Pitbabe S2, Chapter 20 pg 6

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 20 pg 6

   “What’s you up to, Babe?”

   That was Charlie’s first greeting, devoid of the usual cute smile, and his tone wasn’t exactly friendly either. This kid’s got some nerve.

   “Working,” I replied casually.

   “This is work?”

   “Yup. The whole team’s here. Didn’t you see?” I gestured around. North, Sonic, and Dean waved at Charlie with awkward smiles, while the big guy stood with his head down next to Jeff, who was muttering something with arms crossed—probably about showing up here unannounced. Though I asked him to keep it a secret, family drama’s better left to the captain to handle.

   “A racing team’s gotta promote too, you know—attract new racers, sponsors. The new season’s coming up soon. Can’t just sit around, right? You’re a racer yourself. How could you not get that?”

   “I get that,” Charlie replied flatly. He was trying to stay calm as usual, but I knew he was boiling inside. “But are you saying it’s just a coincidence that your team’s promoting here, today?”

   “Hmm… saying it’s a coincidence would be a bit of a lie,” I said with a charming smile. I don’t want it to seem like I’m reveling in his misery, but the more I saw how pissed Charlie was, the more I wanted to grin even wider—ear to ear would be perfect.

   “Thing is, I went to see a doc. He said if we wanna promote the team and get attention, we gotta do it here, today, at this time. And looking at it now, I’d say that doc’s pretty spot-on.”

   I glanced around. The open area was filling up with more people than before—not just those here for the cars, but also Charlie’s fans. Everyone was watching us with keen interest. Some started raising their phones to snap pictures or record videos; a few even seemed to be livestreaming. Of course, a reunion of ex-lovers is juicy gossip, more fun to talk about than anything else. Personally, I don’t care one bit how far this image spreads or in what form, but I’m not sure if Charlie’s thrilled about it. Maybe the hotshot doesn’t want to share a frame with his ex like me.

   “Let’s talk somewhere else,” Charlie said, glancing around as he noticed the growing attention. His voice softened, the handsome guy whispering, begging me to leave with him. “Don’t make it a headline.”

   “Why not? Headlines are great,” I replied, completely unbothered by his urgency. “It’s good for publicity. I get to promote the team, and you get some buzz too. Don’t you want the spotlight? Why be scared of headlines?”

   “That’s a different matter,” the famous guy gritted his teeth again, still trying to keep our conversation under wraps by barely moving his lips. “Don’t drag personal stuff into this. It’s not worth it.”

   “Personal stuff? Do we even have personal stuff anymore?”

   “Babe, I know you want to get back at me, but don’t do this. This matters to me…”

   “Get back at you? Don’t be ridiculous.”

   I interrupted again, not wanting to hear the same tired lines about how his grand ambitions outweighed keeping me in his life, how our relationship held him back. The thought alone made me nauseous.

   I don’t want to hear that crap anymore.

   “I’m just doing what I want to do. That’s it. Stop overthinking,” I said, letting out a laugh I couldn’t hold back. Charlie’s expression right now was genuinely entertaining. He was angry but powerless, disappointed to the point of being speechless. Deep down, I bet he wanted to get back at me, too. But in a situation like this? He couldn’t touch me. No, scratch that—he couldn’t do anything to me in any situation. “And by the way, Charlie… you’re not that important to me anymore.”

   I don’t know if he still has any space in his heart for me, but I sure hope that line stings him for days.

   “Whatever I do is my business. It doesn’t have to be about you.”

   “If it’s not about me, then can I make a request?” Charlie said firmly, his face expressionless, as if my earlier words hadn’t fazed him at all. “My work isn’t done, and the sound of your car is disturbing it. Would it be possible for you to keep it quiet for just half an hour?”

   “No.”

   Charlie took a deep breath, clearly holding back with all his might. But he might not realize that the harder he tries to stay calm, the more I want to see him explode.

   “Babe.”

   Charlie’s voice dropped low, signaling he wasn’t joking and wasn’t enjoying my game one bit.

   “Yeah?” I replied in a sweet tone, tilting my head to look at him, putting on my cutest face, hoping it’d speed up the ticking bomb inside my handsome ex. “Why so grumpy… isn’t Papa happy to see me?”

   The more I acted unserious, the angrier Charlie got. I know he hates it when I mess around while he’s trying to be serious. Back when we were together, he’d give me a stern look and say, “If you’re not ready to talk, can we do this later? I don’t like it when you act like this, Babe.” And if I still didn’t stop after that, I’d be bracing for a full-on storm.

   “Don’t do this,” Charlie tsked, looking away. I knew this move too—staring at me too long would only make him madder, so he kept turning his head to avoid it. “Grow up, Babe. Stop acting like a kid.”

   “Nope.”

   “Babe, stop messing around.”

   “But I wanna play, wanna be a kid. What’s it to you?”

   I said cheekily, then used my fingertip to nudge Charlie’s sharp chin to face me. He lightly shook his head, annoyed, but the more he resisted, the more I enjoyed it. This time, I pressed my whole palm against his cheek, and that finally made him freeze.

   It even drew cheers from the spectators by the track.

   “What are you doing?”

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