Lost Devotion

4.

You can imagine what happened after; both of them towering over my small frame, fighting and exchanging hurtful speech, while a little girl at their feet watched the pieces on the ground with cheeks stained with tears. If only I didn't hurry up and enjoyed the excitement longer before it gets snatched away, she thought to herself. 

Someone coughs next to me, drawing me out of my thoughts. I turn around to meet a pair of sharp brown eyes and the familiar face of Rafe. "I believe this isn't the right time to enjoy annoying you," he says, a small smile playing on his lips. I roll my eyes at his bad timing, "It's never the right time, Alvarez." He chuckles, amused.

We stand there in silence and suddenly I realize it. I lock my eyebrows, "Shouldn't you be getting ready for the race?" He shrugs, "Yes, maybe."

"So why are you standing here with me?"

"I'm born ready, Lopez. I don't need a few extra minutes to get prepared." A confident glint in his eyes as he smirks with the tube of his water bottle between his teeth. I scoff, crossing my arms in front of my chest as I whisper, "If so, why are you never winning?" He gulps down a sip of water before he asks with a mischievous grin, "How about a little bet, mi sol?"

Since my dad's call, I'm not in the mood for anything at all, even my job that I usually enjoy. But the mention of a bet catches my attention. When it's about bets, I'm always in. Plus, I might need a little distraction from my worries.

"What kind of bets?" Rafe leans in, touching the tip of his nose with his finger as he's still grinning, "If I win the race today, you have to do whatever I ask for," he states, eyeing me up and down with a challenging look. "And if you lose, I get the same thing?" he confirms with a nod and I could feel my competitive nature kicking in. I smirk, "You're on, Alvarez."

That might be risky; what if I lose and he asks for something crazy? Like my naked photos, or to kiss him? I mean, you wouldn't refuse a kiss from a handsome man like Rafe, a voice speaks in the back of my mind. I quickly dismiss the thought and focus on winning.

Rafe winks, "It's a deal then." The wink catches me off guard and I had just noticed how attractive he seems at that moment. Big arms wrapped in the tight red shirt of his team, his racing suit hanging around his waist, his dark hair falling gracefully over his forehead where a bit of sweat has formed, his dark brown eyes turning into honeyed slits, and his bottle's tube still between his teeth. I swallow hard and shake my head to banish the images from my mind.

"Your staring balance has expired. Please, reload to enjoy the view," He teases, interrupting my thoughts. I roll my eyes, trying to hold back my embarrassment. He keeps grinning as he backs up to get back to his team. I watch as he keeps going backward before he turns to jog and I enjoy the view of his large muscles rippling with each step.

Come on Ele, focus, I remind myself, don't forget, it's Rafe Alvarez, the dickhead who will lose not only the race but your bet.

______________________

He's winning...

How in hell?

"Wow, girl. Alvarez activated the Latino mood." Olivia says next to me, eating her chili chips. I look at the screen in disbelief. He's leading the race by several laps, and I have no idea how to pull it off. "Hey, do you know how I can get connected to the radio of RRyan'scar?" She shrugs not knowing the answer, "Why you're asking?" "Because someone needs to stop that bitch." She laughs, shaking her head, "Girl, you're gonna ask my favorite team, especially my favorite driver, for assistance?" She laughs even more. "Believe me, I would do anything right now to stop Rafe from winning." There are still several laps, a lot can change in that time, right?