Pitbabe S2, Chapter 15 pg7

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 15 pg7

   Charlie paused for a moment. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I knew what that was—Charlie was angry. When he talked about these things, the frustration would swell in his chest until he had to tell himself to stay calm. Just watching, I could tell he had so much more he wanted to say.

   “If you don’t want to be taken advantage of or harassed, people with senses have to live in hiding. Many of them face brutally unfair fates, but they can’t do anything about it. They can’t demand anything from anyone. Society doesn’t care because they think having a sense that’s superior to others is already an advantage. But no one bothers to ask what the limitations are or what these special abilities cost. If these abilities were truly special, why hasn’t a single person with a sense ever risen up to start a riot or set themselves above ordinary people?”

   Yeah, why not?

   Forget ordinary people—even I, who used to be special, never thought about this.

   Charlie’s words were like a drill slowly boring into my thick skull, hitting the point directly while painting a vivid picture that even the dumbest person would feel something from. But how deeply it sinks into your conscience depends on each person’s heart, and I don’t even know where I stand.

   “Because everything has limits. There are advantages, but there are always disadvantages. And trust me, a hundred times out of a hundred, the gains aren’t worth the losses.”

   Charlie’s eyes were resolute, without a hint of jest. This was probably the closest I’d seen to the old Charlie. It might be the wrong moment, but deep down, I felt warmed knowing I still got to glimpse a tiny piece of the real Charlie hiding beneath the thick, altered armor. Maybe it’s like he said—truth comes in many forms, and the Charlie I love might be one of the truths he’s chosen to hide from the cruel eyes of this world.

   “You’re probably wondering why I’m suddenly talking about this. I can’t tell you everything right now, but I promise that from now on, every topic no one dares to speak about—I’ll be the one to speak.”

   The signal for the beginning has been announced, and it’s bigger than I imagined. I know what Charlie plans to do. He’s told me about his project all along, but I never saw it clearly until today, when Charlie made me see.

   This is his will.

   This is what Charlie chose to protect… instead of me.

   “That’s enough for today. There’ll definitely be more for everyone to follow. Thanks for listening to me ramble today. From now on, you’ll probably see my face more often in different formats. I hope it’ll help you miss me a little less.”

   “Pfft, what, you think you’re an idol or something?” I couldn’t help but scoff, annoyed. I knew he was wickedly smart, but I never thought he’d use a method like this to capture people’s attention. What’s even more annoying is that it worked better than expected.

   And that line about “hoping you’ll stop missing me” came with a smirk at the camera, like he was deliberately mocking me.

   

   CHARLIE:

   I’m really going crazy, aren’t I? That’s why I’m overthinking like this.

   I heard my phone buzzing while I was still under the shower. Babe’s sense makes picking up on unnecessary things easier—sometimes useful, sometimes annoying. This time, it’s the latter. I didn’t rush out of the bathroom to answer, just went through my routine at normal speed. Even as I walked out of the bathroom, the incoming call was still making my phone vibrate.

   I already had a hunch about who was calling. I’m not sure if it’s my sense’s intuition or just a boyfriend’s instinct, but I knew sooner or later Babe would reach out after the big stunt I pulled earlier today.

   “Hello,” I answered, my voice flat, still dripping wet because I was afraid if I let it ring one more time, Babe would storm over here himself.

   (Come down.)

   His voice was cold. That alone told me he was seriously pissed.

   “What’s that?”

   (Come down,) Babe repeated, making me frown. (Open the door.)

   Looks like my fear lagged behind Babe’s impatience. I thought if I didn’t pick up, he’d come deal with me in person. I didn’t realize he’d been calling the whole way while driving here, and I only answered when he was already standing downstairs.

   “Why are you here?” I sighed, exasperated. No matter when, Babe always manages to do something unexpected that gives me a headache.

   (Come down and open it.)

   “It’s late, you know. Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

   (Tomorrow works,) Babe said, sounding like he was giving in easily, which, of course, isn’t him. (I’ll just sit out here then.)

   Dream on. As if someone like Pitbabe would give up that easily.

   “Babe.”

   (I’m kidding. Come down now. The mosquitoes are biting.)

   Babe made me sigh over and over. I knew if I kept resisting, it wouldn’t just be sighing—my troublesome guy downstairs would surely stir up something worse.

   “Just a sec, let me—”

   (No secs. Come down now. I’m counting to five. If I don’t see your face, I’m breaking in, setting off the alarm so everyone wakes up.)

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