Chapter Seven
◆◆◆
Jax
The Mexican Grand Prix weekend hit like a wall of dry heat and high stakes.
The thin air at altitude made every breath feel earned, every tyre warmer a gamble, every sector time a small war.
Jax had been in the Ashworth garage since dawn on Friday, already wired from telemetry reviews, when his phone buzzed.
Aria: Landed. Security cleared me. Where do I go?
His thumb hovered. His heart gave a stupid, single thump. He typed back: Garage entrance. Tell them you’re my guest. Come up to the hospitality deck.
She appeared twenty minutes later, escorted through the controlled chaos of mechanics and media.
Black jeans hugging her legs, white cropped hoodie, oversized sunglasses pushed back into her dark hair like a crown.
She looked small against the hulking cars and towering tool chests, but her presence cut through the noise anyway.
Heads turned. Whispers rippled. Even Lucas paused mid-conversation with his engineer and lifted a hand in greeting before ducking back inside.
Jax met her at the foot of the stairs leading up to the hospitality deck. He was still in fireproofs, race suit knotted low at his hips, hair damp and messy from the balaclava. Sweat already beaded at his temples from the heat.
“Morning,” he said, voice quieter than he meant it to be.
She smiled—small, a little hesitant, but real. “Morning. This place is… a lot.”
“Yeah.” He glanced around the buzzing garage, then back at her. “Welcome to my version of chaos. You can watch from up there. Private area, best view of the pit lane and the first sector. No one will bother you.”
He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. “I told Mia you were coming to cheer me on. Asked if she could just check on you, make sure you’re not completely lost. So… expect her to drop by at some point.”
Aria’s brows lifted slightly, then she gave a soft laugh. “Okay. That’s actually really thoughtful. I’m sure I will have lots of questions.”
Her eyes flicked to his face, searching. “I don’t want to throw you off. This is your weekend.”
He looked at her—really looked. The way sunlight caught the faint freckles across her nose, the way her lips parted slightly like she was holding back a dozen questions. The flush already creeping up her neck when he held her gaze too long.
“You are already throwing me off,” he admitted, voice rougher than he intended.
“In a good way. But we’re not talking about the proposal until Sunday night.
After the race. I need to feel this weekend first. Having someone here—not for the cameras, not for optics, but for me.
I’ve never done this. Real relationship, fake relationship—doesn’t matter.
I need to know if it grounds me… or if it’s just another thing to carry. ”
Her brows softened. “You’re worried I’ll be a distraction?”
“I know you are.” He gave a crooked half-smile, the kind that crinkled the corners of his eyes and made them twinkle with quiet mischief. “In the best possible way.”
Her cheeks went scarlet on cue. She laughed—soft, breathless—and ducked her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Okay. Message received.”
“Good.” He jerked his chin toward the stairs. “Go watch. I’ve got laps to run.”
◆◆◆
Aria
From the hospitality deck, Aria watched Jax disappear into the garage, his broad shoulders cutting through the crowd like he owned the place.
The view was killer—pit lane buzzing below, cars gleaming under the harsh sun, mechanics moving like they’d done this a thousand times—but she found herself lingering on the spot where he’d just been.
There was something easy about the way he moved through all the chaos, like none of it rattled him.
She liked watching that. It made the whole frantic weekend feel a little less overwhelming.
Mia appeared halfway through Practice 1, sliding into the seat beside her with two iced coffees and a grin that said she knew exactly where Aria’s attention had been drifting.
“Here,” Mia said, handing one over. “Figured you could use this. First full weekend in the paddock is no joke.”
Aria took it with a small smile. “Thanks, Mia. Good to see you again.”
“Same.” Mia settled in, sipping hers. “Jax mentioned you were coming. I was like, ‘Wait, Singapore Aria? Nice.’ So… how’d this happen? You two seem to be getting along.”
Aria glanced down at the garage just as Jax climbed out of the car.
He pulled off his helmet, shook out his damp hair, and looked up—caught her eye for a second, gave a quick thumbs-up and that easy crinkle-eyed smile.
Nothing big. Just friendly. But it made the corner of her mouth lift anyway.
Nice to know he’d remembered she was up here.
“It’s really low-key,” she said. “I was in Mexico for a shoot, timing worked out. We talked a bit in Singapore, swapped numbers… When he heard I was around this weekend, he said come watch if I wanted. So here I am. Just hanging out, seeing what it’s like.”
She didn’t mention the dinner. Didn’t mention the proposal she’d laid out like a business plan—fake dating for optics, for jealousy, for a cleaner image.
It had sounded smart on paper. Practical.
Now, with Mia looking at her like this was already something sweet and real, it felt a little off.
Not dishonest exactly… just not the full picture.
Mia’s eyes softened, but there was still that quiet curiosity. “Sounds good to me. He’s been carrying a lot lately. If you’re making things feel a bit easier for him, that’s more than enough.”
Aria gave a small nod, the words settling with a faint twinge. “I hope so. I’m just… trying to be around, you know? Be a friend.”
“You’re doing more than that,” Mia said gently. “Trust me. He’s looked steadier this weekend than he has in months.”
The compliment landed softly, but it made Aria’s smile feel a touch thinner.
Steadier. Helpful. Kind things to say. But the steadiness Mia saw was built on an arrangement, not a beginning.
She took a quick sip of coffee to cover the small wince inside.
Early days, she reminded herself. Nothing to feel bad about yet.
Mia followed her gaze to the garage, then gave a small shrug. “Speaking of—I should head back over to Ascari before they think I’m defecting. Ashworth hospitality gets twitchy if I hang around too long. Spy accusations and all that.”
Aria tilted her head, glad for the change of subject. “Wait—you’re with Ascari?”
“Yeah.” Mia leaned in a little, voice dropping conspiratorially.
“I was at Ashworth for years—started in comms, ended up handling most of Lucas’s media stuff.
That’s how we met, actually. I was his comms assistant, he was the driver…
late nights, endless debriefs, hotel lobbies at 2 a.m. Somewhere in there we just… fell for each other.”
She gave a small, rueful smile. “Wasn’t easy on the same team. Every conversation felt watched, every look could turn into gossip. The paddock loves drama. We kept it quiet as long as we could, but people notice everything.”
Aria nodded slowly. The parallel wasn’t lost on her, even if her situation was the opposite. “That must’ve been tough.”
“It was.” Mia shrugged, warmer now. “And it’s not always smooth being on rival teams now—different garages, different agendas, cars scrapping for the same piece of track. But we make it work. We talk. We don’t let the job win. Most days it’s just us, and the rest is background noise.”
Aria let out a quiet breath. Talk. Yeah. She and Jax would need to do more of that soon—figure out what “fake” actually looked like before someone (like Mia) started rooting too hard for the real thing.
Mia checked her phone, then looked back with a grin. “Anyway—enough shop talk. I was chatting with Dana earlier. She wants to grab drinks this weekend—just the three of us. Low-key, no sponsors, no cameras. You in?”
Aria paused, the faint sheepish feeling tugging again. Drinks with Mia sounded nice… and a little dangerous. More time in close quarters meant more chances for the story to slip. But saying no would look strange.
“I don’t want to intrude—” she started.
“You’re not. Dana’s been curious about you since Singapore. She’s Jax’s physio, my best friend, and the only one who can get him to admit when he’s actually sore. She’ll like you.”
Aria’s smile came easier this time, even if the quiet mismatch lingered underneath. “Okay. I’m in.”
“Perfect.” Mia squeezed her arm lightly. “I’ll text you the details. You’ll fit right in.”
She stood, coffee in hand, and gave Aria a quick wink before heading back toward the Ascari side.
Aria watched her go, then looked down at the garage again. Jax was talking to a mechanic now, laughing at something, easy and relaxed. She felt that small lift again—just a quiet enjoyment of seeing him in his element.
She took another sip of coffee and let the thought sit. For now, it was just a weekend guest pass and a thumbs-up from across the pit lane.
And that felt… okay. Nice, even.
She leaned back in her seat, the sun warm on her face, and decided not to overthink it yet.
◆◆◆
Jax
Practice 2: P5. Found grip in sector two, started trusting the rear more.
Practice 3: P4. The car woke up. He felt the old fire flicker back to life.
Each time he climbed out, he glanced up at the hospitality deck.
She was always there—arms folded on the railing, watching with quiet focus.
Sometimes she caught his eye and gave a small thumbs-up.
Once she clapped when he set a purple sector.
Social media was already exploding: fan shots from the grandstands, zoomed-in clips of her in Ashworth colours.
Aria Moon confirmed in Jax Callaghan’s garage?
They’re not even pretending anymore. The speculation fed on itself.