It's a Little Strange

12. EVER

Peter couldn't control how fast his heart had beaten as he made his way toward Liz. The group of friends was starting to disperse after she spoke to each one individually. Peter and Liz locked eyes and Liz stepped away from her friends.

He swallowed hard and prepared himself for utter embarrassment. Nothing came.

Liz, as beautiful as she is, was emotionless and straight faced as she greeted him. "Hi, Peter."

"Hi, Liz," he said softly, feeling something wrong in the air. "Why, um... why did you come back to New York?"

"My aunt has a wedding. And I thought I could say hi to my friends."

"Oh." The atmosphere was thick with tension. Words to be said, words left unsaid. He didn't understand, but he felt so different now when he looked at her. His heart wasn't racing against his chest anymore. He wasn't breathless. She was just a girl. "Well, um... it was nice seeing you. I'll catch you around?"

She replied politely, "Yeah, you too." Liz waved her hand goodbye and went back to her friends.

Peter turned around, his face fell. What was that? What just happened? Why didn't he do something stupid like he always did around Liz?

Why didn't he feel anything?

He turned around with a confused frown on his face and his eyebrows knitted together. He heard a car honk its horn and his head snapped up to find the source of the sound. It was Michelle's mom waving over at her daughter. Peter watched as Michelle gathered her things and headed toward the car. She opened the back door and Peter could spot her little brother, Teddy, sitting in the back seat. He had a colorful cast with a thousand signatures on his leg for when a shelf had fallen on him and broke his leg. Teddy giggled and eagerly welcomed Michelle as she climbed in the car and Peter could hear her coo at her little brother before the slammed the door shut behind her.

Peter tightened his scarf again. He swallowed hard and marched to the bike rack to go on home.

.

.

.

Tony had been getting comfortable in the Parker household, to say the least. Peter would rarely come home and see Tony and his aunt together or if May left a note saying that they went out. What did they even do? He had no idea, and frankly, Peter didn't think he wanted to know.

Today, Tony was over, and he and May were having an intense discussion with cups of coffees in their hands. Peter walked in when May released a loud laugh. She covered her mouth to make it less obvious but she could hardly even breathe. Tony grinned at her.

"Petey!" Tony called out and waved at him with his hand. "Get over here."

Peter took a few steps deeper in his home to realize that they weren't the only ones there. Happy stood off to the side with his phone smashed against his cheek and his mouth blazing at an impossible speed. He almost sounded like an auctioneer.

Peter sat down on the chair across from Tony and May, who was only just calming down from her laughing fit. "You're... absolutely insane, Mr. Stark," May managed to say between breaths.

Tony shrugged, smile still there. "I happen to think that it is a brilliant idea and you're the insane one."

Peter lifted a brow. "What idea?"

May faced Peter, calming herself down in the process. "Okay, so Tony had this brilliant idea where we go to the Bahamas for Christmas, simply because we've never been."

Peter's eyes met with Tony's and he felt his voice trapped in his throat. This was insane. Peter said a spring of incoherent sentences, unable to express his feelings on the situation.