“Or you could date a driver,” I said without thinking. Well, perhaps I had been thinking. With both my heart and my penis.
Theo smirked. “Sure. You find me another queer driver on the paddock, and I’ll give it a go.”
My heart thumped erratically as I raised my hand slightly. “Hello.”
Theo, who had taken another bite of his pizza, choked for a second before getting himself back under control. “No way!”
“Yes way,” I said. “Like you, I am…equal opportunities.”
“You’re bisexual?” he asked.
I looked around the nearly empty restaurant. Absolutely no one was paying any attention to us. “Something like that.”
“Well, it’s great to have another queer friend in the Moto 1 paddock. Maybe we can head out to some bars after the Grand Prix. Wingmen,” Theo said with a grin.
“Yes. Wingmen,” I muttered, trying to school my face into a neutral expression. He’d offered to date the first queer Moto 1 driver he could find and then immediately thrown me into the friend zone.Fantastic.
We ate the rest of our pizzas with only casual conversation. Theo kept sneaking conspiratorial glances my way like we’d just shared our deepest secrets at a sleepover.
“So what’s our Barcelona bet?” I asked him.
Theo grinned. “I’ve been thinking about this. No holds barred, loser has to wear an item of clothing of the winner’s choice for a whole day in Monaco.”
“You’re on,” I said, reaching for his hand to shake. I might have imagined that we both held the handshake just a little longer than was normal. His skin was so soft, so warm in mine. But then it was over and we went back to our pizzas like nothing had happened. Like nothing ever would happen between us.
I tried to keep the same casual banter for the rest of the evening with him despite the heartbreak. Theodore Tyler was gorgeous, and perfect, and I could be everything he’d asked for. But if he still didn’t want me, then my only goal for the season would be to win as many races as I could.
Love could wait until next season.
I was at the front of the grid. Qualifying had been a complete success, and I was ready to race to win. The weather in Barcelona was beautiful, with a gentle breeze tickling my skin through the vizor of my helmet. A win was far from assured. The Circuit de Barcelona had a reputation for overtakes, as well as accidents due to the speed on the final straight. Racers had fought from last place to first on this track, though I held the advantage.
I had a great start, speeding off in front of Brooke Savage in second. But immediately I could sense something was wrong. My car didn’t feel as responsive as it had in Qualifying. Coming into the first corner, I pushed down on the brake pedal, and thecar didn’t slow down as much as it should have, forcing me to take the corner wide.
“These brakes aren’t working for me, guys,” I said into the comms.
“We can see that, keep driving and see if they warm up.”
Every corner felt worse. I lost a place to Brooke, and then to Theo. Alfons Schester got by me without much difficulty, and with how wide I was being forced to take the corners at speed it wasn’t long before I was almost out of the top ten points-scoring positions. Three laps later, I got the news I knew was coming.
“We’re going to have to retire the car, I’m afraid. Box to finish the race,”said the voice in my ear.
I didn’t scream, or shout, or curse. I just waited until I was out of the car, up the stairs and into the team hospitality suite before I allowed myself to sink to the floor and bury my head in my hands.
What am I going to do?
Theo
Monaco
“Now this isswanky,” said Brooke as I opened the door to my hotel room.
“Wait ’til you see the view,” I replied. I grabbed her wrist and tugged her over to the balcony. We had a view over Monaco’s marina, where the mega-yachts of the mega-rich were docked, and of the streets below. The streets that were currently being prepped for the upcoming race.
“Are you nervous?” she asked.
“Always,” I replied, leading her to the sofa. “Do you want a drink?”
“Sure. What are you having?”
