22. XANDER
Chapter 22
XANDER
E xcitement, nervousness, anticipation—I couldn't quite put my finger on what I was feeling. This is it- the moment I’d been waiting for and working hard for my entire career!
The Monaco Grand Prix was every racer's dream, and now I was about to live it.
“Is this my lucky day or what?” I suddenly heard John say as we boarded the plane with the rest of the team. A broad grin spread across his face as he realized he’d been assigned a seat right next to Lyca.
Lyca. She’s the other reason that I’m feeling this way.
I couldn't deny the rush of emotions that swept over me every time I looked at her. Lyca looked radiant, her hair catching the light as she leaned in to talk to John. Her smile was infectious, lighting up her face and drawing me in.
“Maybe we can finally have that date in Monaco?” John asked her with a joking grin.
Lyca laughed with a shrug. “Let’s see.”
That made me frown. She had never given John any indication that she would entertain the idea of going out with him. Yet, her response this time seemed to hold significance. John's face lit up with hope, and I felt a surge of anger rising within me. I averted my gaze, unable to bear witnessing his elation.
“Hey, man, seems like we’re sitting together.” I turned around when I felt the tap on my shoulder. It was Drake talking, motioning to the seats right behind Lyca and John. Damn.
“Sure,” was all I said as he let me take the window seat. It gave me a good view of Lyca who was in the seat beside the aisle.
Drake nudged my arm. “Hey, Xander, excited for the race?”
I tore my gaze away from Lyca and forced a smile. “Yeah, can't wait. It's going to be a great one. We’ve got it in the bag.”
Drake chuckled. “You seem distracted. Everything okay?”
I nodded, trying to shake off the bubbling jealousy inside me. “Yeah, just thinking about the race.”
As the plane took off, I couldn't resist stealing glances at Lyca, drawn to her irresistibly. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, gleaming in the dim cabin light. From the side, I could see her eyes lighting up as she spoke with John, her beautiful smile adding to her charm. Despite my excitement for the Grand Prix, I couldn't shake off the twinge of annoyance at John's constant flirting. It was driving me crazy.
I clenched my jaw, trying to focus on the view outside the window instead. But from the corner of my eye, I saw John’s hand reaching out to graze Lyca’s. I couldn’t take it anymore.
“John, we’re all trying to get some rest here,” I told him in a sharp tone as I leaned forward. “Lower your voice, will you?”
John grunted and retracted his hand. Lyca crossed her arms across her chest, sort of hugging herself. Perhaps she was feeling cold, or maybe she just didn’t want to be that physically close to John. Good! I liked the second option better.
Then she glanced at me, and our eyes met briefly. That was enough to send an electric shock through my system. I knew then that I wanted to be closer to her again, to find a way for us to spend more time with each other.
This trip will be a good opportunity. I should make sure not to waste it.
I swiftly unzipped the backpack I had stashed under my seat, retrieving my spare jacket and extending it to Lyca. “Here,” I said to her, my voice devoid of emotion. “You might get cold.”
“Uh, thanks,” she whispered with a smile, taking the jacket with a look of gratitude. I watched her put it on and wrap it around her body, imagining how it would feel to have her in my arms again and to provide her warmth.
During the flight, I found myself constantly interrupting whenever John would start flirting with her again. Drake would sometimes shake his head, a glint of amusement in his eyes, but he said nothing. John, on the other hand, seemed increasingly annoyed with me. And Lyca appeared to just be completely oblivious to it all.
As we entered the posh Monaco resort, my eyes were immediately drawn to the breathtaking beauty surrounding us. The azure waters of the Mediterranean glistened under the warm sun, and the palm-lined streets exuded an air of luxury and elegance. The resort itself was a marvel of modern architecture, with sleek lines and expansive windows offering stunning views of the sea.
Everywhere I looked, there was an air of opulence and grandeur, evident in the designer boutiques and gourmet restaurants that lined the streets.The sound of exotic sports cars and the laughter of well-dressed guests filled the air, creating a vibrant and lively atmosphere.
“Wow, this is really cool, man!” I heard Andrew say to Drake. The two were like best friends, and I knew that Lyca was close to both of them. I was glad when she began hanging out with them instead of with John.
At the counter, the clerk began handing out the key cards. The team members left in groups to get settled. That’s when I noticed that only Lyca and me were left behind.
“So Mr. Ryan, you’ll be sharing this villa with Mr. Taylor…” the clerk began to say.
Lyca looked at him incredulously. “What? We have no Mr. Taylor with us. My name is Lyca Taylor. I’m a Miss.”
“There must be some mistake,” I interjected, looking at the clerk in confusion. My heart skipped a beat, though.
The clerk glanced at his computer. “I’m sorry… Let me double check…” He had his eyebrows furrowed at the center. He consulted with a colleague and then got back to us. “Our apologies, Sir and Madam, but we are fully booked at the moment…”
“Am I not supposed to be in a single room?” Lyca asked, her voice appearing to be stressed. She was the only female who had come with us.
“I suppose you’re right,” the clerk said, looking anxious. “But according to the email from your office, this was the given arrangement.”
“Oh, I’m gonna kill Phoebe,” I heard Lyca mutter under her breath.
She must have done this on purpose. Was she playing with us? What did she know?
“I apologize once more,” the clerk continued. “Perhaps we can get you a separate room after two or three days, Ma’am.”
Lyca groaned.
“How many bedrooms does this villa have?” I asked.
“It’s the smallest one we have, and it’s just a one-bedroom setup.”
“I see.” I turned toward Lyca. “You know what? I can sleep in the living room area, Lyca. Or I can join another villa. Let me check with the others.”
Lyca sighed. “Don’t be silly. You’re the team manager. And you’re our star racer, Xander. You’ll need a good space and enough rest. Let’s just check out this villa first and see what we can work out.”
No one said anything as we were led to our villa. But deep inside, I wanted us to stay together. For some reason, fate was playing a trick on us and I wanted to take advantage of it.
Here’s my chance.
The one-bedroom villa was tastefully decorated, with luxurious furnishings and stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea. The living room was spacious and elegantly furnished, with a comfortable sofa and a large flat-screen TV.
Lyca's eyes widened in surprise and delight as she took in the surroundings. “Wow, this place is amazing!” she exclaimed, rushing inside and putting down her stuff. She headed to the floor-to-ceiling glass wall that showed the breathtaking vista of the sea and stared outside for a long time.
I smiled, swept up too by the grandeur and beauty of the view. “This is great,” I agreed. “Totally awesome.” Then I added, “You can take the bedroom, Lyca. I'll sleep out here on the sofa.”
“Are you sure?” Lyca asked, turning around.
No, I want to sleep beside you on the bed, take you in my arms, and kiss you like there’s no tomorrow.
Those were the words running in my head. But aloud, I said, “Of course.”
“Okay, I think I’ll take a nap first.” She disappeared into the bedroom, to my disappointment.
I plopped onto the sofa and surfed through the channels, though my mind was actually preoccupied with ideas on how I could make the most of this mix-up. I wanted Lyca, and I wanted her to want me to.
A few minutes passed before Lyca came out again, looking like she’d just showered. She was wearing a pair of printed lounge pants and an oversized shirt and had no makeup on. Yet to me, she still looked pretty hot.
“Uh, I’m staying in,” she told me. “I just feel so tired. But hey, you can go out if you want. Just don’t stay out too late ‘coz we need to check out the racetracks tomorrow morning.”
“Nah, I don’t plan on going out tonight,” I answered. I want to be with you.
Suddenly she looked a bit uncomfortable. It was like we were playing house!
“Okay,” she finally said, walking over to the kitchen and bringing out some stuff from the refrigerator and cabinets. “I believe they stocked up the kitchen so maybe I can whip up something for dinner.”
“Let me help you,” I offered at once, jumping up from the sofa, then silently reprimanded myself for sounding so excited.
“You know how to cook?”
“Not really,” I admitted with a chuckle. “But you can order me around, make me your assistant.”
Lyca laughed. I really loved the sound of her laughter. It smoothed down my nerves, and I was glad to see her finally relaxing in my company. Given our history, this could definitely be considered a great step forward.
“Actually, I’m not a very good cook, either,” she eventually admitted. “But okay, let’s see what we can make…” She appeared to be concentrating as she checked out the ingredients that she’d laid out on the counter.
Lyca scrolled through her phone then, searching for a recipe. “How about chicken casserole?” she suggested, showing me the screen.
“Sounds good,” I replied, peering over her shoulder at the recipe. I was glad that she was willing to work with me. “Let's give it a shot.”
We gathered the stuff we needed and started following the instructions.
“Let me put the flour in,” I said. But as I did, I accidentally spilled some, creating a small white cloud in the kitchen. We both burst into laughter, momentarily forgetting the recipe. “I’m sorry!” I cried out.
“It’s a good thing you didn’t spill it all into the dish!” she laughed, her eyes twinkling.
We pressed on with our cooking, exercising greater caution this time. Despite our earlier mishap, we successfully transferred everything into a baking dish and placed it in the oven without any further incidents.
“Yeah! This is it!” Lyca said enthusiastically.
“It’s going to be awesome, you’ll see!” I told her with great confidence.
“I do hope so because I’m starving!”
As we waited for the casserole to cook, we chatted and joked, the tension between us slowly dissipating. No one mentioned anything about our past, but somehow I could feel it hanging above our heads, fading into the background but not really disappearing.
When the timer finally chimed, signaling the end of the cooking time, we carefully removed the casserole from the oven. It looked and smelled amazing. We couldn't help but high-five each other in triumph.
“Let's dig in,” Lyca said, grabbing some plates and serving up the casserole.
Just as we started to enjoy our meal, we heard the pitter-patter of rain against the windows. I glanced outside and noticed the dark clouds rolling in, casting a cozy and romantic atmosphere over us.
Lyca looked up from her plate, a soft smile playing on her lips. “Looks like we're in for a storm,” she remarked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Yeah, seems like it,” I replied, feeling a sense of warmth spreading through me as we shared this moment together. “It’s a good thing we didn’t go out.”
We decided to make the most of the rainy evening and turned our dinner into a movie night. We snuggled up on the couch, blankets wrapped around us, as we enjoyed our meal and watched a classic film playing on the television.
I’ve never experienced anything like it. It felt so damn good, and I wanted more of it.
But only with Lyca.