Cherry Wine {lex luthor}

chapter twenty one

I froze in fear as I watched him step off the cement and onto the path that led straight towards me. It had been less than twenty-four hours since Lex had kicked him out of the party; had he been tailing me that entire time? It seemed unlikely that he and I would end up in the same place by chance.

I watched him as he walked over to me. He was looking at the ground, hands stuffed into his jean pockets-very casual, and very non-threatening.

"Ruth." He greeted. "Will you walk with me?"

I frowned up at him, pulling my jacket closer to my body.

"No." I said bluntly. He blinked at my curt tone, but recovered quickly, smiling and sitting next to me on the bench. I edged away from him a little, and he put his hands up.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I just wanted to talk."

I scoffed a little, brushing my hair out of my eyes.

"Did you not talk to me enough last night? Or were you hoping to drug me this time?" I snapped, looking away, towards the entrance of the building. "Lex won't be happy to see you with me."

Clark cleared his throat, having the grace to look remorseful, and adjusted his glass on his face. I kept my face stony and unreadable, unwilling to have a conversation with this man.

"I want to apologize for last night, Ruth. I shouldn't have let you get so intoxicated."

"No, you shouldn't have." I rolled my eyes. "Are we done here?"

I began to stand up, but Clark placed a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. I stiffened under his grip, and he hurriedly removed his hand. He turned to face me, his face earnest and open.

"I'm worried about you, Ruth. Those marks on your arms and neck-Luthor did that to you, didn't he?"

I yanked my sleeves further down over my wrists, self-conscious of the bruises beneath. Clark watched me like a hawk, his eyes prying at my collar.

"It's none of your business. Lex has done nothing but help me since the accident." I stumbled over my words, trying to rush them all out of my mouth. I didn't want Lex to see me talking to this man. He was tense enough as it was, and I didn't want to add to his stress.

"I only want to help. You're so young, and you're out there in that mansion, all alone..." He trailed off, his eyes raking up and down my body. They stopped on my injured leg, which I was holding at an awkward angle, trying to relieve some of the pressure on the wound. "Are you alright?"

"My leg was injured in the accident." I explained coolly. "I would have bled to death if Lex hadn't found me."

"And you have no family to go to?" Clark pressed. I grit my teeth at the reminder of what I had lost. He seemed to sense that he had touched a nerve, and his gaze softened. "Oh. I'm sorry, Ruth. I didn't know. Was it...were they killed in the devastation?"

I nodded, and looked away, ashamed of the tears welling in my eyes. I did not want to cry in front of this strange man.

"I'm going to give you my girlfriend's business card, alright? If you need anyone to talk to, you give her a call, alright?" he handed me a slip of white cardstock. I put it into my pocket without looking at it, my fingers tracing the sharp corners.

Just as Clark stood, I heard the telltale sound of the wooden doors slamming, and Lex's footsteps coming towards me. I ducked my head, pulling my knees ito my chest, and waited for the explosion.

"Kent!" He snarled as he drew closer. "Did you not get your fill last night, hm? Or do you just have an unhealthy obsession with young girls?"

I didn't look up, but I could see Lex's feet now, his white converse slamming the concrete. His voice shook-he was angrier than I had ever heard before.