(Salina's Version)
I SCREWED UP, badly. Tonight is Nicolette's birthday dinner party and I invited Lewis to attend on Nicolette's wishes. And now I'm standing in the middle of everyone with my father and Lewis—he's just come to a realization that Toto has a daughter and that daughter is me.
He stares intensely at me, wanting answers. I don't know what to do, but to place my purse down on a random table and take his hand to go outside the outdoor area of the venue.
Lewis follows behind me as I pull him around near an empty area as the sun set behind us. I hold my breath in until I see that there's no else around us. My eyes meet with his dark brown eyes.
"Are you going to explain what the hell I just witnessed back there?" His eyes burn with a sense of some betrayal.
"I will—I am going to. Just let me think for a second, please." I let out a harsh breath.
"I was told your father died, but it's clear to see that he's well and alive inside." He traces his thumb and index finger around the corners of his lips. "Salina, I'm a little confused here."
I shake my head as my cheeks grow warm."I know you are and I didn't think any of this through. It's just my personal life has nothing to do with my work life, so I didn't think to tell you anything. But that's on me, okay?"
"I'm not saying that I blame you for me finding out like this. If there's anyone to blame it's your father, Toto. I've worked with him since I joined Mercedes and he hasn't mentioned you once. Neither has your mother." He points a finger in the direction of the party.
"I know, I know." My eyes shut tight.
"Toto is both my father and not my father." I reveal to him. "And it might seem crazy and confusing, but he's not my father; biologically. He's my step-father. My real father was the one you heard about that died a couple of weeks ago... due to cancer. His name was Walter. Him and my mother were only sixteen when they found out they were pregnant with me."
"When she told him, he knew he wasn't ready and left my mother alone to raise me. I resented him my whole life, knowing that he barely visited or cared to even write me a single letter to see how his own daughter is doing." My hands turn into fists, looking over the railing.
"When I was thirteen, that's when my mother met Toto. I've never seen her that happy in a long time..." A smile slips from me with the thought of my mother. "After they got married, Toto has treated me like I was his own. That's where I met Nicole, we've been like soul sisters ever since."
I don't feel like crying. If I did start and Nicolette found me in this state, I would ruin her night. "Lewis, I didn't mean to keep this a secret from you. It never was supposed to be one." My eyes turn to look back at him. "I just got caught up with work and all. I apologize."
"You don't have to apologize, it was an honest mistake." The corner of his lips lift up into a small smile. "I understand."
"Thank you." My voice makes a little crack when he pulls me in for an embrace.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that with Walter. No child should ever experience something you did. And I'm glad you have someone like Toto in your life. Except the fact that I'll be slapping the back of his neck for keeping this secret from me the past decade we've worked together." He gets me to let out a laugh as we pull away.
"You know, you're not as bad as I thought, Hamilton." I sniff, scratching my nose.
"What—no—gosh—don't flatter yourself, doll." He grows a smirk.
"Here we go again." I playfully role my eyes.
"You brought it up. Couldn't help myself." He shrugs his shoulders, innocently.
The two of us walk back inside, reuniting with my parents at a table. The dinner party starts. I sit next to Nicolette as she wishes with my mother sitting on the other side of me. We all have an amazing time, laughing at my Father's stories about Nicolette and I's childhood.
From across the circular table, sits Lewis. I catch him a couple of times smiling genuinely as he listens to my parents and Nicolette's parents. This is good. Everything is going well. Likes it's supposed to.
Lewis and I exchange a couple of looks at each other. Every single time he's smiled at me. Either that or I'd catch him off guard, with his eyes glistening under the soft lit light above him, staring at me.
I must be overthinking it. It's nothing.
(Lewis' Version)
I HAVE NO IDEA IF IT'S JUST me, but I've seem to notice how differently Salina looks tonight. Something inside me is telling me that I quite enjoy the way she's dressed up. Red looks absolutely stunning on her. I don't know why she doesn't wear it much often as she decides to wear anything else to work besides everyone's usual team uniform.
And the way she styled her hair for this party. It suits her perfectly. Everyone has their own iconic hairstyles, for example, me and my braids. But with Salina, it hits different. I don't know what it is that's making me think this way, but it's true.
Me appreciating her beauty tonight has gotten me caught by Salina herself. She's found me a couple of time glimpsing a look at her throughout the night. Listen—I'm not the only one here. There's also a couple of guys on another table who's been eyeing her out more than I have. I've grown some suspicion over them. I don't like it at all.
"Excuse me, I'm going to get a refill." She scoots her chair back and gets up from the table.
My eyes watch her walk away over to the bar. Then J get interrupted by Toto. He clears his throat, forcing me to turn my head around to look at him.
"I see you're enjoying the party quite well." His eyes rest with his eyebrows rising up, smiling.
"It's a great party. I still have yet to thank Salina for inviting me." I nod my head. This feels awkward for some reason.
"You should thank her now before she leaves later." He takes a sip of his drink.
"She's leaving soon?" My eyebrows draw together.
"Mhm." Toto hums, placing his glass down. "She's got a flight in a couple of hours for a business meeting over at London."
"What about practice tomorrow? Who's going to sub in for her if she'll be gone?" Now my eyes narrow.
"Mick's engineer, Gannon." He informs me. "Why? You seem a little disappointed that she won't be there tomorrow. Have a change of heart all of a sudden, Lewis?" He chuckles.
"No—that's not it at all. Just don't want to deal with a new person again, that's all." Gosh, why do I stutter whenever I talk about her? I need to keep myself straight right now.
"Whatever you say." Toto makes a little shrug with his shoulders.
"I, uh, am going to use the restroom. Pardon me." I clear my throat, afraid to make eye contact with him as I stand up from my chair.
When I make my way towards the hallway to the bathroom I catch Salina at the corner of my eye. My head shifts to get a better view of her and those guys from the other table are having a conversation with her. But it seems to be that she backs away a little from them.
Something seems off with them interacting. I decide to take a closer look from a different angle, observing them intently. Salina shakes her head, piloting declining to whatever one of the men had just asked her.
She starts walking away, but the two decide to follow her over my direction. I quickly get myself over to her to do something about it. Purposely, as she keeps her head down, walking away, I bump my shoulder with hers. My arms catch her from tripping.
"My apologies." She says, not having a clue it's me. When she looks up and realizes it's me, her expression seems to soften. Almost like she's relieved.
"Hey, there you are." I playfully chuckle. "I was looking for you. You ready to go?"
The two men meet up with us at a corner. The music from the speakers grow faint as the two of us make eye contact. She's still in my arms as she's trying to add up whatever's going on right now. When I know for sure that the two men are close enough to hear me, I start speaking again.
"Do you have your things, we're leaving in bit." I shift my arm down her back. But this seems to confuse her even some more.
"What... what do you mean?" She quietly asks.
"Oh, doll, you're very forgetful as always." I chuckle. "Remember? I'm taking you back to your hotel to pick up your thinks and driving you over to the airport for your flight later tonight."
Salina finally realizes why I'm acting the way I am right now and plays along. "Right—oh, gosh. I totally forgot." She starts laughing.
I look up from her, making sure I pull Salina closer to me to make sure the next thing that comes out of my mouth is clear to the two men watching us. "This is what happens when your girlfriend is a busy business woman. She sometimes gets caught up with something and forgets about another thing." I let out a laugh, looking at the two men.
The two look at each other and start laughing with us. I feel Salina wrap her arms around my stomach, bringing me in closer to her than ever. "What would I do without you?" She smiles.
As I'm about to say something back, the two men walk away. When Salina and I see them at a good distance away from us, we pull ourselves away from each other.
She sighs. "Thanks for that."
"Uhm, yeah. No worries." I scoff.
"They were just... they didn't want to give up about asking me if I wanted to come with them to another party after this. I—I don't even know who they are and why they're here. Thank you again." She places a hand over her chest.
"Hey, it was nothing. I saw you guys earlier talking and something just felt off with them." I try to shake it off.
She shakes her head. "No really, I don't know what would've happened if you didn't come in and helped."
I smile, placing my hands inside my front pockets.
"How did you know about my flight tonight?" She brings up.
"Your father told me." I tell her.
"Makes sense." She chuckles.
"Why didn't you tell me you'd be missing practice tomorrow? You're my sub engineer and all, I feel like I should've been informed about it." I ask her, getting a little more serious.
"It just came up last minute. I know and I feel bad about missing it, but we both know this is just temporary and my real job is team business. Unexpected things like this just happen and it's my priority to get it sorted out." Her hands gesture around the air as she explains.
"God, I didn't mean to make you feel bad at all. I'm sorry." My muscles do this weird movement, making me out my hand on her shoulder. The two of us are both a little shocked about it as none of us expected it.
Salina looks at my tatted hand comforting her shoulder, slightly parting her lips. "It's alright."
"I shouldn't keep you waiting, I know you have to leave soon." I take my hand back and place it back inside my pocket as it sits in time out. I feel bad enough for placing it all over her earlier when the two guys were here.
"What are you doing leaving me? I thought you said you were going to drive me over there." She says before I start to walk away.
"Right." I let out a laugh. "I guess we can leave now, then?"
She laughs as well. "Yeah, we can."