The drive is silent, and I enjoy being behind the wheel of the Mustang. My heart beats rapidly when I think about seeing Gabriel for the first time in weeks. I make a plan in my head: who I’m going to talk to, James and Cameron, and who I’m going to avoid, Kira. Although she is kind and polite to everyone else, she doesn’t seem to like me.
We arrive at Les Perles de Monte-Carlo, and I park my car at the valet booth. Adrian gets out, and I adjust my hair while waiting to give my keys to the valet. To my surprise, Adrian opens my door and holds his hand out. A smile takes over my entire face.
“When did you become so chivalrous?” I ask him, and he rolls his eyes but doesn’t hide his amused smile. His attention drops to my feet, and a wicked grin appears on his lips. “What’s with the face?” I ask.
“Well, I’m just surprised to see you are wearing heels, you know, considering you were limping this morning,” he replies before imitating what he perceives I looked like after he hurt me. I attempt to kick him in the ass, but he dodges the attack of my vengeful foot. “I knew you were being dramatic.” I glare at him and cross my arms in front of my chest.
“How about I get an elephant to step on your foot, and then we’ll talk,” I retort, and his mouth falls open.
“With an ass like yours, you’re the closest thing to one. Bring it on.” He presents his foot to me, inviting me to step on it. Naturally, as soon as I try to, he moves it away and lets me stumble forward.
“That’s it,” I yell and manage to jump on his back. “Go, donkey, go,” I tell him, pointing toward the restaurant.
“So, what am I? A donkey or an elephant?” I can’t help but laugh.
“You’re a donkey with elephant feet. Now, go!” I slam my knees into his sides to get him to move already. I should be embarrassed this is happening in front of such an expensive restaurant, but I’m too busy laughing to care.
Adrian gently drops me back onto the ground, and we walk inside to where Leonard, James, Cameron, and Gabriel are already sitting at a table. When my eyes focus on Gabriel, I giggle a little. He’s playing thumb wars with Cameron and making grimaces to distract his friend. As Cameron presses his thumb on Gabriel’s, the Monegasque makes a farting noise so loud, it throws his opponent completely off-guard, earning him the win. People at the surrounding tables frown at his child-like behavior, but I burst into laughter. If they only knew who he was.
“Adrian,” Leonard says and gets up to hug him. He gives me a slight nod, and I give him half a smile.
James Landon walks over to me, and I smile at the tall, twenty-two-year-old. He looks handsome in his blue jeans and green polo shirt. His blonde hair complements his blue eyes.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he greets me before his arms wrap around my upper body. “You look lovely,” the English man tells me, and I blush. I have known him for most of my life, and I know his compliments are entirely platonic. Even the kiss on the cheek is. He turns to Adrian and sighs. “I see you’re embracing the Californian culture of casual wear for any occasion,” he jokes, and everyone laughs.
“VAL!” Cameron Kion picks me up from the ground, and I giggle. He is slim and relatively short, but he is still strong enough to lift me. Cameron is the nicest guy. He was Adrian’s first teammate in Formula One.
Finally, I allow my eyes to shift to Gabriel again. His brown, curly hair is slightly tousled but still looks perfectly in place. Gabriel’s green eyes have shimmers of brown in them, which I know even from far away. His lean, trained body is covered by black pants and a white dress shirt, and his dimples are breathtaking as he smiles at the makeshift trophy he made for his thumb war victory. When he catches me staring, a blush settles on his cheek, but he winks anyway, probably to look more relaxed. I walk over to greet him. Where is Kira?
“Hey, Gabriel,” I say before he pulls me close and wraps his arms around me. He smells of mahogany, and my senses are heightened as I feel his lips brush my cheek. Feeling his body so close to mine is heavenly.
“You look unbelievable,” he tells me and takes one of my curls between his fingers. His behavior is so odd, I’m not even surprised when he sits down and pretends nothing happened. James takes the spot next to me across from where Gabriel is.
“How have you been?” he asks but also hands me a menu. His English accent is insanely thick.
“Good now that I’ve finally graduated,” I laugh, and he joins in. James knows I had to repeat a grade because I moved to Los Angeles to live with my aunt, and the school system was different from the one in Monaco. “How about you? How do you feel about your new contract with Red Bull?” I ask, and he sucks in a sharp breath. Every driver signs a contract with a team, depending on salary, duration, and additional benefits. They then race for that team for however long their contracts last. James recently switched from McLaren to Red Bull.
“Great, I’m really excited.” A nervous laugh escapes him, and he runs his big hand through his heavy hair. He has gained a lot of muscle, which I already felt when he hugged me, but I can also see by looking at him. James is still lean but also very trained. Formula One drivers need to be slim to fit in the car, and they cannot be too heavy either as it slows them down; every gram matters in racing. However, they still have to be strong because their bodies have to withstand the heavy forces of steering the car around the track. “Any plans for this year since we last spoke?”
“Not really. I’m going to keep training for now and see what opportunities present themselves,” I reply, and James nods. His eyes focus on mine, and his hand inches closer to where my arm lies on the table. I cock an eyebrow, and he retracts his hand, an embarrassed blush settling on his cheek. What is going on? My eyes drift back to Gabriel, who is watching James closely.
“Val?” Adrian asks, and I turn my head to look at him. The waiter stands next to him now, and I order before he moves on to James.
The ambiance of the restaurant is pleasant. It’s not too loud, and the instrumental music is slow and soothing. I listen to Leonard, Cameron, and Adrian talk about the brutal workout regimes they have to endure every day in preparation for the start of the season. I do the same routine and don’t find it as painful, but I won’t point it out. Then, James and I fall back into a conversation about his work. He tells me how ready he is to travel and see all the places he likes. It seems like forever since we last spoke, even though we texted yesterday.
Cameron grabs my attention when he asks how the flight home was. I tell him the whole story of Adrian’s assault on my foot. Everyone at the table laughs, except for Adrian. He nudges me in the ribs and glares at me. It doesn’t hurt, but I nudge him back anyway. Of course, I do it a lot harder, and he almost falls off the chair. Gabriel snickers in response.
“Anyhow,” James starts, and I shift my attention back to him. “Have you thought any more about coming with us when the season starts?” I’m not surprised by his question, but I still don’t have a clear answer for him. “As I’ve said before,” he continues, “you could focus a little on yourself, keep training, and you’ll have a better chance to find opportunities,” he adds with an excited smile.
The first time he asked me was a little over a month ago, but I haven’t made up my mind yet. It’s not something that’s easily decided, but I do get excited when I imagine what it would be like. Watching Formula One is my favorite thing to do, besides actually racing. The atmosphere on track is an entirely different world. The thrill is overwhelming, with the fans in the stands cheering throughout the weekend and the drivers’ passion for the sport. Additionally, I would get to spend more time with Adrian and James… and Gabriel.
“It’s a great idea, and if you want to, you know I’ll make it happen,” my brother chimes in. I know Adrian can. He is driving for Ferrari this season, so rather, I know they can make it happen.
“I still need to think about it,” I state, and Adrian nods, taking my hand in his and squeezing it.
Gabriel gets up from the table and disappears. After a moment of hesitation, I decide to follow him. I’m worried and want to make sure he’s okay. The cool summer air sends shivers down my spine when I find him outside. At least I’m telling myself it’s the air. Gabriel runs his hand through his hair and bites his bottom lip. A frustrated expression plays on his face.
“Gabriel,” I say, my voice almost a whisper. He hears me anyway and turns to me. His expression doesn’t change.
“Please, go back inside, Valentina,” he begs, and I cock an eyebrow. When I don’t move, he takes three steps toward me. “Just leave me alone, please. I don’t want to talk right now.” I wish he would share what’s on his mind, but I don’t push. Instead, I head back inside to our table. This behavior is very unlike Gabriel. We usually have no trouble communicating.
“Is he okay?” Adrian asks me, and I bend down to his ear.
“No, but he doesn’t want to talk about it,” I reply, and he shrugs.
“Maybe he’s having an off night,” he suggests, and I sit back down in my chair. He didn’t seem to have an off night before we arrived… Eventually, Gabriel comes back inside, but I leave him alone.
“What happened to Kira?” I finally ask Adrian once my curiosity gets the better of me.
“They got into a fight before coming here.” I nod and focus on my dessert. It must be why he is acting so strangely.
We all finish our food, and Cameron tells everyone how thrilled he is to start the new season in three weeks. Leonard chimes in and agrees while Adrian sits back in his chair, watching everyone closely. Gabriel’s eyes are on me when I glance at him, and I wish I knew what he’s thinking. He looks guilty, the way his eyes are pleading with me, and his lips are slightly parted as if he wants to say something.
Adrian and I leave the restaurant around midnight, without Gabriel showing any sign of his usual playfulness. I let my brother drive since I’m too tired and want to give my mind a break, to let it roam free.
“About you coming with me-” Adrian starts, and my head flips in his direction. “I’ll be flying back and forth a lot, and sometimes I will be staying in one place longer than in another.” He pauses and frowns. “I would love for you to travel the world with me. The past four years, every time I left, I wanted to take you with me.” I understand what he means. Adrian and I have been through a lot, and we are each other’s most important people. Yet, there is a war going on inside my head. One side tells me I have a better chance of realizing my dream if I travel with him. The other thinks I should stay in one place and keep training here while also finding a job to make some money. It’s challenging to make a decision when I don’t know what the right choice is. However, I know that my chances are pretty low either way, and I want to spend as much time with my brother as possible.
“Get ready for months of greatness then because I’m going with you,” I tell him excitedly, and the biggest smile appears on his face.
“Alright,” he replies just as giddily. Adrian taps his fingers on the steering wheel as I get back to my thoughts. Back to Gabriel, my subconscious reminds me, and I roll my eyes involuntarily. I don’t understand what is wrong with me, why I’ve spent years crushing on a guy who is not interested. He is dating someone else. So why is it so damn hard for me to get over him?
I lie in bed and stare at the ceiling, feeling beyond weird sleeping in Grandfather’s house without him here. After half an hour of struggling, I get out of bed and walk down the hall to Adrian’s room. I knock twice before he tells me to come in. He sits up in the bed that is way too big for him, and I stand awkwardly in the door.
“What’s wrong, Val?” he asks with a frown on his face.
“I can’t sleep. I feel… odd,” I mumble, and he pats the side of the bed next to his. I walk over, and he holds the blanket up for me.
“I get it. It feels like he’s here, but he’s not,” Adrian admits, and I nod. “Well, you can sleep here until that feeling goes away.” Again, I nod and close my eyes, relieved my brother is there for me when I need him most. “Just remember, we are going to have months filled with excitement, traveling, and, most importantly, winning ahead of us. I’m so happy you’re coming with me.” He squeezes my shoulder before falling backward onto his pillow, making me laugh.
“Goodnight. Love you,” I say as my eyelids get heavy.
“I love you too,” he replies and turns the other way.
It gets quiet when suddenly, Adrian’s silent but violent fart fills the room, and a soft chuckle escapes him. What an idiot… I kick him in the shin. It’s good to be home, is the last thing on my mind before the smell knocks me out.
