Driving Me Crazy

Chapter Fifty

Charles

When I reopen my eyes, all of the lights are shining. Any second, the race could start. What feels like years was most likely a tenth of a second, but the lights go dark and I press on the accelerator to maintain my lead. Carlos was on his game, because in the first turn of the race he overtakes me. Not pushing too hard, I let him hold the lead for his home race. He deserves it after the season Ferrari has had. Turn after turn, our cars trade the lead from the DRS giving us more speed than the other.

When we get to the 50th lap, I hold the lead above Carlos. We're refraining from fighting until the end so that we don't wear our tires down too much, but the competitiveness in me wants to push the car further. I don't because I might get fired, but that doesn't mean I don't think about it. When lap 64 comes around, we are given the all-clear to fight. Carlos takes that seriously as he lunges to overtake, but I defend as much as possible to hold the lead. I maintain the lead for the next lap and a half and I can practically see the win ahead of me, but guilt riddles my brain as I see Carlos in my rearview. I wanted more than anything to win my home race. I bet he feels exactly the same.

My mind runs a million miles a second as I take into consideration what I'm about to do. Carlos lunges in a last attempt to take the lead and I defend too late, allowing him to get in front of me. In the final straight, we fight side by side, pushing the cars to their limits. In the last second, right before the line, I let off just enough to push him far enough ahead. I crossed the line at the same time as his rear wheel, putting Ferrari 1-2 on the podium. "Nice try, thanks, everyone. Tell Carlos congratulations," I say over my radio to the team at the pit wall. Pulling my car to the top three lineups, I get out and look for Katana. When I find her, I drag her out into the lineup and pick her up, placing her on top of my car. I stand next to her, pointing at her like she is my winnings. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have raced today. I pull her down and swing her around, whispering, "Thank you, for everything," in her ear. Her cheeks turn bright pink as she looks around at the crowd of people cheering for us. I lead her back to the crew and finish the photos before going along to the lineup interviews. They interview Lando first, as he's in third place. Then they make their way to me as I put my rings back on and pull Katana out with me.

"Why did you place her atop the car after the ceremony? Is there something you need to tell us?" These are the first questions that I get asked. "Yes. This girl right here is the reason I raced today. I was having second thoughts and I was nervous. She told me all I have to do is believe in myself, and because of her, we got a 1-2 podium. I love you, Katana," I say. The rest of the questions were about the race, many being, "Did you give Carlos the win today?" I reply diligently with, "Carlos beat me fair and square. I was off my game toward the end of the race and my teammate knew exactly where to push. That's one thing about teammates, they always know your weak spots. Carlos deserved this home win and I couldn't be more proud of him."

They thank me for answering the questions and then continue to interview Carlos. Looking over, the smile on his face is one that makes me not regret losing the race. I would never admit that I gave him the win, because he deserved the win. When we finally get up to the podium celebration, Carlos and I spray the champagne around each other while Lando does his celebration of slamming the bottle. When I look down over the crowd, Katana, Cam, and Isa all look happier than they ever have been as they watch us celebrate the day. Standing atop this podium, looking down at my girl, I don't see myself anywhere else in this world. I wink at Katana and then run over to the official at the side and signal for them to bring the girls up. I pull Lando and Carlos in and tell them my idea of celebrating with our girls and they all excitedly agree. When the girls get up to the podium, they look concerned.

Carlos is the first to grab them and they all follow him, not trusting myself or Lando. Katana shoots me a warning look, knowing damn well I won't listen. When she gets over to me, I have her stand in my place on the podium with the other two following suit. We raise our hands and have the crowd cheer for them before we finally grab another bottle of champagne and rush to shower them. The girls let out our screams as we spray them with champagne, ruining the outfits they've come up with for the day. Katana lets out a giant smile in between the shouts. I pause and hand her the bottle, allowing her to get back at me. She shakes it and sprays me directly in the face, causing everyone to break out in laughter. I run towards her and pull her in, using her as a shield from the other streams of champagne. "I hate you so much," Katana shouts into my ear through fits of laughter. "I love you too, Juliet," I reply, pressing a kiss against her lips. The crowd goes wild as we hold each other, using one another as shields to the champagne.

"Cam! I can't breathe," Katana shouts at her friend as she sprays her directly in the face. Everyone is laughing more than necessary, Lando and Katana have laughed themselves into tears, nearly everyone has champagne in their eyes and mouths, and the girls all gagged after drinking champagne from our shoes. This podium celebration is not only one for the history books, but it's one that I will never forget. I got to spend it with my best friends and the love of my life in front of so many fans who love me, who love Ferrari, and who love Katana. Nobody could love her as much as I do, but I'm the luckiest man alive to have Katana as mine.