Spiderboy

forty five

I moved to go back to my room, when I found dad and Uncle Jack behind me. There was a strange look in dads eyes, and he shook his head, as if to erase thoughts like an etch-o-sketch board.
"he calls you Lexa." dad said, and I felt a pang go through me when my dad said it. I refused to hear it from either of them after my mum died, and he hadn't said it to me in over a year.
"yeah." I replied quietly. May was now standing behind the two brothers, but I didn't look at her.
"Alexis, are you dating this boy? Peter?" Uncle Jack added and I bit my lip.
"um, we're not dating, we just sort of..." my voice drifted to nothing and i finally caught May's eyes. She didn't look stern or calculating, she looked happy. Though I was worried about where Peter was now, she was happy for her nephew. She had seen us together downstairs and so I was having even more trouble coming up with answers for the questions everyone was asking.
"I'm going to go back to my room, I'll see you." I told them, and a moment later, they were back to themselves, offering May a drink and all going back to the lounge room.
I let out a slow breath, and walked down ever short hall and across the room to get to the stairs. Something stirred me before that though, and I saw it the window a red and blue figure swinging through buildings. I smiled, and walked over to the window. The figure moved further away and disappeared around the corner, but I started out the widow a bit longer, sitting down on the window seat and hugging a cushion to my chest. I heard the pattering of tiny feet on the carpet, and smiled at the little girl. "hey sweetie." I said softly, trying get climb up to the window seat next to me, and not paying close attention to her incoherent babbling. Her blonde hair was in two pigtails, messy from having them in all day and she was in her pyjamas. I sat there, staring out the window for what felt like an eternity, but could only have been minutes. Carrie was asleep, so I picked her up and walked slowly across the sitting room to the fire next to the stairs, Carrie's room. After placing her in her bed I went upstairs to my own room, and collapsed onto my bed with a sigh. I picked up my phone, seeing a few messages, and checked through them. One was my dad, asking when I would get home, two from Roxy and one from Peter.

Rox: you free tomorrow?
Rox: never mind I'm coming over anyway.

I snorted and sent yes, moving to sit more comfortably on my bed.

Peter P: sorry I had to leave

I knew he was busy, so I didn't answer, knowing he wouldn't reply either, and not wanting to distract him from whatever he was doing. Dropping my phone into my bedside table, something caught my eye. There were four Polaroids, that Peter had taken earlier. I picked them up and held them into the light, a smile over my features. Despite my earlier statement, he really wasn't the best photographer, two of the photos were a little blurred, and I was making a face in some, but I liked them regardless. The first one was Peter smiling at the camera, while I was looking at him, my mouth was half open, talking and I was unaware the photo was being taken. The second we were both looking at the camera, I was smiling and Peter was laughing. Then my face was scrunched up and Peter was kissing my cheek, and in the last one, we were kissing, frozen in that one moment and eyes shut. I didn't even know Peter took most of these. I propped up the photo with him kissing my cheek, though my face was funny. I put the other photos in a box in my desk drawer, and went back into the bed, a smile on my face. It was only eight o'clock now, so I put S movie on the little box TV on to of my dresser, snuggling under my covers to watch.

There was a tap at the window, and I flicked my eyes towards it, suspicions growing. The tapping came again and I groaned, unraveling myself from under my blankets and shuffling to the window in my fluffy socks. pulling open the curtains to see that my suspicions were correct. Peter was at the window, barely crouching on the window frame, his hands on either side of the frame. I pulled my window up and shivered, the breeze coming in cold and making goosebumps rise on my arms. I scanned his face for any sign of, injury but I found none.
"Peter." I whispered, and he smiled, eyes glittering in the dark.
"can I come in?" he said and I nodded, moving away from the window and wrapping my arms around myself.
"does May know you're here?" I says and he shook his head, shutting the window behind him, and bringing up the temperature a little.
"no, she saw me get home though, she thinks I'm asleep." I nodded and he eyes me carefully.
"were you asleep? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." he says and I shook my head, going back to the bed and pulling a blanket over my shoulders.
"I was watching a movie." I replied, sinking back into the pillow. Peter looked a little unsure of himself, so I took hold of his hand and pulled him in next to me. I shuffled over so he could sit, and he leaned backwards into the pillows next to me. I turned my attention back to the movie that was nearly finished, then lay my head on Peters chest, he put his arm around my shoulder and over my waist, and I drifted off to sleep.