Cherry Wine {lex luthor}

chapter forty nine

The downside of sleeping all day was the strange circadian rhythm my body took on. I woke up several times during the night, bleary and half-dazed. Some time during the night, the power came back on, the fairy lights above the bed jumping to life. They twisted as the air conditioning kicked in, breathing cool air into the stifling room. The rain had stopped, and the only sounds were the gush of the vents and Lex's even breathing.

I slipped out of bed, and carefully tiptoed into the bathroom, turning the pot lights above the sink on, before flipping the tap to pour cold water. I drank deeply from my cupped hands, and the splashed the water over my flushed face and neck. The water sounded like a thousand waterfalls as it hit the sink, and so I turned it off, afraid to wake Lex. There was nothing but silence from the other room, and I let out a breath I hadn't known I had been holding.

I looked at myself in the mirror, bracing my hands along the marble counter. I was red from heat, my hair sticking to my face and neck. The gold chain Lex had given me hung around my neck, the little green ring hanging from it. It caught the light, sending prisms of viridian dancing across my face.

"Ruth?" I jumped, and looked up, catching the reflection in the mirror.. Lex was standing in the doorway. His hair stuck up on one side, and he looked at me through heavily-lidded eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I turned to face him.

"Did you have a nightmare?" He asked, scrubbing a hand across his face.

"No. I just needed some water." I wrapped an arm around his waist, tugging him back towards the bed. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"It's fine. I just wanted to make sure..." He trailed off. "You're sure you're alright? You seem...sad." He sat heavily on the bed.

"I'm fine, Lex." I repeated. "I promise."

I lay down next to him, on top of the covers. I knew, deep down, that I was fine, that everything was going to be okay, but the nagging feeling of that same darkness came creeping back up.

***

I fell asleep again, at some point, because I woke up to the sun on my face. Lex had tucked a blanket over my shoulders, but his side was neatly made and empty. The jar the candle had been in was blackened with smoke, the wick curled in the residual pool of wax. I poked at it, my finger coming away ashy as the soft cotton disintegrated at my touch.

I dressed quickly, in a white eyelet dress. The sun had burned away the angry clouds from the day before, and was shining hot on my skin.

The staff had come back after the storm, and the house once again was filled with the scent of lemon PineSol and fresh coffee. Vacuums whirred in far off corners of the house, and I could hear the quiet chatter of the staff as I made my way down the stairs. It was finally warm out, and the foyer was filled with sunbeams, motes of dust floating suspended in the honeyed light.

Lex was on the phone when I knocked on the study door, his back turned to me. I waited until I had caught his attention before blowing him a kiss and dancing towards him on my toes.

"My lawyer seems to think it's feasible." Lex said into his cell, waving at me. "Although I'd much rather avoid the hassle and just go before it comes to that."

I drooped onto the armchair, my legs over the armrest. I idly read the newspaper Lex had left on the coffee table, scanning the stories. There was nothing exciting-a new bridge had finished being rebuilt courtesy of LexCorp, and someone called Bruce Wayne was holding a charity gala. I turned the page over, and sat up straight. Lex looked at me, setting his phone down.

"Sorry. That was my PR team. Everything okay?"

I pointed at a coloured picture on the paper. "That's the man who got me drunk at your library thing." I said. Lex took the paper, and shook it out.