A First

It was winter, it was freezing cold, and Chloe Sullivan wanted to relax by the fire with her best friend, Clark, and enjoy the warmth. Christmas music played on the radio, and the smell of his mother’s chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven wafted out from the kitchen.

“Here you go,” Clark said, offering her a cup of hot chocolate. He’d put in lots of marshmallows, just like she liked it.

He settled his big body next to hers and looked into the fire.


“I’m going to put another log on,” Chloe said. “This one is starting to burn low.”

“It doesn’t need a log, just needs stoking,” he said. He leaned forward and reached for the fire with his bare hand, seemed to realize what he was doing, and diverted for a poker.

“You trying to get out of our history exam on Monday?” Chloe asked, watching Clark poke at the fire. It suddenly erupted with a whoosh, and Chloe could have sworn she’d seen a red spark or something come from Clark’s eyes. They’d looked bright and red—

Don’t be stupid, Chloe told herself. She was imagining things. Of course sparks hadn’t shot out of Clark’s eyes. He was just a normal guy. Perhaps a little thick-headed at times, but still, perfectly normal.

“What do you mean?”

“You were going to stoke the fire with your bare hand.”

Clark swallowed. “I just wasn’t thinking, that’s all.”

“Clark, Chloe, I’m heading into town for my book club meeting,” Martha Kent said. She’d thrown on her coat and grabbed her purse. “There are cookies in the kitchen. Clark, don’t eat them all, I’d like a few myself.”

“Have fun, Mrs. Kent.”

“Be careful, Mom, a big snow is coming.”

“Jonathan and I will be home by 9.”

She shut the door behind her. It was only 6:30, but it had been dark for more than an hour. Outside the wind howled as gusts of wind rattled the shutters on the windows.

“I love a good fire on a really cold night,” Chloe said. She leaned her head against Clark, who put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

“And I love the company,” Clark said.

“I love you too,” Chloe said. She stiffened, and sat up. “Not that you were saying you love me, I know you don’t. I mean, you were saying you love the company that I provide, not me…specifically…And I wasn’t saying I love you, not like…well…I mean…”

“Chloe, it’s okay. I know how you feel about me.”

Chloe swallowed. “What do you mean?”

“You feel the same way for me that I always felt for Lana. Used to feel, anyway.”

“Used to?”

Chloe’s face felt hot. She knew she was blushing, but Clark didn’t look put off at the idea of her still having feelings for him.

“It’s complicated,” he said uncomfortably. “It’s—”

“Let’s not talk about it,” she said.

“We never talk about it.”

He sounded grumpy. Chloe looked at him.

“May I ask you a personal question?”

Clark shrugged. “Sure.”

“Did you and Lana ever…you know.”

“What?”

Poor Clark. Chloe could tell he honestly didn’t know what she was getting at. When it finally dawned on him, his eyes went as big as saucers.

“Uh…what?”

“You said I could ask a personal question.”

“No, Lana and I never.”

“What about when you were running wild in Metropolis? Did you—”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Have you ever—”

“Chloe! What’s this obsession you have with my virginity?”

“I’m not obsessed, I’m just curious.”

“I don’t think this is something we should be talking about,” Clark said.

Chloe nodded and sat back, leaning into the couch instead of Clark, and cursing herself for not being able to keep her mouth shut. Why did she have to ask him those questions? Now the whole evening was going to be weird.

“Have you?” Clark asked, after a few torturous minutes of silence in which they watched the fire crackle.

“Have I what?”

“Come on, Chloe, don’t play dumb. Have you ever done it?”

“Yes.”

Clark choked on a sip of his cocoa. “What? When? With who?”

“Now who’s being nosy?” Chloe asked.

“I answered your questions.”

“And I answered yours.”

“Not all of them. Who and when?”

“Last year, when I interned at the Daily Planet.”

“Oh…” Clark said.

Chloe’s neck felt hot. Unusually hot. She could feel Clark staring at her, so she looked over at him.

“What?”

“It’s just weird, knowing you’re…you know…experienced.”

Chloe laughed. “I’d hardly call myself experienced Clark. I’ve had sex one time.”

“It’s more experience than I have.”

“True, I guess.”

“What’s it feel like?”

“I don’t think I can answer that question from the male perspective, Clark. I can only tell you what it felt like for me.”

“So?”

Chloe shifted, feeling something awaken in the core of her body. The air between her and Clark felt like it was changing. He was staring at her with a strange intensity she’d never seen before. He’d never looked at her that way. Ever. Like he wanted to grab her and—

Okay, Sullivan, you’re imagining things. You’re horny and you’ve got an overactive imagination. Don’t say something that’s going to make him kick you out of the house.

“It’s not information that’ll be helpful to you, knowing what sex feels like for a girl. I mean, nobody can just tell you what sex is like. It’s something you’ll have to experience for yourself.”

“I’d like to.”

“Huh?”

“Experience it, I mean. I’d like to.”

Chloe held still. Was he making a casual comment, or asking her for something?

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I’d like to know what sex feels like.”

“I know, but…are you asking me to have sex with you?”

“No!” Clark said, and sat up. He swallowed. “Not unless you want to.”

“Clark…”

“I’m just kissing—er—kidding.”

Silence stretched between them.

“Unless you want to,” he said again.

“Clark, do you really know what you’re saying?”

“I’m not stupid, Chloe.”

“I’m not accusing you of being stupid Clark, just…naïve. You’re asking me to have sex with you. I mean, what do you think will happen? We’ll fuck each other and then go back to me sitting on the sidelines, watching you chase after Lana?”

Clark looked offended—angry even. “No, of course not.”

“I’m not your girlfriend.”

“Was that guy your boyfriend?”

“No, but he didn’t want to just use me to see what it felt like to fuck a girl either. I’m not your groupie, Clark. I think I should go home—”

“Chloe, wait, don’t leave mad. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to have sex with me, I know.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“Because you’d been asking me about sex, and you told me you’d done it, and I really want to do it, and I want it to be with you. I couldn’t imagine my first time with anybody else.”

The anger inside Chloe melted. She was still wary, but looking into Clark’s green eyes and seeing so much emotion in them, desire, tenderness, maybe even the love she’d always wished he’d felt for her instead of Lana made her want to melt into him, to give him anything he wanted.

“And after?” Chloe said.

“After that we do what we always do. We’re the perfect couple already,” he reached for Chloe, cupping her ass and pulling her against him. He leaned in, brushing his lips over hers. “This is all that’s missing.”

“Let’s go up to your room, before your parents get back.”

Clark scooped Chloe up and started for the stairs. “There’s something I want to tell you before we do this.”

“What?”

“My biggest secret…”