SYDNEY
"Absolutely not." I watched as my brother nervously paced around the hospitality suite of the Santoro motorhome. "Is it serious? Oh, you can't be serious."
"I am," I said." It's seriously serious. That's even more serious than serious." I'd waited until after the race to tell my brother the news of my latest romantic affair. I figured that way, he'd be too tired to react.
I could not have been more wrong.
"Syd, you do realise what you're getting into?" Theo said. "I mean, the man's my best friend but he's not the best contender for the number one boyfriend award."
I shrugged. "I know, and I understand why you're worried, but we want to give this a go." I should've known my brother would make this difficult.
Theo ran a hand through his sweaty hair. "Why him, though?"
Because he made Jeremy retract like a little dog, and that made me extremely pleased.
"Because he's nice," I said firmly.
Theo shook his head and scoffed. "He's nice." He ran his hands through his hair again. "He's nice, but he's not boyfriend material. Syd, you know I'm just trying to look after you. I wanted to draw the line with Jeremy after everything that happened with his work, but I kept my mouth shut. I'm not sure I can do the same here."
Ugh, I was contemplating telling Theo the truth since he thought this was such a bad idea. But then again, the truth was an even worse idea. It was immature, morally wrong, and just plain stupid.
"You just met three days ago," Theo sighed. "How can you think this is a smart decision?"
I shrugged. "Sometimes you just know."
"Yeah, I'm sure he's said that to all the women he's had in his bed."
"Hey!" I snapped.
"Sorry," Theo began. "I just...didn't think he wanted a relationship. And are you sure you want to get into another one so quickly on from your last?"
He had a right to doubt both of those assumptions, and I was shocked he was even believing me in the first place. I mean, it was ridiculous. I fly over for a weekend, make eye contact with the biggest player in Formula One, and all of a sudden, we're dating. It seemed as unlikely as Haas winning a world championship.
"And how are you going to get to know each other when the team is halfway across the world from you for most of the year?" Theo asked.
Shit. I didn't think about that part. But I guess we could pretend to play a long-distance game. In fact, there was a chance it would make our case easier.
"Listen, if you want a rebound after Jeremy just choose anyone but Henry," Theo continued. "He's a player and God knows what he'll get up to this year, especially when you're not around all of the time. Being with him will lead to heartbreak."
I laughed. "Don't worry about that, T. We're just two people who experienced some initial attraction, and now we want to explore that."
Theo frowned. "You're not going to listen, no matter what I say, are you?"
I shook my head. "Nope."
My brother rolled his eyes as he threw his hat onto the table. "God, I don't know what else to say. Please...please, just be careful."
I nodded. "You know I will. If I wasn't careful, I would've said yes to Jeremy's proposal."
Theo sighed. "I guess so—"
The sound of the door opening stopped our argument from spiralling down a path of hatred.
"Speak of the devil," Theo said dryly.
Henry gently closed the door behind me before walking to my side and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. It still felt odd to receive this much affection. Jeremy and I never even held hands in public.
"Okay," Theo said. "You two can stop the act now." He folded his arms, displaying a frown that I'd never seen before. I appreciated that he wanted to look out for me. If I was ever stupid enough to date a man like Henry, I truly would've wanted him to react this way.
"There's no act," Henry said, grinning. "I'm sure Sydney has filled you in on everything already." He tightened his hold and I felt my body stiffen.
Theo rolled his eyes before grabbing his hat and storming out of the room. The closing of the door made a distinct thud, filled with something greater than anger.
Henry let go after that, and I almost felt awkward at how fast he decided to step back. "I take it he doesn't agree with your decision?"
I looked up at the man next to me. I didn't think he was a tall person, but he was much taller than all five foot three inches of me. "What? No. He's so happy for us. He's even given you the blessing to marry me already."
Henry shook his head. "Are you always this sarcastic?"
"I'm usually worse." I patted my fake boyfriend on the chest. "Get used to it, my love."
I headed for the door. "Coffee? We need to discuss the terms of this contract." Henry didn't respond, but the pacing of his shoes behind me was enough to signal his agreement.
***
"Okay, so you like vanilla iced lattes," Henry said as the waitress left our table. "You do know you're paying that extra two dollars for some ice?"
I shrugged. "Worth it. I only like coffee if it's cold."
Henry scrunched his brows. "Hmm, maybe this arrangement should be called off."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I'm not sure I can date someone who has enough energy to care about someone else's coffee order."
Henry laughed as he stared at the table and back at me. "Okay. Tell me the things that a boyfriend of yours should know."
I hadn't really thought about this at all. Usually, you learn these things as you go. But I was reminded that this was forced, and we were running on limited time.
"Um. So I'm twenty-three, born and raised in New Zealand. My middle name is Rose. I studied for a Bachelor of Commerce, and now I own a group fitness studio."
Henry's eyes widened. "Seriously?" I nodded, not surprised by his reaction. Everyone widened their eyes when I told them I was a business owner.
"That's impressive. What kind of group fitness?"
"Mainly the basics. Spin. Pilates. Dance. Yoga."
"And you teach yourself?" Henry asked. He genuinely seemed interested, which was odd because no one really seemed to care beyond the words "I run my own group fitness studio".
"I do. I have contractors who teach regularly, but when I'm at home I tend to put on extra classes."
Henry sat up further in his chair. I had never seen someone look so impressed with my decision. The studio was still small, with only around sixty members. Many people doubted my decision to not utilise my degree in a different way i.e., by going down the corporate path. But as cliché as it was, I ignored them all and followed my dreams. Henry was the first person to look at me without disbelief.
"How about you?" I asked...once the silence became awkward.
Henry adjusted in his seat. "Well, I'm twenty-six. Monégasque. I've been racing since I was a child, and I joined Formula One in twenty-eighteen."
I nodded, realising this was going to be much easier for me than for him. A quick Google search could've given me those same answers.
"And you joined with Astro Racing, but you've switched to Santoro this year?"
Henry's cheeks flushed a light pink. I guess he didn't like talking about himself—which, again, was very surprising. "Yes, that's all correct."
I nodded again. "Cool. Any siblings?"
Henry's smile dropped. I didn't know what part of my question made the small chunk of wall that I'd knocked down go back up, but he seemed closed off. "I have a younger brother. He's also a racer but for MotoGP."
I smiled. "Wow, what a successful family."
Henry smiled again, which gave me a wave of relief. "I could say the same about your family. Is it just you and Theo?"
I nodded. "It sure is. He's been a great brother."
"I can tell." I had a feeling Henry wanted to ask something else, but he held himself back.
Our coffee arrived a few seconds later, and I took a large sip from the paper straw. Henry laughed, and I looked up, straw still in my mouth.
"What?" I said. "At least I don't have to play with the foam on the top of the coffee while I wait for my drink to cool down."
Henry stopped mixing his flat white and placed the little teaspoon on the side of the saucer. "So, let's set some rules."
"Henry Toussaint wanting to set rules? I never thought I'd see the day," I mocked. I'd known this man for all of three days, and I'd learned his personality was quite different from what was painted.
He shook his head and smiled. "I can see how you're related to Theo."
I gasped. "Stop insulting me like that." We both erupted into laughter, the banter flowing as comfortably as an inside joke.
"So, we'll do this until we both get what we want," Henry began. "I sign a contract to keep my sponsors. You win back the heart of your beloved Jeremy."
I didn't realise Henry's sponsors were the reason why he wanted to do this. I figured Maurice had just asked him to get his shit together. The prospect of losing the people who were fuelling the team and their development must've been frightening.
"That sounds good," I said. "And you're more than welcome to keep up your sexcapades. But it may be for the best to keep them behind closed doors. It won't help your reputation to be seen as a cheater."
Henry nodded. "Of course. I can work with that."
"Any more rules?"
Henry looked at the roof in contemplation before returning his gaze to me. "No falling in love."
I almost spat out my coffee before my shock turned into laughter. Of all the rules he could've made, this was the last one I expected to come out of his mouth. Wasn't that already a given? I mean, we were polar opposites. He was the charming playboy. I was the rule-abiding chick that some would likely call a bitch. Falling in love didn't need to be a rule for such a situation to occur.
Henry almost looked hurt at my reaction, so I felt the need to stroke his ego.
"Don't you worry, pretty boy," I began. "You're hot, but you're definitely not boyfriend material. There will be no emotions attached to this arrangement."
Henry folded his arms with amusement. "I knew you thought I was hot."
I rolled my eyes, finding it oddly predictable that he had selective hearing when it came to his looks. "I guess we're sorted then. Keep this up till we get what we want. Keep all other affairs behind closed doors and—" I had to stop myself and giggle as I thought about what Henry had said a moment ago. "And no falling in love."
Henry was not impressed with my mockery, but he nodded in agreement. He shifted in his seat. "How are we going to launch it?"
I bit my lip as I thought about it. "Do you want to soft launch or hard launch?"
Henry stared at me blankly. "There's different ways?"
I shook my head as I laughed. "I thought you would've known this." I held out my hand. "Give me your phone."
He did as I asked and handed me his shiny iPhone fifteen. Without thinking, I typed in my own password.
One. Nine. Zero. Eight. Zero Five.
The phone unlocked straight away. I paused, staring at Henry who was equally as confused.
"Did I just unlock your phone with my password?" I said cautiously.
Henry's expression remained unwavering as he said, "The nineteenth of August. Two Thousand and Five."
I sighed. Mine wasn't just a combination of words either. It reflected the actual day. "Why the specific date?" I asked, nervous to hear his answer. That day didn't come with positive memories for me.
"It was the day my parents got married. How about you?" Henry asked.
That specific date was the day my dad passed away, but I didn't want to bore him with the sentimental details. We weren't friends, and we most definitely did not need to unpack each other's burdens. "I just chose a random number sequence," I said, grinning. It was crazy how one day could be the happiest day for someone and the most tragic for another.
Henry nodded, still seemingly shocked at the coincidence.
"Okay," I said as I grabbed his hand and placed it flat on the table. I moved our coffees closer together and lay my hand on top of his. He didn't move a muscle as I hovered his phone and snapped a side view of our two hands holding.
"Perfect." I swiped along to get a semi-decent filter and typed, "Coffee date" in a cursive font with a red heart on the end. I also tagged myself so I could repost the story on my account. Not that I had a large following or anything.
I handed the phone back to Henry. "There. Soft launch, done."
Henry analysed it before nodding in approval. "Impressive. You a wannabe influencer of something?"
I laughed. "Let's just say I went through a phase during my first year of uni."
Henry chuckled before his frown reappeared at the sight of a video on his screen. He quickly shut his phone off and shoved it into his pocket.
"So, you should probably give me your number now, ma chérie," he said with a wink.