To Li Jie, flying had never been a romantic word. It came with the very physical sensations of a pounding heart and a churning stomach brought on by weightlessness. Now, hurled into the air, he was experiencing that with absolute clarity.
"I never thought I'd fly, did I?"
He spread his arms, more out of an instinctive attempt to balance than any grand desire to embrace the sky. Looking down, he saw pedestrians stopping in the street, their upturned faces filled with astonishment. He felt utterly exposed and embarrassed.
The upward force was fading. Time to fall.
Dusk stained the Metropolis skyline like diluted ink, while the first lights draped the steel jungle in a shimmering coat. Following the directions in Clark's text, Li Jie drove his Cherokee to a restaurant called the Mokton Steakhouse and parked outside.
Under carefully arranged warm yellow lights, the dark wooden exterior gleamed with a subdued luster, lending it a classic, dignified air. It looked exactly like the sort of upscale establishment where nobody would make a fuss.
He raised his wrist to check his watch. Right on time. Picking up the carefully selected bouquet of magenta carnations, he opened the door and got out. But the moment he saw the figures waiting outside the restaurant, cracks appeared in his plan.
Clark was already there, just as expected. But the person beside him wasn't... Martha, as Li Jie had imagined. It was a girl of sixteen or seventeen.
"Hi, Jay."
There was certainly no questioning Clark Kent's eyesight. He spotted Li Jie at once and raised a hand, giving him a slightly bashful wave. Li Jie walked over, and the two men exchanged their customary handshake. Then Clark's gaze fell on the bouquet in his hand. His brow creased almost imperceptibly in confusion.