Rain

Chapter XVII

Peter sat on his sofa motionlessly. He felt as though his limbs were made of steel and no were locked firmly on the floor. Therefore nothing he did could make them move. Not that Peter wanted to for that matter.

He sighed and managed to somehow run a hand through his messy locks. He flinched slightly when he realized that it was nearing two a.m. and he had yet to go to sleep. His blank stare then shifted from the clock on the wall to the ring on his finger. His mind could not believe that years ago this object had meant so much to him; that it had actually held so much power over him as to make him happy. Now, however, he felt nothing for it. No words could express the void that had been created inside of him two years ago when he had realized that his engagement was over. Ironically, to this day neither he, nor Ava had broken it off.

He smiled faintly as her name faded into darkness. It appeared his mind had finally started to wash away the wounds and bruises her betrayal had created. Peter would not deny the fact that, even though he had seen it coming, he still was not prepared for the final verdict. It still stung and hurt that he had been hoping against all odds that she would reconsider, that perhaps she would find it in her heart to fall for him once more. In the end, however, she had chosen the first person to ever pierce her heart, his teammate and dear friend, Danny Rand.

What was I thinking? After all, the two had feelings for each other during high school. If it had not been for that stupid accident, Ava would have immediately gone off to Danny. She would not have spent so many years on me if he had not pushed her away. And, as much as I hate myself for it, I probably would not have pursued a relationship with her if Sam had not left.

Peter's eyes widened. There were so many what ifs. Had his relationship with Ava turned out to be a horrid what if scenario that had come true? It seemed so as much as it pained him to admit it. After all, if Danny had not hurt her and Sam had not dismissed Peter's confession of love and the night they spent together as though it were nothing, Peter and Ava would not have been forced to turn to each other.

Peter sighed. Now that he thought about it, it seemed his relationship with Ava had not made things better. It had actually made things worse. Would his life have been better if he had not proposed to her or at the very least if she had turned him down? Different, certainly, but better? Probably not. In all honestly, Peter knew that despite its poisonous side, his relationship with Ava had had its perks as well. After all, it had served both him and Ava as a remedy. With a small smile he noted that he had nothing to be sorry for. He had loved her. She had loved him. He had needed someone. So had she. They had merely sought each other out and had welcomed the inviting warmth those that truly held their respective hearts had denied them.

With a frown and slight pang Peter realized that he could not blame Danny for anything. It was true that he and Ava had probably done things behind Peter's back, but he was certain that the two had never taken things too far out of respect, love or guilt Peter did not know. The only thing he was certain of was that this team had suffered far too much and it was high time he put a stop to it.

That was the reason why he carefully got up, feeling slightly lighter than the first hours after Ava had left him alone. Peter walked toward his coat and pulled out his phone. He sent a text to Sam, asking him to meet him at a small café near the place Peter worked. Peter apologized for the misunderstanding that had probably occurred between them and promised that he would explain everything to Sam tomorrow. He had not specified a certain time, choosing instead a time frame – from 8 a.m. to 9. That way even if Sam did not come immediately, Peter would at least be able to hope that his love interest would have enough time to reconsider and would arrive later. After all, later was better than never.

It was strange not going to sleep all night Sam mused as he fished out his keys and unlocked his front door. He could not wait to shower and go to bed. It had been another tiresome shift at the club and Sam was glad that it was over. At times like these he wondered why he tolerated such sometimes inhumane working conditions. The hours were ungodly. There were times, like the last shift he had finished, for example, when he had been forced to work from eight all the way until closing time which was somewhere around 7. The only perk was that the payment was quite higher than normal. And as much as Sam hated to admit it he still had yet to find a proper job with his just finished bachelor's degree. With a sigh of reassurance he remembered that he had not actually searched properly. He had done a few independent projects and jobs now and then, but he had yet to build a reputation. It seemed that it would take some time.

He fished out his phone and frowned. He did not remember switching it off. With a huff he realized that he had not. His battery had died. Again. And as much as Sam loved his phone no matter how good he was at fixing old pieces of equipment, he was not a miracle worker. He could not bring the old device back into the land of the living for all eternity. With a roll of his eyes he stepped into his apartment and looked for his charger. He was happy once he found it and plugged the phone in. The screen lit up and Sam smiled. It seemed he would not have to start looking for a new phone any time soon. Sam then went to his room, undressed, grabbed a towel and went to the take a much needed shower.

Sam was rubbing his head with a smaller towel, while had another one wrapped loosely around his hips. He had not bothered to get dressed. Instead he decided he would have breakfast first and then catch up on sleep. Just as Sam was about to start searching for eggs and a pan he saw that his phone was shining more brightly than it was normal for when it was charging. Sam frowned, but walked toward it anyway. He opened the screen and his eyes widened, then narrowed when an all too familiar name flashed on the screen.

New message from Peter Parker…

Sam did not know how to react. If he said he had not been hurt when Peter had told him he was engaged, he would be lying. If he denied he had been angry, he would again not be telling the truth. However, as much as it pained him, he could not help but feel guilty. He had left Peter, not vice versa and as a result Peter had moved on and was obviously happy. Happy enough to propose to his partner and wish to spend the rest of his life with them, his mind jabbed. It reminded him as well what Sam had planned to do. He was here to start anew, but had then decided to make amends and that was exactly what he was going to do. That was the reason why he opened the message and read it.

Suddenly he froze and looked at the clock. It read 8:25 a.m.

Peter tapped his foot impatiently. He had been waiting for a little over an hour and Sam had yet to come. Perhaps he had decided not to or had not read the message. There was also the possibility that Sam had come, seen Peter and left, deciding not to trouble himself with the past any longer because that was all Peter meant to Sam – a piece of the past, a memory he would rather discard, then recall.

With a sad sigh Peter noted that the clock now showed 9:15. He had been waiting for Sam for almost an hour and a half and he was through. With a pang in his heart and slight clench of his fist, Peter fished out some money and threw it on the table. He then stormed off toward the exit. He stopped in front of the door, hesitating. He turned back, looking at the empty table and noting that the money had disappeared along with his third glass of decaf. Peter then sighed, turned around and opened the door. He did not wait for it to close, nor did he look back. He simply walked briskly, ignoring the shouts of his name, trying to convince himself that he was imaging it.

Suddenly he heard heavy footsteps, no running behind him. He stopped and, despite his better judgment, turned around. What he saw made his heart stop. In front of him stood a panting Sam, cheeks flushed and lungs obviously hyperventilating from the fact that they had been pushed to the limit and beyond most likely.

"Sorry… I'm late." Sam managed to say in-between pants.

Those four simple words made every trace of anger inside Peter disappear. His face broke into a grin as he laughed and raced forward and crushed Sam into an embrace.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show.

A/N: Thank you everyone for the love. Please know that every review, follow, favourite and hit is appreciated. I am sorry for the long wait. I hope it was worth it.

Until next time,

~ QueenofRhymes ~