The Girl and the Superhero{Peter Parker}

Part 16(Kenzie's POV)

          I woke up to the sound of the rumbling of tents. I quickly changed into my outfit for the day and started putting away all of my things, careful not to wake Lucy up. She did about as well without enough sleep as I did without a book to read.

          After my side of the tent was put together enough, I stepped out, the cold air and gentle breeze whipping my hair into my face.

          I quickly ducked into my tent and grabbed Peter's sweatshirt, the warmth of the material and the memories instantly warming me.

          I went and sat by the lake again, unsurprised to see that nobody else seemed to be moving at all. The sound of the gentle waves and the chirping of the birds calmed all of my senses, leaving my mind to wander where it wanted to go— right back to Peter Parker.

          I replayed last night in my mind a thousand times, twiddling the sweatshirt beneath my fingers as if to check and make sure it was real. The smell of Peter's perfect cologne wafted out from it, just strong enough to be constant but not overpowering. It smelled as if Peter were sitting next to me again.

          I closed my eyes. The world inside my brain became my reality, and suddenly I was living last night and Friday night all over again. Each time I replayed them in my mind, they became more and more real. I could feel Peter's arms around me, protecting me from nothing and everything. I could sense the beat of his rising heartbeat as if I were leaning up against him again. I almost thought I could hear his quick intakes of breath. I heard him say my name a thousand times, and it felt as genuine as if he were saying it to me right in that moment.

          I opened my eyes, surprised to find that the feelings didn't vanish. I thought I heard Peter intake a huge breath, thought I felt his arm tighten around my shoulders. Was I going crazy?

          Then I realized everything I was feeling was real. Peter was sitting next to me again, his arm wrapped protectively around my shoulders. I looked up at him in momentary shock, my heart beating a mile a minute. He was looking down at me, a terrified smile stuck on his beautiful face, as if he were worried I would be angry at him for some reason.

          "G-good morning," he stuttered. "Sorry. I can move if you want, I just saw you sitting here and thought I would, um, I don't know, give you some company? I'm sorry, this is a bit much, I should have just—" Peter put his arm back to his side, looking extremely embarrassed and angry at himself.

          "Peter, you are totally fine. Everything about that was fine. You are totally good," I assured him. How powerful was my imagination that I literally couldn't tell it apart from reality for however long Peter had been sitting here?

          Tentatively, he raised his arm back up, and I scooted a little bit closer and settled into his strong form once more. I felt his heartrate quicken, mine joining right alongside it.

          "So, Kenzie, there is something I've been meaning to, um, talk to you about. Ask you, I guess." he amended, his voice shaky. His heartrate continued to rise, as if he were nervous to talk to me about it.

          "It's just me, Peter," I laughed. "Ask me anything."

          "Okay. Okay. Wow. I really don't know how to do this, so here goes absolutely nothing." he started. I felt my nerves build up, curiosity eventually overwhelming them. I looked up at him, raising an eyebrow, waiting in angst to see what he had to say.

          Seeming to have remembered something, Peter looked down to his side. Using his free arm, he picked up a small clump of various pre-gathered flowers that could be found around the campsite. He had used a long piece of grass to tie the stems together, making the different colors, shapes, and sizes of the flowers blend and cross. I saw reds, blues, and whites most prominently in the mix. Smiling sheepishly, he handed the small bouquet to me, and I lost any control over my breathing that I had previously had.