VIPER || Oscar Piastri

Chapter 32

"We must adorn our disguises, agent Jack!" Andi declared, raising her index finger. "We must creep around corners, walk on our tiptoes, and watch out for spies!" She acted out the scene, rushing in front of me and stopping us both at the corner of a building. With her hands she made the shape of a gun and placed it at her chest, peeking around the corner of the building before looking back at me with a smile, clearly taking pride in her acting.

She might as well have taken a bow.

Her unexpected antics pulled me into the moment, since I'd never seen her so energetic; it was almost infectious. It made me want to carry it on.

"Oh, but Agent Eline, how can we be sure of who to trust? We're already in the lion's den," I replied, trying to match her playful tone. She resumed her place beside me, placing an index finger on her lips as if in thought.

"A good point, agent. We must keep our wits about us and trust only our instincts." She turned to me and raised the index finger to her forehead, further highlighting her statement. She continued, with her eyes full of mischief and suspicion, "This place reeks of espionage and treachery; trust no one!" She declared dramatically.

"No one? Not even each other?" I glanced at her, keeping up the facade. I admired her enthusiasm, I have to say. But, I couldn't shake the feeling of a subtle warmth when I should've been concentrating on my— very good —acting.

"Especially each other," Andi replied with a smirk, glancing at me with the same mischief as before. But then, as quickly as it came, her expression shifted, and she looked away. With a slight clearing of her throat, she redirected her attention to the silliness of the situation. "What kind of freaks are we?" She asked, but it was more of a statement than a question.

"Literal saddos," I chuckled, noticing her change in tone but keeping mine the same.

As we walked out of the exit and reached the car park, Andi swiftly unlocked the car and slid into the driver's seat.

"Oh, um— speaking of... dads," I began as we settled into the car.

"Mm?" Andi responded, distracted by her car but glancing at me curiously.

"I'm meeting my mum for dinner tonight, and maybe, if you want, you don't have to, you could get meeting her over with?" I suggested, biting my tongue.

"Are you sure she wouldn't mind? I'd feel awkward just barging in unannounced. Did she ask to meet me?" Andi questioned, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Well, I haven't exactly told her yet," I admitted. Why did I feel guilty?

"Oh— yeah, no. Of course not," Andi replied, her tone understanding but tinged with uncertainty.

A silence fell between us as we both processed the situation.

"Wouldn't it make more sense if you told her tonight, then I can meet her another time? Or, I mean, you don't have to tell her tonight if you don't want to, just do whatever you feel is best," Andi suggested, her voice softening towards the end.

Hm. A considerate Andi? That's new.

I paused, mulling over her words.

"Okay. I'll tell her tonight," I finally agreed, taking a deep breath as I made the decision.

Andi's nod and thin-lipped smile caught me off guard, her shock at my honesty evident.

"Nervous?" she asked, starting the car. Her tone suggested amusement but I took it as literal.

I nodded and looked at her.

She then tilted her head and smiled, still amused. "Why? Is she scary?" She teased, but the smile quickly faded. "Oh, crap. Now I'm nervous."

"No! She's not scary, she just— asks a lot of questions," I reassured her, hoping to ease both our anxieties.

"Oh, so like my dad then," she chuckled.

"Yeah," I agreed, "Less 'lovely's though."

I let a note of silence last until I continued:
"I'm just worried I'll get a question about you wrong, then she'll know something's up. She's very, uhm... perceptive," I admitted, thinking about the scenario and suddenly feeling the impending pressure.

"Oh, come on! We studied!" Andi took a hand off of the wheel momentarily and poked me with it. "You know tons."

I pulled a face, unsure of how truthful she was being. "Yeah, surface level shit. What about, like... relationship-y stuff."

"Relationship-y stuff? Like what?" Andi inquired, her features scrunched as she grew confused.

"Like... 'So where did you two meet', or 'Who asked who out'," I explained, my nerves beginning to fray at the thought of facing such questions from my mum.

It wasn't so much that my mum would be asking them that made me nervous, it was more-so the feeling of getting them wrong. I didn't want to screw up; ruin it so early.

"Just tell the truth!" Andi encouraged firmly, as if it was obvious.

"Oh, yeah, okay," I spoke sarcastically, "'So where did you two meet?': You sneaked up on me in a bar. 'Who asked who out?': You pretended to be in a relationship with me for several days without me knowing then offered me an ultimatum, oh, and then made me sign a contract of loyalty," I replied with much more frustration than I'd intended, fully aware of how ridiculous I sounded.

Andi gave me a pointed look. "No," she said, "Just... tell the truth, but bend it a little. Like... 'Where did we meet?': At a bar, and our friend introduced us. 'Who asked who out': You were too nervous to say anything so I made the first move." She suggested with an underlying hint of exasperation, a subtle retort to my unneeded outburst.

"...Can we change the second answer," I asked uncomfortably.

"If that'd make you feel better, sure," Andi replied with a kind of counterproductive pity, as sarcasm was clear in her tone.

Either way, I still worried about what my mum would say when I told her about Andi. I wasn't sure if I could sell it well enough; that I'd met a girl, liked her, and asked her out. Oh, and she'd accepted too, by the way.

It seems simple in spirit, but it's really not.

Especially since this would be the first time  ever telling my mum about a 'girlfriend' I had — and it wasn't even a real one!

And, in quiet honesty, I don't think I'd be able to use our dramatic banter from earlier as a confirmation that I could act.

So, basically, I'm toast.

          
            _____________________