I can't help falling in love with you (again) | PeterMJ

I Dont Have Much Luck Talking To People.

Peter Parker hasn't turned up to the café in a week. It's almost new years eve, so I'm hoping he turns up for a holiday coffee. After he left, upset. He just hadn't returned, something big definitely happened and I was worried. It's a little weird to be worried about a stranger, but the way he left wasn't entirely positive. It was almost the end of my shift, and it was dark. I wanted to get home, read a book and sleep. Then he walked in.

I smiled at him, and he smiled back. "Peter Parker." I mumble to myself, this shift just got better. "What can I get you?" I ask as he walks to the counter.

"The usual." He spoke, he had the note in his hands again. "Look, I feel bad about last week, I just don't know what came over me."

"It's fine, people have their moments." I say getting his order sorted.

"I also have something to say."

I stop what I am doing and stand face to face with him. "Okay..." I was a little confused but I allowed him to speak.

"MJ, this is going to sound crazy but I love..." He paused. Again. I noticed he looked at the necklace smiling, and also tearing up? Weird. "...your necklace."

"Thanks. I've had it for a few months now, I got it on my trip to Europe with my High-school in the summer. It was a present from someone, I think it was this secret admirer or something. It's broken, but I still love it." I explain as I begin to continue making his order.

"You weren't wearing it last week."

"You noticed?" I looked back at him, and he nodded. "Oh. The chain broke while ice skating. I fell and someone ran over it, my friend bought me a new chain for it. I didn't want to lose the charm, I love the thing." I finished the order. "It's a black dahlia."

"Like the murder." We end up saying in unison. I placed the order on the counter. It's weird that he knew exactly what I was going to say again, but I admired that we had something in common. We exchange smiles.

"Exactly like the murder." I say, he pays as usual. But then he does something different. He sits at a table; that was new.

"Michelle. You can go on your break, fifteen minutes." I hear from the back room, I stand there and think about what to do for a moment. Whether I should sit with Peter, go to the back and read a book, or grab myself a discounted donut and get some fresh air.

I walk out from behind the counter. I am not one to initiate conversation, or even attempt to make friends with someone, I don't really have that much luck talking to people, or getting close with them. Customers fine, get it over and done with but initiating conversation was a big 'No' for me, so this is a really big step.

I pull out the chair across from Peter and sit down, there's a moment of silence, before it's broken with "I'm finished with work, I've got a break before we close." But I couldn't just leave it at that, that was too awkward. I look to the floor for a moment trying to think of something else to say, but felt too awkward so I stood up, "Sorry, your a stranger and I-"

"It's okay. It's nice to have company." Peter spoke, gently grabbing my wrist as I slowly sat back down. "So..." I Could tell he was thinking of something to say. "MJ, what does it stand for?"

"Michelle Jones-Watson." I say. "But I don't use Watson. I just prefer Michelle Jones, or rather MJ." I say. "Peter Parker..." It rolled off the tongue as if I'd said it 1000 times before- I probably have, but this time it just felt right. I was going to continue the sentence but got lost in the train of thought, thinking about a goddamn name.

"What?" He spoke, taking me out of my trance. "You said my name."

I had to be quick. "That's your name..." that was obvious because he's said it many times before. "...right."

"You have written it on my coffee cup." He says. I look down in embarrassment. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry. I don't really know how to talk to people."

"It's okay. I sometimes can't either." Why is he so oddly confident about this? He seems so content with the conversation he did have his awkward moments, but he was so confidently helping me along.

"I'm sorry." I go to get up again.

He just chuckled. "Stop saying sorry, I don't mind the awkwardness." He grabbed my wrist again and I looked down at the hand, I looked up at him, he had a friendly smile across his face. I felt a dip in my stomach not really knowing what it was.

"You're a nice person Peter." I say, I don't sit down, neither do I remove my arm from his grip. "Seriously." He made me feel appreciated, and I definitely see a friendship brewing with him. When I finally removed my arm from his grip he also stood up. Possibly the closest we've been ever, it's always been across a counter.

"Michelle!" I hear a shout from the kitchen. "Michelle! I'm going to have to cut your break really short, I need your help back here."

"I have to go."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Peter says, grabbing his drink, and a piece of paper that I didn't even know had been on the table between us, he folded it, stuffing it in his pocket. I feel like it's been the same note the whole time, it's very crumpled and ripped in the corners.

"You better get that letter to whoever you're going to send it to before it turns into nothing." I say. "Unless you're still writing it. Then go ahead."

"Michelle!" That pierced through the shop.

"You better go, she really needs you."

"Yeah bye." I say before I rush back behind the counter into the back room. This always happens, they say the breaks are 15 minutes, and if it's any more than five, unless it's a lunch break it's a miracle.

I was sitting in a park, waiting for my friend group to arrive. We had a science project to work on together, it wasn't snowing, and oddly sunny for a winter day. I had my laptop out and was typing a few things up as I waited, of course I was the first there.

I felt an arm wrap around me. "I heard, MJ. That you have a little crush brewing." It was Betty.

I push her off "No I don't." I continue typing.

"Come on. Ned told me." I glanced at her, she had a sweet smile on her face. "Come on, tell me who it is."

"I don't have a crush on anyone." I say, I don't. I don't really do relationships.

"Then why did you talk to me for an hour straight about that coffee guy you met 3 weeks ago." Ned said as he sat down.

"You've known him for three weeks and you're already talking about him as if you've known him for years."

"I thought that was 3 minutes." Was all I could say at the moment. "I don't have a crush on a coffee guy."

Then the discussion began, about nothing science related. I was between the pair so they were practically talking over me, about me... which didn't feel great. They were gushing over the fact I "finally had a crush." I was at the point where I just feel as though I should've never talked about Peter.

"She's in love."

"She's definitely in love."

I just wished they would shut up. We were here to talk about the science of Physics not the science of love. I just looked into the distance as they spoke. There was nothing really I could say to make them stop, they were great friends but I was feeling immensely uncomfortable and my anxieties were rising.

"He's weird but he does seem nice though."

"Does he? So you've met him?"

"Guys." I mutter. Looking at the pair. They carried on talking about it. "Guys." I get louder, hoping they'd hear me. "Guys!" I am practically on the verge of shouting at this point. "Shut! Up!" I say as I slam my laptop shut. It fell silent. "I appreciate your interest in my happiness, but I'd rather you not talk about it as if I'm not there. I do not have a crush on that coffee guy. He just fascinates me, and I see a possible friendship coming out of it, nothing more. I also understand you're excited for me to finally get into a relationship, but it's not going to happen. Now can we get onto the science project. Please?"