"Think of a wonderful thought, any merry little thought! Think of Christmas, think of snow, think of sleigh bells off you go! Like a reindeer in the sky! You can fly! You can fly! You can FLY!" Amber sang at the top of her voice as she pirouetted across the hallway outside the bathroom. I opened the door, holding my toothbrush which was dangling out of my mouth.

"Amber! If you don't stop singing that song for the thousandth time, I'm going to push you off a plank!" I ranted crankily. I had wanted to sleep in today after my very first date with Matteo last night but surprise surprise, Amber woke me up at eight in the morning with that opera voice of hers.

"I won't stop until you tell me how your date went!" She hollered. "You came back at eleven! What did you do for five—" I shot out of the bathroom, covering her mouth.

"Do you want the whole neighborhood to hear you?!" I hissed. "Zip it and wait for me downstairs. I'm not talking until I get some breakfast in me."

"Fine," She said huffily and stomped downstairs.

"Go make sure you have enough pixie dust to throw on people tonight!" I shouted after her. I shut the door. Both of us were invited to our own costume parties tonight and we were looking forward to it in our own ways. As you might have guessed, Amber was going as Peter Pan. She stole the idea from Jules' Homecoming 'mermaid and pirate' idea. She had become obsessed with that song since then.

As for me, the golden boys invited me to be part of their spider-verse scheme—all four of us were dressing up as characters from the movie. It was the hot topic of discussion after homecoming since the boys were keeping their idea a secret and only intended to reveal it at the party. That, and the fact that Matteo and I were a 'thing' as the school's official couple was the headline of the week.

My mind went back to last night... I had had my very first date with Matteo! It was a good thing his cast finally came off.It was so amazing I was still over the clouds and had a feeling I'd be like that for a few days. It wasn't like any conventional date I've read about in books or seen in movies. And yet it was better than I could've imagined...

He had picked me up in his fancy gold coupe at six. I privately thought it was fitting—a golden car for a golden boy. He lowered the glass and looked me over in appreciation with that dreamy smile on his face.

"Wow, Shane was right. You are gorgeous," he said as I got into his car. I had decided to dress up a bit and wore a cute and girly printed V-neck white dress and a blue glittery wool shrug.

"Thanks. But did you have to take Shane's word for it? I thought you'd see for yourself," I teased him playfully. Gosh how I'd changed—two months ago, I'd have found it hard just to say two words to a male. Matteo gave me a confidence I never had before.

"Oh, it's not that I didn't notice—I mean, you're gorgeous, and I can see—I mean, I don't need anyone else's opinion—" Matteo seemed flustered and blushed at me. I giggled.

"I've never seen you ruffled like that, you're usually so good with words. I think it's cute," I flirted a bit. He regained his confidence and dazzled me with another smile.

You're the only girl who renders me speechless, Thea. But I can think of other things to do with my lips." He planted a quick kiss on my cheek. My smile widened.

"Such a tease... Alright, so where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. Just one question—do you like walks?"

"More than driving," I replied truthfully.

"Great. Then you're gonna like this." He looked excited as he started the car.

We drove to the outskirts of Boston into a farmland area. He finally stopped in front of a tall archway saying 'Cupid's Maze'.

"A maze? We're braving a hedge maze?" I asked.

"Trust me, the end is worth it," he said with a wink. We got out and he paid for our passes.

"We're the only ones here today so it'll be just you and me," he said as we entered the maze.

"Oh really? And what are we going to do with all this privacy?" I asked him with a sideways glance. He slid his arm around my waist and whispered in my ear.

"I'm sure we can think of a few... activities." His words sent flutters into my stomach and I felt my temperature rise. Wow, this boy could really light me up!

"So shall we?" He asked, slipping his hand into mine. I smiled up at him and nodded.

The maze wasn't too long though we did get stuck a couple of times. Most of the time though, we walked in silence, enjoying each other's company. I could feel the electric tension between us walking so close to him. My skin would tingle every time he came extra close to me despite us holding hands. It was an invigorating experience, one I thoroughly enjoyed since it was my first.

"So this is what it's like..." I breathed in an undertone.

"What's like what?" Matteo asked. Oh crap, he heard me!

"Er... walking through a maze. Yeah. It's my first time," I said, but I knew I didn't sound convincing. He stopped and turned to me, his hand coming up to my face.

"I don't think that's what you were gonna say. Come on Thea, tell me what you were thinking." He looked so alluring, asking like that...

"I..." my thoughts spiraled out of control as his molten eyes came into focus.

"Don't make me drag it out of you," he said huskily, his breath warm, and spellbinding on my face.

"What if I wanted you to?" I dared to whisper. A playful smile spread across his face.

"My, my, someone's getting adventurous. Well, I could pry it out of you with a little... persuasion..." his fingers glided across my jaw and down my neck while his other hand tightened around my waist. I shivered.

"But then I'd render you speechless and I'd never find out what you're thinking." He suddenly pouted like a puppy. I smiled dreamily at him.

"I was thinking about what it's like to be close to someone... I've never felt like this before," I replied softly.

"Like what, Thea? Won't you spell it out for me?" He asked, his voice low and sweet. Holy smokes, he was such a charmer!

"Like... when we hold hands... and I can feel my skin come alive..." I spilled out.

"Uh-huh..." he trailed his hand down my neck to my shoulder. It tickled like a feather and I couldn't help trembling a little.

"You're distracting me!" I laughed nervously. He grinned softly.

Maybe I should save this for another time," he said, taking my hand. "After all, I still have a surprise at the end of the maze for you." There's more? Of course, there's more, with Matteo there's always more.

We strode through the rest of the maze in silence but the burning tension between us was so high that my heartbeat never slowed down. I kept sneaking glances at his heartstopping face more than the hedges despite them being dotted with pretty flowers.

"We're here," Matteo said, stopping at last. I heard the sound of running water and turned. A lovely swan fountain under a leafy canopy stood in the middle of a wide circular opening in the maze. It was lit up by large fairy lights adorning a white wooden trellis wall around it.

"Oh Matteo, it's beautiful!" I said gasping.

"Does it take your breath away?" He asked. I nodded, too awed to speak.

"Now you know how I felt all this time every time I looked at you," he uttered so softly that it made me turn back to him quickly. I saw stars in his eyes as he gazed at me.

"Thea..." he leaned down pressing his forehead against mine. "I waited so long for you." He didn't need to wait any longer. I stood on my toes and pressed my lips to his. He responded with fervor as if he had been holding back, waiting for my permission. It was so sweet, so incredible, every time we kissed... but this time, there was no hurry, no interruptions, nothing. Just him and me, enjoying each other while our lips roved leisurely together against each other.

Last time we kissed this sensually, his cast had been a hindrance. We'd been making out on the benches after school one day...

Three days ago...

"Damn cast," Matteo muttered, pausing for a moment to frown at his cast. I giggled. I felt his disadvantage of being unable to hold me with both his arms with his cast between us.

"Won't it come off soon?" I asked.

"Tomorrow in fact. I'm getting it off in time for our first date. I can't wait to hold you then..." he said, sending flutters through my heart. I couldn't wait to experience what he would do with full use of both his arms...

Well, I finally found out. With two arms around me, Matteo could melt and mold me while gorging on my lips.

When we came out of the maze after a good hour of heavy making out and taking selfies, he took me to a little restaurant nearby, a quaint rustic place that served one of Boston's specialties—clam chowder! It was delicious even though it took longer than necessary to finish—Matteo and I wouldn't stop talking over dinner. I never knew a relationship could be so much fun!

After dinner, we drove to a lonely wide open field and sat in the car just taking in the landscape and twinkling stars that started to come out. The chatting continued, of course, we shared everything about ourselves together. We must have spent hours just talking, getting to know each other.

"So you've never done something like this before? Ever?" I asked in surprise when I found out Matteo had never actually gone on a date before.

"Considering the fact that I've only had one girl as my crush, no, I've never taken anyone out before."

"But you seem so good at this. You're a natural," I said, blinking. Matteo raised his eyebrows and looked pleased.

"You think so? Because I've been trying to impress you all night," he admitted with a sheepish grin. I leaned across the seat and kissed him with a smile.

"No boy has ever tried to impress me before..." I whispered. Our conversation ended abruptly there because we ended up making out passionately all over again for who knows how long after that. He dropped me off late that night.

"Thank you, Thea. For coming out with me," he said sweetly as I got out of his car. I smiled at him, joy bubbling inside of me.

"Thank you for the amazing night, Matteo," I said. He held my hand tight once more and I squeezed his through the window.

"So I'll pick you up tomorrow?" He asked.

"Sure. I'll be ready by seven thirty. Good night, Matteo."

"Night, Thea," he said wistfully as if he didn't want to leave.

Back to the present moment...

"THEA! IF YOU DON'T COME DOWN SOON I'M GONNA SMEAR MARMALADE OVER ALL THE TOAST!" Amber hollered at the top of her voice.

"Don't you dare! I'm coming!" I shouted back. I shrugged in disgust. Ugh, I hated marmalade. I sighed. I'd have to daydream about my wonderful first date some other time...

After battling for toast from Amber and finally giving in to her constant pestering to tell her about last night (I left out the number of times I made out with Matteo) a surprise arrived for me in the form of a parcel.

"It's here! It's finally here! I can't wait to see it!" Amber said, bringing the parcel up to my room.

"You're not even the one wearing it," I laughed.

"Yeah, But I wanna see it. Just think, a real live Spider-Gwen costume!"

"Hold your horses, let me get the box open," I said, carefully peeling the tape off. Amber pulled the box away from me in impatience and started ripping it with ferocity.

"You take—so darn long—to open stuff!" She grunted. Finally, she got the costume out and held it up.

"Wow! It's so spandex-y! And it has that leathery shine like in the movie!" She said excitedly. I took it from her, admiring the costume.

"I can't believe I'm wearing this!" I said, feeling nervous. "It's skin-tight too."

"Totally superhero style," Amber said with a swagger. "Go try it on!" I did, and when I came out of my closet Mom had joined Amber and clapped approvingly when she saw me.

"Very stylish, Thea. And beats the days when you couldn't get over ballerina and princess dresses. I lost count of the number of tiaras I bought for you..."

"Mom, please! That was when I was seven!" I said. She looked amused.

"Yes... those were the shocking pink days... Now I just have to wait for you to outgrow your 'tomboy' phase and then I can relax," she said with a glance at Amber and went out of the room. Amber and I laughed.

"Let's go show Dad our costumes!" Amber said.

"Yeah, and let's have a little fun teasing him with his costume," I said with a mischievous grin. Dad was dressing as Uncle Sam and his look consisted of basically the American flag.

"Ugh, his outfit's way better than his Elvis' look last year," Amber said with a shudder. "I never want to see Dad in a skin-tight white jumpsuit again."

"Agreed," I replied, ruffling Amber's hair.

~

Later that night, Amber and I were prancing to and fro in our rooms as we got ready for our parties. I put the mask and hood on for fun and would take it off later—why spoil the look, right?

Amber looked spritely as an elf in her Peter Pan outfit, a bag of gold glitter hanging around her waist. She also had a plastic dagger just like in the movie and brandished it at everyone.

"Beware! Beware!" She said ominously in a deep voice, hopping about as though she was flying.

"Go stab that thing somewhere else, Jules will be here soon," I said. Just then, the bell rang. I sprang up from the couch.

"That will be Jules," I said. I opened the door and there stood Jules in a purple acrobatic outfit complete with a short cape, gold metallic boots, and a pink wig done up in curls.

"So why don't we rewrite the stars?" She said, making a seductive pouty-lipped face. I clapped.

"Whoo! Jules, you're Anne Wheeler to the T! And those boots are smokin' hot!" I said in admiration. She did a twirl and bowed.

"Thanks. It's too bad I don't have a date anymore, though. Greg and I broke up. He wasn't my type, TBH. But now I'm sexy, single, and ready to mingle! And in this outfit, I might snag a hot guy at the party, right?"

"That's a definite possibility," I said, trying to keep from laughing.

"So, you and Matteo, huh?" She nudged my ribs and gave me a subtle smirk. "I must say, Gwen Stacy, you fill out that outfit very sexily. A certain golden boy won't be able to keep his hands off you," she said, waggling her eyebrows.

"Jules!" I said in shock, hoping Amber didn't hear. Too late, she was right behind me. She saw my red face and scoffed.

"Oh come on, Thea! I'm old enough to know how it works!" She said. Jules laughed.

"Just don't set any crocodiles on anyone," she said, admiring Amber's costume before turning to me.

"So what time are the boys coming?" She asked.

"They should be here any minute—Matteo told me to expect a convertible full of Spidermen," I said. "They agreed to drop off Amber at her party too."

"And I'll be along to pick you up at ten," Mom called out to Amber, passing by. She stopped and gave a smile to Jules.

"Very authentic, Jules. And you've got quite the figure for it," she said and went to the kitchen. Jules beamed.

"You know, that's why I like your mom. She's mod, she's hep, she's so in the know and keeps up with the trends!" I laughed at her statement.

"I bet she'd love to hear that," I said.

"Can we go now? I can't wait to leave!" Amber said, bouncing up and down the staircase.

"Matteo hasn't arrived yet. He should be—" A car honked outside as I spoke.

"That's gotta be them! Come on!" Amber said, streaking out the door.

"Don't forget to take your phone!" Mom called, coming to see us off.

"We'll be back by eleven Mom," I said, hugging her and going out with Jules.

The boys greeted us with wolf whistles, (well, Shane did) as we all took in each other's costumes. Matteo dressed as the original Peter Parker Spider-Man, Pierce was Miles Morales and Shane was Spider-Noir, which was ironic because Spider-Noir was so dark and broody and Shane was—the complete opposite.

"Spider crew away!" Shane whooped. Matteo took off his mask and smiled at me.

"I think I see why Peter Parker has a thing for Gwen Stacy," he whispered in my ear. I smiled, blushing under my mask.

"You're not so bad yourself, Mr. Parker," I whispered in his ear. I admired his lean-muscled chest which showed well against his suit. Boy, was I glad his cast off and his arms were clad in skin-tight spandex. He had really hot arms... Gosh, was I drooling?

"Peter Parker. Nice to meet you. Peter Pan," Amber said brightly to Matteo as she got into the car on my lap (it was a tight squeeze) and shook his hand with vigor.

"Well, hello, Peter Pan. I do envy your ability to fly. Swinging around on webs doesn't have quite the same pizazz," Matteo said cheerfully to her. She giggled.

"This one's a keeper," she said in my ear.

"Amber!" I hissed in shock, but Matteo only laughed. Phew.

"So is everyone buckled in? We're off!" Shane said starting the car. I glanced at Pierce, who was sitting up front all quiet.

"You look great, Pierce," I said, thinking he must be feeling left out.

"Thanks," he said curtly and shut up. I felt hurt; was he still upset with me? Would he never talk to me again normally like he did before?

🌹

Sigh, I'm starting to feel sad for my own character - my precious Pierce has been getting a lotta backlash and misunderstanding 🥺😞😟 I can't understand it, why can no one see what's been really going on beneath the surface... hope the next chapter clears things up. But be ready to have your socks knocked off coz baby, things are about to get fired up🥵🔥🩷

And btw, if you've read my book Walking Heartthrob, you'll know I'm a big fan of Peter Pan and can't resist throwing it in a couple of times 🤣.