Chapter 29

MAT’s POV:

I’m not stupid.

At least, I’d like to think I’m not.

Which is why it didn’t take long for me to realize what Pat was doing.

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At first, it was subtle.

Small things.

Easy to ignore.

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She stopped waiting for Kat after duty.

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Started making excuses.

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Started disappearing whenever Kat wanted to spend time together.

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Started pushing me into situations where I’d end up alone with Kat.

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Too many coincidences.

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Way too many.

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And Patricia Dela Cruz was not the type of person who believed in coincidences.

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One evening after training, we were sitting on the bleachers.

The gym was empty.

Practice had already ended.

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Pat was tying her shoelaces.

Avoiding eye contact.

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Which was usually a bad sign.

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“You’re doing it again.”

I said.

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“What?”

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“That thing.”

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She frowned.

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“What thing?”

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“The thing where you pretend you’re helping someone when you’re actually sacrificing yourself.”

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Her hands immediately stopped moving.

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Got her.

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The silence stretched.

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Then she laughed.

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A quiet laugh.

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Not because it was funny.

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Because she knew I was right.

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“You think too much.”

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“No.”

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I leaned back.

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“I think you don’t think enough.”

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That earned me a glare.

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Victory.

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For a few moments, neither of us spoke.

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Then she quietly asked:

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“Do you like her that much?”

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I didn’t need to ask who she meant.

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Because whenever Kat was involved…

Neither of us ever needed clarification.

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“Yeah.”

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The answer came easily.

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Too easily.

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Because it was true.

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Pat nodded slowly.

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As if confirming something she already knew.

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Then she looked away.

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And suddenly…

She looked tired.

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Not physically.

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Emotionally.

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The kind of tired that sleep can’t fix.

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“Then pursue her.”

She said.

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Simple.

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Direct.

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Exactly the way Pat always spoke.

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Except this time…

It sounded wrong.

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Like she was forcing herself to say it.

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Like every word hurt.

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I stared at her.

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“Are you serious?”

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She laughed.

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“Why wouldn’t I be?”

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Because you love her.

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The answer remained trapped in my throat.

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Because we both already knew.

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Years.

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She had loved Kat for years.

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And somehow…

She was sitting here telling me to pursue her.

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The girl she’d probably loved longer than I’d even known her.

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I looked away.

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Because for the first time…

I felt guilty.

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Not enough to stop.

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But enough to hurt.

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Because the truth was…

I liked Kat.

A lot.

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Enough that I couldn’t walk away.

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Enough that even knowing how Pat felt didn’t change anything.

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Maybe that made me selfish.

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Maybe it did.

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But feelings didn’t disappear just because someone else got there first.

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And if there was one thing I’d learned in life…

It was that timing wasn’t everything.

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Sometimes the first person wasn’t the last person.

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Sometimes years didn’t matter.

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Sometimes people fell in love unexpectedly.

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And maybe…

Just maybe…

I had a chance.

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The thought made me feel awful.

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And hopeful.

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At the same time.

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Pat stood up.

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Then grabbed her gym bag.

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Before leaving, she stopped beside me.

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“You’ll take care of her, right?”

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The question hit harder than I expected.

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Because she wasn’t asking as a rival.

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She wasn’t asking as someone jealous.

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She was asking as someone who genuinely cared about Kat.

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More than herself.

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And suddenly…

I understood why she was suffering.

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Because Pat’s biggest fear wasn’t losing.

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It was hurting Kat.

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Even if that meant hurting herself instead.

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I looked up.

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And answered honestly.

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“Yeah.”

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The reply came without hesitation.

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Because despite everything…

That part was true.

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If Kat ever gave me a chance…

I would do everything I could to make her happy.

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Everything.

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Pat nodded.

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Then smiled.

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A small smile.

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The kind that never reached her eyes.

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And somehow…

That smile haunted me long after she walked away.

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Because for the first time…

I wondered if I was watching someone give up.

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Not because they stopped loving.

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But because they loved too much.

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And unfortunately…

I stayed silent.

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I didn’t tell Pat to confess.

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Didn’t tell her to fight for Kat.

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Didn’t tell her she was making a mistake.

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Because the truth was…

I wanted a chance too.

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And that realization made me hate myself a little.

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Because while Pat was stepping aside…

I was stepping forward.

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And neither of us were bad people.

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Just two people who happened to love the same girl.

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The difference?

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Pat was willing to lose her happiness for Kat.

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And I was willing to risk everything for mine.

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The scary part was…

I still didn’t know what Kat wanted.

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And somehow…

That would end up hurting all of us.

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### Author’s Note

OHHHH THIS ONE HURTS.

Mat knows.

Pat knows.

The readers know.

The only person who doesn’t know anything is Kat.

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Pat: “Pursue her.”

Mat: “You love her.”

Pat: “I know.”

Mat: “…”

Pat: “…”

Reader: *throwing phone across the room*

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Nobody is the villain anymore.

That’s the problem.

Everybody has a reason.

Everybody is hurting.

And everybody is making mistakes.

Which means the emotional damage is only getting started.

See you in Next Chapter.

(Respectfully, I need therapy after writing this.)