Pitbabe S2, Chapter 8 pg2

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 8 pg2

   “Yeah, yeah, I’ll buy the ring,” Babe replied, his tone dismissive, but I knew he’d already etched my words into his heart. At the very least, his flushed cheeks and pouty face were proof enough.

   Or maybe it just made me love him more. I don’t know, whatever.

   Today, my mind was so preoccupied with other things I barely had a moment to rest. Coming back to Babe, I didn’t want to think about anything else. I just wanted to hold him, kiss every square inch of him I could—his soft hair, forehead, tip of his nose, both cheeks, circling back to his lips, his chin… and then… wait, what?

   Everything froze. The familiar sweet scent of Babe wasn’t the same today—it was different from what I remembered. I only noticed it now.

   “Who was at the garage today?”

   My confidence wasn’t absolute until I saw Babe’s reaction. He froze, trying to meet my eyes but blinking rapidly, not really looking at me. His obvious nervousness from just one question confirmed it—there was something he didn’t want me to know.

   “Why?” Babe asked instead of answering, pretending everything was normal when nothing was. He’s always been terrible at lying.

   “There’s a weird smell,” I said, leaning in to sniff his forehead again to confirm I wasn’t imagining it. The more I focused, the clearer it became—there was a foreign scent on his face. “It’s not your smell.”

   “What smell?” Babe played dumb. “It’s normal, probably engine oil.”

   “I’m a racer too, Babe. You think I don’t know what engine oil smells like?”

   “Maybe you’re not used to it. This is a new brand.”

   “Babe,” I lowered my voice, signaling that this wasn’t the time for his jokes. No matter how good the punchline, I wasn’t laughing. “Answer properly.”

   “Okay, okay, it’s Phii Alan’s smell…”

   “Don’t lie.”

   Babe’s eyes trembled, probably because I’d slipped into that tone again—the one he hates, the one I promised not to use. But I couldn’t help it; my simmering emotions were too hard to control.

   “How many times have I told you not to lie?” I pulled away from him. I couldn’t stand any closer because the nearer I was, the more that strange scent overwhelmed my senses, driving me closer to madness. It was just a smell, and it was my fault for having a nose sharper than a normal human’s. It was a scent even Babe couldn’t detect, but because of my heightened senses tied to him, I had to notice something I shouldn’t have. “So many times, Babe. I’ve said it… so many times.”

   “Charlie…”

   I took a deep breath.

   I took a deep breath, filling my lungs until they nearly burst, but it didn’t help. I tried to stay calm like I always do, but for some reason, my patience has been paper-thin lately—especially when it comes to Babe.

   “Don’t lie. I catch you every time. Do you get that, Babe?”

   No.

   Lower your voice.

   I shouldn’t be taking my emotions out on Babe.

   “I can recognize everyone’s scent. Not just yours, but everyone we’re close to. Do you think I wouldn’t know this isn’t Phii Alan’s scent? Do you think I wouldn’t remember? This is your sense, Babe. Did you think I’d miss it?”

   “Charlie… calm down,” Babe grabbed my arm, and unbelievably, I pulled away. I never thought I could do something like that. “Don’t be like this.”

   “It’s perfume, fabric softener, something else, and a person’s scent, Babe. I wouldn’t care if it was somewhere else, but it’s on your face, right here.” I touched the side of his temple, where the scent was strongest, while my mouth spewed incoherent words, as if I’d lost the ability to communicate. “Who could get this close, Babe?”

   Babe went silent. He had an answer but didn’t want to say it, knowing how I’d feel about it. But he didn’t realize that the more he avoided my eyes, the clearer the answer became.

   “Willy, huh?”

   Babe didn’t respond, but he sighed.

   That meant my guess was right. No need to dig further.

   “Wow… I’m speechless.” I didn’t know what to say next. Even though I was the one pressing him, now that I had the answer, I was at a loss, pacing back and forth like a trapped rat.

   I knew this shouldn’t be a big deal, but my chest was burning. I kept asking myself, Why? Why him? Why Willy again? Didn’t we already fight over this guy before? Why is it happening again? But all those questions paled compared to the one screaming loudest in my head.

   Why does this guy scare me so much?

   “Charlie, it’s nothing. Willy just stopped by to hang out with North and the guys. He sat and talked with me for a bit, saw my face was smudged with polishing oil, and lent me his handkerchief. That’s it.”

   Babe’s explanation meant nothing. All I could think about was him with Willy, their conversation flowing with smiles and laughter, while I was stuck being an idiot, endlessly caught up in my own mess.

   “I thought you hated Willy.”

   “It’s not like I hate him. He’s just annoying to look at. When we met at Phii Alan’s place, he was super irritating,” Babe said. Those words should’ve reassured me, but they didn’t. If anything, they did the opposite, because I knew where this was headed. “But today, when we talked properly, I realized he’s not that bad. Maybe just a bit immature, like you were at first. No, you’re way smarter, but it’s similar in how he doesn’t quite get me when we talk.”

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