I keep my mouth shut and follow along behind them. I have to keep reminding myself that this side of his life, the driving side, is not what I’m being paid to be involved in. I shouldn’t care or even have an opinion on how he’s working with his team. Or not working with them.
“I have to meet with Damien,” I tell Gabriel and Louis as we make our way to the paddock. “Work stuff.”
Louis nods and Gabriel shoots me a slightly disappointed glance but he nods too. “Dinner tonight?”
“Yeah. Sure.” I am more excited than I should be about it.
He leans close and I press my lips to his cheek as he does the same to mine. I can’t help but notice the camera crew in the distance. It’s situated in front of Lighthouse Racing’s paddock, shooting b-roll I assume as there’s no driver in sight, and now they’ve turned the lens toward us.
I make sure my smile is bright, my gaze loving, as I wave goodbye and head in the other direction. It's easier to do than it should be. I realize I'm not acting anymore. I'm enjoying being Gabe's fake boyfriend. Another red flag starts waving in the back of my brain.
18GABRIEL
Dinner tonight isn’t stagedso I decide we’ll kind of wing it. My plan is to wander the strip, check out some of the gaudy, ridiculous sites, and then find some food along the way. I don’t know why, but just the idea of hanging out with Axel has me smiling. I mean, I do know why, and it’s not just because I hope the night will end the way our last date did. Although, that’s definitely got me smiling. It’s just that I really like his company. I think he’s fast becoming a friend. I haven’t really had one of those, except Grady, in a long time. And the friends I have made in my life—mostly from school—have kind of drifted out of my life. It’s hard to hold onto friendships when you’re bouncing around the world for work eight months of the year.
I take my time getting ready, showering, shaving, and putting on extra aftershave. Picking out my outfit takes longer than normal too, which is stupidly simple—a pair of beige cotton shorts and a navy linen buttoned shirt with no collar and the sleeves rolled up to my elbows. And I toss on some navy leather running shoes from my dad's new shoe collection because we'll be walking a lot.
I had sent a text to Axel earlier and he said we’d meet in the lobby at seven, but by seven fourteen I feel like I’m being stood up. He’s nowhere in sight. I text him and he doesn’t answer, but I can tell he’s seen the message on WhatsApp. I start to get annoyed.
I see Grady walk by and he stops. “Hey. What are you doing standing here?”
“I’m waiting for…” I take a beat. “My boyfriend.”
He smiles. “You lose him on the walk from the hotel room to the lobby?”
Right. Of course people think he's staying with me. That's what boyfriends do. I laugh too but it comes out tight and fake because it is. "No. He's doing a work thing and was going to meet me here.”
“Oh cool.” Grady takes a step but stops and turns back to me. “I’m happy for you. Surprised, but happy. You never mentioned him or anything.”
"I know. I just… I wasn't sure where this thing with Axel was going until… we just kind of got there." I run a hand through my hair, hoping my vagueness is acceptable. "And besides, you've been preoccupied with your team and stuff."
He grins a little at the word stuff. He knows I mean his boyfriend Ben.
“Okay well, I’m always here for ya, buddy,” He claps my shoulder. “If you guys are going outside, good luck. I tried to go for a run out there, and I sweated off half my body weight. It’s gross.”
He disappears towards the elevators and then a hotel employee walks by and asks if I need help—directions or anything. I know he’s just doing what he’s told to do—take extra special care of a V.I.P. guest—but I feel more annoyed. Where the fuck is Axel?
Look, if you aren’t coming, just say it. I look like an idiot standing here.
I see the blue check that proves he's read it and for a second it says 'Axel is typing' at the top but then it disappears and there's no response. I swear in French and shove my phone into my pocket. I march over to the elevators and am about to head back to my hotel room to order room service and then call Damien and fire Axel's ass when the doors to an elevator open and he's in front of me. With Billy and Frankie beside him.
“Hey, mate!” Billy says with a grin as he steps out and cups my shoulder. “We’re tagging along for dinner. Axel said you wouldn’t mind.”
I look over at Axel and he looks away as he steps out beside Frankie. “Yeah. Sure.”
Frankie leans over and we double kiss in greeting, which is the standard way Europeans greet each other. None of this handshaking, shoulder-clapping crap the Americans, Brits, and Aussies do. "It will look like a double date if the press catches us. And no one expects you guys to get all handsy in front of others, so it takes the pressure off."
I’m staring at Axel so hard that he must feel it because he finally looks up at me. He looks guilty as I say to Frankie, “Yeah. Wouldn’t want the pressure.”
I turn to Frankie, swallowing the rejection and disappointment I feel over this, and give her a smile. “You have any suggestions on what we can do? I’ve never been to Vegas before.”
“Oh honey, buckle up,” she laughs. “I’ve got a ton of ideas!”
“My girl loves a good time,” Billy says with a grin. Axel falls into step beside his best friend and I walk next to Frankie, who hooks her arm through mine like we’re besties.
I have a feeling this might create even bigger rumblings in the media since she's the Principal of another team. It's not uncommon for drivers to hang out together, but a Team Principal with rival drivers is not as common. "Nick and Lucia want to join us later too."
“Great. The more the better,” I say but inside I’m having a hard time tamping down all the negative feelings.
