Pitbabe S2, Chapter 33 pg 4
Pitbabe S2, Chapter 33 pg 4
“Wanna shower first?” I took off my blue-light glasses and set them on the desk, turning to my little brother, who was sitting on the sofa, looking dead serious. If I didn’t shoo him to the shower, he’d probably sit there babysitting me all night. “Use my room. Call me when you’re done.”
“Okay,” Jeff replied, thankfully not stubborn about this. He closed his notebook and placed it on the low table in front of the sofa. “Borrowing everything, then.”
“Go for it,” I nodded casually, then paused as something hit me. “Got any underwear?”
“Can you not be annoying?” he snapped.
“Hey, I’m just worried. If you don’t have any, I’ll grab some for you.”
“No need,” Jeff said firmly, sounding a bit embarrassed that I’d brought it up. But isn’t that important? As his big brother, why can’t I ask? “I’m grown, Charlie.”
“Didn’t say you weren’t,” I replied lightly. “No need to look so grossed out… got a boyfriend and suddenly forget your big bro, huh?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“You never used to care.”
“I’m grown now. Why’re you being so annoying, Charlie?”
“Alright, alright, grown-up it is,” I surrendered easily, waving off the newly mature kid who was scolding me with his hands on his hips. “Grown-up, go shower.”
“Was going anyway. Don’t need your orders.”
With that, Jeff stormed off, sashaying dramatically. Now, the vast hall was just me, the silence almost unsettling. I wasn’t sure if the upstairs crew had gone to their rooms or were still holed up in the lab. I didn’t dare disturb them—the past few days, whenever I asked about the lab, all three would snap in unison, “Don’t interfere.” So, I’ve been stuck down here in the hall, alone.
Less than ten minutes into my quiet solitude, I heard footsteps rushing in. I turned toward the sound and spotted the source immediately. Liu was trudging down the stairs, looking exhausted—dark circles under her eyes, hair a mess like I’d never seen. She shot me a look that said, “What’re you staring at?” If I had to answer honestly, I’d probably say, “Looking like that, who wouldn’t stare?”
“You guys still not sleeping?” I asked, watching our team’s only female researcher head straight for the bar counter. She opened the fridge, grabbed three energy drinks, and dragged herself to collapse on the sofa in the middle of the hall.
“And you’re one to talk about sleeping?” Despite looking like a zombie, her sharp tongue was still in top form. Liu twisted open an energy drink with a loud crack and chugged it in one go. At a glance, it looked more like she was downing shots than sipping an energy drink. “Jeff gone?”
“Nah,” I shook my head. “He’s showering.”
“Oh, sleeping here?”
“Yeah, fought with his boyfriend.”
“Aw, my poor little guy,” the fortune-telling goddess tried to make a sympathetic face, but her expression barely moved. If it weren’t for her blinking and talking, she’d look like a talking wax figure. “People in love are always so chaotic, aren’t they?”
“It’s normal. No couple gets along without fighting.”
“Coming from someone who makes breaking up a hobby, I’d believe you completely, darling.”
And, as always, it circles back to me. Ever since that day, I’ve been teased nonstop. Everyone acts sympathetic but still finds ways to poke at my sore spots, taking turns stabbing me until I’m riddled with holes.
“Seriously, when are you guys gonna stop teasing me?”
“When there’s something else to tease you about.”
Looks like I’m truly out of luck.
Because there’s probably nothing in my life more tease-worthy than this.
“Do you miss him?”
Liu asked out of the blue after a brief silence, her tone shifting slightly. I could sense a bit more seriousness, so I took it as her version of concern, delivered in her usual ruthless fortune-teller style.
“Babe?”
“Who else is there?”
Her concern is so hard to deal with.
“Of course I miss him,” I answered without needing to overthink it. Even though thinking about Babe now brings a dull ache to my heart, I can’t deny he’s always on my mind. It’s been like that forever, practically automatic. No matter how bad our fights get, even if we’ve broken up, or when I’m so angry at him I could explode, my heart still leaves a space for Babe, no conditions attached. “Missing him is just normal.”
“What’s it like?”
“Missing someone?”
“Loving someone more than yourself.”
Liu leaned back against the sofa, her tiny frame almost swallowed by its plush cushions. Her voice sounded weary, like she was on the verge of sleep, but she kept finding things to talk about, as if afraid she’d actually doze off.
“I don’t love Babe more than myself.”
“Hey, I have a Ph.D., you know.”
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