Chapter 30 #2
“Either he’s hiding something and won’t tell you, or he’s just a fucking idiot for letting you go. I’m sorry, Jessica,” she tells me.
When she leans over to give me a hug, the tears start running. I’ve been strong, keeping the tears mostly at bay, only letting them fall while in the shower after a long day or in bed before I go to sleep.
With my best friend’s support, I let everything out, and she gently strokes my back, reassuring me that she’s here.
When I’m all cried out, we start driving toward my hometown, Tinley Park.
When we pull up to the hotel where my family works and lives, they’re all waiting outside on the curb and come rushing over as soon as I step out of the car.
We exchange hugs, and they help me with my luggage before Sarah gives me one last hug, making sure I can give her a call no matter the time, and that we will meet up again tomorrow for a girls’ day.
“Baby sister, I’ve missed you.” Jake pulls me in for another hug, and I playfully hit his shoulder.
“Are you terminally ill or something? Two hugs in ten minutes, I’m starting to get worried, Jake.” We chuckle and settle into the living room.
My parents live right next door to the hotel, in the house where I grew up. Jake has his own house about fifteen minutes away.
“So, Jessica, how has everything been?” My father asks,
“It’s been the most amazing adventure. I get to learn so much about journalism and the media amidst all the action on and off track.
There’s always something happening, never a dull moment, while traveling the world,” I tell them about all the sights I’ve seen, most of which I experienced in the presence of their favourite driver, though I leave out that specific detail.
I show them pictures from my time in the paddock so far.
During the flight, I was creating a folder with pictures to show my family.
Usually, I would just show them my camera roll, but there are too many memories with Luke there, and I can’t handle the questions from my family, at least not yet.
So, I had to make the painful walk down memory lane and create a “Luke-free” folder to show my family.
I finish by telling them about the job offer from Anne, which sends them all into a hysterical round of cheers.
“We must go out and celebrate! We’re so proud of you, Jessica,” my mom says before hugging me again.
I lean into her arms, thankful to have my family by my side.
◆◆◆
The next day, Sarah and I start our day at one of the local cafes, with a coffee and a bagel in hand.
Now it’s her turn to be questioned about boy trouble.
“Okay, so now that we’ve covered all of my love life, or lack of, it’s your turn,” I tell her, and she picks at her nails.
“Well, promise me you won’t judge.” I look at her uncertain expression, reassuring her that I’m her best friend and would never judge her.
“You know Alexander? The guy I slapped across the face and all that?” she asks me sheepishly, and I nod.
“Well, I might have let it slip in our previous conversations that the sexual chemistry is kind of off the charts. So, when I saw him last weekend, he was taunting me about the whole “I’m going to report you for assault” thing, and things got heated.
I told him I’d report him for sexual misconduct since he called me a hooker the first time we met.
” Sarah bites her lip, and I feel my anticipation rising.
“When I said that, he told me that if I was going to report him, he was at least going to make the most of it, stalked over to me, and kissed me like his life depended on it.”
“What? Oh my god, Sarah, why didn’t you tell me before?” I ask her, and she rolls her eyes at me.
“You’ve been MIA, and when I got a hold of you, I could tell that something bad had happened, so I didn’t want to bother you. Besides, I also wanted to see your reaction in real life.” She smirks at me.
“Okay, so what happened after that?” I ask.
“We made out, and when things started to get touchy, I ran out of there as fast as I could and have been hiding ever since,” she tells me, and I’m a little shocked.
Usually, I’m the scared little mouse that hides in the corner whenever a challenge arises. Sarah, on the other hand, is the confident cat that will bring out her claws and never hide from a challenge. Hearing her say she’s been hiding raises my questions.
“Hiding Sarah? You must really like this guy, then,” I tell her with a smile, and she brings her hands to her face.
“I think that’s the problem. He calls me on my shit.
Usually, guys get threatened by that and turn the other way.
Alexander’s been the total opposite. Whenever I push, he just pushes back twice as hard.
And that kiss scared me. How good he made me feel with just a kiss and some touching.
Imagine if we went all the way.” She sighs.
“What exactly are you afraid of? That the sex will be so good that you’ll catch fire?” We both laugh, but she gets more serious as we calm down.
“I’m afraid he’s actually going to see me, the whole me, and that scares me.” Sarah has always been a confident woman who goes after what she wants.
Whenever she’s been with a guy, it’s on her own terms, and she’s always been the one to break their hearts, not the other way around. She protects herself, and I take her hand across the table.
“If you decide to give him the chance to see the whole you, Sarah, he’s one lucky guy. Don’t ever forget that.”
◆◆◆
We spend the day shopping before getting our nails done, nothing like retail therapy. After we’ve finished dinner, Sarah, unfortunately, has to go back to the city; duty is calling.
I give her a tight hug and tell her that Alexander McGregor has nothing on Sarah Parker before she jumps in her car and starts driving back to Chicago.
I promised I’d try to swing by on the day I leave so we can see each other one last time before I fly to Europe for the next seven weeks on the road.
◆◆◆
The next day, I’m chopping vegetables in the kitchen, helping mom with dinner when she brings out the million-dollar question:
“So, is there any men that’s caught your eye whilst you’ve been away?” My family isn’t nosy in the way that they expect me to bring home a boyfriend from time to time, but my mom likes to check in and make sure her baby girl is being treated well.
I decide to be honest with her; she knows me better than anyone else and would see right through me anyway.
“There was actually one, and he didn’t just catch my eye, he kind of stole my heart,” I tell her, feeling my eyes prickling. Just thinking about him makes me emotional.
“Oh, Jessica. I knew there was someone, don’t get me wrong, you always shine, but your light’s been dimmer ever since you came back.”
She hugs me, and I wrap my arms around her, telling her about the amazing man I met and who broke my heart. I don’t let her know that it’s Luke, the number one driver in this household. I want to protect his privacy, so I only tell her that he’s part of the F1 world.
“I’m sure if he’s the right man for you, Jessica, he will make things right again. And if he’s not, then you’ll eventually get over him and find someone even better,” She tells me, and even though I want to believe her, the thought of finding anyone else makes me feel even more hollow.