Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
THAT NIGHT ALEX WAS STUCK PACING BACK AND FORTH IN HER ROOM. Just because she and Peter weren't together didn't mean they couldn't be friends or hang out like old times. She didn't want Peter Parker to become a stranger.
Alex swallowed her pride and dialed his number-his contact and a photo of him were still on her phone. She heard the line connect after the third ring. "Hello?"
"Hey. Can we meet?" Alex took the subway into Time Square. The city was brighter than ever. She didn't understand how the lights never blinded people when they came to the town. It was loud and busy-people pushing and shoving to get where they needed to be.
Alex was in a semi-long brown overcoat with a red scarf; her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, with baby hair slipping out. For a minute, she had the feeling she had been stood up. She continued to look around for Peter but saw the faces of unfamiliar people as she glanced around.
She looked at her watch. She was going to give him five more minutes to get here until she left, and that's when she saw him crossing the street. He looked like he was in a trance, a few cars honking and beeping at him angrily.
"Hey.." His voice trailed off. "You look amazing." He replied in a breathy tone.
"You don't look half bad yourself, Parker. I'm sorry for being so spontaneous about all this." She waved her hand between the two of them.
"No, No. It's okay. I like spontaneous." He remarked with a cheeky smile.
"I just figured it was time, you know?" She asked. Peter and Alex began to venture through the street, the moonlight reflecting off them.
"Time for what?"
"Time for us to be friends again. That's how it all began. I don't want you to become a stranger." She admitted honestly.
"Friends...Yeah, that sounds great." Peter's voice was not so convincing. You could hear the disappointment in his voice.
"I don't want us to be complicated, Peter. It would suck and make everything awkward." Peter had the sick feeling that she might be seeing someone else, maybe at work or someone that Gwen introduced her to, but the thought made him want to kick himself in the butt.
"Have you been...I don't know, seeing anyone?" Alex responded by lifting an eyebrow at him.
"Well, I've had a few casual dates here and there, but nothing too serious. Why all the concern, Peter?" Peter could feel his face turning red. The heat was rushing to his neck and cheeks.
"I'm not. Why would I be? You're free to do whatever you want." He reminded her.
"I don't know. Why would you be?" Peter quickly changed the subject.
"I'm glad you don't want to be complicated. I was telling someone how I hate complicated. I'm happy you called. If we're going to be friends, I think we need to establish some ground rules."
Alex giggled. The two of them had stopped for Ice Cream. "Ground rules? Like what?"
"Like that!" Peter explained. "That laugh, it's off the table." He grinned like a Cheshire cat.
"My laugh is off the table? but that's how I laugh." Peter and Alex both had their hands wrapped around their ice cream.
"You gotta figure out a new laugh, a more annoying life." Alex popped a scoop of ice cream into her mouth, the frozen treat melting. She shook her head at him playfully.
Alex tried her best to reinvent her laugh. Her new laugh sounded like something between a breathy and throaty laugh. "No, No. That's still adorable, everything you do is adorable, and it sucks." Peter confessed.
Alex tapped the tip of her finger against her chin. "Well, I have one ground rule then. Don't tell me I look amazing with your big brown doe eyes. Okay? It kills me because you are so cute."
Peter stopped himself from diving in to kiss her. He wanted to, lord knows he did, but he didn't. He had always had a level of self-control when it came to Alex. Peter had always respected her boundaries and wishes.
"I was serious about that one. You look amazing. You always do." He said in a hushed tone. Alex never failed to blush around him.
For an hour, Peter and Alex walked around Time Square, filling each other in about their lives after high school. Of course, Peter was still out and about-Protecting the city her loved.
"Oh! And Gwen introduced me to this new Korean restaurant that just opened up around Oscorp, and now I'm addicted to their Korean meatballs. They're amazing." After discarding their ice cream, they settled in a tiny little area with just the two of them.
"Yeah, no. I know. The place on 6th, I know you love it there." Peter had just realized what he had said and mentally slapped himself.
Alex stopped in front of him and looked up at him. "How do you know that?"
"Alex, you told me about it." He lied.
"Peter Parker. We have not had a formal conversation since that night outside of Dim Sum. Have you been following me?" She asked. Curiosity dripped from her lips. She wasn't afraid or offended. She just wanted the truth.
When he didn't reply, she knew she had gotten her answer. "I knew it. How often?"
Peter blew out a breath. "Just once a day. Sometimes...Sometimes more."
"Why Peter? To make sure I'm safe?"
"And.." He trailed off, looking at the ground. "And what?" Alex took her hands and lifted his head to look at her softly, rubbing the pad of her thumb against his cheek.
"Because it's the closest I can get to still being with you." Alex looked at him sadly. It made her feel worse about telling him she was leaving New York. Peter could no longer control himself. He slowly leaned in to kiss her, but when she lightly put her hand on his chest, he pulled back.
"Peter, I'm...I'm going back to California." She whispered.
"What?" He asked, confused, "What do you mean?"
"Yeah, I um...I got this full-ride scholarship to The University of California. I got in." Alex tried to smile, but she knew she looked sad.
"Wow.." Peter let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "That's amazing, Alex. I'm proud of you." He knew this was something that Alex wanted to do. She was passionate about science and school, he couldn't hold her back from this opportunity, and he wouldn't.
"I'm excited, Pete. This could be a great opportunity for me." But when Alex turned back to face Peter, he was gone. She looked down at the ground to find his pants and shoes on the ground.
