Fake It - OP

Chapter 30

P4. So close, yet so far from a podium at his home grand prix.

Despite my mixed feelings, and anxieties around Oscar and I's publicity stunt, Mark, myself and everything else, I was still a Formula One fan, and the team I have cheered for my entire life just won the race. I should've been cheering for Lando I'm sure since he was in third. But nobody needed to know that my cheering was for Charles, who just beat Max for the win.

Spending all my time lately in a Mclaren garage didn't make me any less of a Tiffosi. I was still happy for Lando though, there was no doubt about that. It was hard to look at the smile on his face and not want to smile too. Charles however, that was a smile I think all Ferrari fans missed seeing.

The mechanics on both sides of the Mclaren garages started rushing out, same with most of the other people attending the grand prix because who wouldn't want to see the podium celebrations? Being this close, meant I had a chance to get up close to the podium, so like the other guests in the back of the garage, I rushed as one person in a large group of strangers to the forefront of celebrations. I was thankful for my Converse and the fact this dress had built-in shorts because I struggled to keep up with the mass amounts of people running down the pitlane.

People swelled everywhere, in front and behind the pitlane on track. Red flares lit up the sky, nothing like Monza would be, but I was so happy to see them nonetheless. One fan out in the distant crowd had a large Ferarri flag waving, I couldn't help but laugh a little at the size of it. Especially here, and not at a more heavily Ferrari fan-dominated track like Monaco, Spain, Imola or Monza.

After last season and the beginning of this one, it was refreshing to hear a different national anthem being played, and I didn't mind in one bit the number of people squishing me on every side. Thankfully for Charles's sake, the event coordinators remembered to play the Monogasque anthem and not the French one. And then there was confetti, Lando's signature champagne-popping technique, and cheers all around from every angle, every tone. The sound reverberated into the skies and I let myself soak it all in. I couldn't have wiped the smile off my face if I tried.

Oscar came over to me after the celebrations and his weigh-in and gave me a tight and brief hug for what I know was the cameras. Despite all that has and will I'm sure continue to happen between us, we both embraced the touch. The moment broke me from my haze and whipped me back to reality but a part of me remained in that cheerful state. Everything we were doing looked so real, exactly how it had to be and we couldn't have planned it better if we tried. I noticed now that the people squshing me to the makeshift railing barrier were dressed in all orange and black colours, most of which were Oscar's mechanics. Almost all were familiar faces I recognized from the garage. The smile on my face, although genuine was genuine for other reasons. And the hug, that was real only to the cameras, but I was happy nonetheless. And I could tell Oscar was too, but I am sure that is for other reasons as well.

Our hug broke as easily as it started and the celebrations died out the same. I watched as the crowds began to disperse and the mechanics started to wheel off the cars. No matter the chaos around me, and the fact Oscar was now long gone back to his team I stood there in the dying event hours of the weekend.

"Hey," a female voice said from behind me. I spun and locked eyes with a blonde woman, probably around my age and a few inches shorter than me. Her smile was warm and her eyes crinkled with the smile, hinting to me that she smiled often.

"Hi," I replied politely.

"Blake right?" she asked. I nodded. "Cool, I'm Carissa, I'm Oscar's social media manager, different from Emma, she's my boss you've met her she's the main media manager for Mclaren." Carissa paused, pushing a curled lock back from her face. "I just thought I would show you this photo I took of you and Oscar, I thought you may want to post it, if not I'll send it to Oscar for his Instagram or Twitter, I'll let him decide which or both."