Good Night, Lois - Peter’s Kiss
“I can't believe you ruined everything!” Lois spats, arms akimbo, seething with anger.
“I–”
“We could have gotten a story worth a Pulitzer.” Her jaw is working. “Now all we've got is Superman stopping a shootout in the Congo. Not exactly Kerth material.”
Her shoulders sag in defeat and my stomach drops.
I know how much she wanted this.
But I'm not sorry, not for catching that first bullet that headed straight for her.
It sounded almost like a branch was snapping under the foot of one of those goons - that first popping sound of a bullet fired through a silencer. Maybe Lois thought I was just trying to chase away a mosquito.
But what I plucked from the air was far more dangerous than that.
I admit, I lost it after that.
“It's still a good story,” I mutter.
“Yeah,” she says without much enthusiasm.
Her eyes however speak volumes. It's not a story that warranted flying all the way to the Congo, sleeping in the heat of the jungle and getting eaten by mosquitoes.
“Why, Clark?” She almost sobs. “Wasn't there a way to handle the situation other than barging in like a 500 pound gorilla?”
Perhaps, there was. But at the time I didn't see it. Because of what I've been trying to ignore for a long time.
“I couldn't lose you,” I whisper roughly. “The first bullet was this close to your heart when I caught it.”
With my index finger and thumb I indicate a few inches before I uncurl the rest of my fingers to show her the offending item in my hand. No acorn necklace in the world could have stopped that.
Lois’ eyes widen at the sight of the crushed bullet.
“I'm sorry.” I hang my head. “I know how much this story meant to you. But when they started shooting at us, I couldn't think straight.”
Drawing a deep breath, I brace myself for the admission that I've been shying away from for such a long time. It shouldn't have taken a bullet to finally wrap my tongue around those words.
“Because… I love you.”
“Oh, Clark!” She flings her arms around my shoulders and buries her face against my chest. Now she starts crying in earnest, her whole body shaking with each sob. “I didn't realize it was that close.”
I know. She wasn't supposed to.
“All I could think of was this story and how proud you’d be of me if we broke it. That maybe it'd be the final push you needed to see how great we could be together.”
Gosh, I'm such a fool. “You never needed to prove anything to me, don't you know that?”
I reach out, cup her check and wipe away a tear.
She gives me a watery smile. “Could you perhaps say it again?” she asks. “I mean that you love me?”
“As many times as you need to hear it.”
My heart is hammering in my chest as I finally find the courage to lean in and capture her lips in a gentle kiss. It's long since time. We've both grown up. What are thirteen years compared to a lifetime commitment?
“I love you,” I whisper between kisses.
Our lips meet again, hungrier this time. Now that I've finally crossed that threshold I'm not sure I ever want to stop kissing her. I pull her closer until I feel her heartbeat against my chest.
“I love you.”
She's laughing and crying at the same time. “Love you, too.”
And as I lose myself in the feel of her lips, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I'm home. Ready to finally grow roots and live my fairly tale with her.
Because Lois is my Wendy, my happily ever after.
“I love you so much,” I mumble before I seal her lips again. “So, so much.”
The End
Last edited by bakasi; 04/04/25 01:51 AM.
