Better Together
four.
“I thought you said casual!” Clark Kent groaned as he watched Charlotte occupy the empty bar stool beside him.
The brunette sighed “This IS casual, Clark. I’m living out of a suitcase for the time being, cut me some slack.”
The reporter raised an eyebrow and grabbed a fistful of her dress, “This looks more like something wears to bed!”
Charlotte rolled her eyes and swat Clark’s hand away, “Speaking of Lois, where is that lovely girlfriend of yours? I thought she was going to come out with us tonight!”
Clark moved away from the bar and motioned to the restaurant’s hostess that he was ready to be seated, “She’s running late, but she promised she’d be here before the appetizers even hit the table.” He and Charlotte followed the hostess to their table tucked away in a more secluded dining area. Charlotte had made the reservation under Bruce’s name, knowing the chances of securing a table last minute were far higher than if she had used her own name.
The artist quickly ordered herself a glass of wine as she and Clark were seated. The reporter raised an eyebrow as he casually sipped his water, watching Charlotte practically chugging her drink. “Long day?” He asked.
Charlotte scoffed, “Something like that. Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
Clark merely nodded, making casual conversation as they waited for their server to return. Charlotte listened to Clark speak, telling her about his latest assignment from Perry, as her eyes darted from table to table in the intimate dining area of the restaurant. Of course, Charlotte and Clark were friends but she knew how it looked to fellow diners. The press, current company excluded, would have a field day with the images of Charlotte Murphy, young girlfriend of billionaire Bruce Wayne, having an intimate evening out with a handsome Metropolis reporter. Sensing that Charlotte’s mind had wandered elsewhere, Clark scanned the room hoping to spot his girlfriend.
Feeling a buzzing in his pocket, Clark pulled out his cell phone and sighed, “Lois just texted me. She found a new lead with a story she’s working on and won’t be able to make it tonight but she sends her love.”
“Well then, I guess this just means we can order the calamari she hates!”
Clark nodded and picked up his menu to begin looking through it. Just as he lifted his menu, the reporter noticed a commotion by the hostess’s desk. He looked down at the menu and focused his super hearing toward the front of the restaurant.
“What do you mean there’s already a seated table for Bruce Wayne? I’m right here, standing in front of you looking for a table.”
“Bruce?” Clark muttered, not realizing Charlotte had been looking at him as she asked him a question.
Charlotte slowly brought her glass back down to the table and turned in her seat to see who Clark was looking at, “Bruce is here? Clark, what are you talking about? Bruce isn’t here. I already told you, he’s out with a colleague tonight.”
Clark ignored the brunette and forced a smile as Bruce and Diana were fast approaching, saying good-bye to a table that had stopped the billionaire. Charlotte’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head as a very identifiable streak of grey hair caught her eye when she turned in her seat. She faced forward quickly and held her empty wine glass up to the waiter, signaling for more.
As Charlotte watched her glass fill once more with wine, she felt Bruce’s presence behind her. “It’s crazy,” she heard him say, “I come looking for a table and the hostess tells me I’ve already got a table!” Clark let out a nervous laugh as Bruce placed a hand on Charlotte’s back, “Security around here may have to step up their game a little bit. Don’t let this reporter fool you darling,” Bruce stepped beside Charlotte’s chair and motioned for two more place settings to be added to the table, “I’m the real Bruce Wayne.”
Bruce held out his hand and turned only to see Charlotte staring back at him, “I believe we’ve met, Mr. Wayne.”
The billionaire was quick to shake the look of shock from his face and replaced it with his signature cocky smirk, “And just like that, the true culprit is revealed.” Bruce leaned down to press a kiss to cheek and whispered a quick apology in her ear. He quickly introduced his girlfriend to Diana before taking Clark’s original seat across the table. As everyone was seated, Charlotte could sense a shift in dynamic. It was clear the three of them knew each other, probably more so than they were letting on. Charlotte tried to think back to all of Bruce’s colleagues, knowing she certainly would have remembered one who was as beautiful as the woman sitting beside her.
“Diana,” Clark shifted nervously in his seat as he tried to break the tension, “I didn’t realize you had returned from New Zealand already.”
The woman nodded as she politely lay her napkin on her lap, “My flight landed this morning! How have you been, how’s Lois?”
Across the small circular table, Bruce watched as the wheels turned in Charlotte’s brain. In a moment’s time, his evening was going to go from bad to worse. “New Zealand?” Charlotte spoke, not even realizing that she had just cut Clark off mid-sentence, “Bruce was just in New Zealand for a week. He only just returned a few days ago.”
Bruce, normally cool, calm, and collected, looked frazzled. He coughed and took a sip of water as everyone else waited for him to say something. “Diana, uh, she works for Star Labs’s Metropolis location by the harbor.”
Charlotte simply raised an eyebrow and nodded. She knew whatever words Bruce was spewing out of his mouth where complete bullshit, but Charlotte was also smart enough not to make a scene in such a public setting. When the check was brought to the table two long hours later, Charlotte opened her purse and threw down a handful of bills before making a beeline for the exit.
“Charlie, wait! Where are you going?”
The brunette stopped and turned to see Bruce standing just a few feet away from her. She narrowed her eyes, suppressing the bubbling concern that he may catch a cold in the frigid February air without his jacket, “I’m not doing this with you now, Bruce. It’s too late.”
Bruce took a few quick strides forward and grabbed Charlotte’s wrist, “It’s not too late. Don’t say that.”
Charlotte tried to pull her wrist from Bruce, fully aware of the fact that it was a lost cause, “I’m sorry, Bruce. I won’t be lied to by a man who says he loves me anymore.”
“At least let me give you a ride back to your hotel; Alfred is already here.” He gestured over his shoulder with his free hand and watched as Charlotte bit her lip as her gaze fell upon Bruce’s car, “I’d feel better knowing you got back safe. You know how Gotham is once the sun goes down.”
The billionaire could feel Charlotte relax in his grip a bit. She sighed, “Fine. But only because I don’t feel like walking six blocks in these shoes.”
Bruce laughed and lead her toward the car. Alfred stepped out and opened the door for them both before returning to the driving seat and pulling the car away from the curb. After driving two blocks in the opposite direction of Charlotte’s hotel, the brunette got a bad feeling in her stomach. She leaned forward to remind Alfred that he was going the wrong way to get back to her hotel to which he laughed and rolled up the partition.
Bruce leaned back in his seat as Charlotte looked out the window, refusing to look at him. “I’m not in the mood for games, Bruce.” Charlotte spoke in a voice barely louder than a whisper, “Just take me to my hotel.”
The billionaire reached forward and grabbed Charlotte’s chin, gently turning her head to look at him. He pressed his lips to hers, kissing Charlotte for what felt like the first time all over again. As soon as it registered in Charlotte’s mind what was happening, Bruce had already pulled back.
“You want answers and honesty; I’m giving them to you.”
The brunette sighed “This IS casual, Clark. I’m living out of a suitcase for the time being, cut me some slack.”
The reporter raised an eyebrow and grabbed a fistful of her dress, “This looks more like something wears to bed!”
Charlotte rolled her eyes and swat Clark’s hand away, “Speaking of Lois, where is that lovely girlfriend of yours? I thought she was going to come out with us tonight!”
Clark moved away from the bar and motioned to the restaurant’s hostess that he was ready to be seated, “She’s running late, but she promised she’d be here before the appetizers even hit the table.” He and Charlotte followed the hostess to their table tucked away in a more secluded dining area. Charlotte had made the reservation under Bruce’s name, knowing the chances of securing a table last minute were far higher than if she had used her own name.
The artist quickly ordered herself a glass of wine as she and Clark were seated. The reporter raised an eyebrow as he casually sipped his water, watching Charlotte practically chugging her drink. “Long day?” He asked.
Charlotte scoffed, “Something like that. Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
Clark merely nodded, making casual conversation as they waited for their server to return. Charlotte listened to Clark speak, telling her about his latest assignment from Perry, as her eyes darted from table to table in the intimate dining area of the restaurant. Of course, Charlotte and Clark were friends but she knew how it looked to fellow diners. The press, current company excluded, would have a field day with the images of Charlotte Murphy, young girlfriend of billionaire Bruce Wayne, having an intimate evening out with a handsome Metropolis reporter. Sensing that Charlotte’s mind had wandered elsewhere, Clark scanned the room hoping to spot his girlfriend.
Feeling a buzzing in his pocket, Clark pulled out his cell phone and sighed, “Lois just texted me. She found a new lead with a story she’s working on and won’t be able to make it tonight but she sends her love.”
“Well then, I guess this just means we can order the calamari she hates!”
Clark nodded and picked up his menu to begin looking through it. Just as he lifted his menu, the reporter noticed a commotion by the hostess’s desk. He looked down at the menu and focused his super hearing toward the front of the restaurant.
“What do you mean there’s already a seated table for Bruce Wayne? I’m right here, standing in front of you looking for a table.”
“Bruce?” Clark muttered, not realizing Charlotte had been looking at him as she asked him a question.
Charlotte slowly brought her glass back down to the table and turned in her seat to see who Clark was looking at, “Bruce is here? Clark, what are you talking about? Bruce isn’t here. I already told you, he’s out with a colleague tonight.”
Clark ignored the brunette and forced a smile as Bruce and Diana were fast approaching, saying good-bye to a table that had stopped the billionaire. Charlotte’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head as a very identifiable streak of grey hair caught her eye when she turned in her seat. She faced forward quickly and held her empty wine glass up to the waiter, signaling for more.
As Charlotte watched her glass fill once more with wine, she felt Bruce’s presence behind her. “It’s crazy,” she heard him say, “I come looking for a table and the hostess tells me I’ve already got a table!” Clark let out a nervous laugh as Bruce placed a hand on Charlotte’s back, “Security around here may have to step up their game a little bit. Don’t let this reporter fool you darling,” Bruce stepped beside Charlotte’s chair and motioned for two more place settings to be added to the table, “I’m the real Bruce Wayne.”
Bruce held out his hand and turned only to see Charlotte staring back at him, “I believe we’ve met, Mr. Wayne.”
The billionaire was quick to shake the look of shock from his face and replaced it with his signature cocky smirk, “And just like that, the true culprit is revealed.” Bruce leaned down to press a kiss to cheek and whispered a quick apology in her ear. He quickly introduced his girlfriend to Diana before taking Clark’s original seat across the table. As everyone was seated, Charlotte could sense a shift in dynamic. It was clear the three of them knew each other, probably more so than they were letting on. Charlotte tried to think back to all of Bruce’s colleagues, knowing she certainly would have remembered one who was as beautiful as the woman sitting beside her.
“Diana,” Clark shifted nervously in his seat as he tried to break the tension, “I didn’t realize you had returned from New Zealand already.”
The woman nodded as she politely lay her napkin on her lap, “My flight landed this morning! How have you been, how’s Lois?”
Across the small circular table, Bruce watched as the wheels turned in Charlotte’s brain. In a moment’s time, his evening was going to go from bad to worse. “New Zealand?” Charlotte spoke, not even realizing that she had just cut Clark off mid-sentence, “Bruce was just in New Zealand for a week. He only just returned a few days ago.”
Bruce, normally cool, calm, and collected, looked frazzled. He coughed and took a sip of water as everyone else waited for him to say something. “Diana, uh, she works for Star Labs’s Metropolis location by the harbor.”
Charlotte simply raised an eyebrow and nodded. She knew whatever words Bruce was spewing out of his mouth where complete bullshit, but Charlotte was also smart enough not to make a scene in such a public setting. When the check was brought to the table two long hours later, Charlotte opened her purse and threw down a handful of bills before making a beeline for the exit.
“Charlie, wait! Where are you going?”
The brunette stopped and turned to see Bruce standing just a few feet away from her. She narrowed her eyes, suppressing the bubbling concern that he may catch a cold in the frigid February air without his jacket, “I’m not doing this with you now, Bruce. It’s too late.”
Bruce took a few quick strides forward and grabbed Charlotte’s wrist, “It’s not too late. Don’t say that.”
Charlotte tried to pull her wrist from Bruce, fully aware of the fact that it was a lost cause, “I’m sorry, Bruce. I won’t be lied to by a man who says he loves me anymore.”
“At least let me give you a ride back to your hotel; Alfred is already here.” He gestured over his shoulder with his free hand and watched as Charlotte bit her lip as her gaze fell upon Bruce’s car, “I’d feel better knowing you got back safe. You know how Gotham is once the sun goes down.”
The billionaire could feel Charlotte relax in his grip a bit. She sighed, “Fine. But only because I don’t feel like walking six blocks in these shoes.”
Bruce laughed and lead her toward the car. Alfred stepped out and opened the door for them both before returning to the driving seat and pulling the car away from the curb. After driving two blocks in the opposite direction of Charlotte’s hotel, the brunette got a bad feeling in her stomach. She leaned forward to remind Alfred that he was going the wrong way to get back to her hotel to which he laughed and rolled up the partition.
Bruce leaned back in his seat as Charlotte looked out the window, refusing to look at him. “I’m not in the mood for games, Bruce.” Charlotte spoke in a voice barely louder than a whisper, “Just take me to my hotel.”
The billionaire reached forward and grabbed Charlotte’s chin, gently turning her head to look at him. He pressed his lips to hers, kissing Charlotte for what felt like the first time all over again. As soon as it registered in Charlotte’s mind what was happening, Bruce had already pulled back.
“You want answers and honesty; I’m giving them to you.”