Chapter 28 – David #2
“Okay,” Rich says, as he turns his face away from me, and he pulls out his mobile. I watch him turn it on. What the hell is he doing? Rich taps the screen and places the mobile to his ear. “Vincent, I hereby quit Montague Racing. My notice will be with you first thing in the morning.”
Rich hangs up the call and turns off his mobile again.
Vincent is going to be going crazy. From the tone of his voice, there is no mistaking that he’s serious.
Fuck. I didn’t think it would come to this.
I don’t think Vincent and Charmaine thought it would come to this. And I don’t know how to fix it.
“Rich,” I call over to him. “Please.”
“Dave,” Rich starts, “I was fine hiding who we were. What we were to each other while you were racing. The press hasn’t seemed to care that you’re gay, after you confirmed that you dated Jasper. All they were interested in was who was in that picture.”
“I know,” I try to reply, but Rich holds up a hand to stop me.
“You know what hurt the most was the fact that you sat there and agreed with Vincent and Charmaine. You didn’t even stop to talk to me.”
“I was thinking about you the whole time. About your future with the team,” I try to argue.
“You were making decisions about my future. The three of you.”
In all the years I have known Rich, even before we started dating, I have never seen him like this. The hurt and anger is clear on his face. Hurt and anger that has been caused by me. I want to go hold him; tell him I love him. But I don’t, I just sit there looking at him.
Rich gets to his feet, and I try to follow suit but I struggle.
“No, stay. Rest. I’ll get Jasper,” Rich says over to me.
“Where are you going?”
“Home. I have a letter to write.”
“Rich, you can’t, the team needs you,” I plea to him.
“I need you more.”
Rich walks over to the bedroom door, opens it, gives me one last look and walks out, closing it behind him.
Without saying another word. It’s so final.
It feels like we’re over too, even if he has never said that, and pain I never experienced before, as my heart breaks, races through my body.
A sob falls from my lips, then another, and I can feel the tears streaking down my cheeks.
I need to go after him. Fuck the team, I need to fix us.
Struggling to my feet, I grab my crutches and take a step forward as the door to the bedroom opens, and my heart pauses as I wait, hoping that it’s Rich coming back to me. But it’s Jasper who walks into the room and, seeing the state of me, rushes over.
“What the fuck is going on?” Jasper demands, and he helps me back onto the couch.
I open my mouth to explain just as my mobile starts ringing. Vincent. I should’ve known that he would call me. I’m guessing that he’s been trying to talk to Rich since he hung up. But I can’t face him right now, so I just hand my phone to Jasper with a nod, who answers the call.
“Vincent, it’s Jasper,” Jasper pauses while he listens to Vincent. “No, Rich isn’t here. He just left. What is going on? Dave is a mess here.” There is more silence while Vincent is talking. “He did what?” Jasper exclaims and looks over to me. “Vincent, I need to go.”
Jasper is ending the call before Vincent has the chance to reply, and is coming over to me, sitting next to me, and taking hold of my hand.
“Vincent just said that Rich quit. Is that right?”
“Yeah, I think it is?” I confirm.
“What the fuck happened?” Jasper demands. “No one fully explained the situation. Just that there was a disagreement.”
“It’s about my press conference on Friday,” I start, but I’m already hoping that Jasper is going to be on our side, and will help me work all this out, “Charmaine and Vincent had been talking and thought it would be best that I confirm I was married to the person in the picture…”
“But not say who the person was,” Jasper finishes for me.
“Yeah.”
“Well fuck, Dave. No wonder Rich is pissed. Do you know how excited he has been to tell the world you are together? Didn’t you see his face when you told the team?”
“He looked happy,” I replied.
“Happy. That isn’t the word I would have used. The pride was so evident on his face. The fact he could go up to you in front of the people that are most important to him, and kiss you like that. I have never seen him like that. Never seen him happier.”
“But…” I start, but there is no way back. I hadn’t seen this, and I had no idea how I even missed it. But then Jasper has a way of reading people. He had to do it in his line of business.
“By the sounds of it, the three of you just told him to deny, sorry not deny, hide, a side of him that brings him the most joy. You.”
“But this isn’t just about him. This involves the team too,” I reply.
“You sound like Vincent,” Jasper replies, giving me a little smile. “And I can see some of what you are saying, but I can also see why Rich is so pissed.”
“So, you agree with me?” I ask, feeling like I need his support more than anything.
“No. I didn’t say that. I said that I can understand both sides. But I will say this, personally, and this is just my opinion. If the shoe was on the other foot, and I was married to Rich, I would be telling the whole fucking world. Screw what people think.”
“Jasper, that doesn’t help,” I tell him.
“I can’t tell you what to do this time. You are going to need to think about what you want and also talk to Vincent. If Rich leaves the team he might tell the world for you.”
That thought had never occurred to me. If Rich leaves the team there are going to be questions, wanting to know why he left.
Rich has been there from the start. Through all the ups and downs of running the F1 team.
For him to suddenly quit? Oh, the press will be more interested in this than who I’m hugging in the damn photo.
“Do you think he will?” I ask, “you know, say that I’m the reason for leaving the team.”
“I have no idea,” Jasper says, which isn’t the answer that I wanted to hear, but at least Jasper isn’t going to lie to me.
“What about me and him?” I whisper out, not sure I want to hear what his answer is going to be.
“That man loves you more than anything. That’s not going to change. Even as he was leaving, he told me to look after you. To make sure you got home safe,” Jasper tells me.
“I never thought I could love someone as deeply as I love Rich,” I say.
“Thanks,” Jasper says, giving me a smile.
“What?” Confused at Jasper’s words, and then I realise what I said. “Oh God, Jasper, sorry.”
“Dave, I’m teasing. Our love was special, but we were young. What you have with Rich, well, that is different. I can see that.”
“You’re a good friend. You know that?” I tell him.
“Oh, I am the best,” Jasper confirms, giving me a smile. “But I think I need to get you home. Talk to Rich, and please, kiss and make up.”
“Oh, I want to make up, believe me, but he keeps telling me to rest my leg,” I tell him, glad to change the subject.
“Then rest your leg,” Jasper stops for a second, staring at me like he’s waiting for me to figure out what he’s saying, but I really have no clue, “on his shoulder. Let him take you. Let him love you.”
“Oh.” I think the last person I bottomed for is the person standing in front of me, smirking. Getting way too much enjoyment. He knows what he’s doing.
“Yeah oh, if I remember right, you used to like it, or maybe that was just me. Thinking about it, don’t bottom for him. It’s the one thing we had together, don’t take that away from me. Oh, the teasing I could do.”
“Jasper, you have an evil streak,” I say, as I get to my feet. “Now, take me home to my husband. I need to show him just how much I love him.”
“That a boy,” Jasper says, slapping me on the back, and I’m still smiling to myself as Jasper helps me up, and takes me home.