Hopelessly Devoted ☆ Pierre Gasly

XXVIII

He nodded, impressed. "Excellent choice of visiting a race. Monza is one of my favourite tracks. I really hope Ferrari will win this weekend, that would be just beautiful." He started to make the coffee. "The wins of Mercedes are getting boring. We all know they're the best, especially Hamilton, but it's boring. Sometimes I don't even know why I'm watching F1, because we all know who's gonna win anyway," he spoke up.

That's one way to think about it. Juliette had to agree with him, it was predictable, but for the team itself with the people behind it, it was a challenge to get the car where it had to be.

"Are you staying all weekend long?"

"Yes, I am," Juliette replied. Of course, I am.

"I got tickets. It was almost a fight to get them," he smirked and poured the milk in a cup with the two espresso shots. "I really hope Leclerc or Vettel will win. I'm not enjoying another win by Mercedes. The last win by Leclerc was beautiful." He gave Juliette her order. "We should meet up at the track," he winked.

All Juliette could do was smile politely, but from the inside, she was cringing. "We will see." She grabbed the coffee and croissant-cornetto thingy. "Grazie," she nodded. "And I will share your thoughts on Mercedes with Toto and the rest of the team," she bitchy smiled and winked. "Addio." She left the bar and walked towards the bus station.

After twenty minutes, Juliette arrived at her hotel and got out of the bus. She ate her breakfast and drank her coffee, just like doing a small makeup look and making sure she looked acceptable. She walked into the hotel, looking for her room key.

"And we're going to turn around," Peter said and made a turn around sign. "We're late."

Juliette's face straightened, and she pulled out the what-the-heck hands. "I have to get my stuff," she said.

"I already got your stuff," Delilah said and gave Juliette her bag. "We have to go. You look cute, by the way." She left the hotel, just like Peter. Was this a compliment, or was it sarcastic?

A sigh left Juliette's face, and she turned around, following Peter and Delilah to a car. To her surprise, it was a massive SUV. Was it just for the three of them? Juliette threw her bags in the trunk and stepped into the car.

"Good morning, Juliette," Toto greeted.

Her eyes shot up to the person who sat behind the steering wheel; it was Toto, with next to him his assistant. Oh, no, not now. "Morning." She looked at Delilah, who sat next to her. "Did I miss something?" Juliette whispered and fastened her seatbelt. Her eyes fell on Peter, who sat next to Delilah.

"Carpooling," Delilah simply said.

"Ow, okay," Juliette mumbled. "We look like three children, my goodness. Great start of the morning," she sarcastically said. A shiver rolled down her spine, and goosebumps spread over her body. This wasn't her morning. Or day. Or week. Or year.

Peter handed over his grey jumper. "Here."

"Thanks," she thankfully replied and put it on.

The ride to the track of Monza was comfortable. There was almost no traffic, and there were barely words exchanged. Juliette didn't mind it, she wasn't looking for a conversation nor to act interested. Toto parked the car, and the five people walked to the Mercedes area in the paddock.

All the teams were working from the facilities in the paddock this week. There was no time to fly back to the HQ during a doubleheader. And if there was time, it wouldn't be handy.

Juliette entered the engineering truck and managed her stuff by unpacking her back and throwing away some stuff, including the paper cup from the bar earlier this morning. She scanned it, there was something written on it. It was a phone number, probably from the guy from the bar. She threw it away and sat down behind her laptop. It was finally time for Juliette to take a painkiller for the headache.