the talon } { i can't promise forever, but i'm working on it
“You like me.”
Dean looked up from the cup of coffee he was fixing at the counter, and flashed her a lazy grin. The grin wasn’t a lie but it was a cover. Dean hadn’t liked a girl this much since Cassie, and considering the way that things with Cassie ended, he wasn’t sure he wanted to risk it. But he did like Lana, which kept him swinging back into town over and over again, even though he really didn’t need to be there. This was Smallville after all.
“Is that a problem for you?” he teased. “Usually people like to be liked.”
“I didn’t say it was a problem,” she teased right back, moving around the counter to stand closer to him. “I was just stating a fact.”
“Fair enough,” he mused, trying to figure out what she was getting at. Flirting with Lana Lang was like playing in a mine field, but the fun kind. She was hard to predict and that’s what made her even more intriguing. “Do you have any more facts for me?”
“Not facts,” she paused. “But I do have an opinion.”
“I like opinions,” he grinned. “What’s this opinion?”
“Just that there’s this wacky idea going around that if you like someone, you should ask them out.”
“Ask them out? Like on a date?”
“Exactly like on a date. A movie, maybe dinner.”
“Ice cream?” he suggested. “Does ice cream count as a date?”
“That depends on how good the ice cream is.”
“Challenge accepted.”
She blinked at him, surprised, before crossing her arms in front of her chest. “What challenge?”
“I will take you on the best ice cream date you’ve ever been on.”
“You will?” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, and gave him a smile that Dean could only describe as evil. “How can you do that when you haven’t even asked me out yet?”
There was a bit of a half-chuckle, and he shook his head. “Okay. Lana Lang, would you like to go out for ice cream with me?”
She paused for a moment, her head tipping to the side again as she thought about it, before responding. “Ask me again tomorrow.” With that she turned on her heel and headed back out the door of the Talon again, and Dean let out a half-laugh as he went to grab his coffee again.
“Ask me again tomorrow,” he sighed as he shook his head and followed her out. “Cute.”
***
It turned out that he couldn’t ask her out again tomorrow. His dad called with a gig that he had to meet up with him for across state lines, so it was a few days before he was actually around again to ask her. He didn’t chicken out, though. He easily could have, just blown her off and never seen her again, but for some reason, he didn’t want to. He wanted to hold on to this for a little longer.
So early in the morning, he parted ways with his father and drove back into Smallville, parking in front of the Talon and pulling out his phone as he climbed out of the car. Getting all the way upstairs might not be the greatest idea, but if he called her while he was out front, he would still be saving time. He leaned back against the side of the car, looking up at her window as the phone buzzed in his ear.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Lana,” he said with a bit of a smile. “It’s Jason.”
There was a pause, but when she actually does speak, she sounds pleased. “Here I thought you skipped town on me.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. Had to take care of something for work.” Dean felt that uncomfortable feeling in his gut that he usually got when he lied to Lana, but he swallowed it down and kept pushing through. He had to lie. This was never going to work out otherwise. “But I was wondering if you wanted to go out for ice cream.”
“See, now you lost your window. I told you to ask me tomorrow, and you didn’t.”
“I know,” he said softly. “And I wish I could have, but I’m afraid you’re gonna have to meet me halfway here.”
She was quiet for a moment, and when he looked up, he could see her in the window watching him. He flashed her a small smile, and she gave him a wider one back before nodding. “Okay. Ice cream sounds like fun.”
“Wanna go now?”
“Now?”
“Yeah, now,” he said with a nod. “I know this great place, but it’s about a three hour drive so … sooner we get going the better.”
“You’re taking me on a three hour drive for ice cream.”
“I like to drive,” he said with a shrug. “And I want to make sure this ice cream is good enough to count for a date-this place has the best ice cream I know.”
She laughed at that before glancing back over her shoulder. “Give me twenty minutes?”
He nodded with a grin. “I’ll be here.”
***
The drive was good, the ice cream was better, and by the time they landed back in Smallville again, it was dark and most of the town was quiet. Dean pulled the car to a quiet spot in front of the Talon, and got out to walk her to the door, hands sliding into his pockets as he stopped in front of it.
“I had a really great time,” she said with a smile, turning to face him.
“Me too,” he said honestly, before a more flirty grin crossed his face. “So, does that count as a date, or do I have to try again?”
She laughed, before nodding and taking another step in to him. “I will accept that as a date.”
“Good,” he nodded, meeting her eyes for a moment, before taking another step closer. “I’m glad.”
“Why’s that?”
He smirked, just slightly. “Means I can do this.” He paused for just a moment, before leaning in and brush a soft kiss to her lips. He didn’t push, not at first. He just held it, and tried to ignore the way it pulled at his gut. He really liked her. He knew that in the end, he wouldn’t really be able to have her, but for right now, he could.
Especially if she was kissing him back.
Which she was.
He held the kiss for a little while longer, before pulling back to look at her. There was a soft smile stretched across her face, and he returned it for a moment, before taking another step back. “I should probably head out.”
She nodded, raking her teeth over her bottom lip. “Yeah. That’s probably a good idea.”
He nodded himself before taking another step back. “I’ll call you later?”
“Yeah,” she said, before turning to go inside. “Goodnight, Jason.”
“Night, Lana.”
And this time, he would actually call.
Dean looked up from the cup of coffee he was fixing at the counter, and flashed her a lazy grin. The grin wasn’t a lie but it was a cover. Dean hadn’t liked a girl this much since Cassie, and considering the way that things with Cassie ended, he wasn’t sure he wanted to risk it. But he did like Lana, which kept him swinging back into town over and over again, even though he really didn’t need to be there. This was Smallville after all.
“Is that a problem for you?” he teased. “Usually people like to be liked.”
“I didn’t say it was a problem,” she teased right back, moving around the counter to stand closer to him. “I was just stating a fact.”
“Fair enough,” he mused, trying to figure out what she was getting at. Flirting with Lana Lang was like playing in a mine field, but the fun kind. She was hard to predict and that’s what made her even more intriguing. “Do you have any more facts for me?”
“Not facts,” she paused. “But I do have an opinion.”
“I like opinions,” he grinned. “What’s this opinion?”
“Just that there’s this wacky idea going around that if you like someone, you should ask them out.”
“Ask them out? Like on a date?”
“Exactly like on a date. A movie, maybe dinner.”
“Ice cream?” he suggested. “Does ice cream count as a date?”
“That depends on how good the ice cream is.”
“Challenge accepted.”
She blinked at him, surprised, before crossing her arms in front of her chest. “What challenge?”
“I will take you on the best ice cream date you’ve ever been on.”
“You will?” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, and gave him a smile that Dean could only describe as evil. “How can you do that when you haven’t even asked me out yet?”
There was a bit of a half-chuckle, and he shook his head. “Okay. Lana Lang, would you like to go out for ice cream with me?”
She paused for a moment, her head tipping to the side again as she thought about it, before responding. “Ask me again tomorrow.” With that she turned on her heel and headed back out the door of the Talon again, and Dean let out a half-laugh as he went to grab his coffee again.
“Ask me again tomorrow,” he sighed as he shook his head and followed her out. “Cute.”
***
It turned out that he couldn’t ask her out again tomorrow. His dad called with a gig that he had to meet up with him for across state lines, so it was a few days before he was actually around again to ask her. He didn’t chicken out, though. He easily could have, just blown her off and never seen her again, but for some reason, he didn’t want to. He wanted to hold on to this for a little longer.
So early in the morning, he parted ways with his father and drove back into Smallville, parking in front of the Talon and pulling out his phone as he climbed out of the car. Getting all the way upstairs might not be the greatest idea, but if he called her while he was out front, he would still be saving time. He leaned back against the side of the car, looking up at her window as the phone buzzed in his ear.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Lana,” he said with a bit of a smile. “It’s Jason.”
There was a pause, but when she actually does speak, she sounds pleased. “Here I thought you skipped town on me.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. Had to take care of something for work.” Dean felt that uncomfortable feeling in his gut that he usually got when he lied to Lana, but he swallowed it down and kept pushing through. He had to lie. This was never going to work out otherwise. “But I was wondering if you wanted to go out for ice cream.”
“See, now you lost your window. I told you to ask me tomorrow, and you didn’t.”
“I know,” he said softly. “And I wish I could have, but I’m afraid you’re gonna have to meet me halfway here.”
She was quiet for a moment, and when he looked up, he could see her in the window watching him. He flashed her a small smile, and she gave him a wider one back before nodding. “Okay. Ice cream sounds like fun.”
“Wanna go now?”
“Now?”
“Yeah, now,” he said with a nod. “I know this great place, but it’s about a three hour drive so … sooner we get going the better.”
“You’re taking me on a three hour drive for ice cream.”
“I like to drive,” he said with a shrug. “And I want to make sure this ice cream is good enough to count for a date-this place has the best ice cream I know.”
She laughed at that before glancing back over her shoulder. “Give me twenty minutes?”
He nodded with a grin. “I’ll be here.”
***
The drive was good, the ice cream was better, and by the time they landed back in Smallville again, it was dark and most of the town was quiet. Dean pulled the car to a quiet spot in front of the Talon, and got out to walk her to the door, hands sliding into his pockets as he stopped in front of it.
“I had a really great time,” she said with a smile, turning to face him.
“Me too,” he said honestly, before a more flirty grin crossed his face. “So, does that count as a date, or do I have to try again?”
She laughed, before nodding and taking another step in to him. “I will accept that as a date.”
“Good,” he nodded, meeting her eyes for a moment, before taking another step closer. “I’m glad.”
“Why’s that?”
He smirked, just slightly. “Means I can do this.” He paused for just a moment, before leaning in and brush a soft kiss to her lips. He didn’t push, not at first. He just held it, and tried to ignore the way it pulled at his gut. He really liked her. He knew that in the end, he wouldn’t really be able to have her, but for right now, he could.
Especially if she was kissing him back.
Which she was.
He held the kiss for a little while longer, before pulling back to look at her. There was a soft smile stretched across her face, and he returned it for a moment, before taking another step back. “I should probably head out.”
She nodded, raking her teeth over her bottom lip. “Yeah. That’s probably a good idea.”
He nodded himself before taking another step back. “I’ll call you later?”
“Yeah,” she said, before turning to go inside. “Goodnight, Jason.”
“Night, Lana.”
And this time, he would actually call.