Chapter 8 #3
“Can we leave now?” Ingrid asked.
“Sorry, I still have another meeting,” Antoine said, knowing that she was struggling today. “Dinner at the hotel?”
They agreed to meet up with Gaetan and her brother.
Erik was waiting outside the suite for her. Leaning against the wall, handsome in his team T-shirt, hands in his jeans, and his blonde hair swept to the side. He was mostly hidden from anyone walking by until he stepped from behind the pot plant that had been concealing him.
“Ingrid, can we talk?”
“No. You said what you needed to say earlier.”
She carried on walking as he got caught up with some VIPs. She was glad to have escaped because she knew she would have burst into tears if she spoke to him.
???
Another race day. Another pole position.
Miami was such a show, and Erik hated it.
There were too many people on the grid who knew very little about racing and were just there for the chance to be seen on camera with the drivers or cars, mostly the drivers.
The rain had cleared for now, and so the grid was packed with these influencers.
Erik didn’t know how he could have dated this type in the past.
Mark had kept his distance from them at the track for most of the weekend.
He had won the sprint but was in P3 today.
Erik had tried chatting with him outside their usual media commitments, but Mark seemed off.
He hoped there wouldn’t be a repeat of Bahrain.
Erik went in search of Ingrid after he finished his prep.
She was still talking with Antoine, who was sitting at P5 on the grid. Mike Button caught him for a moment.
“Erik! Someone I know! How are the conditions looking out there?”
“The track is still wet in some places, but I hope this Miami sun will dry it up soon enough and we can have an interesting race.”
He could see that Ingrid had finished talking with Antoine.
“I can see you’re on your way to your friends, so thanks for stopping. Good luck, I’ll leave you to it, then.” Button rushed off.
Erik went over to Ingrid. He gave Antoine a handshake and a hug.
“Just came to see you before we have to go. Don’t have much time.”
It was the first time that she wasn’t going to do their ritual.
“You aren’t even going to speak to me?” Erik asked.
“Don’t crash.” And she left them.
“Whoa, you two are really over?” Antoine asked.
“I guess so,” Erik replied. “Ok, mate, we should go,” and they rushed off to the anthem.
It was difficult to overtake here, so he had to maintain the lead.
Nico was starting next to him, and he had a reckless Mark behind him who could take them all out in these slippery conditions.
For the second time this season, Mark took out Nico, but this time managed to keep himself on track. Now he was chasing Erik down.
“What the fuck is Mark doing?”
“Head down, Erik. Focus on your race. Rain coming in 15.” Hannah responded.
“Minutes or laps?”
“Minutes, sorry.”
“Focus on my race, too, please.”
Erik hated having to be rude to Hannah, but she knew he didn’t mean it.
“Can these inters hold?” Hannah asked.
“I’ll make them. Plan D.”
His engineer knew what that meant. It was reserved for when someone around him was driving like a dickhead or dumbass, and he would take control of the strategy from the track.
Mark was getting closer and closer, burning up his tyres.
It was a stupid move because he knew he couldn’t overtake Erik.
He had also been given a 10-second time penalty for his incident with Nico.
Mark was told to box. He ignored the pit wall.
“What’s going on?”
“He wants to stay out. Rain approaching now in 5 minutes.”
“Fine. Plan D still in place.”
Erik just had to get through two more laps, trust in the weather and Mark’s ego, and then more inters.
He eventually boxed, leaving Mark to take the lead, which is what he wanted all along.
Mark’s tyres faded away. Erik was back out in a heavy drizzle with fresh tyres and only twenty laps to make them last. He could see that Antoine had made his way up to P3. Good on you, mate, he thought.
Watching from the Dunham garage with Daniela, Ingrid saw Antoine’s progress up to P3.
It was helped by the fact that Mark had ruined Nico’s race and his own by driving like an idiot.
It didn’t matter, though; Antoine had kept it clean and on track in changing conditions.
Nico had gone back to his garage, swearing.
Ingrid felt for him because this was the second time that Mark had ruined a race for him.
He was the reigning champion, and he was losing out through no fault of his own.
“We’re almost at the finish line,” Daniela whispered to her, holding her hand.
“So glad you’ll be here for a podium,” Ingrid said.
“Shh, don’t jinx it!” and she squeezed her side.
Erik crossed the line first, then Mark, who had made his way back to second, and finally Antoine in third.
Daniela and Ingrid hugged each other. In the back of Ingrid’s mind, she was thinking about how she would finally be able to celebrate a win with Erik.
It then occurred to her that she wouldn’t anymore.
As he got out of the car and ran to his team, he hugged Sigrid and Oliver first. Erik thought he would risk it.
He went over to Antoine’s team and found Ingrid next to Daniela.
He hugged her. She could feel how sweaty he was.
“No crash, and I love you,” he said through his helmet.
Antoine came up at that point, and Erik moved out of the way.
They exchanged hugs and some words, then Erik was off.
Ingrid felt as if she were in a fairy-tale world.
None of this should be real. For the podium celebrations, Sigrid and Oliver joined them.
Mark was still in a sulky mood. He walked off the podium as soon as he could, even though Erik and Antoine tried their best to include him in the champagne celebrations.
Instead, it looked like he downed most of the champagne bottle.
Antoine was elated afterwards; he was buzzing around doing interviews. He joined Sky Sports for a sit-down. Erik, who hated doing media, did an impromptu joint interview with him. They were like kids back in their karting days. Ingrid, Henry, and Julia just stood by and watched.
“What’s brought this on?” Julia asked Ingrid.
“Don’t ask me. You know Erik hates media.”
“I’m just glad they’re doing it together,” Henry added.
“Ok, I have to be off to help monitor Mark,” Julia said. “At least you two get to have fun.”
Ingrid left Henry and went to find the rest of their group. They were at the Dunham suite.
“I must say, Sister, the Wentworth suite is far fancier. You should upgrade your driver. Also, can we discuss that hug?”
“I’m perfectly happy with the driver I’m working with, thank you very much, Brother,” she retorted and kissed him on the cheek. “I have no idea which hug you are referring to. Did you enjoy yourselves?”
“Oh, I love coming to Miami!” said Sigrid dreamily. “Such fascinating creatures to observe.”
Ingrid laughed because it was as if she were a biologist observing marine life, close enough to her degree.
“Sister, I have to do this again!”
“We’ll ask Antoine for you this time,” Daniela said. “By the way, where is he?”
“I left him and Erik doing an impromptu interview with Sky.”
“Erik?” She asked, astonished.
“I know! I’m not sure what’s gotten into him. They were acting like a bunch of kids talking about the race.”
“Should we head back to the hotel?” Daniela asked. “I’m a bit over this place.”
“Yes, me too,” Ingrid said. “Far too many people, and I could do with some quiet. I’ll message Antoine to let him know.”
Sigrid and Oliver wanted to spend their last night in Miami out on the town, so they went out. Daniela and Ingrid decided to have a quiet drink at the hotel bar. The rain had stopped, so they were downstairs by the pool.
“Have you seen the fuss being made about the hug Erik gave you after the race?”
Ingrid just shook her head. She didn’t want to look at any of the social media after the race. Her mind was still on what he had said.
“He said ‘I love you’ after the race,” Ingrid told Daniela.
“After breaking up with you? Did you say it back?”
“Antoine arrived, and so I didn’t have an opportunity to respond.” She had a sip of her wine and thought about it for a moment. “Technically, we didn’t break up because we were never officially together. I definitely feel something like it, but don’t you think it’s too soon?”
“If you feel it, then you feel it. Remember, these guys live fast-paced lives. I know you’re new to this, Rookie,” she bumped shoulders with her playfully, “but they move quickly. I’ve known Erik for years, and I’ve never seen him like this with anyone else before.”
“It doesn’t really matter. I want to take things at my own speed.” Ingrid could hear a crowd forming outside. “I don’t want to be here when they come in, so I’m going to head upstairs. Thanks for the chat.”
She gave Daniela a hug and made her way to the elevators.
Erik could see her, and so he rushed indoors to catch up.
“Ingrid!” He shouted and climbed in with her. “Did you hear what I said to you today?”
“I did,” she said.
“I’m sorry about the other day. I was frustrated,” he said. “Ingrid, please look at me.”
He took her hand. Ingrid couldn’t resist his touch. She turned around, pushed him into the corner of the elevator, and kissed him as they went past her floor. They completely consumed each other in the space of two floors. Erik took her hand as if they were going to leave together. Ingrid let go.
“No, you were right, I’ll call you,” Ingrid said and pushed the button for her floor. She could still smell his sandalwood cologne on her skin and started to tear up.