The One Where They Have Lunch
Lena Luthor rarely ate lunch.
Between all her meetings, paperwork, phone calls, and personal projects it was rare for her to eat more than a powerbar or a linty peppermint from the bottom of her purse during the workday. Occasionally, she’d send Jess out to grab her a salad or sandwich, but even then she’d barely nibble the food, distracted by all the little things that demanded her attention. Such as the tweaks that still needed to be made to one prototype or another. Or the final negotiations on the National City port property she needed to acquire. Or the new club layout she had yet to approve. So, sure, she usually skipped the most inconvenient meal of the day.
Today, however, Kara Danvers had show up to the office with a bright smile and an invitation to join her for Chinese food. There Kara stood, smile still in place, her hands nervously wringing her baby blue sweater, honey blonde hair pulled into a neat bun and her eyes betraying deep concern for Lena’s eating habits.
“Come on, Lena, it can’t be healthy. 100% of doctors agree, you need three full meals a day!” The girl insisted.
Lena looked down at her computer. Thirty new emails had appeared in her business account just in the last hour. To her left sat a stack of proposals she needed to review. And to her right, two red lights blinked on her office phone signaling two calls on hold.
Despite all that, Lena found herself saying “I suppose, a short lunch break couldn’t hurt.” she stood up from her desk and began gathering her things. “I mean, if literally all the doctors agree…”
“Oh they do!” Kara assured her “All the doctors around the world, past, present, and future. Lunch is a must, they say.”
Lena smiled at Kara’s enthusiasm, following the blonde out of her office. She let her gaze linger a little too long on Kara’s toned calves where they disappeared under the girl’s knee length dress.
“Ms. Luthor, where are you going?” Jess, Lena’s hardworking assistant, stood up from her desk looking alarmed. Probably afraid she had forgotten to prepare for one of Lena’s meetings. Lena raised her hand and gestured for Jess to calm down.
“Please hold all my calls, and push that 1:30 presentation back to 2:00. Ms. Danvers and I are going to grab lunch.”
Jess looked confused, slowly sitting down in her chair. “Lunch?” she asked, eyeing Kara strangely.
“Yes, lunch.” Lena stated simply as if this wasn’t a new concept. “Apparently, people stop working in the middle of the day to consume food in order to live. Who knew?” Kara laughs at this, which only seems to make Jess more suspicious.
The CEO smiles at her assistant and writes down the name of the restaurant they’re going to. “This is where we’ll be. I have my cell if you need to reach me. Try not to burn the place down.” With that Kara and Lena turn and head for the elevator, leaving Jess looking slightly panicked and with several calls now on hold.
After they order their food, Lena finds herself unsure what to say to the young woman sitting across from her. Every time before they’d had something particular to discuss. An article Kara was writing or had written, or a product L-Corp was developing, or Supergirl. But now that they sat amid the chatter of the lunch crowd without a pretense, they simply stared at one another nervously.
“What brought you by today, Kara? Were you just in the neighborhood?” Lena finally asks, sipping at her tea. Kara fiddles with her glasses and looks down.
“Well, no not exactly. I wanted to see you.” Kara says smiling shyly. “Well, check on you, actually. I wanted to see how you were doing. How-How are you doing?” she rambles a bit. Lena can barely control the smile that plays on her lips then.
“I’m doing okay. I’ve been working alot...maybe more than usual since…” Lena trails off, her smile quickly fading. Kara sees this and reaches forward taking Lena’s hand. She gives it a comforting squeeze before saying
“Since your mother’s arrest?” Lena nods sadly. Lena is almost afraid to ask her next question.
“Is this on or off the record?” Her voice is low, serious, but hopefully not hostile.
Though Lena was quite fond of the reporter and would tentatively consider them friends, there was a part of her that found it difficult to trust Kara. What if that innocence she so adored was just a ploy? What if she only came around looking for a story? Then again, Lena always found it difficult to trust anyone. Kara tilts her head, seemingly saddened that Lena even has to ask.
“Off the record, of course. Lena, I want to be here for you as a friend.” Lena’s eyes squint at Kara’s use of the word friend.
Were they friends? Lena wondered. She herself had said they we when she invited Kara to the gala. But the word seemed too small to really convey the comfort Lena found in this girl. Kara seems to misread Lena’s skepticism.
“I mean, I know it may be difficult for you given my job, but I hope you know I would never betray your trust.” Kara goes on to say, obviously displeased with the idea of Lena not feeling safe with her.
Lena squeezes Kara’s hand reassuringly “No, Kara, of course not. I’m sorry. It’s a force of habit, I’m afraid.” Kara nods and her shoulders relax a bit in relief.
The waiter brings their food and Kara notices they’re still holding hands across the table. She blushes, embarrassed, gently tugging her fingers from Lena’s grasp. Lena smiles knowingly as the waiter sets their food down.
“You know, I kinda already wrote an article about your mother’s arrest. We kept your name out of it though.” Kara says placing her napkin in her lap.
“Yes, I read it. Doesn’t seem like the police offered you much information really.” Lena says watching Kara take a huge bite out of her noodles. Kara speaks with her mouth full and Lena thinks it’s adorable.
“No, they’re being pretty secretive, which I assume you appreciate.”
Lena nods and digs into her own food. “Yes, but I would have thought our...mutual friend in red and blue might have filled you in on the details.” Lena regards Kara closely, trying to see if she knows the truth about what her mother almost did. Lena couldn’t imagine how Kara, the most pro-alien person Lena knew, might react to such a hateful attempt at genocide.
“Oh she did. She definitely did. But most of what she tells me, when we talk, -Supergirl and I- is um off the record, you know. Like right now.” Kara always struggles with her words when talking about the superhero. “She did tell me though.” Kara continues “She said you were incredibly brave. And that she understands what you sacrificed to save all those innocent lives. She called you a hero.”
Lena doesn’t know what to say to that. Did the brusque Kryptonian really say those things? Or was Kara Danvers fibbing to make Lena feel better? Did it matter?
“You know, I haven’t seen her -in person, I mean- since that night.” is all Lena says. Kara nods, swallowing a mouthful of food.
“Yeah, she uh was out of town for a few days after the arrest. Had to help a friend with an alien problem, I think. I believe, the multiverse was involved.”
“The multiverse?” Lena asks. Kara shrugs with a smile.
“Yeah, its kinda hard to explain. I don’t quite understand it myself.”
“Lena Luthor as I live and breathe.” someone says. Both women turn to look.