Is Love Enough?

Chapter 3

Walking up to his apartment building, Peter and Bruce walked up the steps and stopped in front of the door. Peter turned and faced Bruce, looking down while his hands fidgeted with Bruce's fingers.

"Thank you for walking me home, Bruce," Peter said with a small smile and looked up.

"Of course, Pete," Bruce responded with a warm smile, "Oh and here." Bruce handed Peter a napkin from that café with his number scribbled on it.

Peter took the napkin and held it with care, "Well I better go and get ready, I'll text you later Brucie," he said with a wink and opened the door and walked in, looking back to see a blushing Bruce still on the doorstep.

Peter chuckled to himself and couldn't get rid of the smile on his face as he walked up the stairs to his apartment complex. Peter walked through the door of his apartment, completely in his own world and forgot that Aunt May was home.

"So Peter, who was that out front? Your boyfriend?" May interrupted Peter's thoughts and startled him, giving him a wicked glare that was supposed to look like she cared.  

Peter froze on the spot and slowly moved the napkin into his pocket without her noticing, "Um, not really. I met him at one of my classes today."

May had a predatory look in her eyes as she slowly stalked towards Peter, "And I'm assuming that the person that texted me that he's coming over to pick you up for a "date" is a different man than the one you just came home with?"

Peter's heart nearly stopped beating, "W-well it's not really a date, were just um going to go get dinner. That's it."

May uncrossed her arms and rubbed her hands up and down Peter's arms, sending chills up his spine, "Oh, sweetie, it's good that your putting yourself out there. Go get ready, I'm sure he has a fun night planned for you."

Peter swallowed, trying to give his overly dry throat some moisture, and nodded his head ever so slightly. Peter walked past May and was about to open his bedroom door when she said, "Oh, and sweetie, don't plan on going anywhere for a couple of days. I booked us a spur of the moment vacation."

Peter slowly opened his door and closed it just as gently before sliding down the door and sitting there for a moment. Peter started to shake as he thought about what that vacation would entail, then his breathing started to become more erratic. He tried to keep calm, but he could only take in so much air, it's like his throat was closing up. Peter took in a gulp of air, then slowly shuddered it out, and repeated taking in big breaths of air and slowly breathing out until his breathing was somewhat steady again. Peter sat on the ground for another minute, his legs still shaking too much, then got up and walked over to his bed and sat on the edge of his bed.

This wouldn't be the first time that Peter and May took a "spur of the moment vacation" and Peter did not want to have another "vacation" like that again. It was after Ben's funeral. May locked Peter up in the apartment and beat him senseless for nearly a week straight. Everyday when she came home from work, she would give him some crackers and juice so he didn't starve then she would reopen the cuts she had made on him so they would scar. She had cut three rings into his left shoulder, high enough so he could cover it with a t-shirt. In the top ring, she carved R.P, in the middle ring, M.P, and in the bottom ring, B.P. They were the initials of all the people Peter had "murdered", his dad, mom, and Ben.

Peter absently rubbed the scar as he remembered that awful experience. Peter didn't want to waste anymore time so he got up and walked over to his closet and pulled out some jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black blazer. Peter walked to the bathroom in between his and May's rooms and put on some deodorant and tried to make his hair look a little less frazzled. He went back to his room and put on his clothes and sat back down on his bed and pulled out his phone to look at the time. Just as he shoved his phone into his pocket, there was a knock at the front door and May yelling, "Peter!"