black treacle - matt sturniolo

Chapter Twenty, She's Thunderstorms

Robyn wasn't superstitious but the only saying that became engrained in her mindset was never walking around with your hair wet outdoors. Despite it being scientifically proven it wasn't the dampness of your hair follicles that caused an illness, Robyn would never be caught dead with her hair wet. That's the only reason why she accepted Spider-Man's offer to bring (swing) her home.

After the reveal of Ashley and Frankie, all she wanted was to lie in her bed to digest the information like a snake and its meal. Of course, she knew it was them, but seeing the makeup trickle on her face and spread like ink in water, a part of her wanted to believe it wasn't true. This wasn't the Ashley who used to ding dong ditch her neighbours with her. This wasn't the Ashley who had her own drawer for toiletries in her bathroom from the endless amount of sleepovers.

It was time Robyn accepted she was because no matter how much denial she had, it wouldn't change the truth.

New York felt silent in the storm. The thunder clouded the blaring horns and music while every swing Spidey made blurred the scenes into a swirl of lights. He tried making small talk with her but it all ended faster than their reign of terror over of New York.

Once they reached her balcony, a place she knew he became familiar with after catching him checking on her and making sure she arrived safely, the hero crouched on the railing. He stared at her as if trying to send her a message telepathically.

Once Robyn realised he wasn't, she bid him goodbye. "Thank you for saving me again, and I'm sorry to say this but it definitely won't be the last time."

"Without them, my job now consists of making sure you get home safely and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world."

Robyn let go of the handle of the sliding door when he cleared his throat.

"Since it's a little calmer now, with them gone and all, how about we go out to eat at that pizza place sometime? I'll even pick you up so you don't have to pay for those subway fares you keep complaining about." He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously.

"Like a date?"

"Yeah. Like a date." He dragged on the sentence as if to confirm with himself.

"Sorry Spidey, but I like another guy." She teased, hoping he'd finally figured out that she knew who he was. He looked at her with comically wide eyes and it was then that she realised he didn't.

"Oh, um. Don't worry about it then. Fighting him wouldn't be fair. I go now-- I'll get going now. Bye, Robyn."

"Spidey wait."

"Don't worry about me. I'm just going to make sure there isn't a Seven-Eleven being robbed right now. Bye Robyn, remember to look both ways before crossing the road."

"Matt."

The vigilante froze. Robyn cursed herself for acting so impulsively but what else could she have done at that moment?

"Matt? Is that the guy you were with today? I'll go now to make sure he's safe."

"I know it's you."

Silence. Just the crash of the raindrops against the metal railings and the pounding of their hearts.

"How long have you known?" He asks in an exhale. She was unsure if it was relief or dejection.

"A while now..." Robyn reached for his mask but he avoided her touch and grabbed the bar of the balcony above them, disappearing into the dark of the night. Without a second thought, she leapt forward and craned her head, trying to spot him. Regret pooled in her stomach. Why didn't she just confess to him like a normal person? Now he's probably gone home and thinking about girls who probably wouldn't treat him the way she has.

"Matt? Please talk to me." Robyn begged. Spider-man slowly lowered himself from the balcony above. He stares at her upside down, with his hands and feet holding onto the bar, as if ready to leap at any sign of danger. "I know it's you, why won't you take off your mask?"

"Because I can't talk to you without it!" He blurted out. "I've liked you ever since the club made us share a desk because they wanted the new members to bond but really they just didn't have space for all of us. We had the crappiest desk I've ever seen that barely fit both of our monitors and shook every time either of us typed but it didn't bother you at all that you'd be stuck with that, more importantly, that you'd be stuck with me. You stuck a wad of paper under the uneven desk leg and made a 'home sweet home' card with a doodle of the both of us underneath.

"The more I learnt about you, the more this crush grew. You're witty, smart, ambitious, kind and not to mention unbelievably stunning. You're focused and driven, You didn't even look up when the baseball team accidentally broke a window and there were shards of glass everywhere because we were in the middle of finishing an article. Yet you've never failed to break away to help someone if they need help with editing or creating a metaphor for their piece.

"After a while, I realised I had no idea how to talk to you without talking about the paper. Hell, I can't count the number of times I went to you for help finding a suitable adjective so I could build the courage to have a conversation with you. The suit is what let me talk to you without becoming an awkward mess. But if you reject Spidey, then Matt has no chance."

"I rejected Spider-man because he isn't Matt."

Robyn reached for his mask again.

Matt let her take it off this time.

With both hands, she cupped his cheeks and kissed him, thinking of all the times she wanted to but never got the chance.

For two people with their academic calibre, it was amazing how daft they were in matters outside of school. Lucky for them, relationships and social cues were not needed for their transcripts or they would've gotten their rejection letter early.

His confession raced in her mind but she had plenty of time to analyse it later. Right now, she had everything she wanted.