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Key West was certainly different from New York City. At least, that’s what Peter Parker thought, and he wasn’t sure yet if he really liked it. Sure the views were beautiful and the water impossibly clear, but boy was it HOT. Not just hot but humid too. The air was heavy and thick, the only reprieve being the salty sea breeze and the ribbons of cool currents running through the otherwise tepid water. The only other “exotic” place he’d been to was Germany when Mr. Stark had needed his help, and he got to meet Captain America and most of the other Avengers for the first time.
Thinking about Mr. Stark still made him incredibly sad, and he missed him very much. Peter had looked up to him and would have done anything for him, but in the end, it was Mr. Stark who had made the ultimate sacrifice to save everyone. Peter sniffed and cleared his throat, trying to shrug off his feelings. Pepper had been kind enough to arrange this trip for him and May, so that they (mostly Peter) could get away from New York and the press and the constant reminders of what had happened. And so here they were, in sunny little Key West, trying to enjoy themselves.
Happy had even gotten him a very nice digital camera, stating that “phones are not everything, kid,” and “nothing beats quality photography.” Peter was always vlogging, often to Happy’s annoyance. He had started out taking pictures, and as the technology changed, so had his hobby. True, he was more into his science and tech projects, but vlogging and photography provided a nice balance, and May always loved the pictures he took. He swore she’d saved all of them.
Speaking of May… Peter looked around from his starboard aft spot on the large tour boat. He spotted her, talking to the man who had introduced himself to the group as the captain. He shook his head, May was never without someone to talk to. As his eyes swept the rest of the boat, he noticed a girl looking his way. Their eyes met, and he gave her a small smile before returning to his view of the evening sun over the water. He had seen her when they boarded the boat for the evening tour. This tour had been touted as being the best for sunset enthusiasts. The sun was getting lower on the horizon, and it was nearing the “golden hour.” According to the captain, this was the short stretch of time when the sunset gives the most opportunities to capture those beautiful, picture-perfect images; the kind you find on postcards and calendars and HD backgrounds.
Peter was just thinking that he wanted to get some good snapshots for May, Pepper and Morgan, and even for Happy, when an angelic voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Mind if I join you back here?”
He turned to find himself face-to-face with the pretty girl he’d noticed before. Her soft brown hair was ruffling in the breeze, and she was watching him expectantly with the deepest dark blue eyes he’d ever seen.
“Umm… uh, s-sure?”
She laughed lightheartedly and stuck out her free hand.
“I’m Daphne.”
“Hey, I’m Peter.”
She balanced a camera in her other hand that seemed to be very much like his own. Peter never had much luck talking to girls, so he went with the obvious to make conversation.
“So, um, you like photography too?”
“Yes, very much. I’ve gotten some excellent shots on the island, but I am looking forward to capturing the perfect sunset that bloke running the boat keeps promising.”
“Bloke? Oh, right… British.” Peter stumbled over his words a bit, that tended to happen around pretty girls. She laughed again, and he couldn’t help thinking that it sure was a sweet sound.
“Yes, I’m British. I’m here on vacation with my family. They’re somewhere around here, I don’t think my sister cares too much for being on the water. She gets that from Dad, Mum and I love the water. Are you on vacation too?”
He knew it was a simple question, but it caused him to feel a twinge of sadness because he wouldn’t be here if Mr. Stark wasn’t gone… He gripped the rail in front of him instinctively and tried to swallow the lump forming in his chest. The next thing he knew, her hand was resting softly over his own, her blue eyes watching him with gentle concern. He never did have much of a poker face…
“Yeah, I lost someone I was close to… we—my aunt and I— came down here to get away from everything for a little while.”
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to talk about it, I’ll understand. We did just meet, after all.”
Daphne smiled softly at him. Her kindness reminding him a little of Liz. He offered her a small smile in return. Neither moved, and neither looked away until the voice of the captain, crackling over the loudspeaker, interrupted the moment. He was announcing that they had reached their destination, and the famed “golden hour” was just minutes away. The two continued to talk and get to know each other until at last, the hour was upon them. Peter watched Daphne’s entire face light up when the setting sun caught her eye.
“Wow, Peter, you really chose the right spot on this boat, look at that sunset!”
Daphne’s eyes sparkled with delight before they disappeared behind her camera. Peter watched her for a minute before he raised his own camera to capture the blazing orange and pink of the Key West sky. After snapping some truly perfect pictures of the sunset, Peter turned his camera on Daphne. He snapped a picture just as she moved her camera away from her face, still taking in the sunset in awe. He snapped another as she turned and flashed him a dazzling smile.
By the time the boat docked, they’d exchanged numbers and planned to meet on the beach the following day to hang out. Riding back to their beach house, Peter was going through the pictures he’d taken so far. He had captured a lot of nice images, but by far his favorites were the ones he’d taken of Daphne, with her warm smile and her deep blue eyes. He smiled as he thought to himself, the best part of the sunset tour wasn’t actually the sunset after all.