Pitbabe S2, Chapter 37 pg 8
Pitbabe S2, Chapter 37 pg 8
The king versus a nobody like me… what’s he thinking?
“If you win, you can ask me for anything.”
Wait a second.
Anything?
“Anything. You name it.”
Phii Babe said it with such a casual expression, like he could hear the thoughts in my head. Honestly, his offer was thrilling at first, but now I’m not getting my hopes up too much. Realistically speaking, beating him is impossible. So, agreeing to the challenge won’t hurt. If I win, I get a prize (which is never gonna happen), but if I lose, I lose nothing. Besides, I was planning to drive for fun anyway. Having someone join me won’t make much difference.
“Okay!”
I agreed, and Phii Babe flashed a satisfied smile before rolling up his window completely. Phii North, acting as the race starter, stepped out to stand in the middle between our two cars. The X-Team was lined up along the track’s edge, fully assembled (since when, I have no idea), making my casual drive feel way more serious than I’d intended.
Oh well. Just drive and have fun.
Phii North signaled to get ready. I took a deep breath to focus, and three seconds later, he gave the green light.
Phii Babe and I launched almost simultaneously. The fact that our cars were neck-and-neck surprised me. I thought Phii Babe would’ve zoomed ahead right from the start. I don’t know if this was intentional on his part or if our speeds were actually matched, but not being left in the dust like I’d imagined made me start to take the race more seriously than I’d planned.
Our cars were incredibly close during the drifts in the first and second corners—so close that even I was shocked. I’ve never raced before. I’ve never trained or studied this kind of driving. I’ve always been just a spectator and a fan of X-Hunter. But for some reason, the moment I pressed the accelerator, it felt like this cockpit was entirely mine. It felt familiar, fun, and strangely comforting. My body moved on its own, instinctively. I controlled the car exactly as I wanted, as if me and this sleek beast were one. And it’s not just now—we’ve been close for longer than that, long enough to understand each other and run side by side with Pitbabe’s car on the track, looking far from pathetic.
After nailing the final corner perfectly, I’m so proud I could practically float through the roof. I haven’t let Phii Babe pull ahead even once. We’ve been trading leads and overtaking each other the whole way. My heart’s racing, feeling free like I’m soaring in the sky, not driving on a racetrack.
Just a short distance left to the finish line. The sky, already overcast from the start, grows even darker. The wind picks up, thick clouds gathering tightly. A few seconds later, raindrops begin to patter against my windshield.
Rain at the very end?
I think to myself with relief. The finish is right ahead. The X-Hunter fans are still standing trackside, now equipped with rain gear as if they’d prepped for this since yesterday.
Just a few hundred meters to the finish, and the situation has me thinking miracles might be real. I might actually beat Pitbabe. If I push just a bit harder, something beyond expectations could become reality.
But then, my rival does something even more unexpected. Phii Babe gradually slows down, falling behind me, until his car comes to a complete stop. Instead of racing on to win decisively, I hit the brakes too, confused, leaving both our cars parked just short of the finish line.
And then Pitbabe opens his door and steps out.
Phii Babe walks to the front of his car, standing in the relentless rain. He closes his eyes and tilts his face skyward, letting the rain soak his face and drench his entire body. And I’m the same.
I don’t know what’s happening or what he’s thinking. The only thing I know for sure right now is… he’s breathtakingly beautiful.
I feel like we’re close, even standing so far apart. It’s like we know each other deeply, like we’ve been familiar for ages, even though in reality, I always fumble my words around him. His body under that racing suit—just imagining it feels like touching something soft, warm, and utterly captivating. Even his scent somehow calms and excites me all at once.
It’s hard to believe we’re just acquaintances.
And it’s even harder to believe… I like him this much.
“Phii Babe…”
I call his name, competing with the growing roar of the rain. He turns at the sound, looks straight at me, and smiles.
The most beautiful smile in the world.
“Are you… crying?”
Beneath that stunning smile, my heart sinks. I feel like he’s crying. Even if I can’t see his tears through the rain streaming down his face, my gut tells me I’m not wrong.
Phii Babe is crying, but I don’t know why.
Why is he crying?
And why does it hurt me… just thinking that he’s crying?
“Are you okay, Phii?” I asked, my heart urging me to step closer to him, but my legs wouldn’t move. “Can you… not cry?”
“Why?”
“When I see you cry…” Suddenly, I felt like crying too. I raised my hand to rub my chest, trying to calm myself and breathe slower, because the tightness in my chest was tormenting me. “…It makes me sad.”
This must be another thing I can’t explain—why my feelings for him are so intense. We’ve only talked a few times, and I don’t even dare look him in the eye, yet I smile when he smiles, cry when I know he’s crying, and feel anxious just because I’m scared he might be sad right now.
I’m afraid he’s not happy.
“Charlie.”
“…Yes?”
“Are you happy?”
I really want to know what this thing between us is, and if there’s any chance it could be more. Even the slightest possibility that we could be more than just acquaintances.
Could he be one of the many things I’ve forgotten?
“I…”
The thing I fear most… forgetting something important.
“I want you to be happy, Phii.”
By now, I was certain Phii Babe was truly crying. He was sobbing, his body trembling, his hand covering his mouth as if afraid he’d let a sound slip. Seeing him like that made me want to rush over and hug him right then and there.
Can someone love a person they barely know this much?
“So, did you beat me?” he asked.
“No,” I shook my head. “I haven’t crossed the finish line yet.”
“Then you don’t get to claim a prize,” he said with a soft laugh, even as he kept crying. “But your car’s closer to the finish line. You could try asking for one.”
Could I?
Can I really ask for that?
“Phii Babe.”
Maybe I shouldn’t.
“What’s up?”
“Even if I am younger, but not childish… would you be okay with that?”
Despite the hesitation filling my heart, I finally said it.
Phii Babe cried even harder, but at the same time, he smiled—a smile so wide I forgot we were standing in the pouring rain under a gloomy sky. His smile was bright, radiant, chasing away all the cold and loneliness as if they’d never existed.
And my entire world lit up the moment he nodded in response to my question.
I hope one day the questions lingering in my heart will be answered. Especially about him. If there’s anything I’ve forgotten, I want to remember it all again, from one to a hundred. But if that chance never comes, I’ll let it go.
But I’ll build it anew, with care, making it more beautiful and stronger than before. And I swear, this time, I’ll never forget it again.
(end)
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