Chapter 24

PAT’s POV:

Looking back, I should’ve known it was only a matter of time.

Because Matthew Villanueva had many talents.

Basketball.

Academics.

Making friends with literally anyone.

And unfortunately…

Being incredibly persistent.

—

At first, it wasn’t a problem.

Not really.

He’d ask about Kat every now and then.

The same questions he had been asking since the day he met her.

“Kamusta si Kat?”

“Busy ba si Kat?”

“Nakakausap mo pa ba si Kat?”

“Single pa ba si Kat?”

—

That last one usually earned him a glare.

—

“Pat.”

—

“What?”

—

“Single ba?”

—

“Mat.”

—

“What?”

—

“Focus ka sa training.”

—

“I am focused.”

—

“No.”

—

“I can multitask.”

—

“You clearly can’t.”

—

Unfortunately…

He never stopped asking.

—

Even after Kat moved in.

Even after months passed.

Even after I made it painfully obvious that I wasn’t interested in helping him.

—

He still asked.

—

Every.

Single.

Chance.

—

He got.

—

One afternoon after training, I walked into the condo and immediately froze.

—

Because Kat was laughing.

—

Not unusual.

—

The problem was who she was laughing with.

—

Mat.

—

Sitting comfortably on my couch.

—

Eating my snacks.

—

Talking to Kat like they’d known each other for years.

—

“What are you doing here?”

I asked.

—

Neither looked guilty.

Which was suspicious.

—

“We’re talking.”

Mat answered.

—

I narrowed my eyes.

—

“Why?”

—

Kat laughed.

—

“That’s rude.”

—

“Thank you.”

Mat nodded.

—

I pointed at him.

—

“Get out.”

—

“No.”

—

I pointed at my snacks.

—

“Those are mine.”

—

“You never eat these.”

—

“That’s not the point.”

—

Kat was trying—and failing—not to laugh.

—

Traitor.

—

Complete traitor.

—

The worst part?

—

They got along.

—

Way too well.

—

Because somehow, despite being complete opposites, they could talk about almost anything.

—

Movies.

Music.

Food.

School.

Random childhood stories.

—

And every time I walked into the conversation…

I immediately regretted it.

—

Because Mat always found a way to bring attention back to Kat.

—

Always.

—

“Kat likes this song.”

—

“Kat, have you watched this movie?”

—

“Kat, try this restaurant sometime.”

—

“Kat, did Pat tell you about—”

—

“MAT.”

—

“What?”

—

“Stop talking.”

—

Kat nearly choked from laughing.

—

I hated both of them.

—

Not really.

—

But maybe a little.

—

The problem wasn’t Mat.

—

Not entirely.

—

The problem was what I knew.

—

Mat liked Kat.

—

Everyone knew.

—

Me.

His teammates.

His friends.

Probably the janitor.

—

The only person who didn’t seem to realize it…

Was Kat.

—

Or maybe she did.

—

And that thought somehow felt worse.

—

One night, after I picked Kat up from St. Aurelia, we were walking home when she suddenly spoke.

—

“You were weird earlier.”

—

I immediately knew what she meant.

—

“I wasn’t.”

—

“You were.”

—

“I wasn’t.”

—

“Pat.”

—

“What?”

—

“You looked annoyed.”

—

I looked away.

—

Because I was.

—

Very.

—

“Why?”

—

I shrugged.

—

“No reason.”

—

“Liar.”

—

I sighed.

—

The problem was that I couldn’t exactly tell her.

—

I couldn’t say:

*”Because watching him look at you drives me insane.”*

—

I couldn’t say:

*”Because I know he likes you.”*

—

And I definitely couldn’t say:

*”Because every time you laugh at his jokes, I wonder if one day you’ll laugh at him the same way.”*

—

So instead I said:

—

“Nothing.”

—

Kat rolled her eyes.

—

“You know you’re terrible at hiding things.”

—

“Good.”

—

“Why good?”

—

“Because then people stop asking.”

—

She laughed.

—

Unfortunately…

That only made things worse.

—

Because her smile immediately reminded me of something.

—

How easy it would be.

—

If she liked Mat.

—

He was everything I wasn’t.

—

Handsome.

Confident.

Rich.

Popular.

—

The kind of guy people noticed immediately.

—

The kind of guy parents loved.

—

The kind of guy who could give someone everything.

—

And here I was.

—

A scholar-athlete.

—

Still worrying about expenses.

Still balancing basketball and classes.

Still trying to figure out what the future looked like.

—

The comparison wasn’t fair.

—

But that didn’t stop my brain from making it.

—

“Pat?”

—

I blinked.

—

“What?”

—

Kat was staring at me.

—

Concerned.

—

“You disappeared.”

—

“Sorry.”

—

“What were you thinking about?”

—

I forced a smile.

—

“Nothing important.”

—

Another lie.

—

Because lately…

It felt very important.

—

Especially when Mat started showing up more often.

—

Showing up at the condo.

—

Showing up after games.

—

Showing up whenever Kat was around.

—

And the worst part?

—

Kat never seemed bothered by it.

—

She was kind.

—

Friendly.

—

Patient.

—

Exactly the type of person someone like Mat would fall for.

—

One evening, I walked into the living room and found them talking again.

—

Mat was laughing.

—

Kat was laughing.

—

And for the first time in a long time…

Something ugly settled in my chest.

—

Jealousy.

—

Not because Kat belonged to me.

—

She didn’t.

—

Not because Mat was doing anything wrong.

—

He wasn’t.

—

But because I knew exactly where this was going.

—

And no matter how much I wanted to stop it…

I had no right to.

—

Because at the end of the day…

Matthew Villanueva was free to like Katherine Reyes.

—

And Katherine Reyes was free to like him back.

—

The thought followed me all night.

—

Long after everyone had gone home.

—

Long after the condo became quiet.

—

Long after Kat had fallen asleep.

—

Because for the first time since she moved in…

I realized something.

—

Mat wasn’t just a friend anymore.

—

He wasn’t just a teammate.

—

He wasn’t just the guy who teased me about matching mugs.

—

He was becoming a problem.

—

And the worst part?

—

I was starting to hate how much that bothered me.

### Author’s Note

MATTHEW VILLANUEVA HAS ENTERED THE CHAT.

Pat: “I don’t care.”

Also Pat:

* Notices every time Mat talks to Kat.
* Notices every time Kat laughs.
* Notices every time Mat breathes near Kat.
* Thinks about it at 3 AM.

😭😭😭

Girl.

Stand up.

Either confess or suffer.

Actually…

Never mind.

Continue suffering.

The readers are enjoying it. 🍿👀💀💕