Pitbabe S2, Chapter 12 pg6

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 12 pg6

   “You little…”

   “Whoa, hold up!” I raised my hand to stop Kim, who was about to open his mouth to curse, as my phone vibrated with a notification. The screen lit up, showing the latest contact photo for the incoming call—a picture of Charlie sleeping with her mouth wide open. I secretly took it myself and set it myself. Of course, she didn’t like it, but since I loved it, she had to sacrifice her image for my peace of mind. “Gotta take a call from my boyfriend first.”

   “Oh, gotta take a call from my boyfriend first, bleh bleh bleh,” Kim mocked in a high-pitched voice, making exaggerated faces before turning away and aggressively chomping on the corn in his hand. “So in love. Why don’t you just wear a sign around your neck?”

   I ignored the grumbling of the (seemingly) single guy and answered the call.

   “What’s up?”

   (Just finished talking with the professor.) As soon as Charlie’s voice came through the phone, the corners of my mouth automatically lifted. Honestly, he should be here with me right now, but because my advisor suddenly rescheduled our meeting yesterday, Charlie had to go to the university. He’d planned to clear his entire schedule for my birthday, no less. At first, I was a bit annoyed, but as usual, I melted the moment he sweet-talked me. I had to let my boyfriend handle his stuff first, and only when everything was sorted would he come join me to celebrate my birthday.

   (What’s you up to?)

   “Nothing much, just sitting here alone,” I said in a sulky tone, like a kid who’d been abandoned. The guy sitting next to me turned, his brows furrowed so tight they could’ve tied a bow. “No one to hang out with.”

   “Such a liar,” Kim mouthed silently. He looked like he wanted to chuck some burnt popcorn at my head, but I didn’t care.

   (Oh? Where’d everyone else go?) Charlie asked, his voice laced with concern.

   “Phii Alan’s cooking in the kitchen with Jeff. North and Sonic went shopping. Dean’s firing up the barbecue. No idea where Kim went,” I lied through my teeth without batting an eye. When it comes to important stuff, I’m way too obvious and get caught every time. But little white lies to get some attention from my boyfriend? I’m a pro. Especially over the phone when he can’t see my face—it’s like I’m telling the truth. To be honest, the only part I lied about was the last bit. “I’m lonely, Charlie.”

   Kim was silently cursing me out, his mouth moving a mile a minute, but I figured this was payback for him keeping secrets from me.

   (Poor thing.) Even through the phone, Charlie’s voice was adorable. I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of myself. (I’ll swing by the lab to grab some stuff and then head over.)

   “What do you need to pick up?”

   (Um… what was it again?)

   “A gift for Phii Babe?” I perked up, excited by the unusually giddy tone in Charlie’s voice. I mean, I said I wasn’t expecting much from gifts, but still.

   (Is that it?)

   “Hey, what is it?”

   (Not telling.)

   “I’m sulking.”

   (Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you later.)

   “You’re too much.”

   Charlie laughed. I heard some rustling sounds through the line—probably him walking. The distance from his department building to his usual parking lot takes about ten minutes, not too long or short, perfect for a call to his boyfriend who’s sitting here missing him like crazy.

   “Is there anything else missing there? I can buy more if needed,” Charlie asked.

   “No need, North and Sonic already went shopping. If we need anything else, I’ll call them to get it. Just hurry up and get here.”

   (Miss you so much already?)

   “Yeah, yeah. If you’re any later, there’ll be a new daddy waiting.”

   (Not funny.)

   “I’m not joking either.”

   (Sulking.)

   “Sulking, huh?”

   (No one to coax me, done.)

   Even just talking on the phone, I felt like Charlie was sitting right next to me. The sound of his breathing, his laughter, or even the faint noises of his movements completely shifted my mood. Sure, being together with family like this is already joyful, but the happiness I get from these guys is different from what Charlie gives me. If I had to describe it in one word, it’d be tough, but in short, it takes the whole gang to even try to replace just one Charlie—and even then, it still doesn’t quite fill the void.

   “Hurry up,” I whispered softly to the person on the other end, “so we can get back to celebrating together.”

   (Try some cute begging first.)

   “Nope.”

   (Come on, beg a little.)

   “Nope.”

   (Beg.)

   “Nope.”

Previous

Next