Sparks - Daniel Ricciardo

Fifteen

📍21st May 2021 - Monte Carlo, Monaco

The rest of the stay in Australia hadn't been entirely great for Amber. Daniel had tried everything in his power to ensure that Amber was enough for him, but all she could think about was the fact that she wasn't, according to his parents.

The things in which Grace had been saying to Amber had brandished in her memory as a bad omen of what was to come; that she wasn't worthy of being with her son, that his mother viewed her as a cheap hook-up.

She wished she could turn the clock back and ensure that she hadn't walked in on them in the middle of the act, covering their naked bodies with whatever lay around them. Not only hiding their modesty, but also their embarrassment.

Amber felt as if she had massive shoes to fill. A pressure she never wanted or expected from Daniel's family when he spoke to highly and fondly of his parents. She understood Grace's reluctance to accept Amber straight away; she understood from previous history that girls would throw their selves at Daniel for the chance to gain a life of fame and fortune, but Amber was different.

She was from a world which was quiet and confined. She didn't have a massive family and she hardly bothered to go and visit, even when she was in Brisbane.

Her relationship with them hadn't always been the strongest; never overly-bonding with her Mom's new partner and her sister had her own life outside of Amber to think about. Amber rarely saw her brother, either.

Now in Monaco, Amber had decided to book a hotel room instead of staying with Daniel. One reason being that she felt like she needed some room to breathe after being stuck with him for the past four days, with a hell of a compromising atmosphere looming over them, the second reason being that it would then be too difficult to hide from their friends.

And with their current situation, it was far from perfect to tell anyone now.

Francesca had sensed Amber's lack of personality when they finally met after a brief break apart. Francesca had her suspicions that Amber had been with Daniel but didn't dare ask, especially since Amber had changed her mind and convinced her friend that she needed to stay in the same hotel as she was.

Convincing Francesca that her original booking had been cancelled.

If only she knew that the 'original booking' had been Daniel's swanky apartment which overlooked the gorgeous oceanic views of the coast.

Blake and Michael were now treading on egg shells again when Daniel greeted them in Monaco, their minds now preoccupied with the notion that there could've actually been a family emergency, especially with the way his body hung low to the ground and his lips had barely turned into a smile.

Yesterday had been practice one and two for the two McLaren boys. Daniel hadn't been doing so well on track as he couldn't gain higher than sixteenth, which was a shambles in his case. Especially for the man who had dominated this track a few years prior.

Amber didn't attend the track during these practice sessions, leaving her to do as she pleased for the few hours in which Francesca had to leave to assist Lando. In contrast, the Brit had been doing far better in his practice sessions, gaining fifth position on his second go.

Amber decided to stay in for a few hours and write. She spilled her deepest thoughts onto paper as she decided to show her capabilities for something other than children's fiction. She decided to begin to write her own book, her own story and her own fiction, not totally based on fictional animals who could speak.

These characters were adults with real problems and real lives.

The quietness descended over the hotel suite as pen met paper; Amber's skilled hands writing whatever her mind conjured. She would surely write this now but hate it when she had to read it back.