PitBabeS2, Chapter 2 pg1

 pg1

   Chapter 2:

   ALAN:

   “Hot, isn’t it, kid?”

   Jeff shook his head quickly in response. He ducked under the water, then popped back up, carelessly pushing back the wet hair plastered to his face. It was quite a sight, I’ll admit. I don’t really get why this kid loves playing in the water so much. Today, as soon as we got back from the garage, he jumped into the pool while the sun was still blazing. At first, I was a bit worried he’d get sick or that his pale skin would burn, but seeing his relaxed expression and the nice view I was getting, maybe I was overthinking it.

   I plopped down at the pool’s edge, dipping my legs into the water. Within moments, the little mermaid swam over and clung to my legs.

   “Coming in?” Jeff asked, looking up at me with wide, bright eyes. “No need to change.”

   “Too lazy.”

   “Why?”

   “Do I need a reason to be lazy?”

   The garage owner pursed his lips, pretending to be annoyed, but I knew he wasn’t really upset—just looking for an excuse to tease. Jeff pressed his damp cheek against my thigh, sneaking in a soft kiss, as affectionate as a clingy kid. Even though he acts aloof in front of others, I know better than anyone how adorable Jeff can be when it’s just the two of us. Maybe because he grew up on his own, not used to showing love to others, Jeff is cautious about expressing himself. He only softens around people he trusts—besides Charlie, that’s probably just me, right? Pretty proud of that, aren’t I?

   “Phii Alan,” Jeff called out lazily, his soft cheek still glued to my lap like a big mochi. I couldn’t resist ruffling his hair.

   “Hm?”

   “Love you.”

   I love hearing those words from a tough-talker like Jeff, but since it came out of nowhere, it felt more strange than heart-fluttering. My hand, which had been stroking his damp hair, froze. The gears in my brain spun wildly as I tried to find a good reason why my boyfriend would say something like that.

   “Why?”

   “What do you mean?” Jeff looked up, meeting my eyes. He gave a small smile, as if amused by how flustered I was over a simple “I love you.” “Why so shocked? Just saying it.”

   “Are you breaking up with me?” That was one of the first assumptions that popped into my head.

   “Are you breaking up with me?”

   “No way,” I replied firmly. Breaking up? Just imagining it was terrifying. Since being with Jeff, that thought has never crossed my mind.

   “I feel the same,” he chuckled. “Just wanted to say it…”

   “Did you see something?”

   Jeff paused, the faint smile on his face fading. That wasn’t a good sign. He stared at me silently. I tried to read his eyes, but it was too hard to guess what he was thinking or feeling. Sometimes, this feeling makes me uneasy because it’s like Jeff knows so much while I’m completely clueless—about him, or even about myself.

   “Phii Alan… I didn’t see anything,” he said, placing his hand on my thigh and shaking his head slowly. If I’m not mistaken, I think his eyes showed a hint of worry. “Is just saying ‘I love you’ that weird? Why overthink it?”

   He might be right. I’m overthinking. And it’s not like I don’t realize it. I’ve been like this for a while now. Lately, thoughts like “What will the future hold?” keep popping up out of nowhere, even though I’m not usually like this. I’ve never been afraid or anxious about the future because I know it’s something you can’t predict until it happens. But since meeting Jeff, my relationship with the future has changed without me noticing. I keep wondering, “Has you already seen our tomorrow?” or “Are we following a path you laid out?” I know these aren’t healthy thoughts, and Jeff would be hurt if he knew I was thinking this way. I’m trying to shake them off, but as you can see, it’s not working. So, every time Jeff says or does something I don’t understand, I end up assuming he’s orchestrating my future.

   I’m really a terrible boyfriend.

   Even though he trusts me more than anyone.

   “I’m sorry,” I said sincerely, pulling the soaked kid between my legs and wrapping him in a hug. I didn’t even think about how it’d get my clothes wet too. All I knew was I wanted to comfort him, to make him believe I’d soon erase those thoughts. “I overthought it, that’s all. I love you too, you know that, right?”

   “Do you think I is sneaking peeks into the future or something?”

   “No, it’s not like that…”

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