Chapter 60: Please… Listen to Me!

The Parker House — Late Afternoon

After the events in Times Square, Peter had finally returned home. He had finally been able to greet Aunt May and use the excuse Gwen had prepared for him about Harry. After taking a nice shower, he simply put on a pair of boxers, long black shorts, a loose white T-shirt, and a pair of white socks.

He then headed downstairs to the kitchen, where he poured himself a large glass of apple juice and drank it with great satisfaction. It had been so long since he'd had any that he ended up pouring himself several more glasses.

— "It's been a while since I've had juice. This feels good."

Suddenly, someone rang the doorbell.

— "Could you get the door, Peter?"

Still sitting comfortably on the couch, Aunt May gave him an adorable little wave. Peter poured himself one last glass of apple juice before casually heading toward the front door, his glass still in hand.

The moment he opened it, he froze completely. Standing in front of him were Gwen, Harry, Miles, Anya, Liz, and Sally. Only Flash was missing, still serving in the military.

— "Hey, Peter!"

For a few moments, Peter simply stared at all of them without knowing what to say.

— "Uh... hey? Mind telling me what you're all doing here?"

— "Well, we're—"

— "Oh, Peter, let them come in!"

Using a playfully authoritative tone, Aunt May got up from the couch and slowly approached the group.

— "I'm the one who asked Gwen to invite them over."

— "Uh... but why?"

— "What do you mean, 'why'? They're your friends! And besides, I wanted to meet them!"

Seeing the broad smile lighting up Aunt May's face, the teenagers discreetly exchanged glances. They were happy to see that their presence seemed to make her so genuinely happy.

— "Come on, Peter! You already forgot who we are or what?" Anya teased.

She stepped up to him and lightly punched him on the shoulder, wearing a smug grin. Normally, Peter would have answered with a joke or an awkward remark.

But this time, he remained silent.

The teenagers then began entering the house one after another, with Anya leading the way. Wanting to make a good impression, she set aside her usual provocative attitude in favor of a calmer, more mature demeanor, accompanied by a warm smile.

— "Nice to meet you, ma'am. My name's Anya."

— "It's a pleasure to meet you too, my dear."

Next came Miles, Liz, and Sally, each introducing themselves in turn. As for Harry, May already knew him.

Meanwhile, Gwen gently took Peter by the arm and led him outside, away from everyone's eyes. She wanted to use this opportunity to finally have a real conversation with him...Or at least, she hoped she could.

— "...How are you?"

— "...I'm fine."

For what felt like an eternity, the discomfort between them hung heavily in the air. Gwen searched for the right words but couldn't bring herself to say them. She was afraid that a single clumsy sentence might upset Peter even more and end the conversation before she even had the chance to explain herself.

When Peter saw that she remained silent, he turned his back on her with a cold, indifferent expression and started walking toward the front door. Refusing to let this chance slip away, Gwen finally forced herself to speak.

— "I know that lately... things have become a little complicated between us. The money problems and... your relationship with Eddie, which also seems to be affecting ours... I don't want things to stay like this. I want us to go back to how we used to be. I want us to be able to talk, to listen to each other, and to understand one another. I want to understand YOU. I want to understand what's happening... and why you've become so... distant and cold."

She remained motionless, her eyes fixed on him, determined to make him understand how sincere she was. She waited for a reaction. An answer...Anything. But nothing came. Peter remained perfectly still, his back still turned toward her. Faced with that silence, Gwen spoke again, this time in a softer voice.

— "Eddie told me about Emma."

The instant that name left her lips, Peter almost flinched. Despite his apparent composure, his body had betrayed him.

— "We went out for a drink, we talked... and he told me about your childhood... and about that girl."

She hesitated for a few moments before continuing.

— "And I want you to know that—"

— "So even after everything, you're still talking to him? You're still hanging around with him?!"

His voice had suddenly hardened. He spun around sharply toward Gwen, who instinctively took a step backward, completely caught off guard.

— "Yes, but I—"

— "'Yes, but I...' what? Huh? What?! What are you trying to say?!"

Exactly what Gwen had feared had happened. She hadn't even had the chance to explain herself before Peter had already become aggressive again. She slowly lowered her eyes and, after several seconds of silence, tried once more to speak gently.

— "Peter... all I want is—"

At that exact moment, a vibration interrupted their conversation. Peter's phone had just received a notification. He pulled it from his pocket and quickly glanced at the screen.

A new supervillain had just been spotted in the city: a man wearing a flying armor that resembled a beetle was spreading panic. Curious, Gwen looked back up at him. Peter immediately slipped his phone back into his pocket, and his expression instantly closed off.

As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over.

— "Peter—"

— "You know what, Gwen?"

He looked into her eyes one last time.

— "We're sick of you. Leave."

The words hit Gwen like a punch to the chest. Their relationship had been falling apart for some time now, but Peter had never spoken to her like that before.

His tone...His eyes...Everything made her feel as though she no longer meant anything to him. Tears immediately filled her eyes before slowly rolling down her cheeks.

Despite the anger still burning inside him, Peter felt a stab of guilt when he saw her crying. Unable to hold her gaze any longer, he handed her the still-full glass of juice, turned his back on her, and simply walked away from the house, leaving Gwen alone with her pain.

— "Peter... please... listen to me!"

He didn't stop. He kept walking farther and farther away until he disappeared from her sight. At that very moment, Aunt May's voice echoed from inside the house.

— "PETER! GWEN! ARE YOU TWO COMING?!"

Gwen quickly wiped her cheeks, took a deep breath, and tried to swallow her emotions.

— "I-I'M COMING!"

Before going back inside, she took another deep breath, forced a smile onto her face, and resumed an artificially confident walk before opening the door and quietly closing it behind her.

— "Huh? Where's Peter?"

— "He... he said he wasn't feeling well. He needed to go for a walk... and get some fresh air."

— "R-Really...?"

TO BE CONTINUED.