Cherry Wine {lex luthor}

chapter thirteen

We went down to the kitchens, Lex leading the way. Outside, the rain boiled down with frightening force, and thunder shook the window panes. I shivered as a flash of lightning lit up the sky, and Lex squeezed my hand.

"This house has never been hit." He reassured me.

I shook my head. "I don't like the noise of it. In the city it isn't so bad, but out here it seems so much louder." I perched on one of the stools at the island, watching the darkening sky through the window.

"Now that it's getting cooler, this area gets a lot of storms." Lex said, opening the huge fridge. He pulled out a container of what looked like brown slime, made a face, and shut the fridge.

"Will we get snow?" I asked. It was only the beginning of fall, but snow fell so rarely fell in the suburbs, and when it did it melted within an hour, so the idea of actually having lasting snow excited me. At the elementary school, we had had what we thought was a huge amount of snow, but when we played in it it turned to slightly and then mud in our hands. The snowmen sagged and their eyes slid down to their stomachs. I had never experienced any more than a few inches, but I could envision this house surrounded by deep, clean snow, drifts of it gathering from the fields behind us.

Lex opened the oven door, and pulled out a ceramic casserole dish. He quickly put it on the stovetop and rubbed his hands on his pants.

"That was hotter than expected." He said. "And yes, we get snow. Quite a lot of it, too, since we are higher up than the city."

I grinned, and Lex laughed slightly, before placing a plate of food in front of me. I couldn't tell what it was, but it smelled rich and good. My stomach growled loudly, and I put a hand over it to quiet it.

"We need to feed you more, hm?" Lex said.

I blushed, setting my fork down. Lex raised an eyebrow, and I picked it back up.

"I don't mind. " I said. "I'm not usually that hungry anyways. I never used to eat breakfast."

Lex tapped the table next to my plate.

"Eat. Talk to me after."

"But you're so fascinating." I teased. "I can hardly pull my attention away from you."

Lex thinned his lips.

"Ruth, I will feed you if you don't start eating." He threatened. I hurriedly took a forkful of food and ate it, looking down.

"Better." He said. I rolled my eyes, and took another bite.

"I can't eat with you watching me." I complained. "Eat your own dinner."

"I will, once I make sure you eat yours."

I ate more, looking at his plate pointedly, and Lex finally began eating too. My stomach growled again, but this time in satisfaction.

"There." I said. "Happy?"

Lex gathered up out plates, and left them in the sink.

"Of course I'm happy." His voice had a hidden edge to it, and I frowned, trying to figure out what it was. "I'm always happy."

He sounded bitter, and a little defiant. I didn't press him, and he took my hand again. His heart was racing-I could feel it through the thin skin of his fingers. He seemed tense all of a sudden. I looked around, and my eyes landed on a small tv above the counter. It was set to a news channel, and although it was muted, the headlines running along the bottom spoke loud and clear.

Superman Held Accountable for Deaths in the East

I sucked in a breath, and looked away quickly. Lex's back was rigid, unmoving.