Pit Lane Persephone

Chapter 23: Lauren

I smirk as the others listen to the translation. It's a really stupid answer and had little to do with anything. Nicola is going to kill me.

"That's pretty embarrassing," Eddo says, nodding. "What about you, Seb? Any stories you can share that would top that?"

Seb straightens up in his chair and leans in to the microphone. "Why do you have to make everything into a competition, dude?" He laughs, and for some reason, I get déjà vu. "Anyway, I think you'll like this story since it happened at one of your favorite places."

The DJ points both index fingers at Seb. "Ibiza?"

"You know it, man." Seb nods as he shifts in his seat, but it's definitely not out of discomfort. More like 'I own this place.' "This was back in July when we had a longer break from the series right after I got second place in Brno. Max Rate had invited me to their Summer Beach House party in Ibiza, which you know as well as I do, is more than just a simple party. I think it was the second day in, and I was going on only about four hours of sleep, but I couldn't miss this EDM set from that new Jamaican DJ—"

"Yeah, yeah. Supero. DJ Supero," Eddo interrupts, making the connection.

"That's right," Seb confirms before continuing. "So I'm at the party and there are hundreds—no probably thousands—of people just totally losing it to the music. I'm doing my thing in the VIP section when I see an incredibly beautiful girl just standing there looking at me."

"Oh-ho-ho," Dano says. "I see where this is going."

Seb laughs and shakes his head. "Don't be so sure."

"Go on, then," Eddo prompts, leaning his elbows on the tabletop.

"So she's looking at me, and now I'm looking at her all the while thinking about what I should do. Should I wait for her to approach me? Should I just go up to her myself or what? Before I can decide, she starts walking toward me, and I'm like, okay this is great."

He's using his hands to gesticulate and add emphasis to the story, but I never wished so much that I could understand his native language. Watching Seb's lips move while hearing a stranger's voice translate his story feels intrusive. But maybe it's just because he's talking about another girl.

Good grief. Am I really jealous right now?

Seb continues. "I scoot over on the padded bench around our table and wave to the bouncer to let her through before she slips beside me. I'm all ready for introductions and my hand is even on a bottle to pour her a drink, when she points to the logo on my shirt." He pauses for effect. "It turns out, she had no idea who I was. She just saw Ducati and thought I might have some connections. She really wanted to meet Tommaso Del Luca from PrixMoto at the upcoming race in Barcelona and hoped I could give her some tips on how to get his attention in the paddock."

Mic drop.

I'm so impressed my jaw literally falls at the perfection in my teammate's answer. Effortlessly mentioning the series, the brand and a sponsor? Check. Telling a relatable story that not so subliminally reinforces his player status without sounding conceited? Check. Coming out of a 'most embarrassing' story without actually needing to feel embarrassed? Check.

The guy is a fucking pro. From behind a soundproof glass in the production booth, Nicola gives him a thumbs-up.

"All right. All right. That's an awesome story, but let's get to why you are really here, and that's motorcycles," Dano says, clapping his hands together. "Specifically, it's performance racing at a championship level. And this question I really want to ask Seb first because it must be on a lot of our listerners' minds. And that is, are you going to win another title this year?"