"Hi, Peter. Harry and I are at Uncle Ben's. We're waiting for you. When are you coming back?"
Peter was caught off guard by the familiar voice. He hadn't spoken to Mary Jane in ages. Ever since Aetheris had encouraged him to pursue her, he had managed to steal a kiss but then pulled back, afraid that his identity as Spider-Man would put her in danger.
Meanwhile, with Harry's financial support, Mary Jane had launched her acting career and was now performing on a Broadway stage in the Bronx.
Peter had been struggling to juggle college, part-time jobs, and his responsibilities as the masked vigilante of New York—the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He was constantly drained, physically, mentally, and financially. His life had seen little to no improvement.
"Hi, Mary Jane. I'll be home in thirty minutes. Wait for me!"
Peter hung up, grinning ear to ear. He didn't know why she'd suddenly reached out, but that didn't dampen his joy.
He twisted the throttle, and his little motorbike roared down the streets, belching a faint trail of bluish exhaust as it weaved through the steel jungle of New York.
By the time he reached Aunt May's house, the sky had darkened. Streetlamps cast dim halos along the sidewalk.
"Surprise!"
As Peter opened the door, he was greeted by Aunt May, Mary Jane, and Harry, clearly having waited for some time.
"Welcome home. Don't you have something to say?"
Aunt May was dressed in formal attire, and Uncle Ben—though absent—had even laid out his suit and tie.
Peter blinked, confused.
"What day is it today?"
"Oh, Peter, it's your birthday. You forgot?" Aunt May asked in disbelief.
Her silver hair shimmered under the lights. She cupped Peter's face with wrinkled hands and gave him two loving kisses on the cheeks.
"You little scatterbrain!"
Mary Jane was wearing a pale lavender dress with floral patterns. The dress hugged her waist, highlighting her figure, while the hem stopped just above her knees, revealing smooth, fair legs with faint blue veins beneath the skin. She wore simple leather flats.
She strolled over slowly, her gaze brushing past Aunt May before resting on Peter. Flashing a radiant smile, she teased,
"He lives in another world, doesn't he, Peter?"
"Hi, Mary Jane," Peter said, his gaze momentarily locked in hers. Her beauty was almost too much to handle.
"Hey, man!"
Peter turned to see Harry. Though he'd lost his father, Aetheris's Stark Industries had taken over part of Oscorp, and Harry had walked away with a solid payout. He was doing quite well now.
"Hey, Peter!" Harry stepped forward, shook Peter's hand, and bumped shoulders with him.
"Long time no see!"
Looking at his two old high school friends, he hadn't seen in almost six months—Peter felt as if time had melted away.
Suddenly, he wasn't so tired anymore. Glancing at the glowing Mary Jane, he asked,
"How's acting going? I heard the reviews were fantastic."
Mary Jane tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled softly.
"It's going well. Pretty successful so far. Harry's sent me loads of roses."
"She's absolutely radiant," Harry added with a grin. Gone was the smug attitude; in its place was a calm, self-assured demeanor.
Peter's smile froze. The girl he liked was receiving roses from his best friend. That stung.
Even as a backup, he couldn't keep up.
Sensing Peter's disappointment, Harry draped an arm over his shoulder and led him to the side.
"What've you been up to lately? Why haven't you been answering my calls?"
Mary Jane, who had just started helping Aunt May, perked up at the question. She too had been wondering why Peter, once her loyal admirer, had vanished—no calls, no messages, not even showing up to see her perform.
She'd even begun to suspect he had someone new.
Peter scratched his head, unsure how to respond. Was he supposed to say he was working for her enemy's company?
Even if Harry didn't show it, Peter knew it would bother him.
So he lied.
"I've just been really busy with school and some part-time gigs."
"But I heard you scored a sweet internship at Iron Man's company?" Harry pressed, eyes narrowing.
"Uh, well, I ..."
Peter stumbled over his words. He had no idea how to explain.
"All right, let's stop with the questions," Aunt May interjected, trying to ease the awkwardness. She brought out a fruit platter and handed each of them a glass of lemonade.
"Oh, thank you," Harry and Mary Jane said in unison.
"I'll help with the snacks," Mary Jane offered and walked gracefully into the kitchen.
"So, Harry, what are you up to these days?" Peter asked as he sipped his drink.
"Not bad. I opened a bar in the Bronx not far from Mary Jane's theater."
Harry chuckled.
"Guess I'm putting my natural talent to use. Back to my roots."
When Peter heard that Harry's bar was near Mary Jane's theater, his guard immediately went up. Proximity had its advantages. Was his best friend making a move?
But then he reminded himself, he and Mary Jane weren't officially together. Even if Harry had already made a move or worse, slept with her. he had no right to be upset. He wasn't her boyfriend.
Damn. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he got. Without thinking, Peter smacked Harry hard on the thigh.
"Ah! What the hell, man?! Why'd you hit me so hard?!"
Harry yelped, clutching his leg as tears welled up in his eyes.
"What happened?" Mary Jane and Aunt May rushed out, alarmed.
"It's nothing, just messing around with Harry," Peter said quickly, covering Harry's mouth before he could say more.
Harry stared at him, wide-eyed and wounded, like a scolded puppy.
"You two are grown men and still this childish?" Mary Jane rolled her eyes. "You nearly gave Aunt May and me a heart attack. And you, Harry, stop yelling like that. If you scare her again, you'll answer to me!"
With that, she turned and headed back into the kitchen.
Peter finally noticed something was off.
"Aunt May? Where's Uncle Ben?"
"He's still working overtime at the company," she called from the kitchen. "He's the only one covering the warehouse tonight. Couldn't swap shifts."
"Still working that hard? Uncle Ben's almost seventy. Who hires someone his age for warehouse shifts?"
(End of Chapter)
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09