Chapter 11
SAKHIR, BAHRAIN
“ Do you want to share a wings platter with me?” Charlie asked, rubbing his stomach like the dramatic man he was. “I’ve been craving those for days. Weeks, even.”
“No.”
“Fine, so no wings. Nachos? I’m in the mood for something greasy.”
A heavy sigh. “No.”
“Jeez, you’re moody tonight.”
“I’ll share with you,” Kai said from the other side of the table. “Mister Grump is brooding, so just let him be.”
Though his focus was zeroed in on the menu leaflet between his hands, Miles could feel Charlie’s amused gaze burning on his profile. “And why exactly are you like this? I can’t believe this guy. He won a fucking Grand Prix, again ? —”
“ It was the first one of the season,” Miles interjected, his words echoing like a grumble. As he realised it, he cleared his throat, but didn’t relax his frown.
“Yeah, but you won the five last of the last season, so your streak is still going strong. So please, enlighten me and tell me why you’re acting so ungrateful.”
Miles threw a dirty glare over to Charlie. His teammate bristled exaggeratedly. To the world, Miles always appeared rude and cold, but to his inner circle, his impertinence was always taken as a joke.
“He’s in a bad mood because his face is all over the internet,” Kai clarified, snickering.
“And why is it a bad thing?” Charlie lifted his hands. “I’m trying to understand here because I’d love to be the centre of attention for once.”
“You can take the spotlight from me,” Miles said. “I fucking hate the media and all the shit they make up.”
“Which is?”
The joy and thorough amusement illuminating Kai’s features made Miles glower with annoyance.“He was spotted talking and smiling to a woman more than once, so now the media is saying that he finally found a heart inside himself.”
Gathering all the pieces together, Charlie nodded. “Oooh,” he mused. “Because you were making lovey eyes at Indigo.”
“We were just talking,” Miles snapped coldly.
Charlie frowned. “You’ve never been affected by what the media says about you, so why are you letting it get to your head now?”
Scrubbing a hand over his jaw, he let his gaze drift around the restaurant where all the tables were occupied, mostly by people working in F1 and celebrating the weekend. “It’s not about me,” he muttered loud enough for his two friends to hear. “It’s about Indy and all the weird stuff they say about her. I seriously want to kick all those machos who think she’s not good enough for her job, or the so-called fans saying she’s only here because of her dad. That she’s trying to date me to get a free pass or something.”
“A free pass?” Charlie echoed, confusion laced into his tone.“That makes no sense at all.”
“It’s seriously pissing me off. They can say whatever they want about me because to be honest, I don’t give a shit. But I don’t like the way they speak about Indy.”
Miles had yet to realise his hands had curled into fists, his blood boiling and his pulse thumping against his temple.
“Shit,” Kai whispered, eyes wide. “Do you, like, have the hots for my sister?”
Miles scoffed. “Nobody says that, Malakai. And no, I’m just protective of her because she’s your sister, and you asked me to look after her.”
Kai and Charlie exchanged a weighted glance, and what bemused Miles more than their silent conversation was the perspiration starting to clam up his hands.
Miles had one goal in mind, though, and it was to be the best Formula 1 driver to ever compete, to secure another championship under his belt, and nothing would distract him. Especially not Indigo and her little games. He needed to put some distance between them, needed to let her know he wasn’t so much as tempted to fall into her trap.
“Ah, fuck me,” Charlie whispered, drawing Miles’ attention towards his face, stricken with a mixture of panic and admiration, before following the route of his regard towards the entrance of the restaurant.
So much for not allowing himself to be distracted by Indigo. Her mere presence stole his breath away, and as she entered the room, Miles felt a thorough skip in his heartbeat before it started battering erratically.
“What’s got you all fidgety?” he asked Charlie who was frustratingly raking a hand through his hair.
“A?da,” was his response.
Behind Indy, who was talking to a waiter, was A?da, Simon Romano’s daughter. Simon was the team principal of Primavera Racing—Imperium Racing’s biggest rival on track. She’d just been announced as a reserve driver for the rival team, but had yet to make her debut in F1. Truth was, Miles was excited to see her behind the wheel. Not that he wished for Thiago or Rowan to not be able to drive during the season, but it was about damn time to see a woman on the grid.
Charlie was tracking each one of her movements, something like devastation and longing shining in his dark eyes. Miles watched A?da exchange a word with Kamari and Ava who had entered the restaurant, her dark curls cascading down her back, her eyes as cold as ice sliding across the room to find Charlie.
“Fucking hell,” Charlie said, hiding his face behind the menu. “If one look could kill, I’d be buried six feet under already.”
“What did you do to her?” Miles asked, glancing at the group of girls slowly making their way to them. Thiago and Rowan were ahead of them, already sliding into the booth next to Kai.
His face was crimson with what looked like embarrassment and regret. “I fucked up with her, that’s what I did.”
“Oh,” Miles said. “I kind of forgot you were related.”
Charlie reared back. “Woah, woah, man. I’m not related to the Romano’s, like at all. I mean, yeah, Kai and Indy are more like distant cousins, but my family just owns a ranch next to the Romanos in Montana.”
“So you’re childhood friends with A?da?”
“Something like that.”
Miles looked at Kai. “And are you related to the Romanos?”
“Not at all.”
“Okay. Just wanted to make sure you’re not doing some weird shit or anything.”
“Do you miss country life?” Thiago asked, his interest genuine as he joined the conversation whilst Rowan waved for the girls to join.
“Sure do, man.” Charlie sighed wistfully.
“I don’t,” Kai said. “Me and Ind are more city people. Heard Stevie and Wyatt are getting married next summer, yeah?”
Miles had no clue who they were talking about, but he watched Charlie roll his eyes. “Guess who's the best man?”
“You?” all the men around the table suggested.
“Bingo. Guess who’s maid of honour?”
Rowan emitted a dramatic gasp. “A?da?”
“Yes!” Charlie threw his hands in the air. “This is going to be a disaster, mates.”
Kai tried to hide his snicker by coughing. “If it’s any reassurance, Indy and I will be attending. It’s been years since we’ve visited.”
“Thank God. At least you’ll be there to defend me if she tries to murder me.”
“What in the bleeding hell did you do to this girl?” Thiago asked.
Before Charlie could even respond, a group of four women appeared beside the table. Ava slid into the booth to sit next to Rowan, A?da stumbling in next. Indy’s presence sent Miles’ mind into a frenzy when she sat across from him, pretending not to notice the intensity of his stare upon her as she waved for Alex to join. He sat next to her, draping his arm around the back of her seat, causing Miles to scoff behind the rim of the glass he had brought to his lips.
Kamari sat next to Miles. “What’s that look on your face?” she asked quietly.
“What look?”
“Honestly,” Charlie joined in a hushed voice as conversation started to stir around the table, “if you keep on frowning like that, you might just get a permanent line between your brows.”
“Just bug off,” he sighed.
When he looked up, Indy was already looking at him, concern etched on her features.
“Are you okay?” she asked, bringing the entire table’s attention to him. “You look distraught.”
Great. Just fucking great.
His gaze dropped to the small distance separating her shoulder from Alex’s side, and he couldn’t fathom why his insides twisted all of a sudden. He despised that sensation.
“He’s just being his grumpy self,” Kai remarked while scanning the menu and tapping on the name of a dish that had caught his interest. “He’ll be okay once he eats something.”
Once the attention wasn’t no longer on him, Miles took the chance to look at Indy again, and when their eyes clashed, he didn’t miss the way her cheeks turned into a darker shade of rose. Something like relief washed over him as he realised that Alex Myers couldn’t make her blush this way, but then something like annoyance overpowered his senses as he noticed how much of an idiot he was.
Indy’s attention was brought to her phone that had just chimed, and when a deep line appeared between her brows, the sudden urge to make everyone go away so that he could comfort her became overwhelming. Alex peered at the screen and he, too, frowned before saying something Miles couldn’t make out.
“What are you two whispering about?”
Indy’s blue eyes found his, and she shook her head. “Nothing important. Just read a comment on my latest post.”
She slid her phone towards him, and he felt Kamari hovering over his shoulder as she also read the most sexist comment he’d ever seen under the photo she had posted—a shot of her standing in the pit lane, high heels on and the most beautiful smile brightening her features.
Go back in the kitchen. Bet you don’t even know how to parallel park, so watcha doin’ commenting about F1?
“Well,” Miles said, jaw clenching. “Tell @jon1234primavera to go fuck himself.”
“I already did. I know where I belong,” she said, beaming, like she wasn’t any longer affected. That made his irritation spark, the anger simmering in the pit of his stomach becoming uncomfortable. Indy was everything he wasn’t: strong, down to earth, and optimistic. The way she could shrug off the negativity was praiseworthy, but he hoped that it wouldn’t destroy her if she thought too much into it.
“Good. Don’t listen to those pricks.” He gave her phone back, lingering his gaze on her smile when it didn’t waver.
“Something you want to tell me?” Kamari whispered when Indy was back to chatting with Alex.
“About what?”
Discreetly, she motioned with her eyes towards Indy.
He shook his head, taking a large gulp of his water. “There’s nothing to say.”
And maybe one day Miles would find the courage to stop lying—to himself. But for now, hiding behind his walls was the safest option.