A distant lull of pop music played in the background as Gwen stood outside Joe's apartment door. The afternoon light streamed steadily, highlighting the worry and tamed anger on her stunning face. She impatiently tapped her foot against the wall as she occasionally looked at her phone. She wasn't checking at the time or waiting for replies but resisting the sheer urge to type away her temper against Joe.

Oh God, she missed him, but she just wanted to give him an earful right now. In addition, she wasn't just going to stroke his ego and inner narcissism that easily.

As Joe approached her, Gwen didn't let him be the first to talk.

"And the prodigal son returns. Where have you been, Joe? It's been two days since we parted, but you have never texted or called." Gwen crossed her arms as she glared at him. His good looks weren't going to save him this time around.

"Oh, Gwen. How are you? You don't know how much I have missed you." Joe ignored her question and widened his arms for an inviting embrace.

"Seriously? You never cease to be a jerk." Gwen uncrossed her arms; the fight she had been building up drained away momentarily. She then moved in and encircled her delicate arms around him.

As they embraced each other amidst the silence, Gwen inhaled his masculine scent as her head lay on his broad chest. Even though his heartbeat was heavenly music to the ear, she furrowed her brows. Her sensitive nose picked up another scent on him—definitely of a woman's. Her female instincts kicked in, and she abruptly leaned back.

"Where have you been?" She asked, her voice tight. She gazed up at him with a no-nonsense expression, saying, "I ain't taking no excuses or lies."

Joe blinked, briefly closed his eyes, and opened them again before sighing. "There is something I haven't told you since it's kind of embarrassing."

Gwen arched her brows, the intensity of her look unwavering. "Go on."

"A few days before mom's eternal departure, I, uh, got mugged when I was clocking out from my part-time modeling session," Joe explained with an awkward smile, but his eyes never left hers.

"My phone plus whatever money I had on me found new owners."

Gwen's face softened after hearing his side of the story. She hooked her arms around his neck and lowered his head to her shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me about it, you stupid lovable bastard?"

"Didn't I say that it's embarrassing?" Joe's muffled voice floated into her ears.

"It's not embarrassing when your safety is brought into the equation, Joe. New York jerks aren't that forgiving, and most of them..." Gwen began with a worried edge in her voice, the strength of her arms increasing.

"Sigh, I don't want to think about it. The world is truly heartless."

"Uh, Gwen..."

"Yes?"

"Have you ever heard of death by a hug?"

"Uh, Oh, sorry about that," Gwen quickly apologized as she loosened her arms and let his head go.

"You workout or what? I never expected you to be that strong," he inquired in amazement.

"It's all genetics. I have never bothered even to do a single push-up," Gwen proudly proclaimed.

"Alright, power girl," Joe laughed it off as he inserted the key into the keyhole before turning the knob.

"Let's go inside, Gwendolyn. We can't stand outside all day." He opened the door wide for her.

"Okayyy." Gwen pursed her lips as she sauntered in.

Closing the door behind him, Joe rummaged through his package before removing something.

"I bought you a chocolate bar. Consider it part of my apology." He waved the confectionery hypnotically, from side to side, like a pendulum.

"Do you always carry those for emergencies?" Gwen scoffed, snatching the chocolate bar from his hand.

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She opened it with practiced expertise before taking a slow bite.

"Ahh, chocolate never disappoints, unlike you." She happily moaned as she felt the sweet little thing melt on her tongue, needlessly provoking her taste buds.

"Ouch." Joe took the jab like a pro as if he was Tyson.

Dropping on the sofa, she carefully closed the chocolate before placing it on the small table.

"You know Joe? I am no longer angry with you for not pinging me. I can understand what you are going through. It's tough, but that's why I exist. I want to share those hard moments with you—to be there. Isn't that what friends are for?"

Joe comfortably sat beside her. "I might get emotional if you talk like that, Gwen."

"You won't," she smiled in a mock-stern manner. She then leaned her blond head on his shoulder.

"So you bought a new phone?"

"Yeah," Joe said with a sheepish grin as he removed a phone box from the bag. "It's the latest model."

He gave her the box. "Wanna open it?"

Gwen examined it for a moment before setting it on his lap. "Not interested. I want to know why you haven't answered my previous question 'yet'?"

"What question?" Joe blinked at her, pretending to be oblivious.

"Are you for real, Joe?" Gwen sat upright and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Who is she?" She blandly asked.

"For Christ's sake, Gwen..." Joe lightly chuckled as he stretched his arms at the couch's edge. There was a fleeting understanding in the blue of his eyes. How could he not realize what she was thinking?

"So you are curious about the foreign scent on my clothes, huh? Are you jealous or what?" He smugly grinned down at her.

Her fingers instinctively darted to rub the back of her neck, a nervous habit betraying the calmness she tried to project. "No, no, no, I'm not jealous. It's gross. I-I am just curious. Nothing else."

Joe laughed at her cute reaction, which set her cheeks on fire. "See? You are predictable."

"Just tell me who it was. Didn't we promise honesty to be part of our friendship?" She urgently insisted, overwhelming curiosity smoldering inside her pale blue eyes.

"Alright, I will fill you in on the details." Joe relented, and Gwen smiled in excitement.

"Her name is Carol. I met her at the store. Her troublesome cat was the link that connected us. It was love at first sight."

"Oh, I don't think I wanna hear the rest of your soap opera," a snide remark escaped her lips as she crossed her arms.

"That was quick. You have never lost interest in hearing my silly stories with girls," He briefly chortled.

"There is always a first for everything, right?" Gwen said while standing up.

'So her name is Carol? Poor girl, she doesn't know whom she has just entangled with.' she thought in pity as she headed to the kitchen.

Joe followed her.

"Today we learned something interesting from Dr. Connors," Gwen spoke over her shoulder as she opened the fridge.

"What about it?" His eyes twinkled with interest. Doctor Curtis Connors was a brilliant scientist who created the lizard formula in the comics, and it was also shown in the movie —The Amazing Spider-Man. Though his life's research revolved around reptilian biology, Dr. Connors' true passion lay in unlocking the regenerative healing properties observed in lizards. After losing an entire arm, it was without a doubt that he would strive to get positive results from his research and experimentation.

'While he indeed succeeded in creating a serum capable of perfectly synchronizing human DNA with a Lizard's regenerative genomes, the aftereffects turned him into a mini-godzilla.' Joe thought in amusement. But without a doubt, he deeply admired Dr. Connor's brilliance and daring mindset. Only in Marvel could random test tube serums in a lab get you incredible powers. There was so much potential in the field of biology.

Back to the present, Gwen took a bottle of milk and a couple of eggs from the fridge and placed them on the counter. She then began rummaging through the cabinets and selected a package containing all-purpose flour.

"He talked about Lizards, you know, the whole shebang about their cute regenerative biology." She singled out a huge bowl from the bunch of utensils.

"He has always been interested in that area," Joe said as he leaned on the kitchen doorway.

"It's called passion. I find it fascinating. If the professor cracks the code leading to potent regenerative healing, millions of patients will benefit from his research."

*Crack* She broke two large eggs in quick succession.

'I like how naive she can be sometimes,' Joe mused lightly. 'Always thinking about helping others. While I admire the nobleness behind her thoughts, the people in power tend not to think like that.'

"Do you think that's possible? Will others truly benefit, or will the breakthrough in regenerative healing be used to amass billions of dollars from the highest bidders?" He asked. "Just think about it."

"I don't mean to badmouth the professor's impressive efforts for the betterment of humanity. I don't think the higher-ups of a company like Oscorp would publicize something like that."

Gwen, who was in the middle of whisking the contents into the bowl, paused and stared at him. "Always the cynic."

"I am simply a realist." Joe shrugged helplessly.

"Can't you embrace idealism a little bit?" She smiled beautifully at him before she resumed whisking the contents into the bowl.

"Our current world isn't as idealistic as it seems," Joe said, his voice tinged with disappointment.

"So you are saying that you don't have noble dreams of being a hero to humanity like the web-slinger or the Iron Man?" She curiously asked.

"Nah, I just want to be a survivor in this increasingly turbulent world. In a fight between heroes and villains, who usually is the collateral damage?"

"Us and the property, I guess," Gwen sighed, stirring the batter intensely.

"While it's inevitable, I feel bad about it. Common people are the ones who suffer the most," she then added as she began greasing the waffle iron with cooking oil.

"Mom had mixed feelings about them while she was a hero herself," Joe spoke with a reminiscing tone.

"Haha, that's a woman of steel for ya," Gwen whistled softly.

A few minutes later, Gwen emerged from the kitchen with a warm smile as she carried two plates laden with towering waffles. Joe also tried to help her, but she refused, claiming that she was unshakable.

The duo then shared a meal at the dining table while talking about school matters and the events happening in the world. After they finished, they relocated to a more relaxing couch in the living room.

...

"By the way, I talked with Dr. Warren, the department chair, and told him your circumstances. He offered his condolences. He said you can return to school when you feel you have settled your psychological well-being," Gwen began as the two sat closely in the living space. A wildlife documentary was playing on the TV.

"What can I do without you, Miss Stacy?" He cuddled her as if he was hugging a teddy bear.

"Praise me more. Tell me how dependable I am," Gwen rolled her eyes while flashing a smug smile.

"Now's who's being narcissistic, huh?" Joe ruffled up her hair. Gwen playfully swatted his hand away.

"So what's your plan? You will miss out on many lessons, and you know how some units are a pain."

"I don't have any plan to deal with that, but I have another one that is going to set me for life," Joe nonchalantly said while poking her cheek.

"Did your cheeks get fat?"

"I suddenly feel offended. Just leave my cheeks the hell alone." She restrained both of his hands so he didn't think about retaliating.

"Now tell me about THAT plan that will set you for life." She gave him a 'bombastic' side-eye.

"What do you think about being my beta tester for this game that I have in mind?" Joe leaned his cheek against his fist, giving Gwen a thoughtful look.

"What?" She shifted in her seat to squarely gaze at him.

"Are you for real?"

"It can't get any more real than what I have just said."

"So what's the name you are going to give it?" Gwen smiled, excited about the prospect of being involved in Joe's game.

Although she wasn't a gamer like him, his game would surely interest her. Even if the game wouldn't be phenomenal, she would support him all the way.

"Candy Crush," Joe exposed a wide toothy grin. "You're gonna love it."

"The world is going to love it!"

…

[Words 2110]