Stubborn in Love

Chapter Forty Three

You spent the rest of the afternoon with Peter and the two of you used the time to just talk.

"So are things awkward, between you and Natasha?" Peter blurted out and you shook your head. "What do you think of her? Do you like her?"

"Um yeah, she seems really nice" you responded but he seemed like he was searching for more.

"Uhm. She's smart, beautiful, reserved and she also must be a bit of a coward" Peter's face fell when you said the last part. "No she's one of the bravest people I know... unless you like cowards but uh- why would you think that?"

"Well I'm assuming she put you up to this because she didn't want to ask me herself?" Peter just nodded and that confirmed your theory.

"I'm sorry, she just didn't want to be to pushy because you don't know her that well and she wanted to see if she had made a good impression so far and..." Peter started rambling so you cut him off. "I get it. Well you can tell her she did make a good impression and she doesn't have to worry so much, she's always welcome to talk to me." Peter smiled and nodded before the two of you changed the topic.

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"Is that it?" you nodded as you showed Peter the engagement ring that was hung on a chain around your neck.

"This whole memory mixup thing is really starting to confuse me but I have memories from right before the accident, when he proposed. It's so convincing, I remember everything I saw, felt, heard. It's really hard for me to believe that the night went any other way.

"Can I see it?" you nodded as you took the necklace off and handed it to him but as you did you heard that faint high pitched ringing.

"Do you hear that?" Peter looked around the room and shook his head. You gestured for him to give the ring back and you brought it closer to you. As you brought the ring closer to your ear you could hear the noise increase along with that pain in your head. Once there was a sharp, shooting pain you threw the chain across the room and the noise subsided.

You sighed in relief before once again questioning everything, starting with why and how the ring could be the source of the noise. Why it caused you pain.

After you calmed down, you picked up the piece of jewelry and threw it in your trash can. "Is that the thing that's been causing your headaches?" Peter asked, you nodded sadly while walking back over to the bed and lying down.

"I'm sorry, you don't deserve to be screwed over and told lies to. I mean they totally messed up your life. But if Luke hadn't broken up with you and you weren't kidnapped by hydra that night, then you wouldn't have gotten your powers and you wouldn't have met the team and dated Natasha..." Peter rambled.

"What? I was kidnapped?" Peter's eyes flew open once he realized what he just did, after mentally cursing himself he tried to fix the damage he had done.

"I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry that I just dropped everything on you at once but I guess something in my subconscious knew that you deserved the truth. I hope you can forgive me." You sat up and faced Peter.

"I'm not mad at you this is just... hard to process because what you told me goes against what I previously believed to be true." your gaze moved around as if you were reading something as you tried to make sense of this.

You felt like you were close to deciphering the truth when you heard it again. "Not again" you stayed in your spot hoping the sound would fade because you were no longer wearing the ring around your neck. "Are you okay?" you shook your head and Peter asked what he could do to help.

"Smash it, step on it, anything just make it stop!" you raised your voice as you pointed toward the trash can and Peter immediately got up and tried stepping on it but since it was a real ring he couldn't just smash it.

When he failed you gestured for him to give it to you before you asked him to take you to Tony.

"Mr. Stark we need your help" Peter got Tony's attention and by now the noise was starting to subside. "What can I do for you?" he asked and you handed him the ring asking him to get rid of it after telling him why and how you already tried throwing it away and stepping on it.

"Alright I can go do that right now" he walked off with the ring in hand and the two of you sighed in relief. What you didn't realize was that Natasha was lying down on the couch so you couldn't see her until she sat up.

"Oh hey Nat" you shot her a smile which she returned. You sat on the couch adjacent from her and Peter left, saying he had something to do, which was obviously a lie because he was going to spend the next hour with you.

There was an awkward silence as you both didn't know what to say and you thanked god when she opened her mouth to speak. "So how did he propose?" you wished she would've asked anything but that.

"Do you really want to know?" she shook her head with a smile creeping it's way onto her face, "No I just didn't know what else to say" you both laughed for a moment.

"Well it doesn't matter because it was a just the 'false reality story' or whatever you want to call it" she gave you a confused look, "Peter slipped up" Natasha nodded in understanding.

"I'm sorry, are you upset?" she sounded genuine. "I'm not upset with Peter or any of you. But maybe a part of me wishes that you guys aren't right and your lying to me"

"Why's that?" Natasha sounded a little hurt but also confused. "It's not because I don't like you guys. It's just that if you guys are right, then I don't think I can trust myself anymore. My own mind is working against me, do you know how scary that is? And now that I think about it, it also means that my entire relationship with Luke could be be a like and he was playing me like some pawn." you could feel her staring at you but you couldn't bare to look back at her because you felt embarrassed and vulnerable.

"Okay, obviously your not upset" she joked and you smiled at her attempts to lighten the mood. She stands up and extends her hand which you take and she leads you into the kitchen. "Alright we are going to take you mind off of everything" she explains as she begins to get out food. By the looks of it the two of you are about to cook dinner for the team.