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chapter fifteen
DECISIONS
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HARPER CLOSED THE DOOR OF HER ROOM BEFORE QUICKLY RUNNING TOWARDS THE WINDOW, OPENING IT JUST IN TIME FOR PETER TO LAND ON THE PLATFORM.

"Your parents?"

"Driving Taylor to a sleepover," she said as she let him in. "We got, well, considering New York traffic and the distance between buildings... about thirty minutes?"

He chuckled as he stepped inside. "That works for me. I'm dying to hear that speech."

Harper bit her lower lip as Peter joined their foreheads, his smile getting wider as he did so.

He traced the outline of her jaw with his thumb, resting it on her chin before softly pulling her closer to her, placing his lips on top of hers. The kiss began soft, yet reached a higher intensity as Peter gave a few steps forward, making Harper walk backwards until the back of her knees crashed with the bed.

Peter placed his hand on her waist before they both fell on the bed, him on top of her, his hand going lower, reaching her leg and stopping there, his lips leaving soft kissed down her chin, the jaw, and landing on the neck, he stayed there as Harper closed her eyes.

She run her fingers through his hair as he went to her collar bone, kissing it softly, the hand that he had on her leg now moving up towards the other side of her neck, and he didn't think he could wait another second. He loved being this close with her, he drove her insane.

There was no way to describe their relationship other that insanity, other than wanting to be with one another more than anything.

"Peter?" She called him in a whisper. He groaned, as if the sound of his name coming from her was the best thing he'd ever heard. "I love you."

Three words.

It sounded so distant. Like a dream fading as you are beginning to wake up.

He stopped, his eyes opening abruptly before placing both of his hands on his bed as a support, allowing him to lean back and look at her eyes from above, without crushing her with his body.

"What?" He asked, softly, as he looked into her beautiful blue eyes. Time was moving so slowly, he didn't even realize that it had been about a minute between what she said and his question.

She run her fingers through his hair once again, as they had remained there, and she couldn't help but to smile, realizing what had just slipped out of her mouth.

Because she was feeling it. And she just said it.

"Peter Parker," she said again. "I love you."

Peter raised his eyebrows before sitting down on his ankles, bringing Harper with him as he had been in between her legs and by following letting her sit on his lap. She was still smiling, and the only think Peter could think about...

I have no problem with you dating my daughter, Peter, what I have a problem with is my daughter dating Spider-man.

"You love me?" He asked again, almost not believing it. Realizing that trying to fidget both things, Spider-man and her without Detective Cohen finding out was going to be impossible if Harper was looking at him like that, smiling at him like that, loving him like that. "You..."

She nodded, moving a strand of hair that was blocking one of his eyes out of the way, taking it the beauty of his big doe brown eyes. "I do..."

Peter smiled. "Then... I... I gotta give it up."

"What?" She mumbled.

"I can't be Spider-man anymore."

She frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Everyday I'm Spiderman, my life is in danger, and by consequence that means you are in danger, and I can't put you in danger, Harper, because you are the most precious thing in my life and... I can't do it."

"Peter..." she called him as he moved his hands towards her back, getting her closer to him. "You don't have to do that for me."

"But I'll do anything for you, Harper," he mumbled as he joined their foreheads once again. "I'm yours..."

"I won't let you," she said.

"What?" He said. "It's my choice."

"Spider-man is what makes you happy, Pete," she said softly, taking a bit of distance between them and resting her hands on her chest. "I won't let you give that up."

"You make me happy."

"Not enough," she said, surprising him. "You need Spider-man in your life."

He narrowed his eyes. "What? You won't love me anymore if I'm not Spiderman?"

"Are you serious, Peter? I love that you are Spider-man, but I love you more," she whispered. "Spider-man is part of you as well. You help people. They need you."

"They need me? What about what I need?"

"And what is that?"

He moved his hands through her back until they landed on each of her arms. He did that circular movement several times, feeling that soft skin, smelling that sweet vanilla smell she had, looking at her eyes.

"This," he said softly. "I need this. It's you I need. This... how quickly my heart beats when you are near. That's why I can't lose it." She looked at him as he left a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. "I can't lose you."

"Then why are you pushing me away?" She asked. "We are a team. I'll help you fight the back guys and give you moral support and... fill you up with kisses and..." He shook his head. "Peter, what's wrong?"

Peter looked at her. "It's just this thing in my head. I can't choose. I can't choose between..."

She looked at him. "Between me and Spider-man," she finished. "Are you saying you can't have both? Or that you don't want to?"

He shook his head quickly. "No, I want to. I can't. I can't..."

"Peter, do you love me?"

Peter looked up, scoffing. "What? How can you ask me that?"

"Do you?"

"Harper..."

"Okay, then," she said, "I'll make it easy for you. Don't need to decide when you don't have one of the options anymore."

She got off his lap as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, giving him her back as she looked out of the window. She heard him stand up.

"Harper, it's not like that—"

"Peter, go," she said, opening the window for him. "You got what you wanted. Now go."

Peter looked at her. "Harps—"

"I said go!"

She turned around again, and she didn't even heard when he stepped outside and left.