ODE

Chapter 7

She doesn't tell Kelly everything, of course. She tells her just enough to have something to work with. Their joint effort proves to be incredibly invaluable. Soon enough, all of Lena's remaining doubts slip away.

"So you're talking to Kara again?" Kelly breaks the silence in Lena's lab.

"Not really." Lena mumbles as her fingers type away rapidly.

"You're just hugging then?" Kelly says jokingly.

Lena doesn't answer, instead she studies her notes closely as if she only just discovered them.

"Look, Lena, I don't know what happened between you two, but you obviously care about each other. Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"She broke my trust." Lena offers tiredly.

"Did she cheat on you or something?"

Lena freezes in her movements.

"Did she?" Kelly asks curiously.

"No, no. We were just friends, best friends." Lena quickly clarifies.

Kelly quietly studies her for a moment.

"It's none of my business, but this kind of sounds like a break-up."

Lena clears her throat and tries not to be affected.

"I'd appreciate it if we focussed on the research instead." Lena tries so hard to sound like she's in a board meeting, but her voice lacks the usual sharpness.

"Lena, the world is not going end if you admit you have feelings. It's okay. I've seen how devastated Kara's been ever since you two started fighting. The amount of times Alex had to cancel our dates, because Kara wouldn't stop crying. Kara's struggling just as much." Kelly sighs mournfully.

"I don't want to hear it." But she really does. "I need a break." Lena promptly stands up and heads towards the elevator.

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The lunchroom is awfully crowded when Lena arrives. Though, she spots Adam almost immediately, he excitedly waves her over to his booth.

"Lena! Good to see you." Adam smiles.

Lena offers him a smile as she settles down.

"Did you bring it?" Adam asked in a low voice, suddenly his expression changes drastically. "Oh shoot! That totally sounded like I'm here to buy drugs from you or something. Do you- do you think Supergirl is listening to us right now?"

Lena actually snorts at that, his expression is absolutely priceless.

"I wouldn't be surprised, really."

"Isn't that like a breach of privacy?" Adam wonders as he looks at the ceiling as if he's expecting to spot Supergirl hanging down a lamp.

"You tell her that." Lena huffs.

Adam watches with wonder as Lena places the tiny box on the table. Suddenly, Adam clears his throat and eyes the ceiling again.

"I've been dying to read this book, Lena. Thank you so much for bringing it to our book club meeting." Adam emphasizes rather loudly.

Lena's eyebrows shoot up as she stares at him in disbelief. Oh boi. When Adam finally meets her eyes again, Lena firmly shakes her head.

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Instead of returning to her penthouse that afternoon, Lena takes a different road and parks her car near the edge of a nearby forest. It's quiet and peaceful without all the loud city noises. It's exactly what she needs. Though, she hasn't really come there to clear her head. Lena casually leans against the side of her car and closes her eyes to enjoy the warm sunbeams on her face. Soon enough, she hears something shift in the air and the familiar sound of two boots hitting the ground. Lena slowly opens her eyes.