Petrichor ~ Lewis Hamilton

6

"Well you havent risked much either so..." He took his brush and painted a stroke of yellow paint on my cheek.

"Lewis!" I take my brush with green paint and go to his other cheek but he intercepts my hand before I get to touch him.

"As cute as you look right now I don't want it to look like I just got out of a daycare fight, so please..." He took the brush with his other hand and put it on the table "That's better"

When we finished we gave the cups to Lucy to put in the oven and she informed us that they would be ready in half an hour and that we could relax with a glass of wine while we waited.

"And how many years have you been competing?" I had not wanted to look for anything about his life on the internet, I would not like people around me to know every detail of my life without me telling them. Sometimes I even see him surprised when I ask him something like that, I don't even want to imagine the number of people who have entered his life already knowing half of it.

"All my life I guess. I mean, I just started karting when I was 8 years old, I got to F1 when I was 22 and well, here we are still fourteen years later" He recounted.

"How do you manage to do something for so many years and not get tired of it?"

"Are you calling me old indirectly?" He laughed and I rested my arm on his forearm.

"No, is not that! It's just...every year you do the same thing and I understand that the competition makes it interesting but having already won so much...don't you feel like you've won it all?"

"Do you want a secret?" He leaned over the table.

"I'm sure you're going to tell me anyway, so okay"

"It kind of feels like a chore sometimes" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Then why keep going?"

"I did not say it was boring, or that it was something bad. It has to be like that, It is years of commitment and dedication towards a goal. But I have experienced so many things thanks to this, I have met so many people, but it still doesnt feel like enough" He explained.

"But you can do all of that without the races there too. You have the resources, nothing prevents you from disappearing from all that"

"If I had given it all up because I was bored, or every time I woke up with pain in absolutely every muscle in my body after a race, or after losing races, or even championships, I would be nothing" He admitted with a determined look.

"You'd still be you, you don't need the trophies to be you" He leaned back in the chair and seemed to have lost himself a bit in thought.

"I know. But it wouldn't be me if I didn't try. Look Elaine, sometimes you have to let your passion become a chore to not let it consume your life. I know what I'm going for, I know what to expect. I enjoy every moment. If I have good results, I can enjoy them even more because I know that I won't be able to do this forever either, but if I don't, I know that it's not the end of the world, I've been there and I'm still standing, I will just work harder the next time"

"So then what? Go on autopilot through life?" I asked him.

"Knowing that even if its my passion, it's still my job, is not going on autopilot. It's giving myself the opportunity to feel that I'm worth it outside the circuit too. My job is a chore that I'm damn good at, and I'm proud of it, but I also know that it's only a fraction of my life, something I need to control like that."

"Let your passion become a chore to not let it consume your life" He nodded just when Lucy came back but none of us gave her a second of our minds, too focussed on our conversation.

"Exactly"

Lucy cleared her throat behind us and we turned to see us, she same to us with two grapoed packages in her hands and left them in front of us.

"Ok guys, I hope you enjoyed the experience, I can tell you that they turned out beautiful, Tom, yours is the one with a T on the box, Elaine yours has an E" She explained with a smile.

"Here, have mine and I'll keep yours" Lewis told me exanging our cups once we got outside.

"Do you think yours has turned out so badly that you are stealing my creation? Haven't you imagined a life with your cup?" I chuckled.

"I like the one I imagine with yours better"

"And how is that?"

"I don't know, I'll have to find out, infinite possibilities"

The next day I was getting ready in my room for the party when there was a knock on the door.

"I'm running late aren't I?" I was still finishing my makeup when he arrived from the show, the after party was going to be inmediately after so him being here already was a bad sign.

"No, you're fine. I bring you something, if you want it of course" He got inside with a garment bag in hand.

"Lewis, how many times do I have to tell you not to spend a penny on me?"

"It's a gift from the brand, they knew I had a companion and well, look at this you'll look amazing" He opened the bag showing a beautiful red dress inside, the same shade as Lewis' outfit.

"It does look pretty" I mumble running my fingers over the soft fabric.

"See? Come on, I hope it's your size, I didn't have your measurements" He took it outside the bag and gave me the hanger.

"Are you going to stay here?" I ask as I saw her going to my bed instead of his room.

"You can change in the bathroom, I mean I can go but your bed looks more comfortable than mine" He said letting himself fall on top of it.

"Don't fall asleep" I threaten him over my shoulder.

"Don't be late then" He took the remote and turned on the TV while I locked myself in the bathroom.

The dress was absolutely beautiful, long with a slit that reached just mid-thigh and a low back, maybe a little low for what I'm used to but I couldn't deny looked amazing. The black heels that I was going to have worn with my original dress still fit me and the makeup also so I didn't have to redo much, I finish styling my hair and taking one last look in the mirror before going back to the room.

Lewis was lying without his shoes on the bed leaning on one of his spleens, when he heard the door he raised his head and when he saw me he got up in bed.

"You look..." He trailed off.

"It's too much right? I will try to fix it just give me-" I turned around to get back into the bathroom but he jumped off the bed quickly coming to my side.

"I was going to say absolutely breathtaking, don't you dare change a thing Elaine" He said once he got to me laying one of his hands on my hip to keep me on place.