Chapter 16 – David #2
“I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but I don’t think you’re his type,” Rich starts.
“I can talk him into being my type,” Jasper states.
“I don’t mean that. Otis is straight. I think he might actually have a girlfriend.”
“Damn. I’m never going to get laid again,” Jasper complains, but I still catch him a few times, looking over to Otis, and I spot Otis looking over to us a few times, too.
“When do you go home?” I ask Rich, wondering if I can smuggle him back into my room.
“I’m not,” Rich says, giving me a smile.
“Explain, now,” I demand.
“Fuck, that voice is sexy,” Rich states, looking over to Jasper. “Sorry, but you never sounded like that.”
“Oh yeah, I can see why you would submit to that. Hell, I almost did,” Jasper responds.
“You, shut up,” I say over to Jasper. “You, stop comparing voices,” I say over to Rich, “and tell me why you’re not going home,” I ask again.
“Because I decided that spending the next few weeks apart wasn’t a good idea. Admittedly, that was before we,” and he makes a circle to point to me and Jasper, “became friends.”
“Jealousy is a good look on him,” Jasper adds, and I just shoot him a look that tells him to shut the fuck up, again. I want to know how Rich has managed to suddenly be able to come to all my races, but it would also explain why Otis is here.
“So, I spoke with Vincent. Told him that I thought it would be good for Otis to get a feel for travelling between races and spend more time with the team,” Rich adds.
“And he didn’t question it?”
“Thanks for the confidence. I’m the head of driver training, and Vincent’s best friend.”
“On that note, this is an argument I’m not getting involved in. Especially, as it doesn’t pertain to me,” Jasper states, getting up from the table. “See you guys later. Remember to kiss and make up later. I have spare bottles of lube if you need it.”
“Fuck off,” I say over to him, but he smiles at me, knowing that I was joking.
When Jasper is safely out of earshot, I turn back to Rich.
“Did you seriously organise to come here just because of Jasper? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Partially Jasper, and partially the argument. I hated the fact that we weren’t talking. I was snappy, and I fucking missed you. I didn’t tell you because you were ignoring my calls.”
“Good point. But I’m glad you’re here.” I rub my foot on his ankle. “I missed you, too.”
The rest of the week was just as manic as the previous week. We all travelled to Mexico without incident. I managed to catch some hours here and there with Rich, but we hadn’t been able to spend the night together.
Jasper, of course, had been loving it. Teasing us individually, and together, but Rich and I were loving having someone know about us. When the three of us were together, we were able to be more ourselves. Jasper had even covered for us once or twice.
It has all strangely helped, having this person know about Rich and I.
In the car I was more focused than ever.
Practices one and two had gone well, and I made all the papers for having some of the best lap times.
The journalists were saying that, if I carried on driving like this, I was going to be the one to beat this weekend. I liked the boost to my ego.
But now it was race day, and I needed to forget about the last few days.
It was a new day, and I just needed to focus on the task ahead.
Racing. Rich, of course, had begged me to be careful in the car, and I was, but I had no intentions of changing my driving style.
Not even for him. I was doing the best driving of my career.
“Hey.” Lars’s voice sounds next to me, and I can hear the sadness in it.
“Hey. So sorry about the car,” I say, slapping him on the back.
We’re standing in the back of the garage, looking at the cars in front of us.
I had been right about the mechanics concentrating on Lars’s car when we got to Mexico, but yesterday, after the qualifying, the car still wasn’t right.
Lars had managed to qualify in tenth, and he had pushed the car to that point.
Overnight, they had to change the gearbox, resulting in him being given a five-place grid penalty by the FIA.
“It cannot be helped. But unless the car is sorted, it guarantees you the championship.”
“Lars, you have no idea what is going to happen. Whatever is wrong with your car could affect mine, and I could end up where you are,” I said to him, but I didn’t want to add that I really didn’t want to win because of issues with his car. I wanted to win because I out raced him.
“I think they’re monitoring your car more closely now,” Lars adds.
“Look, we both have fast cars. Our set up is one of the best out there at the moment, and this track has some great overtaking areas,” I tell him, feeling like this is a little of a role reversal from a few weeks, or is it months, ago.
“Go out there and do what you do so fucking well, and race. You will be able to climb the pack no problem.”
“Yeah. I can do that,” Lars states, before looking around, and I wonder why until he asks, “Oh, I have been meaning to ask, what happened between you and the guy that was being a dick?”
He was making sure that no one could hear us, and I was thankful that we hadn’t been mic’d up yet, and there were no TV cameras about.
“Are you that desperate about the race, that you’re trying to distract me, by asking about my love life?” I say smiling over to him.
“Maybe,” Lars confirms. “I will try anything right now.”
“Brutal,” I laughed over to him, “I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but things are good. We talked.” Which is the truth.
“That’s good. I look forward to meeting him. But, I will admit, I do kind of wish he was affecting your driving now.”
“Lars!” I admonish.
“Sorry, but having you fuck up would be kind of nice. Especially due to some of the headlines that I’m getting,” Lars states.
Yeah, I had seen some of them, too. Where mine had been glowing, Lars’s had been, well, down right nasty at times. Some were even blaming the engagement as the reason. That Vincent was somehow tampering with Lars’s car, so as not to show favouritism. It was bullshit, we all knew it.
At this point I spot Jasper as he walks into the garage, when he spots me, he smiles and gives me a wave, and not thinking, I return the wave and smile. When I look back over to Lars, I see a huge smile on his face, and his eyes are wide. He looks over to Jasper, and then back over to me.
“It’s Jasper. You’re fucking Jasper. That’s why things are good, because he’s a member of the team, and you get to see him all the time,” Lars whispers over to me.
“What?” Wondering where the hell this idea came from, and trying not to laugh, considering he jumped to this conclusion from a smile.
“It’s just, Jasper told me he was gay when we were training last week, and I just remembered that when he was being introduced to us, you said you were old friends.”
I can see the logic, and if I had been in Lars’s position, I maybe would have come to the same conclusion, but I’m going to have to correct him.
“Jasper is only my friend,” I tell him. “I promise that there is nothing going on.”
“Oh, damn. He is a handsome man.” And I can see the disappointment on his face. Because I’m feeling sorry for him, and the shit weekend that he’s having, I decide to give him a little something that I know will make him smile.
“But fifteen years ago, he made me feel him for days.” I see the surprise on his face, and I am still laughing as I walk away, saying over my shoulder, “See you on the track.”