We put Spa behind us with again a disappointing result. Daniel started so well. But after putting him on the hard tires and later the mediums he dropped back and couldn't get back in the top 10.
He was disappointed, but not as much as he would have been before summer break. Now at least he knows next year he will be fighting for points.
I was pissed at the team again. They screwed his tire strategy up again. Sometimes I really don't know what they are doing or if they even know themselves. Lando started the race almost at the back and even he finished before Daniel, because they had a different strategy.
I try to let it go, but I find it a lot harder than Daniel to put it behind me.
I was very happy he was doing alright when he got out of the car. He was definitely sore and his muscles needed a lot of massaging the next couple of days. But they didn't have to put Nyck in the car.
Daniel did admit he was in quite some pain while driving, but he pushed through.
I got a bit mad at him when he told me, especially when I saw he needed a bit of help getting out of the car Sunday when he parked in the pit lane.
I quickly realized it was useless getting worked up about it. It's just the mentality of these guys, they push beyond normal peoples limits.
So I gave him a hug and told him how proud I was of him.
We spent a few days in Amsterdam after leaving Spa and today it's Thursday and we are at the circuit in Zandvoort. I absolutely love this place. Also because I was born nearby.
I asked Lewis if I could take Roscoe to the beach. Officially dogs aren't allowed on the beach during the summer, but we will see if somebody will say something about it.
During the raceweekend there aren't much people allowed into the town anyways as it will become too crowded and the people who have tickets for the weekend have priority.
Daniel has an interview with Jack Plooij, a Dutch pit reporter, so I have some time to enjoy myself on the beach with Roscoe.
As I go get Roscoe, Lewis is already walking up to me with his dog.
"Hey Sky, mind if I tag along? I'm done for today." He asks when I greet both of them.
"No problem, I would love the company." Together we head out to the beach, I'm wearing some jeans shorts and a tanktop with sandals as it's very nice weather. I have my bikini on underneath, just in case I decide to go for a quick dip in the sea.
As soon as we reach the sand I take off my sandals, we let Roscoe off leash and he calmly walks alongside us.
I notice that the people that are on the beach are definitely taking a lot of pictures, but they don't approach us, which is nice.
"How did you get used to the cameras pointed at you all the time?" I ask him as we walk to the water, on our bare feet we stroll through the surf.
"I don't know, I guess after so many years it's just part of this job. Mostly I don't really mind, but sometimes it gets annoying. I'm just a person like anybody else. I just happen to drive really fast cars and people get to watch it on tv."
He picks up a pretty pink shell and hands it to me.
"Thanks. People don't see you as a regular person I guess. They admire you, your job, your lifestyle, your wealth. It's something only a few people get to experience. For us 'civilians' this is the dream life."
I get to live this life through Daniel, but even thought I've been experiencing this for 5 months, I'm still amazed by it all. I mean I'm friends with Lewis, Max, Charles, Lando, Pierre and George. Seb and I talk quite often, I think I can consider him a friend as well. I'm sure he doesn't invite just anybody over to his Swiss home for a visit. Daniel and Seb were friends already as they were team mates years ago, but he just accepted me and he's one of the nicest guys around.
"I guess, but it still doesn't make me any different from anybody else. At least I don't feel different."
I smile at him, "for me you're just Lewis, my dear friend."
He puts his arm around my shoulder as we keep walking, giving me a kiss on my head.
Roscoe starts to jump against his legs and Lewis laughs.
"Yeah you want your ball don't you buddy." He gets a tennis ball out of his pocket and throws it. Roscoe sprints after it, or well sprint. He's still an English Bulldog, so what's a sprint for him is a trot for another dog.
He grabs his ball and brings it back. I pick it up from the sand and throw it again. When Roscoe takes off I run after him.
"Come on Roscoe, I'm almost faster than you!" After doing this a couple of times I feel a bit over heated to I pull my top over my head and drop the shorts, leaving me just in my bikini.
"I'm going to cool down for a minute." I shout at Lewis before running into the cool water.
As soon as I feel the water against my warm skin I sigh with relief. This feels good.
When it gets deeper I dive into a wave, swimming away from the surf a bit further.
This doesn't scare me as I'm still close to the shore. It's not like open water if I'm on a boat with no coast anywhere near me.
As I turn around I see Lewis standing on the sand, just staring at me.
When I look in the distance I can see the spot where Daniel is having his interview. I hope he gets to finish soon, because I haven't seen much of him today.
When I feel I've cooled down enough, I swim back to where I left Lewis.
"The water is really nice. Too bad you didn't bring your swimming trunks." I say when I'm close enough.
"Oh well, maybe next time." He shrugs and I suddenly feel mischievous.
I scoop up water in my hands and toss it over to Lewis. Hitting him on his chest, leaving him gasping, because obviously the water is nice and cool.
"You really are a cheeky one aren't you?" He laughs as he comes after me when I run through the surf.
"I just thought you looked a bit hot, I just wanted to cool you down. Aaaah!" I scream when I feel his arm around my waist, lifting me from the wet sand.
"Lewis! Put me down!"
He jogs further into the water, he's wearing shorts so he can go in quite far. When we're about thigh deep into the water he just drops me.
The water splashes over me, luckily I am quick enough, closing my mouth so I don't take in a gulp of salt water.
"There, I put you down." He is slapping his thighs with laughter when I come back up.
"This wasn't exactly what I had in mind." I get back on my feet, leaping towards Lewis as I try to knock him off his feet, but unfortunately he's way too stabile and strong. So he's not even moving.
In the mean time Roscoe is jumping around us, barking.
Because I can't make Lewis fall on his ass, I splash water over him, kicking it with my foot.
At least I can get some payback for him throwing me in the water.
His shirt is soaked now, sticking on to his body. I have to admit, he is really fit and his body is absolutely gorgeous. I think any woman would be lucky to have him. Not just because he's very handsome and hot as hell, but also because he's so kind and caring. I really hope he finds what he's looking for. He deserves it.
I glance over the beach again, but I see Daniel is still there, talking to Jack.
"Come on Sky, you're shivering. Let's get you dried up in the sun." Lewis says and I realize he's right. I am getting cold, so I start to walk out of the water, but suddenly I feel a sharp pain in my foot.
"Aaauww shit!" I try to look under my foot, but I can't keep my balance.
"What's wrong?" Lewis quickly comes to me, holding me up. I try to put my foot back on the sand, but as soon as I put weight on it, I feel as if somebody stabs a knife in it.
"I don't know, I think I stepped into something sharp, it hurts like hell." I lean on his shoulder, but suddenly he scoops me up bridal style and carries me to my clothes where he lowers me so I sit on the sand.
He takes my foot to see what's going on.
"There's definitely a nice cut there. I can't see if anything is in there, because it's bleeding, but I'll get you back to one of the medical staff at the circuit." I grab my top, putting it back on over my wet bikini. At least it's a bit warmer,
When I try to put my feet in my short, it's immediately blood stained. The blood is now dripping out of the cut into the sand.
"Forget about those shorts, just hold them and your sandals. I'll carry you back."
He puts one arm in my back and the other underneath my knees, scooping me up again.
I cling onto his neck so he won't drop me.
"You can't carry me all that way, that's too far." I try to protest, but Lewis gives me a cocky look.
"I can and I will. You just hold onto me." He starts walking back, "Roscoe, come on mate."
I'm glad Roscoe listens very well, because he follows us closely as we make our way towards the circuit.
"Lewis! I'm bleeding all over your clothes!" I shriek, when I see the drops of blood that keep falling on his shirt and shorts.
"So what, they can be washed. Just relax."
We come closer to the little beach restaurant where Daniel has his interview.
I can actually see him sitting there, talking and laughing with Jack.
Suddenly he looks up and sees Lewis carrying me in his arms, blood dripping out of my foot.
He runs over to us with a worried look on his face.
"What the hell happened?"
Lewis POV:
When Skylar asked me if she could take Roscoe to the beach I didn't even have to think about it. Roscoe adores her, as do I. I just thought I was going to be busy, but lucky me, I'm already done for the day so I hope she won't mind if I go with her.
When I ask her she gives me her bright smile and tells me she would love the company.
As we walk together I keep thinking about how amazing it would be if I could be holding her hand.
We both notice the people taking pictures of us and I realize there probably will be a lot of speculation on social media if people post these photos. I hope Daniel will know nothing is going on between me and her. He does know I have feelings for her. I saw how he looked at me in LA when I admitted ever having feelings for somebody in the room during the game we played. I lied when I said it was Kelly years ago, I never fancied Kelly. She's pretty of course, but other than that she has nothing that I would ever be attracted to.
I give her a shell I see lying on the sand and she asks me if I'm not bothered by people taking pictures everywhere I go.
As I explain to her I feel like just a regular guy who happens to be in the spotlight because of my job, she smiles at me again and tells me I'm just Lewis for her. Her dear friend.
I put my arm around her shoulder and kiss her head so I can inhale her amazing scent. She always smells like vanilla and some tropical fruits.
We hug and cuddle all the time, so I know this is nothing special for her.
Too bad Roscoe starts to interfere as he wants to play so I throw the ball for him. He brings it back and Sky throws it, but when Roscoe starts to chase it she runs after him.
This goes on for a while, when suddenly she starts to take of her top and shorts. Revealing a hot pink bikini and her stunning body.
"I'm going to cool down for a minute." She says before running into the water.
I could use a bit of cooling down myself, seeing her dive into the waves. Think of something else Lewis. Think about Roscoe who's snoring, think of Toto. Anything but the woman who is now coming up again, water flowing over her body. All I can do is stare at her. Hoping she doesn't notice it.
After a while she comes back. "Too bad you didn't bring your trunks. The water is nice." She says and I just shrug. "Maybe next time."
Her face suddenly changes, looking at me with a cheeky look on her face, before filling her cupped hands with water, chucking it over my chest and stomach. I gasp as it's pretty cold, "you're a cheeky one aren't you." I say and she starts to run through the surf with me chasing her.
It doesn't take long before I catch up with her, putting my arm around her waist before picking her up bridal style.
Roscoe is jumping around my legs as I carry her into the water a bit further.
I don't care my shorts get wet now, having her so tight against me is distracting me from the cool water.
Her arms are wrapped around my neck, her body against mine, one arm under her shoulders, my hand slightly touching the side of her breast.
I really need to let her go, otherwise there's going to be something showing up in my shorts.
"Lewis put me down!" She shouts, so when I feel I'm deep enough I drop her into the water.
When she's back up she sees me laughing my head off.
"There I put you down." I laugh and she shakes her head, trying to look mad, but her eyes sparkle from the laughter she's keeping in. "This wasn't exactly what I meant."
She gets up and throws herself at me, trying to push me over, but I have quite a good balance, so I don't move at all. I can tell she gets frustrated so she just kicks water at me.
I'm pretty soaked right now, but that's fine, it will dry up soon enough in the sun.
I can tell Sky is shivering so I tell her she should come out to get warmed up.
She walks towards the surf, when suddenly she cries out in pain.
I turn around seeing her with one foot up, blood dripping in the water.
"What happened?" I support her as she tries to put her foot back, but I can tell as soon as she puts it down it hurts.
I pick her up again so I can sit her down on the beach to check.
She puts her top back on when I look at her foot. There's quite some blood coming out of a cut. I just can't tell if anything is in there. She tries to put on her short, but her cut of bleeding all over it.
"Forget about that, I'm taking you to the medical staff." She grabs her things and I scoop her up again.
For a bit she protests that I can't carry her all the way there. Making me even more determined, besides, she's not that heavy and I absolutely love having her in my arms again. This time a lot longer. I would carry her for hours if I had to, as long as it means I would have her this close to me.
She's shocked when she sees my clothes getting stained by the blood, but I quickly reassure her. Like I care, it's not like I don't have any clothes.
We reach the spot where Daniel is having his interview and when he sees us he looks horrified.
"What the hell happened?"
Daniels POV:
I'm so not in the mood for this talk with Jack. Sure we usually have a laugh and he's not too bad. But I'd rather join Sky to the beach. She asked Lewis if she could take Roscoe with her and now they are going together, with Roscoe.
I understand why he would join her, she's great company. And then there's the fact that he loves her. Not the way Michael loves her, but Lewis loves her like I do.
I know for sure if it wasn't for me, he would have gone for her already.
Obviously I trust Sky unconditionally, she doesn't even have a clue about Lewis his feelings for her. But it still stings a bit, and a little green monster is sometimes peeking around the corner.
I try to keep my focus on Jacks questions, but I can see Sky and Lewis walking along she surf in the distance. I would recognize her anywhere. They seem to have fun, but I also see Lewis putting his arm around her.
I shouldn't let it get to me, because that's just what they do. For her it's just as friends, but for him it's so much more.
I focus on Jack again, ignoring the two in the distance. Until I see Skylar taking her clothes off, I see her hot pink bikini as she runs into the water. Lewis is standing there with his back towards me, but I just know he's staring at her.
Ok back to Jack.
"So Daniel, tell me something about your upcoming wedding. You said it will be soon right?"
"Yeah we're getting married in Monaco when we get back from Bahrein and then again in January when we are in Perth. So my family can also be there."
"The two of you have only been together shortly. Why the rush?" He asks me.
"We're not in a rush, we both experienced some things that made us realize how quickly things can change. So we decided why wait? Life really is too short." I reply, looking at the beach again where Skylar is splashing water over Lewis.
He picks her up and drops her into the water.
I grin, that's something I would do as well. Cheeky little minx.
"About your accident. Can you tell us what happened? We only saw the post about it on your Instagram, but it doesn't really say what happened." Jack pulls my attention back.
"Well we had our summer break on a ranch, something we both absolutely loved. On one of the last days we went for a ride and we raced back as we did a couple times before. Only my horse tripped and tumbled over me and on top of me. So I suffered a collapsed lung and apparently my brain was swelling." I feel some goosebumps when I think about it. How different the outcome could have been.
"I stopped breathing when the paramedics were tending me. But luckily I bounced back quite fast. According to the doctors it was pretty miraculous. But I knew I had a lot to fight for. There was the woman I loved and I couldn't leave her behind. I have too much to live for."
I see Lewis with Sky in his arms walking towards me, blood dripping out of her foot staining his clothes and the sand.
I leave Jack behind as I rush to get to them.
"What the hell happened?"
Skylars POV:
"I just stepped into something sharp, no big deal it's just a small cut." I try to reassure Daniel, even though my foot is throbbing.
"I'll take over Lewis." He comes to us, Lewis shaking his head.
"It's fine mate, I was just about to take her to get some medical attention. You're busy, just come see her when you're done."
I can tell Daniel did not like this response from Lewis.
"Babe, it's fine, come see me as soon as you're done. Besides I don't want you to hurt yourself carrying me, I know you feel fine, but you need all your strength to race this weekend." I put my hand on his cheek, hopefully showing how much I love him.
He's definitely not happy about this, but he knows he has his obligations and the interview isn't finished yet.
"I should be with you baby, you're hurt." He protests.
"It's nothing serious. Finish the interview and then find me. I'll text you where I am ok. It's fine. I love you."
I look into his eyes and suddenly realize why he's so determined to stay with me.
"Daniel look at me, I'm not having a miscarriage, it's just a cut. Nothing serious. Please don't worry. The sooner you get back to Jack the sooner you can come to me. Please."
He sighs and reluctantly nods.
"Fine, but I won't be long. I love you." He gives me a kiss before going back to Jack.
"I won't keep you much longer Daniel. Don't worry." I hear Jack tell him when Lewis walks away.
Soon we get to the medical center where they clean my cut with disinfectant, it stings like hell, making my eyes tear up.
"Jesus fuck this hurts." I hiss between my clenched teeth.
"Squeeze my hand, I can take it." Lewis offers me his hand, I grab it and when the doctor pours more fluid over the cut I squeeze. Pretty hard, but he doesn't flinch.
"I'm sorry Skylar, I'm just going to check if there's anything in there. This won't feel nice." The doctor warns me. As if the cleaning part felt so good.
"Ok, go for it." I squeeze Lewis his hand a bit more when I see the doctor grab the lamp to see better. He grabs a pair of tweezers and I bury my face against Lewis his chest.
I'm glad I did, because feeling the doctor poking the cut feels horrible. I try to stay quiet, but when he shouts "ah there's a piece of glass, ok now be brave, I'm going to get it out." I let out a muffled cry of pain.
Luckily he gets the glass out in one try, but I have tears running down my cheeks. I always thought I have quite a high pain tolerance, but this was pretty bad.
"I'm looking for Skylar Hayes, she is supposed to be here." I hear Daniels voice and I let out a sob of relief. I'm happy Lewis was here, but Daniel is the one I need most of all.
"Just go through that door. She's there." The nurse of the medical center tells him and within seconds the door swings open.
"Hey baby, I'm here. Thanks Lewis. I've got it from here." I feel Lewis stepping aside and Daniels hand grabs mine.
"I'm here love. How did it go?" I'm still crying a bit, but I take some deep breaths.
"He just pulled out some glass. I don't think it was very deep, but it hurt like hell."
"She was really strong and brave. I'll leave you guys, see you later." Lewis heads to the door.
"Thanks Lewis. I really appreciate you staying with me. I'm so sorry about your clothes." I say when he opens the door.
"As I said, it doesn't matter. Take care now." He leaves and Daniel gives me a warm kiss.
"You don't need stitches, but I'm going to bandage your foot. And I'll give you some crutches so you don't use that foot." The doctor says and I sigh.
"Great, how long do I have to use those?"
"About a week. Then the wound should be healed enough to put some weight on it." He puts some gauze on the cut before wrapping it up in a bandage.
"I guess it's a good thing the wedding is in November. I doubt I will be swimming in the sea before that." I tell Daniel and he grins.
"Yeah and at least you don't have to walk down the aisle on crutches. That is unless you get hurt before that." He looks at me as if he's warning me to be careful.
"Don't worry, I'll be very careful. I have no intentions of limping down the aisle to you." The doctor finishes up and Daniel helps me off the bed and into my shorts and the one sandal.
"Come on let's get you to the hotel. We'll have dinner together and a quiet night in, just the two of us." He says wrapping his arms around me. I softly press my lips on his, losing myself for a bit until the doctor comes back in with the crutches.
"Come on sweetheart, let's go."