Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
TESSA
Nothing to see here.
Shame?
Who is she?
Guilt?
None of that.
Humiliation?
Absolutely not.
Every time I look in the mirror and think about Rome, my cheeks ripen with heat, but that has nothing to do with what happened in Bahrain.
In fact, Bahrain did not exist.
I’ve deleted the entire trip from my brain.
I’m half-tempted to miss out on Sunday dinner and blame it on jet lag, but then that would mean I was affected by Rome’s kiss, and I would rather die than give him that satisfaction. My plan is to treat him the same way he’s treating me: like nothing happened at all.
The next morning, we didn’t utter a single word to one another. Which isn’t unusual. No one paid any mind to our silence.
On the plane, I slipped my eye mask over my eyes and put my headphones over my ears. Sleep came quick, mainly because I paced the entire night prior, fretting about what happened in the elevator.
I’ve never acted so impulsively before.
I’m the least impulsive out of my siblings—even Van, who knocked up a random woman, resulting in Vivian.
I’m responsible and driven by success. Not a mouthy, F1 driver whose kissing made my toes curl and stomach bottom out. He pushed me right up to the line, and I crossed it with him.
I gulp the rest of my Diet Coke and climb out of my car.
Besides Van, it looks like I’m the first one here. My plan is to escape with Vivian somewhere in the house to avoid Rome. Maybe play hide-and-seek and get lost.
I walk inside and scrunch my nose at the scent of Brussels sprouts. I’m happy my parents are continuing their healthy eating for my dad’s health, but pizza and beer, like we used to do after a weekend race, sounds so much better.
“Tess! Quick! Help me!” Vivian, with her long hair in messy braids, slides on her socks to meet me in the foyer.
“Help you what?” I ask sneakily. “Is Grandpa playing hide-and-seek with you already?”
She shakes her head and tugs me alone. “No! Rome!”
I stop mid-pull. Excuse me?
“Rome?”
She tugs me harder. “Yes! Now, come on. Daddy said he went into the backyard, but I’ve already looked everywhere! Dinner is almost ready, so we have to hurry!”
There is no getting out of this. Vivian is as headstrong as they come—something Van is struggling with.
“Hmm,” I hum under my breath and stand on the back patio, looking for a good spot that Rome would hide in.
Who would’ve thought I’d show up to my parents’ for dinner, and he’d be playing hide-and-seek with Vivian? Maybe he had the same thought as I did and is trying to avoid me as long as possible too.
Actually, scratch that. Knowing Rome, he’ll hold this over my head and blackmail me with it, because he would’ve had to be blind not to feel how into his kiss I was.
“Did you look in the tree?” I ask.
Vivian peers at me. “The tree?”
“He’s athletic. He probably climbed it.”
She runs down the steps excitedly and onto the thick, luscious grass. With her hands on her hips, she gazes up the side of the large mesquite tree, and a huge smile overtakes her face.
“I found you!” she shouts.
A moment later, he hops down on agile feet and bends in front of her. With a backward Vanstone hat on his head, I get a good glimpse of his proud smile. “You’re a good seeker, V.”
She giggles. “I know.”
Rome tugs on her braid and stands up, both of them about to head toward me.
I quickly turn to avoid them.
I’ve never seen him so playful before, and I don’t like that it softens him.
I wait until Vivian gets close to step in line beside her, leaving Rome in the dust.
Whatever happened to girls rule and boys drool?
Is Rome’s plan to get everyone in my family to like him before sweeping the rug out from under all of us?
I’m tempted to shut the door in his face when Vivian and I step inside, but his presence behind me is like a weight.
“Cheater,” he whispers, the word landing on my neck. “I know you told her where I was.”
He sweeps past me, and I’m left standing there with goosebumps blanketing my arms from his warm breath against my skin.
Instead of annoyance coming to mind as I stare after him, it’s something else entirely, and I do not like the way my body is reacting at the moment.
I yawn dramatically.
“Whew,” I sigh tiredly. “I’m beat. The jet lag is really getting to me.”
I purposefully ignore my brothers because they’ll see right through my bullshit.
“I think I’m going to head home,” I add.
My mom’s face softens. “Do you want to stay here? I don’t want you to drive if you’re tired.”
“It’s just down the street,” I remind her. “I’ll be fine.”
I yawn again for good measure, and Noah snorts. Once Mom gets up from the table to make me a to-go plate that’ll probably stay in the fridge for weeks until it gets moldy, I kick him under the table and bare my teeth at him.
Sitting at the table, across from Rome, is going to put me in a mental hospital.
If I let my guard down, even in the slightest, I find myself looking in his direction.
It’s like he senses it somehow because, each time, his eyes flick to mine, and my stomach flops.
There’s a pull between us that’s been there from the start, but now there’s an ache that follows it.
A pining.
Or hunger.
Something that makes my body warm.
As soon as I get home, I can breathe again.
I flop onto my couch and pull out my phone to see numerous text messages lining the screen from the new-and-improved group text with Rome included.
Beck
That was the fakest yawn I've ever heard in my life.
Van
I have to agree.
Noah
I never would’ve gotten away with that.
Graham
There’s no way she’s tired. She slept the entire plane ride.
Rome
She’s trying to avoid me. I’ve made her angry.
I sit up abruptly, my hair flying out of my face.
He won’t tell them, right? How could he? It would make him look just as bad as it makes me look. Unless that’s his righteous plan–to turn us all against each other and disrupt any order we have on the team.
Beck
What gave you that idea?
Noah
Was it her red cheeks of anger that gave it away every time she looked at you?
It wasn’t anger, but we’ll go with that.
Graham
Better you than us.
Noah
Or maybe it was the way every compliment our Dad gave you about your driving was met with her pointing out something you screwed up.
I mean, if the shoe fits.
Rome
It’s your fault my head engineer is angry with me.
Beck
Who, us?
Noah
No one forced you to treat her like a child at the after-party. That was all you, bud.
Graham
Yeah, no one said you had to make her leave after catching her in the act.
So they’re all in on this?
My blood pressure is rising with each chime of my phone.
I type a scathing message.
Me
For the record, I AM tired. I’m tired from dealing with you five all week. And you can all have your laughs now, but next week in Spain, I’ll find a way to have my fun without any of you intervening. Even if that means I have to sneak off with some guy to the beach to have sex!
I purposefully added the sex part in there because I know my brothers will shiver from the thought.
Beck
I just threw up.
Noah
Same.
Graham
The word sex and sister should never share space in my brain.
Van
I’m just wondering what I did to get grouped into this fight between all of you.
And please don’t have sex on the beach. You never know who’s watching. You could end up on the front page of GRID.
He’s right.
GRID is the TMZ of the F1 world.
Gossip. Rumors. Inside drama.
It’s the last place any F1 driver, or their team, wants to be on.
Beck
I’ve been featured on GRID before. It’s not that bad.
Noah
Rome is always on there, aren’t you?
Rome
Curiosity creeps into my head like a twisted vine until it wraps around my fingers, forcing me to type GRID into my phone’s browser.
Right there, at the top of the website, is a photo of Rome from this past weekend in his race suit, all hot and sweaty, and then beneath it, is a photo of me, in the paddock with my headset resting around my neck.
I read the headline so quickly I’m dizzy. I sink back to the couch and open up a separate text to Rome and send him my address.
Rome
Is this a booty text? Or are you planning on murdering me?
Me
It’s an emergency! Please hurry.
Rome
On my way.
I toss my phone off to the side and pace my living room.
This is bad.
This is really bad.