Chapter 2: Heart Confusion

Peter didn't even hesitate to end the date with Mary Jane. It wasn't that he didn't love her, but after hearing the news that Gwen could be alive, he had to know the truth. He never got proper closure with her. Mary, although, picked up on the fact that it was a Gwen-related when listening to the phone call. She let Peter believe that she was totally okay with everything, but she was planning on following him and finding out the truth.

He waited there impatiently. He thought she would be there first. It had to be a joke, didn't it? What 'Gwen' was saying didn't make sense. How would somebody who died come back alive and well? While he was damn curious, he was more excited about the chance to see her again. He missed her beautiful blonde hair, big eyes, and smile that made his heart race every time he saw it. He missed everything about her.

"Peter," a whisper said.

He turned around, and he saw Gwen. It wasn't a joke, either. It was 100% his beautiful Gwen! The first thing he did was hug her so tight that tears started flowing out of his eyes. He wasn't the type of guy to cry for just anything, but Gwen was one of the biggest things he would ever cry about. Her leaving him... and now her coming back.

"How is this possible?" he asked weakly, choking the words out.

"I don't know," she told him honestly, pulling back from their hug. "One minute I wasn't even here, and the next one, I was in my room. I wish I could tell you how, but I can't."

"I don't care!" Peter cried, hugging her again. "Do you know how it felt for you to be dead in my arms? Do you know how much I struggled after you left? Don't you ever leave me like that again..."

"I promise I won't get involved in your Spidey missions anymore," she told him with a quiet laugh.

"Trust me, I want you there with me all the time, but I want you alive more," he said, pressing a kiss on her forehead. "It never occurred to me how much I loved you until you left me... I... I knew I loved you, but when you died, I could see what a massive amount of love I had for you."

"I love you, Peter Parker," she whispered, looping her arms around his neck before leaning in slowly to kiss him.

However, their lips were a centimeter apart when Peter stepped back and confessed, "Gwen, I wanna be with you again, but... I'm dating somebody else."

Gwen's mouth opened a little. She was struggling to speak. Peter had a girlfriend? A different girl? And if he chose to be with her then he surely loved the other girl, too. Possibly even more than he loved her. She thought that she could come back, see Peter, and everything would be the same again. But now he had a different girl in the picture?

"You know I love you, but I love her, too," he told her, which hit Gwen right in the heart. "I love her too much to hurt her like this. I can't leave her just because you're back now. We've been together for three months, and I love her so much."

Gwen's whole body felt numb. Peter had a girlfriend that he loved 'so much'. It killed her to know. She sort of wished that she never came back and saw that he had a girlfriend. She would have been better off not knowing that he was dating somebody else.

A loud car pulled up in front of the café. Both of them turned around and saw a redhead exiting it. Gwen didn't know who that girl was, but Peter did. Of course, everything wasn't going his way now. He knew the drama was about to begin. It was Mary Jane.

"Peter!" she yelled, running up to him. When she saw Gwen in person, her eyes widened. She mumbled, "Hi..."

"Hello..." Gwen awkwardly greeted.

"I'm Peter's girlfriend— Mary Jane's the name," she introduced herself with a smirk. "So, you must be the famous Gwen Stacy then, huh? Thought you were dead, babe."

"Unexplainable things happened, and here I am," Gwen quietly said. "You know what? You two probably have plans, and I'm invading. I'll get out of here so you can talk."

"You wouldn't even know the half of it, Stacy!" Mary exclaimed in annoyance.

With an awkward look on her face, Gwen left the scene. That wasn't how Peter ever imagined would happen if she came back. Back when he used to hope that she would return, back when he wasn't dating Mary Jane, he used to picture running into Gwen's arms, kissing her hard, and them being together forever. Then, he met Mary, who changed all of that for him.

"Mary Jane, what are you doing here?" Peter asked, shocked. "Did you follow me here?"

"I did, and I'm not ashamed of it, Tiger," Mary declared, folding her arms. "I'm not the one that did wrong. I knew this had something to do with Gwen, I just didn't think she would really be alive. And I sure as hell wasn't expecting my boyfriend to profess his love for her and almost kiss her!"

"You know I'm still struggling to get over her," he tried to justify.

"Yeah, but that doesn't explain why you were so drawn to almost kissing her," Mary argued. "And that doesn't explain why you would tell her you love her! You could say I still have feelings for you or something. But love? That's how you felt about her when she first died. Are you saying you're still in love with her now?"

"Mary Jane..." he muttered quietly. "I told her I love you, too. She was my first love, I don't know how to stop loving her. That doesn't mean I don't love you."

"Okay, well why were you drawn to kissing her?" Mary asked, still folding her arms.

"Because of the rush when I saw her again!" Peter cried. "I was so thrilled to see her again, and before I knew it, she was leaning in to kiss me, and I couldn't help but feel enough attraction to almost do the same. But I controlled myself and told her that I have a girlfriend. Isn't that what matters?"

"I don't know what matters, Peter," she sadly said. "This is just the beginning of everything. With Gwen back for good, imagine how your feelings for her will go crazy. I don't think I can do this anymore."

"Mary Jane, are you breaking up with me?" he asked, his eyes saddening.

"I can't be with you knowing that you're only half into it. I have to know that all of you is into it, and when I know at least a half of you still is with Gwen, how can I ever know that?" she tried to explain her thinking.

"Because the rush is over now," he declared. "I'm all in. It's not Peter and Gwen, it's Peter and Mary Jane. I love you, and I'm all in for us. I'm giving us my all."

"How can I ever be sure of that?" Mary asked, biting her lip.

"You'll be sure because you know me," he responded with a smile, before stepping forward and kissing her passionately on the lips. In a whisper, he said, "I love you, Mary Jane."