After Lena has finished tidying up, MJ and I move with her to the cash register to pay and, although MJ wants to pay because it was her idea, eventually I convince her to let me do it since I'm the one whose hair was cut.

With the promise that I would no longer cut my hair on my own, Lena makes me pay less than what she usually asks and she gives me her availability in case I want her to cut them again in the future.

Once we are finished, the three of us leave the salon and, when Lena asks what we will be doing now while she locks the door, I tell her that Mj and I are going to dine at a restaurant chosen by MJ.

I would like to ask her to come with us, so that it becomes more difficult for other intimate situations to arise between me and MJ, but, as if she had guessed my intentions, Mj precedes me when I am about to propose it to Lena.

As MJ hugs my left arm, she tells her friend that we have to go now, since the time for our restaurant reservation is coming up, and she's sorry we can't spend the rest of the evening with her.

From the expression that Lena makes following those words, it is clear that she has understood what MJ wants to say to her, therefore, to support her friend, she tells her not to worry. 

According to the girl, she couldn't have joined us anyway, since she's meeting her friends tonight, so we decide to meet again on Halloween, since Lena and her friends are having a party that night, and spend time together during it.

After saying goodbye to Lena, MJ and I return to the redhead's car and on the way to it, MJ pinches my arm and she playfully scolds me for trying to invite her friend to dinner with us.

"On another occasion, it wouldn't have bothered me if someone else had joined us, however today I want to be alone with you, so don't think that you will escape me, little tiger." MJ says and then she gets in the car.

Once I get in the car, we only take a few minutes to get to our new destination, which turns out to be a Chinese restaurant.

When we enter, we are greeted by a waiter who asks us if we had booked a table tonight and, after MJ gives him her name, the waiter takes us to the table once he has confirmed the presence of the reservation.

I initially thought MJ was joking about her not liking her last name, however, since she booked using her first name instead of her last name, I'm starting to think she was sincere.

'Something definitely happened with her family. If I remember correctly, MJ said that the men she owes money to are friends of her father, could it be that the two things are connected?

I would like to understand her situation better, to be able to support her, however I promised her that I would not ask her any questions about that...'

After having sat down at the table, the waiter who accompanied us there gives us each a menu and then, after we tell him what we wanted to drink, the waiter leaves to bring us the two bottles of water we asked for.

***

"Well, I'd say you had a lively day yesterday ahah."

"Lively is an understatement, but even these discussions are the beauty of being part of a theatre company. Yet compared to what you did yesterday, it must seem like nothing really happened."

"I don't think I've had a busy day like yours, I spent the morning at school and the afternoon I went to help Dr Connors' colleagues at the lab, that's all. It had been a boring day." I explain to her, hoping that her allusion doesn't mean that she might know something about last night.

Unfortunately for me, I just need to see the expression MJ makes when I finish my summary of yesterday to understand that my hunch is correct.

"You're forgetting that in the evening, at an auction house where they were auctioning the confiscated assets of Wilson Fisk, you risked your life to take some photos of a terrorist attack that happened there for the Daily Bugle. It was definitely a boring day..." MJ says with an ironic tone while she takes a dumpling in the plate in front of me with her chopsticks.

"What? Why do you think I took those pictures? I'm not the only one taking pictures of Spider-Man. There are other photographers who work at the Daily Bugle like me and there are also freelance photographers who sell their photos to Jameson."

"You're right. Since there's no name or names of who took those photos, it could be anyone. What a fool I am for assuming it was you... So, little tiger, are you implying that, after talking to Liz last night, you took some pictures of the auction and then you left before those thugs arrived? In that case your timing would have been strangely perfect" MJ replies after enjoying that dumpling as if that were her prize for putting me in the corner.

'Liz? Are the two of them still in contact? Since Liz for some reason told her I was there, I'd better find a convincing story instead of denying it further. I don't want her to think I was one of those thugs.'

Meanwhile I quickly ponder what to say to her, MJ chuckles as she looks at me intrigued, until she decides to resume speaking.

"Don't worry, Petey, you don't owe me an explanation. Just as you never asked questions about what happened a few nights ago, I won't ask you any questions about last night either. I brought this up just to see how you reacted, I don't care what happened. The only thing that matters is that you're okay, and fortunately I found out you were safe shortly after I heard what happened."

"And how did you find out I was okay? Did you come into my room while I was sleeping to see how I was doing?" I joke, to understand what she means with those words.

"It was one of my ideas, but I held back, ahah. Anyway, you let me know by answering my messages last night, silly."

"Your messages? - Wait, you mean the messages you sent me yesterday around midnight?" I ask after a sip of water.

"Yeah, I wasn't really up studying at that time, that was just a way to see if you were okay. If I had asked you explicitly, you probably would have lied to me. Since you had no problem answering my questions at that time, after everything that had happened, it meant everything was fine and I could reassure Liz."

When I discover the reason behind those messages, I am initially amazed by the sneaky trick used by MJ, however, after thinking a bit about it, I notice that there is something wrong.

Although her reasoning makes sense, this method still leaves some doubts, like another person to the messages or something else, yet it seems that MJ only needed that to be 100% sure that I was okay.

'Probably one of the reasons she wanted to meet me is-'

"What are you thinking, little tiger?" MJ asks with a smile that would distract anyone from the inquisitive look she has now.

"Nothing, MJ. I was just thinking how weird it was that Liz was worried about me. It's strange to think that a person who never considered me would ask someone else about my condition."

"Petey, anyone with a heart would be concerned if a person they know is likely in danger. Although Liz may seem like a self-centered person, or as you call her, a queen bee, did you think that she would completely ignore the fact that something might have happened to you?
If that's what you think, even if your opinion is conditioned by the argument you had with her, you would disappoint me."

"No, it's not that. Although I was a little annoyed by what she said, I realized that very often Liz gets carried away by that queen bee character she plays, so I did not give any weight to what she told me. The reason I feel weird about this is because it's not often that someone is worried about me, so it makes me feel weird to hear it, especially if it's someone like Liz who's never been interested in someone like me. I'm sorry if you two were worried about me."

"You don't have to apologize for this, Petey, and even if you want to, I'm not the person you should apologize to. After all, I knew you were okay almost immediately, so I wasn't worried like Liz."

"I see. Are you sure you weren't worried? I thought that one of the reasons that made you come to see me when I finished work was to personally check that I was okay."

"We met this morning before going to our schools and I saw that you were fine, so why do you think that?" Mj asks intrigued after placing her elbows on the table and resting her head on her joined hands.

"Because I realized that behind those jokes and that carefree girl attitude, there are various facets, one of them is that you are a curious and observant person. After learning about what happened yesterday, simple messages could never dispel the questions that were running through your mind, and even the fact that we ran into each other this morning didn't help. 

Like you said before, even if you asked me I could lie, so when I was stripping in the dressing room you took the opportunity to see if there were any wounds on my body and appease your curiosity, am I wrong MJ?" I say and then I eat another dumpling.

After my reconstruction of the facts, Mj and I stay staring at each other for a while, until at some point I notice that in MJ's eyes is now present that strange glint that I had seen when she looked at me after my haircut.

When I notice that thing, our staring contest ends. 

Mj raises her hands up to the ceiling as a sign of surrender and, although she points out that her decision to spend time with me after work is not just for that reason, she admits that she peeked in the dressing room both to see my physique and also to see if I was hurt, just as I had guessed.

"I expected someone as smart as you to notice it, yet I didn't think you would decide to address the issue directly. I thought you were gonna play dumb, waiting for the spotlight to move away from you, but I was wrong. Apparently the little tiger really started showing his claws..."

"You're exaggerating, it was simple reasoning. Anyone could have guessed it if they thought about it a little."

"This is where you're wrong, Petey. Do you know why Liz or other people never really care about you? Simply because you tend to hide from others' eyes and you discredit yourself if they notice you or something you have done. Sometimes you do it intentionally, sometimes unintentionally. 

My impression of you is that of a poker player who, despite having a royal flush, decides to fold, pretending to have a bad hand. You have many qualities and yet for some reason you choose to hide them.

After the party at your school, where you stopped hiding a little, there were positive consequences that came with it, but I know you won't admit it, so let's talk about a more obvious example of this, your appearance.

Have you seen how people around you behave differently after a simple haircut that enhances you as it should? Because if you still think that nothing has changed, I can invite those two girls who occasionally look in your direction to our table to ask them what they think of you."

As much as I would like to find a way to disprove what she says, it is impossible to say that nothing has changed, although this change is not as big as MJ describes it.

Despite the fact that I only needed a few small precautions to go unnoticed in the eyes of others, I did not expect that the situation would be completely reversed with a little more care in my appearance.

I feel like MJ had taken off the cloak of invisibility that I had created for myself and, if I knew this would be the result of the makeover recommended by MJ, I would have tried to keep at least part of it.

Unlike before, I sense someone checking me out from time to time since we left the hair salon and, although I should be used to this feeling of being observed, I still feel a little uncomfortable. When I wear the costume, the attention that Spider-Man receives is much greater than these, however I am not used to them as Peter Parker.

'Maybe MJ is right. I was so careful not to leave a trace that I got used to being invisible and now I feel strange when people notice my existence.

What I do to make sure that no one finds out who's behind the Spider-Man mask is damaging Peter Parker's identity, and I wasn't realizing it because doing that kind of thing has become natural for me over time.

it is necessary that I do this because it is my responsibility to make sure that my choices do not affect the lives of the people around me, but I should try to correct this bad habit, although it will make things a little more difficult if people start paying attention to me. 

In his own way, Johnny probably tried to point this out too, but I didn't fully understand him. I have to apologize to him as soon as I can.'

"Thank you MJ" I say after I put the chopsticks on my plate.

"Thanks for what? For pointing out possible girls interested in you?" MJ jokes.

"No, thank you for helping me understand the mistakes I make. Anyway, I'm sorry if you felt uncomfortable about those two girls you mentioned earlier and if I gave you the impression that I was a person-"

"You're doing it again, Petey, why are you apologizing for something that's not up to you? You didn't ask those girls to show interest in you, and frankly, I don't care. On the contrary, I'm glad they're starting to notice you. Maybe you will get to meet some interesting girls that you could date. Anyway, have you tried these shrimp? Here, try one" MJ says then she takes a fried shrimp with her chopsticks and she approaches them to my mouth to feed me.

'I'm relieved that she doesn't see me more than just a friend, but why does it hurt so much to hear her say it clearly...'

After tasting that slightly spicy shrimp, we continue to eat and at some point MJ asks me if now she will finally see the real Peter Parker.

I explain to her that, contrary to the strange expectations she has made of me, there will be no change beyond having to correct certain things she pointed out to me, and then I conclude by telling her that I am nothing more than a shy and awkward normal guy who should work on his problems.

As it seems that I gave her the impression that I was lying to her or that I was hiding something from her, I apologize to her, however, upon hearing this, MJ puts the chopsticks on her plate and she suddenly becomes serious.

After she tells me that I'm misunderstanding her words, she tells me that she doesn't see me as a fake person and she doesn't hate this halo of mystery that she sees wrapped around me, it's actually the exact opposite. It intrigues her and she is loving the fact that as it gradually dissipates, she discovers a new side of me.

When she tells me that this makes her feel like some kind of detective, I ask her if she ever thought of being a journalist or if she is betting everything on a future career as an actress, in order to change the subject.

This leads us to talk about our future plans, about what we plan to do when we finish high school, and unlike MJ who has clear ideas, My plans stop at hoping to get a college scholarship and being able to continue working during my studies just like I've been doing so far.

"Well, you know that one of my dreams is to become a professional actress, why don't you tell me one of your dreams?"

"Honestly I don't have a dream as important as yours, I just want to have a peaceful life and I want Aunt May to be always healthy and well."

'A serene and peaceful life, more than a dream, to me it seems an unattainable utopia...'

"Come on, Petey, you must have a long-cherished dream. I'm curious about what a "normal guy" like you dreams about."

"I don't know if it counts, but years ago I dreamed of something, and a part of me always hopes that it will come true in the future. In that dream I was an adult and I was coming home after a day of work.

I don't know what my job was in that dream, but I like to think that I worked both as a professor and as a scientist, just like Dr Connors does.

Once I arrived near the house, I saw Aunt May knitting while she was sitting in a rocking chair that is in the porch of the house. Once I approached her, Aunt May greeted me and then she informed me that my children had just gone to the bathroom to wash their hands after playing a little in the garden of the house.

After we went into the house, she told me that my wife had warned her that she was going to be a little late, so I decided to start cooking dinner in order to have dinner ready for when she came home.

The moment my children were coming down the stairs to greet me, I woke up from the dream.

Now, before you start teasing me, I already know it's a pretty silly dream, but you're the one who insisted that I tell you one, so don't use it against me, okay?" I say while I look away from MJ, since I feel embarrassed to tell her such a thing.

When my gaze returns to MJ I realize that, contrary to my expectations, her expression is not the amused one she does when she is about to tease me. The smile she's making is genuine and it gives me a warm feeling, while that strange glint that I had noticed in her eyes became even more noticeable.

Although she hasn't said or done anything since I finished talking, she hasn't taken her eyes off me for even a second and she has been looking at me intently until I ask her if everything is okay.

Realizing that she was lost a moment in her thoughts, she apologizes to me, then, in a resolute tone, she rebukes me because I judged my dream foolish.

She would never allow herself to tease me about it, after all it is rare that someone desires such things rather than money or success according to her, and she admires me because, unlike her who had a similar dream, I still continue to hope for it.

Before she can change the subject, I ask her why she stopped hoping that something like this could happen to her in the future, however she tells me she does not want to talk about it, also because it would ruin the mood.

"MJ, I don't choose to spend time with you because I just expect to have fun, I choose to spend time with you because I like being with you. I don't care if it's a topic that could ruin the mood. Even if that happens, I promise I will tell you one of my misfortunes in return, I'm sure you'll laugh enough to forget the bad mood that might arise. Of course, if you feel like talking about it. 'Cause if you didn't feel like it, you'd save me from embarrassing myself."

"Are you sure you have a story that can compensate for what will cause mine? I warn you that mine is a fairly melancholy story"

"Over time I have accumulated a good repertoire of gaffes, so don't worry because there will definitely be one that will do the trick. Mj, like I told you, if you needed someone to talk to, I would listen to you, so don't worry. Maybe talking about it and having an outside opinion can help you get something off your chest. What do you think?" I say and without realizing it I place my left hand over Mj's right hand.

Before I can remove my hand from there and apologize to her for that, Mj lightly turns her right hand so that she can grab my hand and stop me from taking it out of there.

"You're a very good persuader, little tiger. All right. After all, I've discovered something about you, it's only fair that even you discover something about me."

After making that decision, MJ begins to tell me that as a child she also dreamed of having a beautiful family in the future, because she loved the concept of family that she learned about through various sources, the first of all was obviously her parents.

The little MJ loved her parents who filled her with affection and attention, and Mj still cherishes in her heart the unforgettable moments they spent together during her childhood. Those events with her family gave birth to her dream, but as she grew up, Mj realized that the family she adored was not as perfect as the ones described in the fairy tales.

It didn't take long for MJ to figure out how bad the relationship really was between her parents, since after she grew up a little, they even stopped trying to hide it from their daughter, making it clear that she was the only reason they were still together.

Despite her attempts to get things back to the way they were in the past, MJ soon realized that when something broke, it would never be the same again, even if it was repaired.

One day, during MJ's early teenage years, MJ's parents had yet another argument and during it, it turns out that MJ's father used some of the family savings to gamble and that her mother was having an affair.

That was the last straw.

The next day, Mj discovered that her mother had gone away and that she had gone to live with her new partner, with whom she still lives.

Initially, MJ met with her sometimes, but after a while MJ's mom, between one excuse and another, stopped meeting her and she just called her every once in a while, until one day she completely stopped caring about MJ except to send her child support.

Child support that MJ's father spent on gambling instead of using it for his daughter.

After the divorce, her father became completely dependent on it and, to drown his troubles, he spent the rest of the money he had on alcohol and drugs to cloud his mind.

Before he could vent his pent-up anger on MJ who looked after him for all that time she was alone with him, his mother, MJ's grandmother, noticed the situation that his son was hiding in order not to lose the child support, that it had become its only source of income.

Her grandmother manages to take custody of MJ and, despite her attempts to rescue her son from the dark vortex in which he was being sucked, he decides to steal some of his mother's savings and run away.

Although what he did, his mother never resented him, she always hoped that what he did would help him start over somehow, yet she never looked for him again because from that day he left her priority was to stand by MJ's side and help her.

Since she started living with her grandmother, everything was finally going well for MJ, until one day a person knocked on her door. The person who knocked was Adam, the leader of that little group that stopped us that night to ask MJ for money, and the reason that his father ran away.

Adam is a criminal who runs a gambling ring that has visited MJ to collect the debt accumulated by his father, after he "helped" him fall into the abyss of addictions to gambling, alcohol and drugs.

Unable to find MJ's father, he decided to visit MJ's grandmother's house in hopes of getting the money from her, but only MJ was home that day.

After hearing why the man was there and his veiled threats about hurting people who have ties to his father to get that money back, including her mother, MJ's first thought was to go to the police, However Adam had something else to say to MJ, or rather, show her.

Once he took his cell phone, he showed MJ what he should have shown to her grandmother to convince her to pay, and that was a series of photos and videos that if they were made public, they would get her father and even her mother in trouble with the law.

Although her grandmother did not show it, she was very saddened by what happened to her son and if she found out this too her heart would surely break.

Not only that, her parents, the people who gave her the best memories of her life, would be in trouble if those criminals didn't get what they want.

So MJ made a decision.

Despite what happened with her parents, she condensed all the good feelings left for them and she decided to try to solve this problem on her own to prevent anyone from being hurt, including her memories of her happy family.

"I guess that's all... Anyway, I'm sorry, Peter, I just realized that talking about my parents like that might have offended you, since your parents are..."

"Don't worry." I say to reassure her and, after a short pause in which I metabolize what she just told me, I start talking again.

"MJ, I won't waste my time telling you that I'm sorry for what happened to you, it goes without saying, but I just want to point out something I hope you've already realized.

You got through this. Although these events unfortunately made you mature sooner than you should have, you became a strong girl and you managed to move on. You must always keep this in mind and, while I understand that you may have regrets, I hope that what happened to you has not affected your view of life.

It's foolish to think that your dream isn't possible just because others have failed, and the MJ I know isn't a fool."

"I'm not a fool, but I'm not as naive as I used to be.

After what happened I naturally began to think that all people were as selfish as my parents, even though I know it's wrong to think with absolutes.

Only lately I am managing to put aside this prejudice of mine, thanks to the fact that I have met people who have proved me that there are exceptions. One of those people is you, Peter, and you don't know how grateful I am for that, but despite that, part of me still believes in those bad thoughts.

Just like my parents' relationship, something in me broke, and even though I'm trying to fix it, it won't be the same as it used to be. I don't think I'll ever believe that dream as much as I did when I was a kid."

"What you say is true. When certain things break, they will never be the same as before, even if they are repaired. However MJ you are wrong if you think that what has been repaired will always be worse than the original.

Do you know what Kintsugi is?"

"No, enlighten me"

"Kintsugi is a Japanese restoration technique whose name means "repair with gold". 

In short, it provides that, when something is broken, you have to put together the fragments with glue and then cover the cracks with gold dust. The goal is not only to repair, but to give new life to the object, enhancing the cracks instead of hiding them.

The basic concept of this technique, which is also a philosophy of life, is that what is broken is not lost but it can be reborn, and those scars, the evidence of survival, become a force rather than being seen as weaknesses.

The same goes for you. You shouldn't give up on that dream you obviously cared about, and you shouldn't even think that you are now beyond repair.

Although they may not be as they used to be, they can become something better. It will be difficult and it will take time and patience, I do not doubt that, but I am sure that you can make this happen and, if you ever encounter difficulties, nothing prevents you from asking for help.

You're not alone, MJ.

But you don't have to do that for your parents, for your grandmother, for me, and you don't have to do it for yourself either, you should do it for that little girl. To show her that not only her dream has come true but also how much that dream and she herself will become more exceptional in the future, despite the difficulties encountered.

Don't you think she deserves it after what she's been through?"

As I spoke, all the emotions that MJ had accumulated while she was telling her story and that she had kept inside, started to overflow.

Her hand that is holding mine starts to shake slightly as her eyes become shiny, so, I give her a handkerchief so she can wipe her eyes while I hold her hand tightly, waiting for her to calm down.

Seeing the scene, the people around me, including a waiter who stopped by to take away two empty plates that are on our table, glare at me as if I were a horrible person.

'I'm not the reason why-I mean yes, she's in this state because of me but I didn't want it to happen, I just wanted to encourage her!'

Fortunately, before they could prepare to lynch me, MJ manages to regain control of her emotions, or so it seems, and then she gives me a big smile.

"I don't think I can put into words how much it means to me what you told me, Peter. Even though I don't know if I'm gonna make that little girl happy, talking to you helped me see things differently. In a more hopeful way. Thank you very much Peter, really."

"Yet I have a feeling that you will succeed. Besides, I have already told you, you are not alone. If you need help, you know you can count on me, I'll help you to the best of my ability."

"Well, I guess I didn't expect you to be so willing to help me make my dream come true. Maybe it's a little premature since we've only just met, but if it's you I have to do it with, I wouldn't mind taking the plunge...

Do you think the City Clerk offices are still open? Maybe I can call now to make an appointment."

 As soon as I hear MJ's words, I instinctively retract the hand that was holding hers, which I had forgotten was still there, because of the embarrassment and after that I try to clear up the misunderstanding.

"I-I didn't mean to help you like that, MJ, I'm not ready to get married-...Wait, you're kidding me, right?"

"Maybe ahah. You can't blame me for taking advantage of this sweet opportunity. So, little tiger, do you think you have the right story to make us forget my boring tale?"

"I'm sorry but I won't tell any story, you've already had a laugh at my expense." I reply pretending to be offended.

"Oh, come on, you promised! You can't back out now! My heart will break if you, one of the few people I trust, decide to betray me after you convinced me to confide in you. You'll make me lose faith in people again..."

"All right, a promise is a promise... But I want to point out that this is a low blow."

"You said I have to make my scars my strong point, right? I'm just following your advice, little tiger. So? Do you start telling the story you promised me or do you want them to see me cry again?" MJ says, referring to the people around us.

'Ok I don't know whether to be happy that MJ is back to normal or whether to be damned scared by the threat she just made to me...'

***

After we have finished eating, we ask for the bill and while we wait for it to arrive, I try to convince MJ to at least split it in half, however MJ has no intention of giving up on her decision to pay it entirely.

At the end of a few minutes of discussion, I manage to convince that stubborn girl to let me be the one to pay the tip and it is at that moment when we hard reach that agreement that we hear a giggle.

We both realize only after it that, close to us, there is an elderly Asian woman with a check holder in her left hand, who is looking at us with a loving look.

The old lady, who introduces herself as the owner of the restaurant, leaves the check holder on the table and then apologizes if she overheard our conversation, however, she did it because seeing us bickering reminded her of the first dates with her husband when they were our age.

Once the lady leaves and we leave the money inside the check holder, which is picked up by the waiter who served us, we meet again the old woman near the exit when we were about to leave the restaurant.

As soon as she sees us, she approaches us and she hands MJ a white paper bag. She then tells us that inside it there are two special fortune cookies, one for me and one for MJ, a gift from her since we made her relive some good memories.

We thank her for her generosity and we spend a few minutes talking with her, then, the moment we say goodbye to her, she expresses her sincere wish that our relationship continues to be full of happy moments.

Since it's not very late and there are no emergencies requiring Spider-Man's intervention, I let myself be convinced by an enthusiastic MJ to go to Domino park and open the cookies there before returning home.

During our walk to the park, at some point MJ takes her smartphone out of her bag to show me something, however when I see the way she stares at the screen, I get the impression that whatever caught her attention, it is not something pleasant.

When I ask her what happened, she replies that she has received a message and the sender of that message is Adam, who wrote in it when and where they will meet to give him money to fully pay off her father's debt.

As promised, she reveals those details to me and although she refuses my offer to accompany her to that meeting as I expected, that won't be a problem.

'After all Spider-Man will accidentally be in that area when they will meet.'

Once we arrive at our destination, we find a secluded spot and we sit on a bench there, then MJ puts the paper bag in the space between us. We put our hands in the bag at the same time and, after taking a cookie, we break it in half to take the slip of paper that is folded inside each of them.

"Mine says: "Today you can make a great step forward," and I think it's right. Today I definitely made a step forward in some things..." MJ says as she approaches me to show me her piece of paper, then she continues,"What does yours say?"

"Mine says:"Follow your heart!"..." I answer, then I turn to her and that's when I realize that our shoulders are touching and that there is only a few inches of distance between our faces.

"Interesting... And what does your heart tell you to do right now?" MJ says as she draws her face a little closer to mine.

In the same way as when she proposed to date her as soon as I finished working at the lab, I'm staring at her , and this time she's staring intensely at me in turn.

No matter how much I try not to think about it, there's only one thought in my head right now, and if I had to follow my heart like that piece of paper says, I would just end up doing something that I might regret bitterly.

Suddenly, I hear a bang that manages to distract me just before I can begin to consider giving in to that temptation of my heart. 

I initially think that it is due to the beginning of a fireworks show, however, just when I'm thinking that this situation is becoming similar to a scene in a romantic comedy movie, I hear another bang, this time followed by some screams of fear.