Central Park in New York was bustling with people taking a stroll on a weekend evening. The cool breeze of the late autumn sunset was refreshing, and the afterglow shone through the branches onto the green stone floor, as though a fire was set on ice. Young couples in love considered stepping and setting their foot at the same time as a testament to their connection. The sound of their shoes hitting the ground was faint.
"Peter, you seem to be under a lot of stress lately. Is your research project not going well?" Gwen asked, smoothing her hair behind her ear and turning her head to look at Peter.
Peter just held Gwen's hand in silence. After a while, he finally responded in a slightly dazed way, "The project is going smoothly enough, it's just that I've been working overtime recently, so I'm a bit tired."
"You can't fool me." Gwen shook her head and said, "Whenever you're troubled, you tend to zone out. And when others call you, you can't hear them. Just now at dinner you spaced out several times."
Peter didn't say anything but just pursed his lips. Gwen glanced at him without further probing. Though Peter was tense, she could see from the relaxed muscles around his eyes that he let out a sigh of relief.
Guilt soon ensued. Gwen was so understanding, she never pushed him to answer any question, and keeping secrets from her seemed particularly selfish. So Peter started to explain.
"I have been a bit troubled. And since Doctor Shiller left, the conversation for this week was canceled. I don't know who else I can talk to," he confessed.
" Have you seen Harry recently?"
Peter looked at Gwen with some confusion, wondering why she'd ask such a question. Gwen laughed and said, "Do you really feel that down, like you have to go see a psychologist? Why not talk to a friend?"
Peter realized what she meant. He gently squeezed Gwen's hand, led her to a bench by the road, and sat down, propping his face up with one hand. "It isn't really about seeing a psychologist, Doctor Shiller is my friend."
"I may not know much about psychology, but I do know that Doctor Shiller is a very accomplished psychologist. We both know that some professional habits are hard to avoid. So, it's inevitable that his advice to you during your conversations will have some professional undertone."
Gwen took Peter's other hand, placing her hand gently over his, and said, "But sometimes, you don't need professional advice."
Gwen turned her head to look at the sunset at the end of the sky and said, "Doctor Shiller is a mature adult. Sometimes maturity is good as it makes people feel safe, as if no matter what happens, if you consult them, they can definitely give you a reliable answer."
"But sometimes, sadness isn't resolved by the right answer. I just hope someone can understand my grief from my perspective, genuinely comfort me, or even curse the people who hurt me. It doesn't matter if there's no solution, maybe after a sleep, I'll figure it out myself."
Peter started to get lost in thought again, but his momentary blankness wasn't due to a sudden wave of anxiety. An unexpected feeling of nostalgia washed over him. He remembered squatting on top of a building with Harry who angrily cursed those who disparaged Spider Man on the internet from his phone.
Peter remembered telling him that he didn't mind because those people didn't know the full truth. As he thought about it now, an indistinguishable sense of satisfaction and relief rekindled within his heart.
"You should really give him a call. I hear that he had a quarrel with Mary Jane not too long ago," Gwen said in a slightly gloomy tone, "you know, Mr. Osborn is not very keen on the two of them…"
Gwen didn't continue but worry started to pile up in Peter's mind. He waved his fist in remorse and said, "Good God, what have I done? It must have been a month since I last saw him!"
Peter quickly stood up, then looked apologetically at Gwen. Gwen moved forward and gave him a light kiss on his cheek. Peter was no longer shocked or shy as he would have been before. They had become accustomed to this level of intimacy.
Peter just held her gently, resting his chin on her shoulder. Gwen patted his back and said, "You better go now. I have to help my other self study for credits later."
Peter started to chuckle. Gwen feigned annoyance and pushed him away. She gave his arm a little pat and turned to leave.
Peter took a step forward and held Gwen's hand. He hugged her tightly before releasing her and waved goodbye.
As night fell, a nimble figure landed on the roof of the Osborn Tower but didn't stand directly in front of the roof exit. Instead, he sprinted to the edge of the door.
Another figure emerged from the rooftop door. Harry wore a light camel suit, his hair styled with gel, shoes spotless, the luxury watch on his wrist glinted brilliantly under the moonlight.
"Look who it is, our indomitable little CEO Osborn!"
Spider Man descended upside down from above the door in his classic posture, his jesting voice cutting through the silence.
"Get out of the way." Harry sternly moved Spider Man aside as he walked to the roof. After adjusting his tie, he put his hands in his pockets and stepped onto the edge of the roof.
Spider Man walked up to him, leant on Harry's shoulder with his elbow, and said, "I bet you're upset because your best buddy hasn't contacted you for a month. How many times have you scrolled through my contact list?"
"You seem quite pleased with yourself!" Harry crossed his arms, turned around, looked at Spider Man, and said, "You could chat with the columns at the entrance of the Osborn Tower but not send me a message in a whole month!"
"But the columns at the entrance of the Osborn Tower are more straightforward than you, haven't you also not texted me?" Spider Man walked to the edge of the building, crouched on the stone edge, drooping his hands between his legs, overlooking the night view of New York.
Harry had no comeback for that and just mumbled, "To think I once thought you were a tongue-tied nerd and worried that you wouldn't make friends. I toured you around just to make you feel loved!"
"Oh, hey, don't be like that, Harry." Spiderman turns his head towards his friend, instinctively saying, "You have no idea how hard it's been for me recently, I'm on the brink of losing my mind."
Stunned by his own remark, Harry steps toward him, wide-eyed, saying, "What do you have to be upset about? You've been in the spotlight lately."
"It's nothing to do with that." Spiderman waves his hand dismissively. Once you start talking about something, it's hard to stop. His hands and head droop in a gesture of despair, then he says, "It's about Gwen's dad... you know him — he disapproves of us. I mean, he definitely disapproves of his daughter dating Spiderman."
"At first, I was running and hiding, playing two roles, even faking alibis to allay his suspicions. But once work picked up, I stopped pretending, fearful every day he would find out."
"I've had nightmares for days. Dreams of Gwen crying, but I dared not tell her. The worst was when I dreamt of Gwen falling from a tall building, just like the other Spidermans warned me."
"I was terrified beyond measure, spending sleepless nights running about on rooftops, or secretly watching her from a distance at her home, not daring to look for too long, in case George found out."
"Doctor Schiller gave me a piece of advice. I knew it would work, but I didn't want to do it. I knew I wasn't the kind of person to get what I wanted no matter the means. If I did something on my conscience, it would just make me feel worse."
"I've been sleep-deprived for a while. In early last month, I had joined a new project group and lost my naptime. I found myself dozing off while working."
Harry widened his eyes, asking, "Last month? It has been going on for two months?"
Peter nods, and Harry angrily replies, "And I had no idea about it! Why didn't you tell me?"
Caught off guard, Peter opened his mouth, but before he could reply, Harry continued, "You've been seeing a psychologist and didn't even come to me. Are you thinking that I am completely useless?"
"Of course not." Spiderman quickly tries to correct himself: "I, I just..."
Unable to come up with a reason, Harry scoffs and says, "Either you think that I'm useless, or you completely forgot about your good old friend Peter Parker!"
The mention of his full name made Spiderman wince. Rubbing his arms, he said, "Let's talk this out, stop mentioning my full name. It reminds me of my aunt."
Just as Harry was about to continue, Spiderman responds, turning towards him with wide eyes on his mask, "You didn't tell me when you and Mary Jane had a fight. Have you forgotten about me as well? Harry Osborn!"
Harry shudders at his full name's mention. He finally loses it, showing a bitter expression, "Stop calling me by my full name, it reminds me of my dad. He's been calling me thrice every day recently."
"Because of your relationship?"
"God, don't use 'relationship' in that context. Are you some gossip journalist? My name appears three times in the paper each day lately."
Harry couldn't help but squat down at the rooftop's edge in a less-than-elegant pose, wrinkling his neat suit.
"As you know, Mary Jane is a somewhat popular actress. At first, she was only acting in Broadway plays. But with the advent of technology, the Stark Group introduced all types of holographic screens, and movies hosted online became more popular. This led to a downturn in profits for theatre performances, forcing many stage performers to switch careers."
"Late last year, her agent suggested that she try her hand in Hollywood. Given her looks, she successfully auditioned for the female lead role in the latest '007' movie. After the movie was released, she gained some fame."
"Isn't that great?"
"Fame begets misfortunes," Harry sighed deeply, "Within three days, our dates got pictures taken by paparazzi. Someone even recognized that I'm the heir to Osborn Group."
"That was it — everyone started saying that Mary Jane has hooked up with a rich man, claiming she got her female lead role through favoritism. The lead actor's fans were displeased, accusing her of stealing the limelight. The production team had to come forward to clarify, and her agent had to scheduled a press conference for her."
"We didn't mind it much. But these absurd reports somehow reached my dad. You know how old-fashioned he is — even though Mary Jane and I were dating before she got famous, my dad insisted I was 'sponsoring' a female star."
Harry looks up in despair, "I've been nagged at every single day for the past few months. Fortunately, Mary's already joined a new casting group. If she happened to run into my dad, it would've become a real mess."
Spider hugged himself tighter and hesitantly asked, "Are you sure Uncle Osborn wouldn't send someone to find her?"
Harry slowly turns his head to glare at Spiderman and says, "Stop talking nonsense, will you!"
"Doctor Schiller said Mr. Osborn could do literally anything to achieve his goals…"
"Enough! I'm going to call Mary now."