Rise Up

Chapter 34: Back in the game

Starting the season like this, made me happy and proud of myself- it was a strange and unusual feeling. With a big smile on my face, I walked out of the circuit to the parking slot with my parents and Susanne. Our plan was going back to the hotel, freshen up a bit, and get ready for dinner. I booked a nice place close to the hotel, where we could find some privacy and enjoy some quality time together before split again our ways for a few weeks. Maybe we would also wait for midnight to celebrate my 22nd birthday.

While I was spraying some perfume on my neck, my phone vibrated in the purse that I've already prepared.

Lan <3: hey babe, what a race today. I'm gonna be honest, you made me sweat with that overtake lol. Just to be clear, I'm so proud of you ;) can I come later? What about sleep together? I miss u already and after all, I like to sneak in your room at night- it's so exciting. Enjoy your dinner and let me know. PS. I'm in a very bad mood for this stupid car, I'd like some cuddles and ice cream :)

I smiled at his text. 

After all the mess we went through, he was showing how much he cared about me and our relationship. I was doing my best too, but I felt like he always did more. Breakfast at morning, cuddles before sleep, sweet texts every now and then, small actions that remind me every time how lucky I am. But was I enough for him? This will definitely be a topic for my next session with Hannah, doubtless.

***

"Wow, these shrimps are fantastic!"

"C'mon Kiara, be honest. If it was only for you, you would eat shrimps everyday!" My mom obviously had to specify it.

"True. Fortunately my diet includes lots of fish." I spouted back almost as if I was proud of my diet. 

"Mike didn't sleep for a whole week to make it perfect, you know?" Suz said more to my parents than me, as my trainer usually reminded me this little detail every time he had the chance.

"So... who is this boy you kept talking about?" 

My dad broke the quiet atmosphere with this bomb, totally out of the blue. Boys talks were like a taboo for him, I really couldn't get why he opened this topic, above all on purpose. Of course he knew some of the boys I used to race with, like Mick and Arthur, maybe he even found out on some of my crushes on them but we've never properly talked about it all. 

I wasn't the only one shocked, also my mom was left with her fork in the air for a while.

"Ehm, well... I don't know what to say right now." I said while sipping my now empty glass of water, trying to hide my red cheeks.

"Love, I didn't want to embarrass you. I just wanted to know if he's a good guy, if he makes you happy. That's the only thing I care." He gently added, calming me down with his big hand on mine.

I took a big breath, tried to find some good words. I talked about Lando just to my mom, mostly because she noticed my bad mood during the holiday. I wasn't used to be that opened, over all about this kind of topic.

"Well, his name is Lando. We used to race together, back in karting days. We met again at my first GP, then we spent a week in Croatia, for pure fate, I swear. We got along very soon and now we're dating." While speaking, I kept playing with my glass, making it almost fall. "And yes, he makes me happy. We're both not that much experienced in relationships, but we're trying it to make it work. At the moment, we decided to keep the whole thing secret from the media, just to be able to enjoy it as much as we can."

My mother was more shocked than before. As I said, she knew part of the story already, because of my crazy cry session when I came back home from the famous NYE party. I think she was impressed by the amount of courage I took to talk about it, in front of her and dad.