Babysitting a Superhero (Stark's daughter X Peter Parker)

36. Guilt Doesn't Shrink, We Just Grow

Dark Paradise - Lana Del Rey

And there's no remedy for memory
Your face is like a melody
It won't leave my head
Your soul is hunting me and telling me
That everything is fine
But I wish I was dead...
Every time I close my eyes
It's like a dark paradise
No one compares to you
I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side.

At the end of school day, Amara and Peter walked to the subway together. They had laced their hands together and were listening to music through Peter's earphones.

When it was time for Peter to get off, he said bye, and kissed Amara's hand. She was smiling to herself, the rest of the way home, trying her best to ignore that sinking pit of guilt buried in her stomach.

"Amara? Is that you?" She heard a voice as she stepped out of the elevator and placed her bag down to take off her shoes. "Can you come here?" She then figured out that it was Natasha.

"Yeah, one sec," she said pulling her second shoe off and picking up her stuff again.

She walked into the kitchen where her voice had come from.

"I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me, got it?"

"Yeah," Amara nodded sitting down, opposite Natasha.

"Why were you so interested in my date a few days ago?"

"What do you mean? I can't take an interest in my friend's life without seeming suspicious?" Amara replied.

"And thats the truth?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, doubtfully.

"As much as I'm willing to give, yeah," Amara nodded.

"Okay, I'm not exactly convinced, but I need to talk to you about something."

"Go on," Amara urged.

"I've noticed that Steve's been acting kind of weird around me for a few days..."

"Really?" Amara asked, pretending to think about why that might be.

"And I think it might be because he likes me," she continued.

"What? That's insane!"

Then Natasha turned to Amara, eyes narrowed as she stared the girl down, "And I also think that you knew about this."

Amara's eyes widened, "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Natasha said raising her eyebrow.

"But-how-"

"I'm a trained spy, remember? Lies are what I'm best at," she said.

Amara knew there was no point in trying to argue with Nat, "Okay, fine. But you have to swear that you won't let anyone know that you know about this... or even worse, that you found out from me."

"I don't have to promise you anything. You hid this from me," Natasha said.

"I know! But I had a responsibility to my friend."

"Relax! I know how close you are with Steve. Of course, he'd come to you, and of course you'd keep it a secret."

"Okay, so now you know the truth, what do you think? You and Steve?" Amara asked, sheepishly.

"God, you never stop, do you?"

"I'm a wingwoman, it's what I do," she agreed.

"I don't know. I've never really thought about it, or about Steve, in that way."