Pitbabe S2, Chapter 11 pg4

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 11 pg4

   “And the results?” I asked, since it’s been hours since the injection, but Charlie hasn’t mentioned any changes—just the obvious drunken-like symptoms that don’t need explaining.

   “Hmm…” Charlie paused mid-clip, looked up normally, and sat still, like he was testing something in his body. His brows furrowed slightly, and he blinked slowly. For a moment, it felt like Charlie had slipped into another world, one I didn’t know. “Babe, do you see anything?”

   Charlie asked me a confusing question.

   “Saw you… taking off your shirt,” I threw out a random guess based on my limited understanding. “Cutting my nails?”

   “Not like that…” Charlie drawled, but at the same time, the corners of his mouth twitched upward. I was pretty sure he didn’t even realize he was smiling. “Did you see something else, like… the sea?”

   “Nope. No sea.”

   “Really?” he asked, his voice brimming with excitement, eyes sparkling like polished marbles. “You didn’t see anything?”

   “What do you want me to see?” I glanced around, confused, but saw nothing but the same old living room I’d seen a million times.

   “No, I don’t want you to see anything.”

   He grinned wide.

   I guessed that was a good sign.

   “Hallucinations?” I asked, starting to piece together what Charlie was up to. His rapid nodding, practically blowing me away, could only mean one thing: the latest drug he’d been injected with was working. “For real?”

   “My senses are still there,” Charlie said with a faint smile, a hint of regret that his abilities hadn’t completely vanished. “But I can’t create illusions anymore. That’s a really good sign.”

   “Congrats,” I said, lightly tapping his stomach with my foot instead of a celebratory hug. The brilliant little guy beamed with uncontainable pride, probably feeling like when you study all night and ace the exam. That’s what I figured, anyway. “Good job, kid.”

   “Phii Chris and the others are gonna be thrilled.”

   “For sure, but tell them tomorrow. It’s late.”

   “Can’t wait for tomorrow!”

   “Tone it down a bit,” I said. Though I was happy for him, I couldn’t help feeling a little annoyed. I wasn’t entirely sure if Charlie had ever been this excited about anything to do with me. Lately, it seemed like this project was the only thing that could send his mood swinging like this. “What about the other stuff? Is it just the illusions that are gone?”

   “Premonitions are hard to test. If nothing’s happening, I don’t really feel them. Uh… can you say something? Anything.”

   “Anything, huh…” I pondered, still not fully grasping what Charlie was aiming for. “I love you.”

   “Can you pick something harder to guess?”

   “Hey, you said anything!”

   “I already know that’s true. How am I supposed to catch a lie?”

   “Oh… got it,” I nodded quickly, now understanding the point. I started thinking of something Charlie might not know or be sure about, to test if his lie-detecting sense was still there. “I don’t like it when you moan in my ear when you’re close. It gives me chills.”

   “What! Why?” The bespectacled kid yelped, clearly thrown off. My choice must’ve hit his confidence so hard he forgot for a moment that the point wasn’t what I said. “Oh…”

   It was he who figured it out quick.

   “You are lying!”

   And I’m relieved that sense is still there, because if Charlie couldn’t catch a lie, we’d probably have to hash this out for a long time.

   “Congrats,” I say sarcastically, annoyed, before realizing that Charlie still being able to spot a lie isn’t exactly good news. “Oh, sorry.”

   “It’s fine,” Charlie smiles. He looks a bit wistful but not outright disappointed. Deep down, Charlie might sense that part of him still holds onto that special instinct he used to have. I get that feeling—it’s something you can’t put into words, but your body and mind always know. “Losing just one thing is already a big deal. If we can make one go away, the others will follow.”

   “Yeah, you’ve got this.”

   I say it with all the confidence I have. I don’t understand much about the complex stuff in Charlie’s work, but what I always have for him is trust. Because Charlie is a smart, determined guy—smarter and more driven than anyone. That’s why I know he’ll succeed eventually, no matter how tough the goal is.

   Because he’s my boyfriend, I know just how amazing he is.

   “Done,” Charlie looks at his nail-clipping handiwork, then looks up and flashes me a big grin. “Nails trimmed nice and neat—no more scratching, kitty.”

   “Such a shame.”

   “Let your own wounds heal first before you go scratching others.”

   “They’ll be healed by tomorrow.”

   “I’ll be waiting to see,” the bespectacled guy teases, making a mocking face. “You better wake up tomorrow all healed.”

   “Yeah, yeah, I’ll heal just for you to see.”

   “My champ,” Charlie stands up, then leans down to give me a soft kiss on the forehead. But for me, that’s a bit too little, so I signal him by puckering my lips. Charlie gets it and responds perfectly, pressing another kiss to my lips. “Time for bed.”

   “Not going up together?”

   “I forgot I haven’t taken out the trash yet.”

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