Breaking lap records. Missing you like crazy.
“We’re ready when you are,” Nikos called, breaking into my thoughts.
I nodded, slipping my phone back into my pocket and reaching for my helmet. “Let’s go again.”
For the next hour, I lost myself in the pure physicality of racing—the precision of each gear shift, the calculated risk of each braking point, the satisfaction of a perfectly executed turn. By the time I pulled back into the pits, my mind was clear, my body humming with adrenaline.
“That’s more like it,” Nikos grinned, showing me the lap times on his tablet. “Best time of the season.”
I peeled myself out of the car, every muscle pleasantly fatigued from the sustained concentration and physical exertion. “The suspension adjustment made all the difference.”
“And something else,” Nikos observed, studying me with the perceptiveness of someone who had known me since my karting days. “You seem more... settled today. After the first few laps, at least.”
I nearly laughed.Settledwas the last thing I felt.
My body might be here in Italy, but my thoughts kept returning to Greece, where an American with kind eyes and sweet lips had somehow rewired my priorities.
Desire was familiar territory for me, but this was different. I didn’t just want her body. I wanted her laughter, her opinions, her presence. I wanted to drag her into my world and dive headfirst into hers.
I shrugged, unwilling to share. “Just found my rhythm.”
I’d planned to stay in Italy for an additional week for testing, but now found myself checking flights back to Greece this weekend instead. Racing had always been everything. Now my priorities were shifting in ways I couldn’t fully comprehend.
As I dressed in jeans and a casual button-down, my phone buzzed with an incoming text. My heart rate jumped embarrassingly at the possibility it might be Tia again, only to settle back when I saw Katalina’s name on the screen.
I deleted the message without reading it, just as I had every communication from her since her STI results got leaked. Whatever desperate ploy or manipulation she was attempting now, I had no interest in it.
When I entered the hotel bar, I immediately spotted my uncles and cousin Matthaios seated at a corner table. I hadn’t seen my cousin since last Christmas. He left for school in the U.S. four yearsago and rarely visited. He was ten years my senior and the tallest in the family at one point nine metres.
Konstantin and Matthaios seemed to be in a heated exchange. When Dimitrios noticed me, he whispered something to the other men, causing them to immediately turn with welcoming expressions.
Matthaios got to his feet and pulled me into a bear hug. “Santo!” he said, clapping my shoulder.
“Did I interrupt something?” I asked, glancing between them, noting the lingering tension in the air.
“Nothing important,” Dimitrios said, while signaling for a waiter. “How was practice? Nikos said you were breaking records today.”
I settled into the worn leather chair, feeling it give beneath my weight. “The car’s responding well. We made some adjustments, and it made all the difference.”
“I saw your times,” Matthaios jumped in, leaning forward. “Vasquez must be sweating bullets.”
The mention of my chief rival sent a familiar competitive surge through me. Juan Vasquez and I had been trading victories and crashes since our junior formula days. Last season, he’d edged me out of the championship by a single point after a controversial final race.
I settled into the technical details of the day’s practice, the earlier frost between my uncle and cousin gradually thawed. Even the normally stern Konstantin leaned forward with interest when I described the new aerodynamic package.
“You’ll dominate at Spa,” Konstantin said. “Remember when you took Eau Rouge flat out last year? Even your father was impressed.”
“Though he’d never admit it,” Dimitrios added with a wink.
The conversation flowed easier now, their earlier disagreement forgotten. Whatever had sparked tension between them seemed insignificant compared to their shared pride in my racing career.
When the waiter arrived with fresh drinks, Dimitrios raised his glass. “To Belgium, and to Santo, who makes us all look good by association.”
Matthaios and Konstantin joined the toast without hesitation. I couldn’t help but smile at their unified support. Being the family favorite definitely had its perks.
My phone buzzed against my thigh and I pulled it out. This time, Tia’s name appeared on the screen alongside a photo of her and Zeus staring at the sunset. I couldn’t stop the smile from appearing on my face.
“New girlfriend?” asked Matthaios, his voice teasing as he leaned across the table, trying to glimpse my screen.
