Me my selfships and I (Kendra Saunder's boyfriend)

Clark’s been worried about Kara. Earth is supposed to be her home but she leaves any chance she gets. Now that she speaks English and is familiar enough with Metropolis, she should be able to go out and slowly but surely build a life for herself as best she can. But, she hasn’t. Not yet. She sees how much it pains him. It’s almost as much as it pains her.

She figures it’s worth placating him this once, so she decides to go to a coffee shop he recommended. This is her way of making an effort, not just for him but for herself. She doesn’t share Clark’s enthusiasm for this planet, but it’s as good a place as any to call home, if only she spent enough time there.

It’s a block away from The Daily Planet. It’s where Clark and his coworkers go sometimes. The breakroom has a perfectly functional coffee machine, sure, but it’s nice to get out of the office every now and then, he tells her.

As she steps inside, she recognises that it’s exactly the kind of place Clark would love, probably. She still doesn’t know him all that well. Either way, with the wooden floors, the brick walls and the mismatched, worn-out chairs that somehow seem cohesive, there’s a humble warmth to it that reminds her of him.

Looking up at the menu on the wall behind the counter, she has no idea what to order. As far as coffee goes, she’s tried black coffee with an ungodly serving of sugar — the Lois special. In the spirit of getting out there and trying new things, she picks a drink from the board at random. A ‘mocha’, which she mispronounces, but the barista isn’t unkind about it. They smile at her as they hand her the steaming cup.

Kara takes a seat at an empty table. She glances around. It’s a weekday, late in the morning. It’s busy, but quiet, too. Everyone’s typing away on a laptop or thumbing through a book. Some people chat. But, each table is like its own solitary pocket of existence. No one but her looks away from what they’re doing. She may as well not be there. It’s peaceful yet lonely to go undetected like this. It might be handy were she laying low at a shady dive bar. If only she were out-of-her-mind wasted, Kara thinks, she wouldn’t be aware of the fact that she’s completely on her own in this place. She hasn’t brought anything with her, so all she can do is sit and sip her drink.

At first, you blend in with everyone else. You sit alone in the corner. Your attention is fixed on the book in your hands, until it’s not. You pause, shift in your seat and raise your cup to your lips. As you glance around the room, as though you’re searching for no one in particular, your eyes land on Kara.

Before you get a chance to look away, she meets your gaze. It should be weird and awkward. That’s what you both anticipate in the first split second — that it will be little more than an unfortunate, short exchange. But, the longer the eye contact lingers, the more comfortable it becomes. You’ve never met, yet there’s something familiar about you. Perhaps it’s that you’re united in being alone. She doesn’t quite understand it but she feels that she understands you from just watching you from afar.

She offers you a small smile. You smile back.