No Regrets, Only Memories

The Beginning of The End

Daniel

Maeve and I were just ahead of Michael on our second lap of the track. It had been a silent run so far as I knew she was currently thinking through the issue with the car. Maeve's mind was special in that it worked frequently and over time. Even when I would see her at the factory, she would constantly be working. She once drunkenly drew up an aerodynamic design for the side of the car while we were out drinking in Monaco right after I purchased my flat there. It was like her mind never once turned off from work.

We actually made it through the entire workout, including the remaining second lap of the track, and a full two hour workout after that without us sharing a single word. Never did she complain or go against what Michael asked her to do. She didn't do anything other than an acknowledgment of what Michael asked us to do. When we were done, she used the car ride back to type something up on her computer. It was unsettling enough that I didn't dare break the concentration she had on whatever she was working on. Not even to say goodnight as she left the elevator.

"You two are weird around each other. I could never even guess that you were friends sometimes." Michael commented as we went to the next floor where our rooms were.

"You and her are my best mates. I just spend a lot less time physically around her than I do you." Michael nodded as we exited the elevator.

"Well you're not in love with me right?" I shoved Michael as he laughed.

He was the only person privy to my true feelings towards my best friend. It had come out after a long night of realizing that it could never be just this past year. I was exhausted and fully depressed when I gave Michael a long drunken speech about who Maeve was and why I really loved her. He also was privy to the why nots of my thought process, every single con on the pro con list I mentally had pinned to my brain made complete sense to him as well. In the infinite wisdom he always seemed to have, he had told me that one day the truth always comes out. I disagreed, that con list being all of my reasons for why. Now, that list was breaking down as she had been forced to come into the spotlight of Formula One. All of the press she tried to avoid for the last 4 years in the big leagues knew her by name and appearance.

"I could never go out with someone with a bigger ego than me." Michael turned to walk backwards and stare at me after the words left my mouth.

"Mate, you have one coming then if you think she doesn't. Oddly enough, it's only when she's around you." I sighed. He was completely correct. We had dug into each other so much over the years that you'd think she thought she was better than me, I knew it was just how we were with each other though. She was fearless when it came to putting anyone in their place, but she was vicious with me.

"She is better than me though. She speaks like 15 languages and is working on a fucking doctorate, Michael. How could I not think she is better than me?" Michael shook his head, a mumble of something along the lines of 'stupid in love' left his mouth just above a whisper.

We left off at that as I went to my room and he went to his. It would be a sleepless night as I was now worried about whatever issue Maeve had been worried about. She was so focused on it that I didn't even get to talk to her tonight. I thought her being around more would mean spending more time together, something I had craved since realizing my feelings four years ago. Instead, she was more distant than ever, work would only distract her more than if she were not here.

The next morning, it was the exact same thing. We arrived at the track separately and Michael did her warm up first before returning to my room just before FP1. I didn't get to see her until we were in the garage, getting ready to get in our cars.

"Good morning stranger! Have you returned to the land of the living?" I asked her with a smile, gently bumping her shoulder with mine, only she didn't return one.