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The day after the whole run-over-and-roses incident, I’m interviewing an F2 driver who just finished his practice session.
F2 is the league directly below F1, where every driver aspires to move up to F1.
I sense someone watching me and catch Luke out of the corner of my eye. He has a commanding presence that attracts attention.
Our run-in yesterday left me feeling a mix of emotions.
Angry. Exposed. Vulnerable.
Luke also stirred other feelings deep inside me.
Desire. Temptation. Lust.
Those feelings need to be sent back where they came from.
He might be an attractive man, but his attitude and ego definitely tarnish that image.
I look back at the driver I’m talking to, Alex Griffin, who’s starting his season strong.
“Alex, how does it feel to come out on top after the first free practice this weekend?” He smiles and gives an elaborate answer about the great team effort of all the mechanics and everyone standing behind him and this car.
Even though the drivers are alone in their seats, they have a whole team behind them, so they often take the opportunity to acknowledge the team effort.
“Are you confident that you can bring home the win here in Baku this weekend?” I ask and bring the mic over to him.
“Yes. You never know, a lot can happen during qualifying and the race. But I’m confident in our car and the results we are seeing.” I smile at him and thank him for his time.
Luke is still standing off to my side, watching our exchange, but I ignore him and turn back to my team.
“You did it! Your first interview, and you did so good!” Steve says, before hugging me, making me feel giddy from the entire experience.
This is everything I wanted: to cover a sport I’m passionate about and to travel the world while doing it with an awesome team.
When Andrew suggested I interview with Alex, I thought he was joking. He looked atme and said, “the best way to learn is to dive right in.”
I couldn’t pass up that opportunity, even if it felt scary at first. This is the first step towards overcoming my self-doubt and challenging myself to get out of my comfort zone.
Starting with a friendly driver like Alex made for a good experience. He’s media-trained and polite, so interviewing him felt comfortable.
Steve goes back to his camera station to wipe off the lenses, while I sit down at the small desk we have set up at our workstation in the paddock.
I take out my notepad and check how long we have until the F1 qualifying.
“Did you get my roses?” I hear Luke before I see him.
He comes up and stands directly in front of my desk.
If I thought he was tall yesterday, it can’t compare to having him right in front of me now that I’m sitting down and he’s standing up.
I jot down some notes in my notebook, buying time to find the courage to face Luke before closing the book and looking up at him.
“I did, thank you,” I say with a tight-lipped smile. It was sweet of him, but it also left me feeling confused.
When he ran into us, he didn’t seem sorry at all, and then he pulled the whole roses charade.
I’m sure Steve didn’t get any roses, which makes me wonder if Luke likes to charm women until he’s had enough and moves on.
