THIRTY
Northern Downhill Mountain Bike Championship, Yorkshire
Three months later
I’M FAST, AND I know it.
After yesterday’s qualifying, today is the final. The trail is fairly technical, with an inventive array of jumps, berms and drop-offs, but I’ve stayed every one so far. I’m not expecting to win, or even be in the top ten, because I haven’t been training for long enough, but if I can just stay off the bottom of the board, I’ll call that a win.
I hit the final jump and land exactly where I want to, lifting my hands in the air as I cross the finish line. The crowds here may not be F1 size, but the excitement and love of the sport are the same.
‘Third place!’ Dad yells, as I sweep to a halt in the gravel.
‘No way!’ I look up at the timer and pump my fist. He’s right: 5 minutes, 18.4 seconds. At least eight places higher than I expected!
‘You were brilliant!’ Briony hugs me as I pull off my helmet and push my bike past the barrier.
‘Thanks!’ I turn to grin at Daisy. ‘What did you think? Are you going to hug me too?’
‘Um, no.’ She gives me a look. ‘I’m twelve now.’
‘And what, it’s embarrassing to hug your big sister?’
‘ Yes! ’
‘I’ll hug you.’
I whirl round on the spot because I know that voice. I’d hoped to hear it today, but I didn’t think it would be possible.
‘Hi.’ Gio smiles at me, dressed in a huge white North Face jacket and beanie hat.
‘H-hi!’ I’m still buzzing with adrenaline from the race, and the combination of that and shock seems to have stolen my voice away. My cheeks were already flushed, but now they’re probably visible from space. I’ve thought about this moment so often over the past three months, imagined myself running and jumping into his arms, but it’s not so easy in mud-splattered body armour.
‘I’m Stephen Evans,’ Dad says after a few moments, breaking the silence.
‘Right.’ I jolt back to myself. ‘Dad, Briony, Daisy, this is Giovanni.’
‘Call me Gio. Pleased to meet you.’ Gio smiles at them all before fixing his gaze back on mine. ‘You were amazing out there, Maisie. A total pro.’
‘Thanks.’ I try not to sound breathless. ‘I thought you’d still be in Australia?’
‘I asked Mark if I could leave right after the race.’
‘And he let you?’
‘Duh!’ Daisy lifts her eyes skyward.
Gio’s lips twitch. ‘I’m pretty sure Letitia had something to do with it, once I explained the situation to her.’
‘Maybe we should leave the two of you alone …’ Briony clears her throat. ‘It’s so nice to meet you finally, Gio. I hope we can talk more later.’
‘Are they going to kiss?’ Daisy sounds disgusted.
‘Shhh!’ Out of the corner of my eye, I see Briony clamp a hand round her daughter’s arm and haul her away. I really do like her a lot. Mum would 100 per cent have approved. ‘We’ll see you back at the hotel!’ she calls over her shoulder. ‘Or give me a call if you want picking up or … whatever. Take your time!’
‘So …’ Gio’s blue eyes bore into mine. ‘How do you feel?’
‘About us?’
He tips his head to one side and smiles gently. ‘The race? I thought I’d get to us in a minute.’
‘Oh! That went better than I expected.’
‘You looked really happy.’
‘I am.’
‘Good. Now, about us …’ He moves a step closer. ‘Maisie, it’s been three months.’
‘Yes.’ I feel a lump in my throat. When I suggested that length of time, I didn’t account for the relentless pressure of the F1 calendar, but it’s been three months to the actual day, not that I’ve been counting. Or put a reminder in my phone. Or bought a paper calendar just so I could cross off the days. It’s a good thing I’ve had training for my own race to distract me, or I might have been counting the minutes until I could reasonably call him.
‘Although …’ A dark eyebrow quirks upwards. ‘You broke the rules.’
I bite my bottom lip. It’s true. I messaged him a link for this event a week ago because I wanted him to know I was competing again and where I’d be … just in case.
‘Actually, I asked Ava to hit Send,’ I argue. ‘And I didn’t add a comment so it doesn’t really count as contact!’
‘That’s why I didn’t reply.’ His voice sounds husky. ‘But you should know, I had a plan. I was going to call you from Australia and arrange for a reunion in Paris.’
‘Paris?’ My breath quickens.
‘Then I was going to make myself irresistible to you.’
I imagine a candlelit dinner, me in a red silk dress, him in a black tuxedo, a boat on the Seine cruising past the Eiffel Tower … ‘That sounds amazing.’
‘This is better.’ His gaze moves over my face. ‘Paris can wait.’
‘You know you don’t need me any more, don’t you?’ I say, because I need to be clear about this. ‘Your seat is safe, you’re winning races and everyone loves you.’
‘I don’t care if anyone else loves me. All I care about is you.’ He closes what’s left of the distance between us, so that his mouth is only inches from mine. ‘Maisie, did your message mean what I hope it means?’
I take a deep breath and then lift my hands to his shoulders, sliding them down the full length of his arms until our fingers meet and entwine. ‘It means that I finally know what I want and what I can handle.’
‘Which is? I need to hear you say it. Put me out of my misery, please?’
‘I want to be with you, Gio. I’m still scared, but –’ I grip his hands tighter – ‘I can handle it. I understand the need to compete, to be the best version of who you can be, and I don’t want you to be anyone other than who you are. I won’t panic and run away again, I promise. I want to be happy … with you.’
‘ Just kiss! ’ Daisy’s voice hollers from a distance.
I roll my eyes. ‘It’s like a person can’t get any privacy in a crowded car park.’
‘I booked a hotel nearby.’ Gio laughs. ‘It has a four-poster bed, a hot tub and they’re prepared to make a Hawaiian pizza on request. I checked.’
‘That may be the sexiest combination of words I’ve ever heard.’ I rub my nose against his. ‘How long do we have until you have to leave again?’
‘I have a couple of days’ holiday.’
‘A couple of days?’ My heart stalls at the thought.
‘I like to take my time over some things.’ He grins wickedly. ‘For real, this time?’
It’s a few moments before I can answer because I’m so busy kissing him …
‘For real.’