Pitbabe S2, Chapter 31 pg 2
Pitbabe S2, Chapter 31 pg 2
Or even if I set aside my close bond with Phii Alan and look at him through the eyes of an outsider, I still can’t figure out what could motivate him to get involved in this mess. He’s always been my biggest supporter, honestly, perhaps even more than Babe, my boyfriend. Moreover, he was one of the first people who wanted this research to succeed, because the one who’d directly benefit was Jeff, his partner.
None of the three people I mentioned seem suspicious in the slightest. But we can’t just say the sense-dissolving drug sample evaporated into thin air. There has to be a logical explanation, a clear cause, and we need to find answers fast. The longer this drags on, the closer we get to disaster—and we’re already so close it feels like it’s breathing down our necks.
“Can I hold each of your hands one by one?”
I know this question must sting their hearts, but I’m out of options.
No one says a thing. Phii Touch looks at me with eyes full of sympathy and understanding. Liu furrows her brow—I believe she gets it, but she’s not thrilled. As for Dr. Chris, he just lets out a bitter laugh. The idea of me using my lie-detecting sense on the researchers who’ve stood by me until now must seem like a cruel joke to him. But trust me, I feel just as pathetic as anyone.
“Blood relatives kill each other all the time,” Dr. Chris mutters after I hold his hand and find that every word he’s said is true.
JEFF:
Lately, things at the lab seem chaotic. Charlie’s been swamped from morning to night, not replying to texts, rushing through calls, and brushing me off when I offer to visit, saying, “Not now.” I’ve given up chasing him for updates, figuring my stubborn big brother will come to me when it’s too much for him. Still, I can’t help but worry.
Today, I decided to stop thinking about work entirely—whether it’s the garage or Charlie’s lab. It’s rare for both Phii Alan and me to be home with free time at the same moment. I think spending time together is essential, so I don’t want to waste this chance, especially when there’s been this heavy, awkward atmosphere lingering in the house for a while. I’ve tried to observe and pinpoint what’s causing it, but I keep coming up empty. Right now, all I know is that Phii Alan’s acting strange.
In the nearly three years we’ve been together, the strength of my relationship with Phii Alan has been our effective communication. He’s calm and always tries to communicate with compromise and the maturity of someone older. I’m pretty straightforward myself. When there’s an issue, I give both him and myself time—not too fast, not too slow. Usually, by the next day, any conflict between us is resolved with mutual understanding. That’s why I’m trying so hard now to trace back to when this knot first started forming.
Since when did he begin keeping things in his heart and shutting me out?
On a day off like this, Phii Alan would normally suggest watching a movie, finding new plants for the garden, or holding hands and jumping into a hot spring, then cooking dinner together as usual. But from what I see now, it looks like he’d rather spend the whole day scribbling in his personal notebook.
“Uncle.”
I called out to him in a normal tone, but the person sitting on the sofa in the middle of the house showed no reaction.
“Phii Alan.”
I called again, using a different pronoun, but he still remained unresponsive. At this point, I started to wonder if he genuinely didn’t hear me or was deliberately ignoring me.
“You.”
This time, it worked. Phii Alan flinched slightly. He looked up at me with a dazed expression, as if unaware he’d been called multiple times. His reaction made it clear he hadn’t heard me earlier and wasn’t intentionally ignoring me, as I’d briefly feared.
“Yes?” Phii Alan responded. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you just now.”
“What’s got you so focused?” I didn’t scold him. I just walked over and sat beside him, glancing at the notebook and stack of papers on the table. They were bills, expenses, and a list of spare parts to order for the garage next week. Usually, we’d sit down and go through these together, but today he was doing it all alone without even thinking to call me. “So, you’re just going to do it all by yourself? No discussion anymore?”
“No… it’s not like that,” the captain said, placing his pen to mark the page before closing the notebook. “I saw it was your day off, so I didn’t want to bother you.”
“But it’s your day off too, isn’t it?” I couldn’t help but ask. “Why are you sitting here working?”
“It just came to mind, so I wanted to get it done,” Phii Alan replied, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smile. It looked almost like his usual expression, but only almost. I couldn’t ignore the distant look in his eyes. “You can rest, really. You don’t need to help. It’s not much this time. I’ll show you when I’m done.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. His words didn’t carry much meaning to me. I couldn’t feel his presence at all. The person sitting in front of me now looked like my boyfriend, but at the same time, he didn’t. On the outside, he was the person I knew perfectly, but inside, he didn’t draw me in. He didn’t radiate the warmth that usually enveloped me. I didn’t even think I should touch him.
“What?” Phii Alan said with a chuckle, looking at me with confusion because I was just staring at him silently, as if I’d forgotten how to speak. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Lately, I has been feeling strange,” I replied. “I can’t quite explain what it is, but it’s unsettling.”
Phii Alan went quiet, concern clear on his face. I felt a slight relief because, for a moment, it was like I had my familiar person back. I wasn’t saying this just to make him worry about me instead of himself or to confirm that he still cared about me. I just didn’t think asking, “Is something wrong?” or saying, “You can tell me anything,” would actually help.
“Because your sense is gone?” Phii Alan asked. “Is it related?”
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