29. Danger #2
I curse, throwing my helmet to the ground as the medical staff surrounds me.
I hate starting in the middle of the pack, especially during a race like this, where there’s so little room for overtaking.
Once qualifying wraps up, I find out that my accident relegated me to tenth position.
With such a mediocre placement, it’s going to be tough to snatch that first place tomorrow. Tough, but not impossible.
After the mandatory medical checkup, a post-qualifying media session, and a meeting with my team, I finally have some time alone to try to calm down. So, I tak e a shower and join Lucy and my family for dinner.
When I step into the luxurious hotel lobby, the soft buzz of conversation fades as my family’s eyes land on me.
My mom immediately releases a long breath of relief. She shuffles toward me, a hand placed over her heart as if to keep herself from falling apart.
“Elio,” she starts, her voice wavering. “You scared me today. That crash—”
“I’m fine, Mom,” I cut in, trying to reassure her, but her worried eyes stay glued to me as we join the others.
“Don’t say that like it was nothing.” Her tone is more forceful now. “This isn’t a game. You’re not invincible, you know.”
“I know, I know,” I mutter, wishing she’d just let it go. I don’t want to have this conversation again. Not now, not tonight.
“You all right?” Matteo asks, slapping my shoulder.
“I’m fine,” I repeat. I glance over at Lucy, hoping to catch her amused smile, but she’s studying me with a furrowed brow, her lips pressed tightly together. She doesn’t say anything, but I can feel the weight of her eyes on me. She’s scared. She doesn’t even have to say it.
“We know you can handle yourself out there, son, but—” Dad looks at me, then at Mom, and I see the struggle in his eyes. “We don’t want to see you hurt.”
I’m about to say something, anything to lighten the mood, but the shadow hanging over Lucy stops me.
I can practically feel her worry, her fear.
It’s not like my mom’s—in a way, it’s worse because she hasn’t seen this side of racing before.
She’s only just stepped into this world, and it’s already taking a toll on her.
“I won’t get hurt,” I say quietly, glancing at Lucy. And for a moment, I wish it were just the two of us.
“Ah, come on. He’s just trying to keep the race interesting,” Matteo says with a smirk. “Don’t worry about it. Should we go eat?”
“Yes,” Mom says, her face brightening. “I’m happy we get some family time.”
We leave the lobby, stepping into the hotel restaurant. Lucy is breathing hard next to me, and since everyone is in front of us, I take the opportunity to quickly squeeze her hand. “You don’t have to be here if you don’t want to,” I whisper. “I know it’s weird, dinner with the family and all.”
She glances up at me, a smile crinkling the corners of her eyes. “You left me with them all day long. Dinner is nothing.”
I wince. “I know. I only thought about it afterwards. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry. Being with your parents wasn’t the scariest part of the day. They’re nice people.”
“So are you,” I say, unable to tone down the flirting even with my parents a few feet away. “And you look beautiful tonight.”
She blushes. “I clean up well, right? When I’m not in my PJs.”
I shake my head. “Well, your iconic PJ look is, and always will be, my favorite.” When she falls silent, I lower my voice. “Listen, I know this sport is dangerous, and it takes a while to get used to that. I’m sorry if I scared you today.”
Matteo turns around to peek at us , and Lucy looks down at her feet. “It’s all right. Maybe we can talk about this later. Let’s just enjoy the night, okay?”
I nod, squeezing her hand one more time. She’s right. The night before a race is always the hardest, and letting loose with my family will help me forget about it, at least for a bit.
We barely make it halfway through dinner before the topic of F1 is brought to the table again.
Mom is worried. Dad is anxious, but mostly proud.
Matteo is just hoping I’m going to kick some butt.
And Lucy seems to agree with all of them.
She doesn’t seem as excited about the race as she was yesterday, and I get it.
It’s only her second Grand Prix, and the first one went without a hitch.
But the truth is, this is a dangerous sport, and worrying won’t change that.
I watch Matteo and my parents, observing their interactions in light of my conversation with Lucy outside the hospital. Everything seems perfectly normal, but is it?
Matteo gets up to use the restrooms, and I seize the chance, following him.
“Wait up, frà ,” I say, and he frowns, looking at me.
“What, are we a pair of teenagers now? Can’t go to the restrooms alone?” he teases.
I roll my eyes. “Haha. Funny. W e’re headed the same way, that’s all.”
I’ll admit, that move was a little weird, but it might be my only shot to talk to him in private. I bite my cheek, searching for a way to address the subject of his saving my life, and what he thinks about it. But how do you even bring that up?
We both use the restrooms, and after we wash our hands and exit, I place a hand on his shoulder.
“Wait up. I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”
He frowns. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I shove my hands in my pockets. “It’s just, I’ve been thinking about everything lately. How you saved me. You know how grateful I am to you.”
He nods. “Yeah. No trouble, frà . I did what I had to do.”
I brush a hand over my hair. “See, that’s the thing. You didn’t really have a say in it, and you know what people were saying. That you were only born so I could live. I realize I’ve never asked how you feel about that.”
His eyes gleam. “I’m proud of it. Always have been. How many people on this planet can say they’ve saved someone?”
I smile. “That’s true. And that’s what I thought.” I clear my throat. “So, you’ve never felt left out or less loved? I’m not saying you are, obviously, but—”
He glances away for a second, then forces a chuckle. “What has gotten into you? Nah, I know Mom and Dad love me as much as you. Actually, they probably love me more. I’m better looking, more talented, and I don’t worry them as much.”
I can see in his eyes that he’s not being completely honest with me, but I don’t want to push it. It’s not the time or the place.
Dropping the subject, I relax my shoulders. “And people say I’m the cocky one.
“You learned from the best.” He winks. “So now, tell me. What’s going on between you and Lucy? That’s what I really want to know.”
A wide smile flashes across my face. “Is it that obvious?”
Lucy and I are strolling through the empty hotel corridor to our rooms, and with each step, the pressure of tomorrow’s race mounts inside me.
“So, tonight was nice,” I mumble. “My parents love you.”
And I’m not just saying that. I never thought anyone could fit so well into my family dynamic, but there she was, perfectly at ease. Joking and chatting with them all night, probably more than I was.
She nods. “They’re great.”
“I know.” I smile. “I got pretty lucky, family-wise.”
“Your mom worries a lot, though,” she says, leaning against her door. “Please, be careful tomorrow. Today was terrifying. I thought my heart had stopped for a minute there.”
I close the gap between us and take her hand. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing—we all do. The crashes may look spectacular, but from the cockpit, n ot so much. And they rarely end in fatalities these days.”
“Well, that’s reassuring.” She bites her lip, looking away.
I tuck my finger under her chin, forcing her to look at me. “Don’t worry about me, Bella .”
“Of course I’m going to worry,” she says with a forced chuckle. “Can’t you race without putting yourself in so much danger? Some drivers don’t go as fast as you and don’t take as many risks, and they’re still on the speedway every weekend.”
“But that’s what makes me a great driver. I don’t want to be just one of the twenty guys that race every weekend. I want to be the first, every single time. And Monaco is a tough race. It’s not the time to be conservative. If I want to win, I have to go all in. It’s all or nothing, you know?”
She swallows hard but nods. “No, yeah, I get it.”
I kiss her beautiful lips, and she wraps her arms around me, holding me tight.
Like they’re trying to remember the shape of my body.
I know we only have a week left together, but I can’t imagine this not being my forever.
It’s funny since I pretty much wanted the opposite my entire life, but there’s something about Lucy that makes me want to hold on and never give up.
We have to talk about what we can do to keep this going.
Maybe I could try to shoot for Indigo Motorsports, the American team based in Indiana.
They’re looking for a driver next season, and I could fill that spot.
It would be a step down for me, but if it means living close to Lucy, I think I’m prepared to take it.
She drops a sweet kiss on my lips before breaking the embrace. She frowns and I lose myself in the green of her eyes.
“Are you okay?”
I nod, locking my forehead with hers. “I am. Just thinking about stuff. Us.”
“You are?” Her throat constricts as she swallows.
“I am. I don’t want this to end in one week. "
“I don’t either.” She bites her lip. “We’ll figure something out.”
“We will.” I smile, caressing her cheek. “Let’s get through the race first, and then we’ll crack that code.”
Giggling, she drops another kiss on my lips, and I hug her tight.