I'm a mess but thank you so much for reading! Also the response to the last chapter blew me away 🥰 tysm ❤️
Bodies fill the area, I'm pushed and pulled to and from the barriers as voices cheer and call Daniel's name. I feel like I'm in a daze, my mind in another place to my body. My eyes are blurry with tears which I blink away again and again, resisting the urge to let them fall with joy. For a long moment Daniel just sits in the car, frozen in time, hand pressed to the sides of his helmet-clad head. I've lost my breath, the jostling not helping as I just stare at the papaya car in disbelief.
Daniel can't believe it.
I can't believe it.
I'm pretty sure the whole team can't believe it.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I'm fully aware of my phone vibrating in my pocket. It's the only thing which makes me realise that this is actually happening, I'm really here and it's not a weird fever dream. The sensation of the vibration grounds me as I watch with wide eyes and a wide smile on my face as Daniel rises from the car. He's shaking his head slowly, his legs barely holding up the weight of his body as he punches the air in front of him once, twice, three times. My heart just pounds in my chest as I watch him with bright eyes, hand pressed to my face in adoration and surprise.
Daniel jumps down from the car and just stays there, frozen and staring at the machinery that got him his victory. The car he least expected to ever win in. He didn't trust it. He told me, told everyone, so many times. The peice of machinery was almost hated by him and yet...here we are. It shouldn't have happened. It was mostly just luck and, (as Lando would say) complete talent.
It takes Pierre coming over to slap on Daniel's back in congratulations to break the daze. They embrace for a small moment, Pierre shakes him by the shoulders in encouragement and excitement. It hasn't really hit him yet has it? Butterflies if excitement swarm in my stomach on behalf of Daniel as I mentally urge him to enjoy this moment. Charles is next. Daniel has his back to me but I can see the smile on Charles through his helmet. The expression at least makes me feel a little better for him but I can't fully appreciate that right now.
I'm too focused on Daniel.
I watch his every move, when he dives into the crowd of cheering engineers I find myself laughing and cheering with the rest of the crowd. When he breaks away from them to get weighed and take his heavy helmet off my eyes follow him. His cheeks are flushed, hair a disheveled mass of curls which he runs his hands through again and again. I'm too scared to blink, scared that I'll miss some complete joy filled moment because I want to enjoy this for him, with him.
At some point Michael rubs a comforting hand on my shoulder and I realise it's because I'm crying again. It's only when I press my hand to my cheeks, still a little taken back by the whole thing, that I realise my cheeks are soaked with prideful tears as I keep my eyes on Daniel, always Daniel. Even when I take a step or two back from the front of the barriers, allowing Blake and Michael along with a few others take front and centre I keep my eyes on Daniel. Even when it means stretching up on my tiptoes to do so.
I want this moment to be about him, I don't need extra attention on me. He likes to keep his private life private apart from the odd image online or cheeky comment in the press. This moment should be his, exactly how it is. He put in the work for it. I don't need to insert myself into it, I just need to be here. So I watch with warm eyes, my hands balled into excited fists as I balance on the balls of my feet to make sure I can still see him.
My heart rate only accelerates a little when his body comes over in my direction. He's glowing, the smile seeming to be five times bigger than I've ever seen. Daniel pulls Blake in for a hug first, the two of them slapping each other on the back. Blake congratulates him and they laugh as they pull away all smiles. Michael is next, they slap eachother on the back as Michael just cheers praise in his ear until Dan pulls away. His eyes scan to the left of Michael. Then, he does the last thing I would ever expect from him in this moment.
Daniel frowns.
His expression has flattened as his warm eyes scan around for a second longer. People continue to call his name and cheer as his eyes flicker around in an almost panicked matter. My heart sinks.
"Amber?" He asks Mike, confusion in his voice clear. "Where's Amber?" The questions leaves him quickly, my voice seems to be lost in my throat with the determination of his words. "She came down, right?" He continues as he looks around, the post-race interviewer almost ready to begin microphone in hand. The bright smile returns to his face as he asks my name, my favourite word in the whole world to hear from his lips. My heart swells in my chest with his concern as I peek over Blake (and the two people behind him)'s shoulder and those big brown eyes do a double take, shoulders unwinding instantly at the sight of my smiling face.
He see's me instantly - even in the craziness of the moment.
I swear his impossibly big smile doubles as he reaches for me through the crowd. Michael steps out the way pointing in my direction incase Daniel has missed me, as does Blake. The people behind me seem to push me forward towards Daniel and before I know it I'm right infront of him. At the metal barrier, inches away from his body. The same amazed expression on my face that's been stuck there for the last five minutes (or however long it's been). He just lets a heavy entertained sigh leave his lips, it almost sounds like a laugh but it's not, it's just a noise of complete amazement.
"Were you hiding from me?" He asks almost coyly, his fingers have weaves into his as I just shake my head. Daniels flirting with me. He just won his first race this year and he's choosing this second to flirt with me. It makes my cheeks heat a little.
"I didn't know if you'd want me to-" My worried words are cut off by Daniel's lips. His strong skilled hands have a hold of my head softly, cradling my cheeks in his strong hands. Holding me close to him, the barrier is uncomfortable and cold against my waist. My hips ache from being pressed against it so roughly, if his lips weren't pressed against me I think I'd be wincing. But Daniel's kissing me, so I don't care. The crowd once again cheers at the sight of our kiss, shutters of cameras click wildly. I feel like I'm in a movie, or some alternative reality where the whole world revolves around me, around Daniel and I. Again, I don't care. Daniel is in my arms and I'm in his and he just won a freaking race. I don't care about anything but him right now.
"Fuck 'em." He whispers against me and I laugh slightly, still a little in disbelief. The tears are wiped from my eyes by Daniel's thumbs which feel soft against my skin. I didn't even realise the tears had began falling again. I'll look a mess, I'm sure of it, but Dan's looking at me with glowing eyes which tell me that he thinks I'm the most beautiful person here. You'd think it was the first time he had set eyes on me with the adoration in his look. It makes my heart twist uncomfortably.
"You showed them." I stutter out, my voice weak and a little choked. Despite all the noise around he hears me, just like I heard him in the garage yesterday. I get it. I'm pretty sure he'd hear me if we were metres away from each other through the crowd. "I'm so proud of you." The words are almost whispered. I fall into his arms for a moment, my face tucked into the nook of Daniel's neck inhaling softly. He's a little breathless now I think about it. Adrenaline is coursing through his body, it's the only thing keeping him going I'm sure. Daniel feels hot against me, a little sweaty and smells of the petrol-like fumes from the car. It tickles my nose but I don't care.
He runs his hand down my back, pressing a kiss to the side of my head before we're forced to pull away.
"Next time you better be fucking front row down here. Please never hide from me, of course I want you here." Daniel says firmly, staring so deeply into my eyes as if he needs to see into my soul so I know he means the words. He means every syllable of the words he says. I only nod in agreement with his words, because when someone's speaking with as much conviction as Daniel is how could anyone ever disagree? "I love you." He continues, certainly, tongue flicking across his lips in a brief millisecond before they're pecked against mine once, twice, three times.
The quick playful kisses make the grin return to my features.
I don't have a chance to tell him that I love him too, love him entirely with everything in me, before he's getting pulled away for duties. I just watch from the side lines the whole time. Laughing at what he says, the amazed expression he's pulling and almost dazed look in his eyes. It's so unexpected. That much is clear to anyone watching.
Then Daniel disappears for a moment, Lando appears in front of me and envelopes me in his arms instantly. He seemed to appear from nowhere taking me by surprise. Wordlessly he hands me a tissue, god knows where he got it from but I don't ask just accept my fate when he begins pressing it under my eyes to absorb the happy tears. "Pull yourself together Ambs!" He scolds through a smile. Humour is dancing in his eyes, I've never been so emotional before. Especially over formula one. "No need to cry over my fifth place." Lando jokes ruffling a hand through my hair. He fist bumps with both Mike and Blake, as I sniffle for a moment more before shaking my head and deciding it's finally time to reign my emotions in.
"Just so happy for you." Is all I can choke out in the sarcastic joke. The smile on my face as I say the words makes another tear squeeze out of my eye. Lando laughs at me with entertainment, wiping the tear away for me before wrapping me up in his arms again. The emotion is insane.
Although when Lando wraps me up in his arms again I fake a gag at the slight smell of his sweat. He shoves me on the shoulder when I pull away quickly. "I see how it is. You'll hug daniel but not your brother." Lando grumbles with a joking huff. I shove him on the shoulder in return for his earlier push.
"Daniel wasn't trying to choke me into his armpits!" I defend with a roll of my eyes. With entertainment dancing on his face Lando rolls his eyes before giving a final time and settling at my side, infront of the barriers. He stays until the celebrations begin.
Charles appears first, then Pierre and finally Daniel. I clasp at the arm of Lando's race suit with one peek at the excited look on Daniel's face. The extra speed of his hand as he waves to the vast crowd who is cheering his names or singing songs in Italian making joy well up in me slightly. "I'm sorry you're not up there." The words are almost whispered to Lando. They're honest. I wish it was him up there with Daniel, if he didn't have so much bad luck at the start it would've been him. Maybe it would've even been him at the top of the podium.
Lando only shrugs in response to me as the national anthems play. "It'll come." Is all he says with a calm voice. "I have plenty of time." For a moment I wonder if this is the same person from the start of the season who wanted to scream at the world for coming in fourteenth. Maybe I'm not the only one who things have changed for, Lando has changed too. He's grown up.
"You're gonna wish you brought an umbrella." Lando laughs, flashing me a wink before scooting away from Blake, Michael and I. Just as quick as Lando appeared, he's gone. His disappearance is gone just in time for me to feel the first drops of champagne showering down on my head. It's instantly cool and sticky on my skin and makes my face scrunch up slightly. Charles and Pierre are almost attacking Daniel with their bottles of the liquid. Daniel who is only smiling widely as he opens his mouth to try and catch some of the well deserved refreshment it in his mouth. My face is scrunched up a little, eyes squinted so I can still attempt to see through the flecks of champagne.
When Daniel wipes at his eyes to get the sparkling liquid out of it he points down to me before shaking what's left of his Champagne in my direction.
Champagne is how we got here after all.
——-
This is about to be such a rant I apologise but thank you so much for reading! I never in a million years thought Amber & Honey would get seen by as many people as it has, I'm so grateful for each person who's commented, read and voted because it's been so motivating.
Idk what I'm going to do without these characters, they truly are my emotional support characters. (I suppose that's why Lilly & Leclerc exists to keep this going on subtly)
The next thing I would say is don't delete A&H from your libraries yet! I'm hoping to work on some BONUS PARTS for you guys (as you may recall I asked for fave parts a lil while ago & got inspired). So keep an eye out for those! Also the epilogue is very cute!
If you haven't already please check out my current works! If you want to see a little more of Daniel and Amber (as side characters ofc) I would recommend Lilly & Leclerc (hehe)
Also! There are some fabulous writers on here, some of whom I have the pleasure of being friends with (all because of this story) so please make sure you're giving them love too! My favourite stories are in my 'current faves' reading list on my profile.
Thank you so so much, see you tomorrow for more
❤️❤️❤️