Chapter 17 Rosa
ROSA
I try to go back to sleep, but nothing helps. The thought that something bad happened with Mateo keeps nagging me. He didn’t even wake me up before he left. Maybe he just didn’t want to.
I pick up my phone from the nightstand to see if he left me a message, but there’s no notification from him. Maybe he overslept, and he was in a hurry. I’ll worry about it later.
I sit up and spot a little piece of paper on his pillow, only two words written on it, which say, “Lo siento.” I decide to text him anyway, the worry not wanting to leave my side, asking if he’s okay.
After a couple minutes, I go out to the kitchen to make myself busy, trying not to think about Teo too much.
I spot a paper bag on the counter, and I smile at the fact that he left me food.
A sandwich is waiting for me, filled with goodies, eggs, cheese, and bacon.
Yummy. Just as I’m savoring the first bite, my phone starts to ring, so I rush back to the bedroom, hoping it’s Teo calling.
“Hey, Lan. What’s up?” It’s not him, but it’s nice to hear a friendly voice.
“Turn on the TV! Right now!” I furrow my eyebrows, but I do as she says.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Just turn to a sports channel!”
“Okay, okay!” I stop at the local sports channel and see that Mateo’s on the screen.
I turn up the volume, and my brain finally comprehends what the headline says: Mateo Acosta framed for espionage. Oh my god. He—he what? But why? Is that why he left so early? This is bullshit. This can’t be true.
“Are you seeing this?” Lana asks from the other side of the line.
“Yeah… I am. But why? What happened?”
“Just listen to what they’re saying.” I put my phone down on the bed and increase the volume of the TV again.
“The documents were published this morning, at 6 AM sharp, on a journalist site. The journalist, Mona Murphy, is claiming that Mateo Acosta, the famous Formula 1 driver, leaked the documents to her. These contain confidential information about the team and their car. Now, we asked Acosta what he has to say about this,” the reporter says, as she shoves the microphone into Teo’s face.
“Good morning, everyone. It has come to my attention that a specific person is framing me for something that I didn’t do.
We all know journalists do everything to drag someone down, and that is the case here as well.
I don’t know what Mona’s motive is, but I did not leak those documents.
I stand with my team. I am loyal to them, and I always will be.
Thank you.” He steps away from the microphones, but the reporters don’t let him get away.
“But is it true you two were together? What does this mean for you and your contract? Does the team stand with you as well?” Hundreds of questions are asked, but Mateo is determined to get away. With the help of bodyguards, he manages to slip into a closed part of the paddock.
“What the fuck?” I ask in disbelief, my brain trying to process all the information that has been said in the last few minutes.
Did he seriously give confidential information away for money and one good night? Come on. That can’t be true. He could have any woman. Why would he accept money from a woman so she can sleep with him? It doesn’t make any sense.
“Seems like he’s in trouble.” I hear Lana’s voice, but I’m still caught up on the news.
“This sounds like bullshit, Lan.”
“Probably. But you never know.” She sighs, and I would fight back, but maybe she is right. Why am I so sure he’s innocent? I basically don’t even know him. “Just be careful, alright?”
“Yeah. I will. Talk to you later. Love ya.”
“Love ya too.” We hang up, and I fall back onto the bed with a thud.
I spend the rest of the day pacing around the TV, listening to the news for anything about Mateo since he didn’t respond to my morning text, understandably.
I tried to keep myself busy with cleaning and cooking.
I even sat down to watch Friends again, but it was no use. I couldn’t focus on anything else.
It’s almost five and he still hasn’t come back. Media days don’t usually last this long. I hope he’s alright.
By a sudden thought, I decide to go back to my hotel. It’s only a 20-minute walk, so I choose to go on foot. I’m almost a hundred percent sure he’ll want to be alone when he gets back, so I’d rather leave now before he kicks me out.
When I’m back, I pour myself a glass of wine, then draw a bath.
I have to relax somehow, get my mind off him, and not worry my ass off.
I’m thinking about calling him, but I know I shouldn’t.
I don’t want to seem like a clingy idiot who wants to get updates every single time.
It would be nice, but it would be crazy to do it, so I don’t.
I slip into the water, the glass in my hand, my phone at an arm’s reach but far enough away not to bother me.
I put some music on, some jazz, different from my usual taste.
I don’t need to be worked up any more than this right now.
As the music somewhat eases my nerves, I light the candles and let the warmth envelop me under the foam cloud.
I gulp the rest of the wine, feeling more and more relaxed as time passes. I turn to the side, admiring the beautiful view the bathroom window provides of the busy evening in Toronto.
It must be hard to travel all the time. Sure, you get to see many, many beautiful places, get to know new people, communities, and form connections, but you’re away from your loved ones all the time. You can have properties in different countries, but are any of them truly homes?
When my uncle got into the world of Formula 1, he was with my dad.
They spent every single day together. They were strategists at one of the teams back then.
There were slightly fewerraces in a year than now, but they were still far apart.
Most of the time, they couldn’t afford to travel back home every time.
Sometimes they had two or three weeks off between races.
Then my mom became pregnant, and while she didn’t want my dad to give up his career, he did exactly that.
He gave up his job to achieve his dreams, our family.
She was six months pregnant when the season ended, and my dad never went back.
He sometimes still misses it, but he always says he made the right choice.
My uncle and his wife didn’t think like my dad. He got promoted not too long after, and as he got a higher salary, he traveled back home more times. But he didn’t give up his whole career to be with his family.
Maybe he did the right thing, maybe not. Now, as a team principal, he can bring the whole family with him when he wants to, so he spends more time with them now than back then. At least that’s a plus. He can make up for the lost time.
My phone chimes, and as much as I try to rule the sound out, I check it anyway.
Mateo
Where are you?
So, he’s alive. Thank god. No one got him. Paparazzos can be quite demanding. Even dangerous.
Rosa
Came back to the hotel. I thought you wanted to be alone when you got back.
The three dots appear, then disappear, again and again, until I see his name cover the whole screen. He’s calling me.
“Come back. Please.” His tired voice makes my heart ache.
“I can’t,” I reply, and he lets out a big sigh.
“Why?” he asks with annoyance in his tone.
“I’m taking a bath.” He hums, and for a couple of seconds, no sound comes from the other side of the line.
“Then can I come over?”
I chuckle, thinking he’s kidding, but he doesn’t laugh.“Can’t you wait until I finish?”
“You’re sitting naked in nice, warm water. How can you expect me to wait? That’s exactly what I need right now.” Damn, he’s good at convincing me.
“Okay okay, come over then.” I hear an excited yelp, and I smile at his expression.
“I’ll be there in ten.”