For a second, we sat in silence. I was used to ribbing Theo on the race track with other people around, able to joke with him about the upcoming races and our performance. But it was quiet in the restaurant. Intimate in a way it hadn’t been since I’d used suncream as an excuse to get my hands on his body.
“Are you OK?” Theo asked after a moment.
“Me? Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked.
“Because you crashed out in the last race. It’s never fun, but it’s worse in your first race of the season.”
It took me a second to answer. “I’ll live,” I said. “It happens.”
“Yes, but I asked if you’reOK,not if you’ll live,” said Theo, leaning in toward me. For a second, I thought he was about to reach forward and hold my hand.
“I am…OK,” I said. The truth was, the crash had devastated me. But I had a split second decision to make coming around the corner. I could have under-corrected my car’s awkward steering, but that might have meant clipping Theo’s back wing. And I hadn’t wanted to ruin both of our races. So I took drastic action and took myself completely out of the race with an oversteer.
“Have you got your contract sorted for next year?” Theo asked. “I was reading the racing news the other day and it mentioned that negotiations are underway.”
I tried not to grimace. “I just need a couple of good races, then we’ll have a couple of years extension on my contract. After last year…”
I’d tailed off, but Theo seemed to understand what I was trying to say. Over nine years of race experience, I had made enough money to live happily for the rest of my life. But I still had so much more to give. I had never won a Driver’s Championship trophy.
“What’s next, then? We’ve got Barcelona, Monaco, Munich, Vienna…” Theo counted off the cities on his fingers.
“Budapest, Krakow, Hamburg, Rotterdam and Birmingham,” I finished for him. “And then the U.S. Tour.”
“The U.S. Tour,” Theo’s eyes sparkled. “I love Las Vegas.”
I snorted. “Of course you would. Beautiful women, sparkly things, and the chance to spend lots and lots of money.”
“Hey!” Theo looked indignant. “I am one of very few Moto 1 drivers who’s never dated a model. No matter how many times my management tries to set me up. Whereas you…”
“Allowed my management to set me up. Yes. I have never slept with any of the women who have been seen on my arm.”
“Bullshit,” chuckled Theo. He startled as the waiter, who had silently approached from behind, placed his pizza in front of him.
“I promise, I only tell the truth,” I said. “I have had my fair share of adventures, but never with the women that people think I am with.
“So theThree Inches in Monacoheadline wasn’t true then?” Theo snickered.
“That headline was the last straw,” I muttered. “Since then, I have avoided every publicity relationship they try to force on me.”
“But you’ve had your fun?” Theo asked.
Oh, like you wouldn’t believe.“I’ve had my fun,” I confirmed.
I waited until Theo had picked up a slice of his pizza and started eating before I asked my question in return. “So, have you had your fun?”
He considered thoughtfully as he chewed. “So, Brooke and I meet up every few weeks in our hotel room…”
“I knew it! I knew you had hooked up with Brooke!” I said triumphantly even as my heart sank a little.
“…to gossip about girls and boys,” he finished. “Seriously, she’s as lesbian as they come.”
“So why are you…?” the cogs in my mind were working so fast I feared they would seize up.
“Talking about boys? I’d have thought that was pretty obvious,” Theo said, but his quiet tone told me he was nervous to say it.
“You…like men?” I asked. My heart had reversed its earlier plummet and was doing little somersaults inside my body.
“And women,” said Theo. “I’m an equal opportunities kinda guy. But this sport doesn’t allow for serious relationships. We travel a lot, and I don’t like the thought of either leaving someone behind, forcing someone to come around the world with me, or going out with a model who’s more interested in taking Instagram shots than they are in an actual relationship.”
