Pitbabe S2, Chapter 27 pg 7

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 27 pg 7

   “I do.”

   “Really?”

   “Really,” he said. I smiled Elder smiled, pleased with the correct answer. I love it when Charlie speaks sweetly to me, though of course, his rough side is an acceptable exception in some cases.

   “Spoil me lots, okay?” Charlie was so adorable right now, as cute as when we first met, when our love was sweet and tender. We’d lie in bed talking, losing track of time, and I never thought that even after we broke up, time in our little world would still move at the same pace.

   “Of course,” I replied. “Honestly, you could say I’m pampering you.”

   “That much?”

   “I heard there’s something you’ve been dying to do lately but haven’t been able to.”

   Charlie raised an eyebrow, looking confused, probably not catching what I was hinting at. But I didn’t think it was necessary to spill the beans just yet. The real fun would be seeing his face when he saw the gift I had for him.

   “Since we’re back to flirting, tonight I’m going to pamper you myself.”

   My heart hasn’t raced like this in a while. It was a faster, more intense rhythm than usual, completely different from the thrill of being close to Babe. This was a unique kind of excitement, irreplaceable. I only realized it when I had to let go of it.

   The roar of engines was like a symphony to me. The sound told me how well-tuned a car’s engine was—some were deep and aggressive, others high-pitched, some uneven and worrisome. But that’s the charm of cars. And honestly, the sound of street racing cars is way more thrilling than those at The Hollow’s track.

   Besides the engines, the crowd’s energy was just as fiery. Music by Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican rapper, blared loudly. I couldn’t recall the song’s name since it was in Spanish, but there was a part—not the hook—that stuck with me, listing women’s names: Gabriella, Patricia, Nicole, Sofia, Maria, Thalia. Those names made me think of the Pitbabe girls in tight, skimpy outfits strutting around the starting point. Some already had owners, others were hoping to find one tonight. There were also plenty of cute young guys, more than usual, it seemed. I didn’t recognize some faces, which wasn’t surprising since I hadn’t been here in a while. It looked like a bunch of new racers had popped up.

   “Holy crap, the big shots are invading tonight!”

   The one who called out when he saw me and Babe walk into the betting circle was Ricky. He was the mastermind behind organizing each street race. Ricky, a Dominican half-breed, wasn’t too tall but had a solid build, with dark skin typical of a Latino. His accent was a bit off, like he was always speaking Spanish, but I could understand every word—except when he switched to pure Spanish with his crew. The only one who could keep up with him in conversation was Babe.

   “Is the first round full yet?” Babe nudged Ricky’s shoulder in a friendly greeting. They spoke in Spanish, which I could somewhat follow since I’d heard Babe use it often enough to pick up a bit.

   “Not yet, but there’s only one spot left,” Ricky replied, fanning himself with a thick stack of cash instead of saying outright that the bets were hotter than usual tonight. Probably because top racers had coincidentally shown up to race together without planning it.

   “Can’t you make it two?”

   “Sorry, not tonight, amigo,” Ricky flashed a grin, showing off his gleaming gold tooth. He called me “amigo,” meaning friend, as he always did, waving his hand every time he opened his mouth. “The racers are packed. If you want two, you’d have to split the races.”

   “I want to race with my boyfriend.”

   “No can do,” the Latino guy wagged his finger side to side, switching to English with a playful tone. I figured he was one of the few people who could tease without getting chewed out by Babe, probably because he did this with everyone, so it didn’t feel as annoying as it would from others. “One spot means one spot. Let your novio take the first round. You can go in the next one, race with the big shots.”

   Ricky liked calling me “novio” when talking to Babe. Babe told me it means boyfriend, and I didn’t bother correcting him. Even though Babe and I weren’t exactly in a place where he could call me that anymore. As for Babe calling me his boyfriend, well, I’d save that talk for when we got home.

   “Then I’ll take the first round,” Babe turned to me. “It’s been months since you raced. You’d rather go up against the big shots, right?”

   “Uh… yeah,” I replied, scanning the crowd. Tonight, I spotted several intimidating track legends. Some I’d raced against before, but others I hadn’t had the chance to. It looked like they’d all be in the same race. Just thinking about it got me insanely excited.

   “But does you want to race?”

   “I’m whatever,” Babe shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ve raced all these guys before. Besides, tonight’s your night. Don’t worry about me.”

   “Then that works,” I said, my heart still pounding. Just getting back on the track was thrilling enough, and now I’d get to race against some serious talent. Coming out with Babe tonight was definitely the right call.

   “Hey, sorry for butting in, but I overheard,” Ricky popped his head between me and Babe, his eyes sparkling like he was having fun—or maybe he was just high as usual.

   “I get wanting to let Charlie race with the top dogs. I think it’d be a blast too. But trust me just this once—let Charlie take the first round.”

   “What’s with you, man?” Babe frowned, starting to get annoyed at Ricky’s meddling.

   “Hey, chill, bonita.”

   Not sure calling Babe “beautiful” right now would improve his mood. Honestly, no one calling Babe that would probably sit well with him (except maybe me).

   “I’m just suggesting, cause I think the first round might have someone even hotter you’d want to race against.”

   Besides him calling me “hot stuff,” I had no clue what else he was talking about.

   “Who’s that?” I asked.

   “That guy, Blanco…”

   Blanco means white. I figured Ricky meant a white guy, or a foreigner. Before he could finish explaining, a voice cut in from behind.

   “Hey! Phii Babe!”

   I didn’t even need to turn around. The moment I heard the voice, I knew exactly who it was.

   “You brought Phii Charlie too… ex-boyfriend bonding, huh?”

   The Blanco Ricky was talking about… was Willy.

   

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