Talk Me Down // Spider-Man (BOOK 2)

Chapter 8 - Shaking and Clammy

The morning after the night before I awoke for the first time in months thinking of someone other than Peter Parker. Max had haunted my dreams all night long. I couldn't fathom what could have possibly happened to him to make him the way he was last night. He could shoot electricity from his hands for Christ's sake. There was something seriously sinister going on. My bet, Oscorp had something to do with it. Just like old times.

Aunt Penny was currently in Ireland, enjoying daily strolls through the Wicklow Mountains just outside Dublin. As soon as she'd seen what was going down in Times Square she was on the phone to me, knowing from a conversation the day before with May that I was meeting Pete that night not far from there. We were on the phone for practically the whole night, me trying to convince her not to come home, that I was ok and that I didn't want her trip ruined for no reason. I literally had to use every ounce of my persuasive talents to keep her away. I could sense something was going to happen, something big. I didn't want her anywhere near when it did.

"Honey, are you really sure you don't need me to come back?"

"Aunt P, I already told you. I was nowhere near Times Square last night. Pete bailed on me."

"What do you mean he bailed on you?"

"He just had to...um, swing by somewhere else and it took longer he thought it would." Rubbish Lauren, just rubbish.

"Very convincing sweetie." Do I sense a hint of sarcasm?

"Now listen to me, and listen good?" Aunt Penny carried on with a push, complete seriousness in her tone.

"I'm all ears."

"I'm going to trust you on this one occasion, but if anything else happens, and I mean anything, then I am coming straight back to New York. Do you understand?"

"Aunt Penny...."

"Do you understand?"

"I understand."

Later on that day I was getting ready for my date with Harry. If I was being totally honest with myself then I'd say it wasn't really a date that I wanted to go on. Harry was a really good guy, don't get me wrong. It's just that after the whole Pete thing last night and finding out that they were friends it just felt even more wrong than it already did.  I had to do this though. I had to try. If I couldn't be with Pete, then why not Harry? I owed it to myself to at least give it a go. I had to prove that I could move on.

At 6.30 sharp Harry came and picked me up in his distinctive Rolls Royce Phantom Limo. Wow, what a car. He was the perfect gentleman. He opened the door for me, held my purse as I got in, and made sure I was comfortable. He even arranged drinks and then music to be played on the journey over to the restaurant.

I was already being treated like a princess, but then we pulled up at Eleven Madison Park, the most exquisite and exclusive restaurant in New York City. You literally had to book a year in advance to get a shot at a table. Yet here I was. This was like dream date stuff here. Harry was pulling out the big guns.

"Harry you shouldn't have gone to all of this trouble. It must have cost you so much money," I worried as we got started on our main meal, me choosing the roast duck and Harry the aged beef. I really didn't deserve to be this spoiled. The day before I was with my ex boyfriend, telling him in an ideal world that I wanted to be with him. Now I am sitting here on a date with his friend, a friend who is treating me like an angel. I couldn't be further from that and it just made me feel uncomfortable. This whole thing was incredible, everything he'd done was. It just felt wrong.

"Lauren, you've been through a lot and if I'm honest I'm feeling a bit guilty for not being there for you when you hurt your hand the other day."

"Harry, don't be silly. My hand is f...."

"Are you not enjoying yourself or something? Is that the problem?" Where did that come from?

"Harry, I don't understand?"

"You've been on edge since the moment we sat down. You're here but your mind is somewhere else. I don't get what more I have to do." Harry gritted his teeth, leaning forward and clutching on to the corners of the table as he spoke. It was like he was trying to hold back. Hold back what though? This was just weird. I've never seen him act like this before.

"You don't have to do anything more. This is amazing. I've just...I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Is it Pete?" Wait, what?

"How do you know about Pete?"

"I met up with him a few weeks ago, just after we started seeing each other. We got on to the subject of girls and he showed me a picture on his phone of his ex. My shock when I discovered it was you."

"Harry, believe me, I didn't know you were friends until yesterday."

"How did you find out yesterday?" Shit, Lauren. Foot in mouth comes to mind. This date was taking a sharp decline, that's for sure.

"He was the friend that I met up with at the...."

"So you lied to me?" He almost shouted in interruption. It was even to the level that fellow diners started to glance our way.

"Technically I didn't lie. He is my friend."

"He's your ex boyfriend Lauren."

"I know. It's just...god Harry I don't know. Maybe this whole date thing was a bad idea." I know what I'd done was kind of wrong. I should have been honest with Harry about who I was seeing. But wait, should I? I mean, he's not technically my boyfriend.

"Cheque please," Harry muttered in annoyance to one of the passing waiters. He didn't give me any kind of response to my last words. I'm kind of glad though to be honest. I'm not sure I'd like what he would say. Not now with the way he's acting.

"Harry, I'm so sorry," I sincerely voiced on the very awkward car journey home after we'd settled up at Eleven.

"No, I'm sorry Lauren. I overreacted about Peter. I was just disappointed that you didn't seem as in to the date as I wanted you to be." Thank god, he'd calmed down.

"Harry, it was perfect. Really, I mean it. You just need to find a girl who deserves it more than I do, a girl who isn't a completely useless nutcase like me."

"You're not a nutcase Lauren. You just need to work out what it is, or who it is you want. I think we both have a pretty good idea," Harry half smiled, nudging me with his shoulder as we pulled up outside my apartment building.

"You're amazing you know that? Most guys would have just dumped me at the side of the road."

"Well, I'm not most guys," Harry answered sincerely, helping me out of the car and then walking me up to my front door.

"Harry, are you sure you're ok? You just seemed a bit out of it at the restaurant. I've never seen you act like that before. I could put it down to my actions but you're shaking and clammy too. Did you notice?"

Now in the bright light of the hall I could really see him properly. We weren't on the dark street, or shielded by flattering restaurant lighting. His face was totally clear to me. His eyes were blood shot, his forehead sweaty, and his hands continuously trembled.

"I noticed. I'm probably just um, coming down with something."

"Maybe you should see a doctor?"

"It's ok. I have an idea how to fix it. I'll be back to normal before you can say Spider-Man," he laughed, fidgeting as he did so.

"If you're sure? Just let me know if you need anything ok?"

"Oh, I'll definitely keep that in mind."

After that, Harry gave me a forced smile and then turned to head down the stairs. I couldn't just leave it like this. He hadn't long lost his Dad, now he's been knocked back by a girl. No wonder he flipped out back at dinner. God knows I've done it enough times. He just needed someone, someone to look out for him. Yeah I'd realised that trying to date Harry wasn't the right way to go, doesn't mean I don't want him in my life though.

"Harry?" I called out over the landing just before he disappeared out of the door.

"Yeah?" He shouted back, looking up at me with his piercing blue eyes.

"Friends?"

"You know it Princess."