I Like me Better

To be drunk and in love in New York City

"Wow" you choke out, slowly turning all the pages. It was full of pictures that he had taken of you, some of them where you'd obviously posed and some that were completely candid. Flicking through the pages, you recognised one that he took when you surprised him with a picnic up on the roof. All of the stupid ones you took when you goofed around in bed. The one he pranked you with a surprise water balloon fight. One where the light from your night lamp illuminated the side of your face as you were studying.

"The first night we stayed up together to study for our finals. You looked beautiful, even if it was 2am" he says, seeing you look at that photo. But the best one was a photo he'd taken was on the first day you moved in, as you bustled around the kitchen with a coffee pot in your hand, hair up in a frizzy ponytail, a slightly dusty shirt and some old sweatpants.

"I took that after you told me to meet you on the roof with some coffee. That's the moment I fell in love with you. I just didn't know that it was love then". As the realisation of what he was saying set in, your heart beat faster, not completely believing what he was saying. You probably looked like shit, with your hair all messy and tears staining your cheeks but you needed him to say it.

"I wanted to say it to you first. But you beat me to it and I think that was way better" he said, looking at you with so much adoration and love in his eyes that it was almost impossible to believe.

"I love you Y/N. There's no way I couldn't" he admitted. The tears that you had been holding back since you two had walked home finally fell down your cheeks, dripping onto your lap as you smiled brighter than you ever thought you had. Closing the book as if it was the most delicate thing in the world, you slid it in the coffee table and clambered up onto Peter's lap, legs on either side of his. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you buried your face into his neck, holding him to you. His arms tightened around you, pulling you in closer and you felt him press a small kiss just underneath your ear as he hugged you back.

"God, I love you" you choke out, laughing through your sobs.

"Don't scare me like that again!" you whine, pulling back only to lightly smack Peter on the shoulder before hugging him even tighter. You can feel his light chuckle rumble through his chest and the content sigh he lets out as he holds you. You don't know how long you stay in that position, the two of you just intertwined together; a slight breeze flowing in through the open window and fire escape. Peter's hands roam all over your back, slow lazy swipes that almost lull you to sleep. Almost.

Your whole body was buzzing, heart so full that you thought it would burst at its seams. Silently you cup Peter's jaw, and place your lips gently over his, taking your time to kiss him slowly. Your mouths rove over each other's gently, almost reverently, exploring each other all over again. For some reason, sex had never been mentioned with Peter. The most you'd ever gotten to was a heated make-out session on the bed with your shirts off. But right now, you wanted more. Needed more. All the love songs made sense now. All the super cliche love quotes that you'd come across before suddenly resonated somewhere deep within you. You thought it was cliche when people said that they were complete with someone they loved. You always scoffed at couples that were always lovesick and yet now, you wondered how people in love weren't like that all the time.

Your breaths grew heavier, heat coursing all over your body; right till the tips of your fingers and toes. It was unbelievable how addicting a feeling could be. The incredible surge of power you felt when you heard Peter groan lowly onto your lips after your hands had snuck up his shirt.

"I love you" you mumble, needing to say it aloud again, almost to convince yourself that it wasn't just a dream. The words were like a trigger and you let out a little yelp of surprise when Peter hooked his arms under your thighs and carried you to the bedroom. He places you down on the sheets, the feeling cold on your back and climbs over you.