Today were the first two free practice sessions of the season. During, the drivers can familiarize themselves with track and weather conditions while driving in their cars. They can also try different strategies and tires, and set lap times to compare with the other teams. Gabriel and James did well, but Adrian struggled visibly today. He’ll have another chance to improve in the third practice tomorrow, and, hopefully, it will allow him to set a good time during Qualifying.
Thousands of fans were already in the stands today, supporting their favorite drivers by cheering, wearing their teams’ colors, and holding up posters and flags. This is something that always warms my heart. The excitement of the fans every time the cars race by them is wonderful. I barely had fans when I was racing for Formula Three, but the few who supported me meant the world to me.
As much as I tried not to think about Gabriel and our ‘friend date’, my mind kept drifting to it the entire day, up until now, while I’m standing in the shower, letting the warmth of the water calm me down. There is no reason for me to be nervous, but here I am, water dripping down my back from my hair and looking through my suitcase once more. A knock on the door startles me, and I shake my head at Gabriel when I open it.
“Do you get an inner alarm every time I’m in a towel?” We both laugh, and he shrugs with a wicked smile.
“No, but I most certainly wouldn’t mind having it,” he jokes, and I step out of the way so he can come in. “I brought you something else,” he informs me, but I frown at him.
“Stop bringing me things,” I complain, but Gabriel only grins as he holds out a Ferrari team shirt.
“It’s important for where I’m taking you,” he simply replies, and I tilt my head to the side ever so slightly, hoping he’ll elaborate. “Come on, Lady Valentina, we have somewhere to be,” he teases me, and I smile involuntarily.
“You haven’t called me that in years,” I mumble, overwhelmed by the sudden wave of happiness. After all of the chaos between us, I’m glad to see our friendship isn’t ruined. Gabriel tells me to get ready, probably to give us both a break from the emotional tension between us.
The shirt fits me snugly around the top, and when I inhale, I realize it’s Gabriel’s. The mahogany scent is impossible to miss. Wearing it gives me a strange feeling of belonging and comfort. I add a pair of shorts and the hair clip he gave me before putting on my sneakers and following Gabriel to his rental car. He stays quiet the whole drive to the track, and I wonder what we could be doing there at this hour. My mind even makes up a scenario where Gabriel organized a dinner like Eduardo, but he’s more creative than that.
Not knowing what he has planned is slowly driving me crazy. “Can you give me a hint, at least?” I beg, but he only laughs at my impatience.
“We’re almost there, chérie. You’ll see soon enough,” Gabriel promises, and for the first time tonight, I study his outfit. He’s wearing a white dress shirt and simple blue jeans. I feel underdressed next to him, but my outfit was his choice. Once the car is parked, he turns to me with a sincere smile. “Now, the question is, do you trust me enough to let me blindfold you?” he asks, and I furrow both of my eyebrows in response.
“I think we had different ideas about what this was,” I joke, but Gabriel’s cheeks turn a bright red.
“Jesus, Valentina, get your head out of the gutter,” he laughs, and I join him. A weight lifts off my shoulders. We’re okay.
“Okay, then you may blindfold me,” I permit him, and his fingers carefully tie the fabric of one of his bandanas around my head to take my vision away.
Gabriel does a pretty good job not bumping me into things, for the most part, but it takes a while to get to wherever we’re going. Eventually, he stops me from going any further, and I hear him speak to someone else about whether or not everything is ready. This only makes me more impatient.
“Okay, finally. I had to pull a lot of strings for this, but it will be so worth it,” he says before pulling the bandana from my face and revealing his Formula One car. “I know your dream is to race in one, but for now, you can sit in it.” This wouldn’t seem like much to anyone else, but to me, it means the world. I’ve only ever been allowed near the car, never in it. One of my biggest dreams has always been to know what it feels like to sit in one. I stare at Gabriel in disbelief, and he smiles brightly.
“You did this for me?” During a race weekend especially, this should be impossible. The car and driver are the most protected components because, without them, there is no race.
“Of course. It’s long overdue.” His green-brown eyes stare into mine, and I wonder how someone can remain so pure after losing so many people. “Go, sit,” he pulls me from my moment of awe and helps me into his car.
The seat is tight at the sides and incredibly uncomfortable at the back, but that’s because it is made to fit Gabriel perfectly, not me. It would be different if this were my seat… I look straight ahead at the halo, one of the most important additions they’ve recently made to the car. It’s a safety measure in the shape of its name that sits over where the driver’s head is. It has saved the drivers many times when they crashed. The thought almost makes me shiver. Formula One is not to be underestimated. My eyes focus on where the steering wheel usually is, and I stretch out my arms to imitate a driver’s body position during a race.
“How do you feel?” Gabriel asks after a while of me admiring the car.
“Like one of my fantasies has just become a reality,” I admit, and he cheers victoriously.
“So, you’re happy?” he goes on, and I nod. Tears have been threatening to leave my eyes since I’ve sat down, and when he celebrates my joy, I let them fall. Gabriel allows me to stay in the car for a bit longer. He even takes a few pictures of me in it to capture this moment. “You know, the first time I sat in one, I was so nervous, I kept pressing the off switch instead of on. But, at first, I didn’t realize that, so I started complaining. ‘Why is this stupid car not turning on? Something’s not working. It’s fucking broken.’ Eventually, someone came up to me and had to remind me what the right button is. Val, I almost died from shame,” he tells me, and I burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“No, you didn’t,” I reply, still too amused by his story to keep from laughing at him.
“It was so embarrassing,” he admits, and I finally catch myself. The smile on my lips remains, but at least I’m calm enough now to see his shy grin and red cheeks. It’s not fair that his outside is just as beautiful as his inside.
“Will you share more stories?” I ask. Gabriel squats down next to the car to tug a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I stop breathing until he retracts his hand and runs it over his stubble with a thoughtful expression on his face.
“Would you like to hear about the time I almost soiled myself in the car or the time I was incapable of putting my balaclava on?”
“Both!”
We stay in the Ferrari garage for a bit longer, eating and talking, until he brings me back to my hotel. Like Eduardo did yesterday, Gabriel walks me all the way to my room, but instead of kissing me, he tightly wraps his arms around me.
“Thank you for tonight,” he mumbles before kissing my cheek and leaving.
If only things were different, and he’d kiss my lips instead of my cheek for once…
