9. Riley
Riley
First full month back into the season, and it feels amazing.
After such a great pre-season, I don’t think I have been this relaxed before a season in a long while.
Maybe relaxed is the wrong word? It feels a disservice to the memories I have of pre-seasons with Kiara.
This season’s start felt different for all kinds of reasons.
I am not denying the fact that I'm still grieving and feeling the loss, but I feel supported, welcomed. Not a burden with my situation.
Racing-wise, unfortunately, the first race weekend I had some technical issues that was out of the team’s control, but it was easily fixed. Nothing we could do to improve our position.
It’s the last race at this track. Friday kicked off with great time attack numbers; I was in the mix in the top four, along with Javi, Fleur, and Cole. Saturday was so smooth, I topped the time sheets and scored pole position for Saturday and Sunday’s races. I was beaming!
Mabel and I have had a few weird moments over the last few weeks.
I've been ignoring them, but I can’t stop my mind wandering.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t want her on another level.
She’s gorgeous and funny. We can talk about anything, and it will be riveting.
Guess I'm just down to stare at her, no matter what she says.
I feel a strong draw to Mabel, different from getting to know her over the last two months.
I genuinely complimented her, and it’s true that I give friends compliments to support them, but the level of that compliment I said to her is reserved for someone I’m dating.
Hopefully, I recovered well, and she doesn’t think of me as a creep.
Now, to say some of us riders are superstitious would be an understatement. I tried not to have a routine, but after doing certain things in the same sequence when I was a teenager, it just stuck.
I start my Sunday morning routine with a cereal breakfast, a cartoon episode, and a video call from my parents. Race day ready.
“Good morning!” Mabel’s cheerful voice breaks my trance on the TV.
“Good morning!” I reply, looking at her and smiling. I can’t help myself.
“Ready for the day?” she asks, setting down her laptop near her collection of devices and getting a coffee and toast for herself.
“Yup. Ready and able,” I reply.
She sits down next to me and asks, “So, do you have to watch this one episode, or just the series in general?”
“Only the series in general. I’m not that superstitious,” I say, trying to sound like I'm joking. I am pretty superstitious about my Sunday pre-race routine. There are far more extreme routines other riders follow both on and off-track.
“Noted.” She nods as she lifts the toast and continues to eat. I stare at her a little too long before she looks over at me. “Something on my face?”
“No, you’re all good,” I say, and force myself to look at the TV while she finishes eating before we need to be down in the lobby.
It's going to be unusual not rooming with her next month. I like having her around. Wonder if we can arrange for our rooms to be next door to each other for the tracks we can’t get a two-bedroom room. Then we can see each other whenever. I’ll have to chat with Koby and Rayna on that.
“Riley?” Koby’s voice breaks through my daze. We're in the Ghostly Flux shuttle bus, and I've zoned out.
“Yeah?” I reply, rearranging, sitting in my seat and straightening up to face Koby.
“You all good? You getting into the zone early?” he jests.
“Nah, just thinking. Takes effort for me.” I wink. “Any chance you and Rayna can arrange for Mabel and I to have our hotel rooms next to each other when we can’t get a two-bedder?” Can’t hurt to ask.
Koby pulls out his phone, rubbing the start of stubble appearing on his chin. “I’ll see what Rayna and I can do. Should be okay to arrange as long as Mabel is sweet with it.”
“Great, yeah, no worries. I’ll let her know I asked and if she wants it, too.” I pull out my phone this time .
I’m in a playful mood…
Yo! Long time, lol. I chatted with Kobs and he said he and Rayna could try to arrange our accomm next door to each other where they can, if you are keen on it. Just let Rayz know?
You again, LMAO. Sure! If they can organise it, that will be fun.
Great! I’ll let Kobs know. See you at the track.
See you there.
Pocketing my phone, smiling to myself, I look up at Koby, staring at me.
“She’ll chat with Rayna, too. She’s onboard,” I inform him and settle back into the seat. The chatter of the team around comfort me for the rest of the ride.
Fleur is a blur of red as she takes me on the inside corner, but I have my bike set up to take the next corner on the outside and overtake her.
We have been swapping positions more times in this race than I can keep count.
Javi and Cole were close behind for the first half of the race, but now they've dropped behind. It’s just me and Fleur fighting it out for first. She is relentless, keeping me at bay, not giving me an opening when she makes it in front.
I let her Aprilia lead for a few laps while I wait for a new opening.
Javi and Cole eat up time and tyres, fighting it out between the two of them.
I can hear the rumbles of their bikes fall further back.
Fleur and I stay in first and second for the last half of the race.
We break away in front. Even if it’s a few tenths of a second, it all counts.
Last lap; this is my time. I speed up, putting pressure on Fleur.
I’m right behind her. The roars of our engines intertwine.
She’ll be able to see the white of my Ducati in her peripheral as she turns into a corner.
It causes her to hesitate, lift her bike up slightly, but that’s all I need.
I slide it in front of her and keep my lines tight, hitting the apex every time.
Every corner. Every exit point. I'm right on it and I make it stick. She doesn’t push.
Her tyres are probably shot. Losing traction.
We pushed hard all race. Hearing her still behind me, I know I can’t make a mistake.
She will be right there to cross the finish line in first if I bungle any of the last corners.
Third last corner, tight right. Second last corner, sweeping left.
Final corner, another exaggerated left before I blast down the straight and pass the black-and-white checkered flag.
Inhaling deeply from the top step, the smell of petrol and burnt rubber is still fresh in the air.
The blaring Victorian afternoon sun beats down, causing me to swelter in my leathers.
Fleur and Javi are standing up here with me, which makes it feel even better.
We push each other to be better, both on and off the track.
Glancing out towards the gathering of teams and fans, Mabel is easy to spot with her stunning smile.
I'm sure she is smiling because Javi is up here next to me taking third, but a part of me hopes she is smiling at me.
The three of us step down and head into an empty room to wait for the crowd to disperse. “What a race!” Fleur exclaims, placing her trophy and helmet down to grab three waters and pass it to us all.
“Hell of a battle!” Javi agrees, taking a long gulp.
“Many more of that waiting for you lot this season! Weather threw everything at us today,” I add. It was a mixed bag of drizzle, warm sun, and then cold breeze on the Island. I’m looking forward to a shower back at the hotel.
“I’m sure it’s going to go off tonight at the hotel,” Fleur says with a big smile across her face.
“Yeeeessss! Let’s have some fuuuuuunn!” I sing out, shaking my water bottle up and over the three of us as we laugh. We debrief about the race and get excited about close passes until Rayna enters the room with Koby and Fleur’s team owner, Zoey Clarke, in tow.
“Congratulations, folks! That was a race and a half. Fans went nuts!” Koby congratulates as he hugs us.
“Save something for the rest of the season.” Rayna smiles as she follows suit and makes her way around to hug us, too.
We all walk back down to the pits, the air buzzing, getting more electric as I approach the open garages.
Mabel stands out the front of Infraction32’s garage, her face focused on her phone as she spots Javi and I walking side by side, aiming the phone at us as we approach the pit.
I smile at her wide as I throw her a wink and wave around holding my helmet.
Her face is still down, probably recording.
I can see her smile back as she raises her hand to wave back.
Small, as to not jolt her other hand recording.
“Great race, man.” Javi taps my elbow with his, our arms still full with our helmets and trophies.
I nod and continue to my pit, Mabel being in my path.
She puts her phone down when I’m a few steps in front of her and she beams at me.
“Congratulations! That was so exciting to watch!” She smiles.
My hands are full, but she still extends her arms open and hugs me.
Her hair brushes against my cheek as her arms circle my torso.
It’s probably a good thing I can’t wrap my arms around her and bring her flush to my body.
“Thanks! I hope it looked as good as it felt!” I remark. “It was great!” She pulls away, folding her arms across her torso.
“Hotel bar is going to go off tonight. Hope you don’t have much work to do so you can come hang?” I ask. I know she had planned enough of her work so she doesn’t have to work more, but unsure if she needed to do more with Javi’s placing over the weekend.
“Nope, unless Rayna has a special request, I’ll get the last things done on the bus back to the hotel, and then I’m all yours,” she replies. “I mean, free all night.” Her eyes go slightly wider. “Ready…to…part y.”
I ignore her fumbling and smile. “Great! I’ll hit the hotel room for a shower then be at the bar!
” I continue to head to my pit box with a whole new level of excitement, but I have to rein that in.
She didn’t mean anything by those fumbles.
Accidental word choices. Nothing to read into.
Reaching my pit box, the team erupts into chants and cheers, and I am riding an incredible wave of emotions.
Tradition of hanging at the hotel bar for a few drinks after a win is in full effect.
Mabel sits with Sophia and Fleur, the dim lights not hiding her beauty. They laugh at something Mabel has said and I whole-heartedly agree. She is funny. And sexy. And fiery. She can definitely meet my gentle ribbing and then give it right back.
Stop. I cannot think of her like that. Friends, we are friends, I repeat to myself.
Javi comes around from behind me, slapping me on the back. “Again, great race today, man. Had a ball!”
“Yeah, felt like I have my groove back a bit. Kiara would have loved it.”
“She would have been screaming from the pit wall.” He squeezes my shoulder. “Parents coming to visit a track this half of the season?”
“Nah, I told them to come to one of the New South Wales tracks. I want them to take it easy. ”
“Fair call.”
“Fleur has something cooked up for a mid-season group break thing, if we are all keen. Somewhere in Sydney,” I mention.
“Sounds great. Let’s go chat with them about it.”