I Can't Make You Love Me || Peter Parker x OC

Chapter 4: Comedic Stalling

Anneleisa's perspective

The air was oppressively awkward, and the intimacy of the question he just asked me made me want to curl up into a little ball. Yes, for as twisted as my logic may sound, I was more comfortable cuddling on my couch with a basic stranger than I was confessing about my past to that same stranger. Peter was very sweet, and the fact that he was staying here at all made me start to think that there was something more to this. No one ever went out of their way to be around me, so there was something special about Peter and I. At least it seemed that way to me.

To be honest with myself, I never wanted Peter to leave me. If it meant that I had to chain him to my bedpost, then so be it. Not actually, obviously, but I wasn't going to let this be a one-time thing. I couldn't do that to my own heart; get attached to someone and let them leave me like everyone else. The problem was that I would have to tell him at least a portion of what had me so upset. I didn't want to start off whatever this was with a lie, but I also feared that if he knew that I was a Malcolm, he would run off at the next convenience.

"It-It's just a rough night for me, that's all. My parents aren't around very much, so I've been a little lonely pretty much my whole life. I mean, they love me and care about me, but they've been leaving on business trips every month for the past 5 years, so I really shouldn't be crying over it like this. I dunno, I just..." I didn't have any more tears to cry right now, and I was honestly thankful for that, because I really didn't want to start crying in front of him again.

"No, you have every reason to feel upset about this. What do they do that has them travelling so much? Maybe I just don't have full context of this, but I feel like that's a bit excessive. Especially for that long." Great. The occupation question that would seal my fate with Peter. Lie to him about what my parents do, and risk having distrust between us, or tell him who I am and risk him either stalking me forever, or never laying eyes on me again. The choice, as much as I hated to make it, was more than clear in my eyes.

"Just business stuff. They've been doing it since before I was born, but one of them would stay home with me while the other went away. I was 13 when they decided that I could live and get to school on my own. Now that I'm 18, well..." I raised my head up off of his shoulder and looked around. Our eyes met for a fraction of a second, and I felt the little bits of heat in my body rise subtly to my face. "They gave me my own place to justify me being alone, and here we are."

I drew my legs up to my body and sat my head on my knees. I tuned my head to face Peter, and saw a flurry of emotions behind his eyes. Mustering up some of the happiness that was slowly thawing inside of me, I turned my full attention to him and offered up a little smile. It strained my face uncomfortably to do that, but that's what made me realize that it was genuine. I wasn't faking my emotions right with him right now.

Worry and sadness danced behind his soft caramel eyes and I could see them sort into a more rhythmic pattern once he looked me in the eyes. I stretched the cramped-up muscles in my hand and felt around under the hordes of blankets that held us together, trying to find Peter's hand. When I felt a shock of warmth brush against my still mostly-frozen hand, I knew I had met my goal. His fingers locked in place with mine and his skin, protected by his suit when he was outside, was warm enough to give mine a good jump-start into warming back up.

A smile pulled its way onto both of our faces and we sat there for a long time in the least-awkward of silences that were humanly possible. Our eyes only separated when we blinked, and our hands never left the other's. It was about as perfect as I could wish for, and I knew that with everything in me, I was going to make this last, one way or another.

I don't know how long it took for me to do it, but at some point, the increasing weight of my eyelids caused my whole head to fall onto Peter's nearby shoulder. When my head first made contact with his exposed neck, he flinched slightly and then relaxed back into the couch, allowing both of us to lay at more comfortable angles. My body, previously in a tight little ball, unfurled itself and layed out in a more normal position. Newly extended legs came into contact with Peter's and all four of our ankles hooked together in a weird cross-hatch.