Chapter 23 – Richard
In all my years as Vincent’s friend, I don’t think that I have ever seen him dumbstruck. He hasn’t said anything for a few minutes, and is just staring at us.
“You broke Vin?” Lars says, smirking. “Never thought I would ever see the day he was shocked into silence.”
“Wait, what?” Vincent finally says
But I don’t answer him, suddenly conscious of Dave standing next to me.
He needs to rest his leg. There had been quite a few discussions on whether we needed to take him straight to the hospital, but Daniel explained that the only thing to be done right now was to brace the knee.
We needed to see if it would heal on its own.
I’m not sure if Dave had been told, but if it didn’t, then surgery would be required.
“Dave, go sit down,” I say over to him. “Want something to eat or drink?”
“Stop, the pair of you,” Vincent states, I think louder than he intended. “I need you to explain, now.”
“Explain what?” I ask, trying to be all coy, and not understanding what he’s asking.
“You’re married?”
“By the fact that I called him ‘my husband’, that was implied.”
Vincent looks over to Lars, I think to see if he’s just as surprised, but Lars looks the same. Okay, he is smiling at us.
“When?” Vincent, demands.
“Vegas.”
“When did it happen?”
“The night Dave became world champion. We went back to the hotel room, to um, celebrate, and I couldn’t sleep. So I googled stuff to do in Vegas.”
“You go to museums, or the strip, you don’t get married,” Vincent states.
“Vincent, him asking was a surprise,” Dave pipes up.
“Hang on, you had no idea?” And I have to wonder, if Vincent’s eyebrows get any higher on his forehead, they will merge with his hairline.
“Rich, with some help, got me to the marriage bureau, where he asked me. I said yes.”
“No, you never actually did,” I argue. “If I remember correctly, you just smiled at me.”
“I don’t need all the details,” Vincent suddenly says, and I’m starting to wonder if he’s annoyed.
“Vin, are you okay?” I asked him.
“Actually, I have no idea. I’m a mixture of annoyed, surprised, and happy for you.”
“David, you said that someone helped you, can I guess that it was Jasper?” Lars asks.
“Jasper, why?” Vincent questions.
Well, today it looks like a whole bunch of truths are going to come out. But the whole story needs to be out there now. We can no longer hide secrets, if we are still to move forward as a team.
“Jasper is my ex-boyfriend,” Dave starts. “We broke up just before I joined the F1 team. Seeing him at the introduction meeting was the first time I had seen him in fifteen years.”
“That’s why you are so close,” Lars comments, but then looks over to me. “Did Richard know?”
“He found out,” Dave confirmed. “But it turned out, Rich had some secrets of his own.”
“I slept with Richard.” Jasper’s voice sounds from behind me. I had completely forgotten that Jasper was coming back to the house.
“How?” Wondering how he got into the house.
“Rich, you are a creature of habit. The code for the gate is still the same, you gave it to me once, can’t remember why I had to come here.
But anyway, with you helping Dave in, you didn’t close the front door properly,” Jasper says, and we both go over and sit next to him, one of us on each side of him.
“You don’t need to say anything,” Dave mumbles.
“The truths need to come out. I think that everyone on the team can see we’re close, maybe it’s time they know why,” Jasper acknowledges.
“Please don’t tell me that the three of you are in some kind of throuple?” Vincent demands. And a small part of me wants to say yes, just to see what colour he will turn.
“Oh, God no,” Jasper announces.
“Hey!” I respond, pretending to be hurt.
“Rich, really, stop teasing Vincent,” Dave says over to me, before looking at Vincent. “The three of us are not dating, but we do have a close friendship.”
“So, let me get this right. You and he are married,” Vincent states, “but Jasper and he used to date, and Richard, you slept with Jasper?”
“That’s pretty much the gist of it, yes,” I confirm.
“No, Rich, there is more,” Jasper adds, and I know he wants to tell Vincent about how we met.
“Jasper, that is information that doesn’t need to be shared,” I start, and then realise that I used the wrong wording. Vincent is going to want to know.
“Oh, no. I think whatever it is, I need to know,” Vincent demands.
“Haven’t you wondered how I met Rich?” Jasper starts, and we both watch as Vincent shakes his head no, but we have bombarded him with a lot of information. “I know Rich told you that he used a special service, when he needed sex.”
Okay, Jasper is not holding anything back, even though this is information that, potentially, should have stayed between me, Dave and Jasper. But having it out in the open was good. Secrets have a way of coming out anyway, and at least this way we are controlling the narrative.
“Please tell me you’re not going to say…” Vincent states.
“I worked for the service,” Jasper confirms. “I was Rich’s regular.”
“I need a drink,” Vincent mutters.
“Vincent, I’m sorry we hid this from you,” Dave starts. “It’s just, we had no idea how to tell you.”
“I can’t complain about you hiding your relationship from me. I did the same when Lars and I started dating,” Vincent replies. “But David, you could have told me you’re gay or bi.”
“Gay,” he confirms.
“Do you need me to quit?” Jasper suddenly asks.
“Oh, hell no,” Lars says. “You’re the best physio I’ve had.”
“Thanks, Lars,” Jasper replies, and I can see that he’s pleased with the comment.
“We need a game plan,” Vincent suddenly says. “Did you have a plan to come out?”
“Actually, we did. We wanted to wait for the year to be over. We were then going to tell the team, and talk to you and Charmaine about an announcement,” I explained.
“Well, that’s going to need to change now,” Dave interrupts.
“Why?”
“Because of my crash. Everyone is going to be waiting to know what is happening with me. We need to announce that first, and then, when I’m no longer a member of the team, we can tell everyone,” Dave explains.
“David, why the fuck wouldn’t you be a member of the team? Are you going somewhere I don’t know about?” Vincent states.
“I thought you knew. I’m out for at least six months with the PCL injury.
Add in the shin splints, and I think we both know my career is over.
” There is no mistaking the sadness in his voice.
His life was driving. There is nothing that I can do, or say, to make this right for him, because, in truth, he’s right.
“David, I know about your prognosis, but I don’t understand why that would stop you from being a member of the team,” Vincent says.
“Because I can’t drive,” he replies.
“We both know that there have been some F1 drivers that have retired and returned, and then driven the best they ever have. Your career might not be over, that’s something that we are just going to have to play by ear. But like hell am I going to lose you from my team.”
“But you let Nicky go,” Dave mumbles.
“Nicky wanted to try broadcasting, and he is damn good at it. But if he had wanted to stay, I would have found a position for him.”
“Vincent,” I suddenly say, using his full name in all my excitement, causing everyone to turn and look at me. “We can do an exclusive interview with Nicky. We can do David’s injury and tell the world about us in one go.”
“That is not a bad idea,” Vin confirms. “Nicky would love the chance to be the first to report on this.”
“Not just that. He would make sure that it was done respectfully.”
“I’ll set up a meeting with him,” Vin confirms.
“Excuse me,” Dave starts. “Can we just go back to me for a moment, and how I’m not leaving the team?”
“It’s not complicated, David. You’re not leaving the team. I will find a position for you. Which can be temporary, or permanent, as you decide.”
“Um, thank you,” Dave breathes out in a rush. He was not expecting Vincent to say that. I knew that it was coming.
“Plus, your husband is my best friend.”
“See baby, being married to me already has its perks,” I say, looking over to him and giving him a smile.
“If that’s the case, Vincent, do the company lawyers handle divorces? Or do we have to be married for a certain amount of time?”
“There is annulment if you haven’t, you know, consummated the marriage,” Lars adds, giving Dave a wink.
“Lars, that ship sailed, probably within hours of us getting back from the chapel,” Jasper says, and if I hadn’t been looking right at Vin when Jasper said it, I would’ve missed the flash of hurt that went across his face.
Vincent is smiling and laughing along with Lars, Jasper and Dave, but the laughter isn’t hitting his eyes.
“Vin, I’m going to get some snacks and some drinks. Come help me?” I ask him, before looking at the others. “Warm or cold drinks?”
“I could murder a tea?” Lars replies.
“Coffee would be good for me,” Jasper adds.
“Think I can do that. Dave, do you want anything?” Worried that he hasn’t asked for anything since he came in.
“Water would be nice.”
“Coming right up,” I say to the room, as Vincent and I head to the kitchen.
Vincent remains silent as we walk into the kitchen and I know something is wrong, that I have upset him somehow.
“Vin, what’s wrong? I know you’re annoyed I didn’t tell you what’s going on, but...” yeah there is no easy way to finish that sentence.
“I’m pissed that you didn’t tell me about you and David, but I can also understand.”
“Then why do you look like I pissed on your chips?” I ask.
“You got married without me. I always thought, when the time came, I would be standing there with you. But you took Jasper.”
Fuck. It never even occurred to me that this is why Vincent would be pissed. I thought it was because I had slept with Jasper too.
“Vin, I'm so sorry, it was just a spur of the moment thing.”
“Yet, you had enough time to call Jasper,” Vin spits back and I know he’s hurt. Something I never intended to do.