Chapter 1 Parenthood #10
He blinks fast. "How did you— why, what?!"
"I saw the video you were just watching," I say, trying not to smile too wide. "Has it started?"
He drops his gaze immediately. His fingers start fussing with the couch cover like it's no big deal, but I know him. He's flying. "No. It's early."
"Then why not?" I push. "Do you still want to go?"
"You said it was dangerous," he reminds me. "We both did." He's not wrong. But I look at him, and all I see is a man killing a part of himself because he thinks he has to.
"Yes," I admit, "it is. I'm not telling you to jump into the most insane race of the night. But objectively, you were the best one out there." I tap his knee. "And it showed. In every lap. It's something you loved, Gio. I think you deserve to go. Just this once."
He lets out this breathy laugh. "And Antonio?"
I rub my jaw. "Hmmm... I'll ask Daisy to come over and stay with him. You message Lorenzo." I raise a finger. "And do NOT message Marco. That man will lose his entire career if anyone sees the lawyer of the century at an underground race."
Gio bursts out laughing. "True. Although... if I found out my lawyer did illegal races after office hours, I'd respect him more. Very 'I handle your contracts and then go break laws on two wheels.'"
I shake my head, smiling. "So... we're going?"
He gives me that stupid, happy grin. "I guess we are!" He looks happy. Antonio level happy. Like when he sees a toy he's been eyeing for days and we finally say, "okay, take it."
"Get up then," I say, nudging him with my foot. "Get ready. Text Lorenzo. I'll call Daisy."
He doesn't even respond with actual words. He just grabs my face, and kisses me, full of excitement. I kiss him back, smiling into his mouth.
I already know I'm kissing the winner.
Half an hour later
Daisy and Lorenzo are on their way, and Gio's already wearing his full gear. Our helmets are on the counter. I'm standing there like a thirsty clown.
God help me.
I want to tell him, "actually... I changed my mind. We're staying home. But the gear? Oh no, baby, that stays ON." I feel like a big whore staring at him like this.
If I were his opponent, I'd lose just because he turned his head to look at me. I'd lose proudly.
The doorbell rings. I open the door, and Daisy storms in. "MOVE," she commands, already halfway to Antonio's room.
She takes one look at him sleeping and immediately starts crying. I start laughing quietly. She covers her mouth. "Rava... I'm stealing your son. I swear. He's just a little cherry. I'm gonna eat him."
"For now," I tell her, "just keep him alive until we're back. We'll discuss custody after."
She nods. Lorenzo steps inside the house wearing his own gear and helmet under his arm. "Hi, Ravioli. Thank you for convincing him. I could lick you right now."
He stops, whips his head toward Gio with pure horror.
"And then I will lick your husband's shoes to apologize for that thought..." I'm dying quietly. These idiots.
"Shall we?" I ask.
Lorenzo nods. "Yes. Let me say goodbye to my wife." He walks over to Daisy, hugs her like he's leaving for war.
"Awww," I say. We all wave at her and head to the bikes. They both start their equally loud engines.
I grab Gio's waist.
At the traffic light, Lorenzo rolls up beside us and starts fake-fucking his bike.
Gio obviously copies him immediately and blows him a kiss. Someone watching would swear they need therapy.
…
We reach the spot. Exactly as I remember it. A fever dream. Sports cars everywhere. Many different neon colors.
A sea of bikes lined up like a metallic rainbow. Literally all the colors: green, red, matte black, silver. It's like a playground, but the adult version.
Music is blasting from some speaker nobody can see.
Two cars nearby are doing donuts, and the drifting kicks smoke everywhere. And I'm standing here like I spawned into the wrong server...
But I've got Gio in front of me and Lorenzo beside me, so nobody's gonna laugh at me tonight. Lorenzo is the first to lose his damn mind. He starts bouncing.
"WE ARE SO BACK, YOU WHORES!"
He screams it to the sky, and somehow also to three random dudes who immediately hug him back and jump with him. Gio slips right into them. They start giving handshakes and fist bumps. Suddenly a bunch of the guys are greeting me too.
Me. Rava.
The anxious teacher husband with a jacket that does NOT match the environment. I freeze for a second but... it feels nice. For one stupid moment I'm not "the outsider," but part of Gio's old world. Part of their noise.
"FONTANA!" I turn and see Paulo, Gio's unhinged friend from our wedding.
The man who drank an entire bottle of limoncello alone. I will never forget. "Hey man!" he grins and gives me a handshake.
Okay. Wow.
This is going way better than I thought. I'm not a ghost here after all. We weave carefully through the hot cars. Paulo throws his arms over Gio and Lorenzo.
"Alright, listen up," he says. "I've got some wild opponents for you tonight." He looks at Lorenzo first. "You, Lorenzo, you will take Teo Garcia. Spanish. New-ish. INSANE. You're gonna shit yourself."
Lorenzo scoffs. "Oh come on, I don't want fresh meat. You underestimate me, cookie."
Paulo raises a brow. "I'm telling you, he's tough." Then Paulo turns to Gio with dramatic flair. "And you..." He stretches a hand out toward the chaos.
"Miro fucking Escobar."
My stomach drops and I don't even know who that guy is. Paulo keeps going. "Bro. Only YOU could take him. See that Ferrari SF90 Stradale?" He points at a neon-red monster that looks like it kills people for fun.
Like Gio's.
"That's his. He's wanted to race you for YEARS." He drops his voice. "But uh... he's a little crazy. So, like... you CAN say no. Totally fine. You could pick that other guy instead."
He gestures to another rider, this one on a bike. "Whatever you want. Tell me in ten."
And then Paulo just spins and disappears into the crowd. I look at Gio. This can't be good. I came here thinking we'd watch something chill, clap twice, kiss once, go home.
"Gio, you're not taking the car, right? That Escobar guy?" I'm staring at him from afar.
Yup. He 100% looks like a mythological creature that eats HUSBANDS.
"Of course I'm taking the car. The Escobar guy."
I gasp. "Are you INSANE?"
Lorenzo pats my shoulder like I'm five. "Relax, sweetheart. Your man knows what he's doing. Escobar is a brick. A literal brick. Racing a bike against a car is the dumbest matchup. The dude is probably high and wants to prove a point."
Before I can yell again, Gio grips my shoulders and sits me down on a low wall like I'm about to faint.
"Ravioli," he says gently, kneeling a little so we're eye-level.
"I know I'm contradicting myself... but bigger doesn't always mean better. This is easy for me."
I look at the car again. The demon Ferrari with murder in its headlights. I'm not convinced. Not at all. Gio nudges my shoulder with his elbow.
"Hey," he murmurs. "Don't let that car scare you. It looks crazy, yeah... but that doesn't mean it can beat me." I raise a brow. "Okay, listen," he says, pointing at the Ferrari.
"The car is heavy. Like, fifteen hundred kilos heavy. My bike isn't even two hundred. Light means fast reactions. I move quicker than he ever will."
He steps in front of me a little, tilting his head, making sure I'm not spiraling. "And that car needs space. Long roads, wide turns. My bike doesn't. I can switch directions in half a second. He can't."
I start nodding. Slowly. Still terrified. But listening. "And his engine has to think. Computers, systems, traction control. Sure, it's fast, but it needs perfect conditions."
He taps his bike behind him. "Mine moves the second I twist the grip. No delay. No bullshit."
I hate that he's right. Cause I'm scared, but he makes total sense. "And braking?" he adds. "I stop faster. WAY faster. In a race like this, that's everything. If he brakes late, he slides. If I brake late, my bike listens to me."
He glances back at the Ferrari, then at me again. "So yeah, he's strong. But I'm quicker, lighter, better. I can weave through space he doesn't even fit in."
He shrugs. I exhale.
"You've seen me ride, Rava," he says softly. "You know I can beat him. Easy." I let out a long breath. Then another. And another.
"...Okay, I trust you."
He nods, relieved. Then he grins and kisses me quick and hard. "Go get a front-row spot," he says against my lips. "I want you to see me win." I laugh, finally standing up. "I like the spirit," I tell him. "I'm going."
Gio heads off with Lorenzo right behind him, and I push my way through the crowd.
People shove me and I shove back, ALWAYS with gentle, polite shoves. Because I don't want to die tonight. I somehow manage to squeeze up close enough to see everything.
There are giant screens overhead so all of us peasants who aren't behind a wheel can follow every turn. Gio walks straight toward Escobar. I watch them talk.
Well... Gio talks. Escobar just... glares.
He looks pissed for absolutely no reason. Why would you be angry at someone you want to race? What's the logic? Shouldn't you be like, "yeah man let's have fun"? Not "I hope you die so I look cool"?
They shake hands, and even the handshake feels hostile. Great. I hate him already.
The race hasn't even started yet and everyone around me transforms into animals. They are shouting. They are screaming. They are jumping.
Gio's circle is fun, chaotic... but some of the randoms here look like they stab innocent people for entertainment, I swear.
Still... being in his world like this, gives me the same little thrill as when he helps me grade tests for example.
Like we're stepping into each other's realities.
Plus... not gonna lie, watching him in gear, that focused, does something to me. I swear I fall in love all over again.
Two young guys go first. Barely nineteen.
They race hard, to the point they almost crash. But they hug each other after the race.
Now... it's Gio's turn. I'm sweating bullets.