“How did they know? I asked. “They haven’t…got any pictures of us doing anything explicit, have they?”
Armand smiled, just a small one, as he turned his computer screen so that I could view it from the doorway. It was a picture of Sebastian and me together at the rooftop bar in Budapest, bodies melted into one another under a blanket, looking into one another’s eyes like two lovestruck fools. I left the room before Armand could see the happy tears in my eyes.
Sebastian
The race paddock was packed with celebrities, influencers and rich fans all vying for a photo or interview with a Moto 1 racer. Despite all that, as always, I was looking for Theo.
He had frantically texted me to let me know that our relationship was about to be front-page news. Once upon a time that might have scared me, but I felt our relationship was strong enough to stand up to scrutiny. I knew how I felt about Theo, and I was almost certain he felt just as strongly. But I still needed to see his face, to know that he was OK. And that the news and attention wasn’t going to put his racing in jeopardy.
I stood on a discarded tyre in front of the Dragon Racing garage to gain a clearer view over to the Remini garage, and finally spotted him. Just metres away, like a shark, Albert Stevenson was prowling with his microphone. I didn’t know if he’s got the scoop from Racing Weekly yet, but I didn’t want Theo to be alone with a Moto 1 reporter if he felt unprepared.
I jumped off the tyre and pushed through the crowd, smiling briefly and apologetically at a couple of people who tried their best to get me in frame for a selfie. “Not now, in a minute,” I said to none of them in particular.
Then there he was, with a blissfully clear path over the last couple of metres between me and him. Theo’s eyes caught mine, and with the way he lit up at the sight of me, it was a wonder we hadn’t been caught out long ago. I could only hope that my expression showed just how much he meant to me. I crossed those last couple of metres as quickly as I could, wary of the gaps between people closing.
Once we were face to face, near enough to touch, I suddenly felt insecure. I had always been boisterous and handsy with Theo in the paddock even before we’d sealed our relationship. Could I still be that man, or would it be too much pressure on him? All I could think of was his race. I would not compromise my Teodoro in any way that could hurt him.
It was Theo’s turn to be the confident one of the two of us, as it turned out. With the briefest of glances towards Albert, who was advancing with the microphone, Theo took a step in to close the distance between us and planted a kiss on my lips. “Missed you,” he said, and then kissed me again.
In that moment, I was certain one of the cars could explode and no one would notice. His action had drawn everyone’s eyes to us, and a hush had descended over the paddock.
That was, until a foam microphone head bumped me on the cheek.
“So, this is a turn up for the books!” said Albert, essentially forcing us apart with his presence. “Another bit of your famous tomfoolery? A bet gone wrong for one of you?”
Theo and I looked at each other, and I could see he was holding in laughter. I guessed I would have to answer for him.“No, we are together. We are serious about each other. And we have been for some time.”
I felt Theo stop shaking with contained laughter next to me, and when I risked a look his way, he was blushing. I idly stroked his cheek and watched the blush rise, glad not to have to hide any more.
“Is this going to impact your racing careers? You two famously have an intense rivalry on the track, are you planning on going easy on one another now?” Albert asked. The camera crew behind him seemed to gather closer, and I could see our distorted reflections on the big camera lenses.
“Not at all,” Theo answered. “In fact, we’re more competitive than ever. We both know what’s on the line, and we both want to win. That makes no difference to our private lives.”
“And you, Sebastian. How do you think this relationship is going to impact your chances of getting a new contract in time for the American Tour?” Albert asked. I felt myself still for a second. I had been trying to think as little as possible about it, trusting my manager to find me a good contract in the background. And I hated the thought of Theo taking my future into account when we raced.
“As Theo said, we’re going to compete hard. I want to win, and so does he. Our relationship can only make our racing better.”
I felt his hand clench at my hip, a reassuring squeeze that I leaned in to. “Now if you’ll leave us to it, I would like to talk with Theo before we are pit back against one another this afternoon. I promise you all a spectacular race.”
Theo and I moved back through the crowd and into the shelter of his garage. A few of the mechanics had gone back to work, but a lot of them were still staring at us, agog. I did not care.
I placed my forehead against his, but spoke loud enough for everyone around us to hear.
“Now,Teodoro, I love you. But I expect you to race hard and fast today. Whichever of us wins, we know we have raced with integrity. I will be aiming to beat you, and aiming to beat Frankie.”
“Understood,” said Theo. “Are you ready to get your arse whooped?”
“Oh, always,” I replied. “But we should probably finish the race and get back to the hotel room first.”
A couple of the mechanics around us laughed, and I was sure there’d be some salacious story inRacing Monthlylater on about our bedroom activities. But the tension had broken between us, and I was ready to race, come hell or high water.
My head should have been in the game. But as I waited for those famous lights to count us into the race, my brain could only focus on one thing. I had told Theo I loved him for the first time, in public. I hoped that he felt the same way, but I could not anticipate him being willing to so publicly declare his feelings in front of so many people. I would wait for him to feel ready, if he ever did, and—
The first light switched on, and I put romantic Sebastian back in his box and locked it tight. I was ready to race, García vs Tyler. And Frankie too, if he didn’t have the good sense to get out of our way before causing an accident.
“We’ve got reports of rain coming in from the west, may hit you around turn eight,” I heard through the comms.
Three lights had lit now. “Noted. Now let me race and don’t bother me until the heavens open.” I was glad of the relationship I had with the pit team, we could speak frankly with one another.I just hoped that if I was lucky enough to secure another team’s contract, we could be so frank with each other.
