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“Miles? Miles!”
Miles was abruptly brought out of his thoughts by the sound of someone calling his name. He turned to see Gwen looking at him, a small amount of concern on her face. The two were currently sitting on top of a rooftop chowing down on a couple of burgers. It had become a tradition for them. They would alternate hangouts between each of their universes. Swing around, stop a few crimes, and then finish the day off by finding the nearest, greasiest food choice they could find.
“Are you alright,” she asked him. “You’ve barely touched your food.”
Miles sighed. He’d tried not to let it show but clearly, that hadn’t worked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just…” he trailed off.
He felt Gwen slide closer to him, bumping his shoulder with hers.
“Come on Spider-Boy. Tell me what’s up.”
“Man. Spider- Man . Why do you always forget that?”
She just laughed at him. And he couldn’t help the smile that came to his face in response. Which he imagines was her goal in the first place. It loosens his tongue.
“So do you remember how I was telling you about the new art gallery opening up at my school? And how the faculty members were going to select a couple of students to display some of their work?”
“Yeah.”
“Right. Well, my professor told me earlier today that I was one of the students chosen…”
He was cut off as Gwen launched herself at him, wrapping him in a hug. The force almost sent both of them falling off the ledge they were perched on.
“That’s so amazing,” he heard her gush into his ear. “I’m so happy for you!”
Miles blushed and rubbed the back of his head as she pulled back and beamed at him.
“Yeah, uh thanks. I’m pretty excited about it. At least, I was. Until my professor told me that they wanted me to create an entirely new piece.”
“Why’s that a problem?”
Miles kicked the back of his foot against the building, feeling the frustration of the last couple of days bubble back up.
“Frankly? Everything I come up with sucks . I’ll start sketching something and then it just won't turn out the way I envisioned it. And I’ve only got a week before the opening. I’m worried I won’t have anything to show.”
“You’ve been thinking hard about this huh,” she questioned, sliding a bit closer to him. Miles tried his best to ignore the stutter in his heart as she did. “Maybe a little too hard.”
‘Yeah, maybe you’re right. There’s just so much going around in my brain that it’s hard to settle on something.”
“Then stop using your brain.”
Gwen laughed as he turned to her, an incredulous look on his face.
“You’re gonna have to explain that one to me. You don’t want me to use my brain?”
“That’s not exactly what I meant,” she clarified. “I just meant that there’s something else you should use.”
“And what would that be?”
She reached over, putting her finger on the left side of his chest.
“Your heart.”
The combination of her touch and the softness in her voice stunned Miles into silence.
“It’s always been your strength. You’ve obviously got a good brain and I’m not saying don’t use it. But you’re at your best Miles, when you follow your heart. It’s what I admire most about you.”
She was way too good for him sometimes, Miles thought to himself. He had gained a ton of confidence in himself over the past couple of years. But he was still prone to having episodes where he doubted himself. And Gwen was always right there to lift him back up in those moments.
“Thanks, Gwen. I needed to hear that” he told her.
“Anytime, Miles.”
Miles dropped his marker onto his desk and leaned back in his chair, letting out a prolonged groan.
“I’ve got nothing,” he said aloud.
He’d decided to get an early start to his work and he’d been up since the early hours of the morning. But it was now past noon and he still hadn’t come up with anything viable. He was running out of time.
“Calm down Miles,” he stressed to himself. He thought back to what Gwen told him. His heart. Use his heart. He’d been trying to do that all day but his brain was just too loud. He needed to find a way to turn it off, just for a little bit.
He looked to his left, spotting his ever-trusty headphones. He grinned, grabbing them and placing them over his ears. He felt the noise of the outside world disappear. He scrolled for a bit before pressing play on a song and closing his eyes.
Hummingbird, summer song
Has it brought my life back?
As it played, Miles could feel the noise inside his own head start to fade as well. All the worry and anxiety melted away until the only thing he could hear was the sound of the music and the beating of his heart. Almost in perfect sync.
Pen pal on a night shift
She's who I get away with
Realising she might
Be all I need in this life
As he listens, images start to appear in his head. Tall buildings. A pink sky. And a blond-haired girl, with bright blue eyes and a wide smile. And suddenly, he knows.
His eyes snap open, his hand grabbing his markers and hurriedly sketching out the image he just saw, trying to get it down before he loses it. He spends the rest of the day working, time lapsing so fast that when he’s finally finished, nighttime has well and truly set in.
He looks down at his drawing, a pleased expression on his face. It might be his best work yet.
“Miles, why are we sneaking into your school? In the middle of the night!”
Miles just laughed as he led Gwen through the doors of the art gallery, having unlocked them using a key he’d swiped from an unsuspecting security guard currently asleep at a desk. A key he fully intended to return, by the way. Just as soon as they were done here.
“I told you, I wanted to show you what I made for the opening.”
“I know that,” she replied sarcastically as they walked in. “But why couldn’t you have shown me at the actual opening?”
At this, Miles blushes, scratching his cheek.
“I-I just wanted it to be the two of us, you know?”
He sees her cheeks gain a pink hue as well at his rather open response.
“You’re too sweet,” she mutters softly, grabbing his hand. “Alright, lead away.”
He grinned, interlocking their fingers and pulling her along. They passed down a couple of corridors and made a few turns before Miles abruptly stopped and turned to her.
“Ok ok hold up. I want it to be a surprise! Would you mind covering your eyes?”
Gwen rolled her eyes but she complied, taking the hand that wasn’t holding his and placing it over her face. Once he was sure she couldn’t see, he carefully guided her the rest of the way, making sure to avoid running into anything. When they finally got to the wall that held his artwork, he moved behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and maneuvering her so that she was right in the center.
“All right, you can open your eyes now.”
He heard a very audible gasp come from her lips as she saw what he created. It was a massive portrait of her, from their conversation a few days ago. Sitting on the rooftop ledge, with the cityscape looming behind. He had taken great care with it, perfectly capturing every detail. The moonlight coming through the windows bathed the entire thing in a soft, white light. It was ethereal.
“Miles I-I…,” her voice trembled as she tried to find her words. “It’s beautiful. ”
“Thank you,” he said sincerely.
“But why? Why did you decide to paint…me?”
“I followed my heart. Just like you said,” he answered. “And it led me to you. You inspire me so much Gwen. I’m really lucky to have someone like you in my life. You’re smart and strong, and kind, and funny and so many other things. You’re breathtaking . In every sense of the word. And, I don’t know, it just felt right to me that I try to capture some of that so that other people could see what I see.”
Gwen turned to look at him when he finished his confession. There was the faintest hint of a tear in her eye but the smile on her face let him know that she wasn’t upset.
“You’re amazing, you know that,” she whispered to him before leaning up and pressing her lips against his, wrapping her arms around his neck.
The shock of the action caused his brain to freeze. Luckily, however, his heart stepped in and smacked it back into working order. He circled his arms around Gwen’s waist and pulled her closer, returning the kiss with all of the passion that he had.