozen in space and time, analyzing everything she could about him. His eyes were warm instead of cruel, kind instead of callous. This she was
not expecting. It was nearly impossible to reconcile this man with the tormentor Lex had described.
“Clark?” she breathed. The name was familiar on her tongue, but with effort, she ignored these misgivings and followed the plan.
“Clark!” she said, going to him, intent on allowing him to rescue her.
“Lois,” he said, caution in his voice as he gently embraced her and then awkwardly held her away. “Are you alright?” he asked as she looked into his eyes.
“I’m fine,” she said before she began drowning in the deep pools of his eyes. But she made a mistake when she placed her hands on his chest. Her hands burned from the touch. She looked up to see desire in his eyes. It had required even more effort to push the next words out. “I didn’t know if you’d come. Lex … he said he would stop you.”
It was true, she hadn’t known he would come. But standing there in his arms did things to her that were inappropriate for a married woman to be feeling. She felt ashamed and looked away.
“It’s all right,” he said, “I’ll get you out of here.”
Once separated, she was able to think ever so slightly more clearly than before. This man was calculating and deceitful, out for his own gain and she would have to remember that, no matter how she physically responded to him. He was just some handsome, delusional man who needed to be set straight. She and Lex would talk to him and make him see reason. Then she could go back to the life she’d been living.
And then Clark took her hand to lead her out and that was just as big of a mistake and she swallowed hard. What was wrong with her?
She followed him from the room and down the hall, but just as she knew it would be, the door was locked. She swallowed and began the charade again. “What’s the matter?” she whispered into the silence.
“It’s locked.” His deep, husky voice so close in the darkness was intimate and caught her off-guard.
She swallowed again and pushed her apprehension aside. “I know another way,” she said. She gave his hand a squeeze and easily led him in the wrong direction.
Winding through the dark passages, Lois had to focus on trying to remember each turn but all she could think about was what had just happened when Clark finally arrived. She’d expected meeting him again to be awkward, uncomfortable. Interacting with the person said to be stalking you and playing along could only be awkward and uncomfortable. But that wasn’t what she saw in him. How would she ever forget the tingling sensation his touch left behind?
They had nearly reached their destination and she felt the need to redirect her thoughts. Maybe that was the real danger of this man: he was entrancing her.
Stalker, she reminded herself.
He wants to ruin your life and take you away from Lex. He has been trying to ruin your life for years and if Lex hadn’t done his utmost to keep it from happening, to protect you, where would you be now? “Where are we going?” he asked in a whisper, interrupting her thoughts from the close distance behind her that she hadn’t realized he was keeping.
She caught a glimpse of the steps that led to their intended destination. Figuring that it didn’t really matter what she told him, she opted for the truth and answered, “This leads to a house at the bottom of the bluff.”
“How far is that from the end of the street the house is on?” he asked as she reached the steps and began her ascent.
The question struck her as strange at first, but she quickly justified it when she reasoned that he probably had some plan in mind for their departure. “It’s just a block or so away.”
“Good. That is where Scott is. We won’t have to walk much farther.”
“Scott?” She stopped abruptly and spun around to face him almost losing her balance. “What have you done to Scott?” she spat out, forgetting her role.
He pulled back from her with a deep frown etched in his face. She assumed he would know that she was merely playing along. Had he believed her this whole time? Before he had the chance to respond, she turned and was about to begin skipping steps when his words stopped her.
“Unforgettable,” Clark said.
“What?” she said breathlessly. She didn’t have time to stop the word from escaping her, so shocking was what she heard. She paused on the step. Had she heard him correctly? Had he chosen that word on purpose? Or was this merely coincidence?
It’s a lot of make believe. The words came unbidden to her mind, and she stood rooted to the spot.
“That’s what you are,” he finished the first line of the familiar song.
“Nat King Cole,” she said under her breath. She turned to look at him over her shoulder and met his eyes, still frowning.
Nat King Cole can help you figure it out. She opened her mouth to ask him why he would say that to her at this exact moment in time as light flooded the stairway.
***
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