“Fine, fine,” I said and rolled my eyes. “Within the hour.”
He rolled his in return. “If you insist.”
We danced, and when one of the other girls tried to rub up against him, he said his goodbyes before joining Henrik and the other racers at the bar. And Nadia, her friends, and I necked a couple more shots before going out to the smoking area.
I didn’t smoke, but they all puffed on vapes that smelled like sugar candy. I wasn’t wearing much, and the cold chill of the night was a good excuse to go.
FIA: Leave in five?
ZOLTÁN: Ordering a taxi now.
“Fia,” I heard Everly’s voice behind me. I braced myself as the girls all looked from me to her and back. I may have drunkenly told them that my sister and I were arguing. Over what, I didn’t have the balls or trust in them to say. But they were enthusiastically on my side without having to hear the story.
I followed her to the corner of the smoking area, away from listening ears. Luca was there waiting. He hugged me. “You were amazing at the conference today, little Bacque!”
“Thank you,” I said before curtsying. “I tried my best.”
“You were great. And for Zolt’s interviews.”
Luca was one of my favourite people on the planet.
He was grinning, but his eyes told me he’d had a bit more to drink than usual.
“You’re fucking him, aren’t you?” Everly asked, scanning the smoking area, unwilling to say Zolt’s name. “You saw him when you were at Imre’s, and you started it all up again.”
“Everly…” But I didn’t have the words to follow it up.
She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t want this to blow up in your face, Fia. There are so many people this will hurt, but mostly, you. Your job. Your father. Your nan. Your heart.”
“My heart isn’t involved.”
She scoffed, and Luca grimaced.
“Fia, he’s your step-brother, and you’re the most intelligent person in our family. You wouldn’t risk it if not for your heart.”
“You look about ready to tattoo the sound of his sneeze on your ribcage.”
Everly and I both looked at Luca in bewilderment.
He shrugged.
Yeah, he was a little drunk.
“Ever, maybe this isn’t so bad… because he looks about ready to write her name on his helmet in a pink glitter pen.”
Now we both laughed, and I hugged them. “I love you both.”
“And we love you,” my sister said, squeezing me tight. “But please don’t get hurt.”
“I’ll try,” I said as my phone pinged.
ZOLTÁN: I’m in the taxi, just taking it round the block so people don’t know we’re in it together.
I said my goodbyes and rushed to the taxi rank, Luca walking me to it. As I got in, my brother-in-law threatened, “Look after her, Farkas.”
The ride home, I cuddled into him and explained how my sister and I had made up.
He stroked my hair back, telling me how glad he was. And that one of the few people he feared was Everly. “If she had told me to look after you and not Luca, I’d be shaking in my boots.”
