Lili could well imagine these stands full of fans. Locals. Cassian appeared then, redressed in his jeans and top, jacket slung over his shoulder. Ricardo said something to him but Lili couldn’t make out what over the sound of one of the mechanics driving the car away again. When Cassian looked at her quizically. Lili said, ‘What?’
Cassian asked, ‘Do you drive?’
‘Yes. I use the little Fiat at the villa to get around.’ She liked driving. She always had. Seeing it as a way to escape her family whenever she wanted, until she was of age. And, it was how she’d escaped the kidnappers.
‘There’s a karting track just around the back of here, do you want a go?’
Lili blinked. Completely nonplussed to be asked such a thing. And she couldn’t think of a reason to say anything else but, ‘Why not?’
‘Okay, come on.’
* * *
A short while later, Lili was sitting in a driving seat of a contraption like the racing car she’d seen before but this was open and it had some kind of a buffer ring on the outside, so it also kind of resembled a boat, on land even with its four big wheels.
They’d given her a driving jacket and it was a padded thing, buttoned up to her neck, close-fitting.
Cassian was leaning in, explaining how to use the accelerator and brakes. The steering wheel. It was simple. Then he put a helmet on her head. He said, ‘Go as fast or slow as you like, just have some fun.’
Fun. It had been so long since Lili had had anything resemblingfunthat it caught in her throat. She nodded, glad of the helmet hiding her too-exposed emotions. It was because she was out of her comfort zone. The villa.
‘Okay, let’s go!’ Cassian called out as he hit his accelerator and his kart shot forward. Lili did the same and her heart nearly came out of her chest when her kart moved forward. It took her a little while to get used to and she went at the pace of a snail but once she had the hang of it, she started moving faster. And faster. And faster.
Soon, she was zipping around the track at such a speed that she could feel the rush of air. It was more than exhilarating. She couldn’t think of anything else but focus on what she was doing and it was incredibly liberating.
She passed Cassian on a straight and let out a whoop. She was sure he was allowing her to pass but she didn’t care. A laugh bubbled up and out. Eventually she realised that they were slowing down and Cassian, ahead of her, came to a stop. She braked behind him.
He got out and pulled off his helmet and came over. She somehow levered herself out of the kart and realised she was trembling all over after the overload of adrenaline. She pulled off her helmet and realised she was grinning stupidly. But she couldn’t stop.
He was smiling too. ‘You’re sure that was your first time karting?’
Lili nodded, still beaming, unable to speak.
‘You’re a natural.’
Eventually she managed to say, ‘That was amazing. Thank you.’
Cassian took her helmet. ‘I’m glad you enjoyed it.’
They walked back to the car after Lili had given back the driving jacket. She still felt a little wobbly all over, amazed by how good it had felt to have to focus so intently on one thing. Usually she was so scared of people and anyone noticing her quirks that she felt exhausted. That’s why the villa had been such a balm. But now, she felt lighter, as if something had been sloughed away from her epidermis.
In the car, Cassian said casually, ‘I thought we could have a late lunch in Como before going back to the villa?’
‘Sure, that sounds nice. I’ve only been into Como a couple of times.’
On the way, Lili couldn’t hold back her curiosity. She looked at Cassian. ‘You obviously have no intention of retiring from racing any time soon, you love it.’
She noticed that his hand tensed on the wheel momentarily but then he said, ‘Well, today wasn’t racing.’
‘I know that.’
He shrugged. ‘I don’t have any intention of retiring in the short term but I can’t deny it’s something that’s been on my mind. I’m well aware I never should have been any good at being a racing driver. I’m too tall, for a start. And I’ve lasted a lot longer than I thought I would.’
‘Why do you think you’re so good?’
He looked at her. ‘You know they say I have a death wish?’
‘Do you?’
