waiting for a hero.
Peter and I stand hugging in his living room after he showed me the present.
“I love you, Peter,” I say as I pull out of the hug, trying to soften my serious tone.
“I love you too, Eleanore,” he says grinning that goofy smile I have grown to love.
I stand 2 steps from him and look up to him, like always. He takes one step forward as the apartment door opens and I take a large step back. May walks in holding her purse and I turn towards her, hands removed from Peter’s and now shoved in pockets.
“Eleanore! It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you conscious in this apartment,” she says laughing and hugging me.
“Hi, May,” I say blushing at the comment about my consciousness. “I was just about to take my present back my place.”
“And I was going to help her,” Peter said stepping towards me.
“I’m fine, Peter, I’ll message you telling you I got it home safe,” I say looking into those puppy eyes again, restraining myself to stop from kissing him.
I grab the marquee, it being lighter than I expected, lifting it higher than I meant to. I walk out, Peter and May waving at me. I carry it up the stairs, regretting not going up the fire escape.
I arrive home, hearing the TV blasting Aunt April’s soaps. I open the door and walk to my room, the marquee now feeling heavier than before. I set it on my desk and turn it on, and grab for my phone. I panic as I don’t feel it in my pocket and noticing my backpack is gone too.
I hear a knock on my window, looking up to see Peter grinning while holding my bag and phone. I open the window and let him in.
“Did you forget a thing or 2, or a backpack full, when you left so quickly?” he said teasingly.
I snatch my phone from him and tell him to put my bag on my bed. He walks towards me, stopping two steps away.
“Where were we before May came home? About here?” he said taking a step forward and looking down on me.
“I was about to do this,” I step forward and look up at him, feeling his breath on my skin.
He places a hand on my face and I put my hand on top of it, leaning into it. I go onto my tiptoes and feel his lips against mine. I lean into it happily, losing my balance, forcing him to have to lean down.
“What are you doing to me, Peter?” I say looking curiously into his eyes placing my hands on his face.
“I could ask the same of you, Elle,” he looking back into my dull green eyes and kissing me once more.
We stand in each others arms for the second time today. Peter looking down at me with curiosity and love in his eyes.
“I need to go, I told May I’d only be a minute,” he says, a hint of sadness in his soft voice. He kisses me once quick and climbs out of the window, closing it behind him.
I lay on my bed, brushing my lips in disbelief of the events that just happened. I close my eyes and drift off.
I wake up, checking the time.
2am.
I get lost in my thoughts and pull on a sweater. I go to the fire escape to see Peter. I knock on his window and look into the dark room, when I don’t get a response, I sit on the cold fire escape and text him asking where he is at this hour. He doesn’t reply but, I find myself staying there. I start to drift off when I hear a subtle thwip above my head. I look up to see, to my utmost shock, Peter swinging toward me wearing the suit of the masked crusader I’ve been obsessed with since he first arrived.
I see shock on his face as he tries to swing away and I jump onto his back. He swings desperately trying to get to safety. He eventually swings back to the fire escape we originated off of. I get off of his back and look in hurt and confusion into his big brown eyes.
“Eleanore, I can explain,” he says frantically.
I just shake my head and continue to stare at him.
“You? It’s been you, this entire time?”
“Me. The entire time. I am so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, God, I wanted to,” he steps forward to put his hand on my face and I step back and run into the end of the fire escape.
“You were different than I wanted you to be. But you’re what I needed you to be. Who cares what you do in the dark of the night, in the light of the morning you’re mine,” I say quoting my script, tears flooding my eyes.
“Peter, why didn’t you tell me, you can trust me,” I clutch my sweater closed tighter, as if it would help against the cold of a New York winter.
“I couldn’t trust myself, Elle. ‘All I want is for you to be safe and sound, waiting for me when I get home.’ I couldn’t risk telling you, unsure of your safety,” he quotes, swiftly, right back to me.
He takes 2 steps towards me and grips me close to his chest, but not before I saw the tear rolling down his cheek in the dimness of the old, gray moon’s light. I shake in his grip, happy and upset all at once, a flurry of emotions.
He opens the window and pulls me in with him.
“Stay here tonight, please,” he said holding my hands in his.
“Fine,” I say bluntly and walking away.