With a smile still on her face Keira woke up, she had been dreaming about her being a F1 driver and she had just won her first race before she was rudely woken by Tom jumping on her bed.
'Wake up, it's almost time to leave!' he yelled while pulling on her sheets. Already dressed and clearly ready to go he tried to get Keira out of bed.
She pulled the pillow over her head to block out the bright light. She grabbed her phone from the night stand to check the time. 'We have an hour left,' she groaned and threw her pillow at Tom.
Tom caught it with a big smile on his face before sitting down on the bed. 'But you girls always take hours to get ready, so I thought I would help,' he said still smiling.
'Other girls do, I only take maximum fifteen minutes to get dressed and stuff,' Keira said still half asleep. Going back to sleep was not an option anymore and she cursed Tom under her breath.
'You'll have time enough to get ready then,' Tom said and he tried to make it sound as if that was a good thing. He threw back Keira's sheets and got up from the bed, leaving a very disgruntled Keira behind.
'Thanks a million,' she yelled at him when he left the room. Tom gave her a innocent smile and closed the door behind him.
Now that she was up it was no use to keep laying in bed, so she swung her legs over the edge to get out. Rummaging in her suitcase to find some clothes she found her Alonso hat again. With a smile she put it on her head and looked at herself in the mirror. Yes, Seb would definitely not like this and she grinned. She decided on a pair of jeans and a top, because she wasn't sure if a dress was really appropriate for today. Also she liked to be comfortable and a pair of jeans definitely were the way to go then.
'You look the perfect Ferrari fan,' Abby grinned when Keira walked into the kitchen. She was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in her hands.
'That's what I was going for,' Keira answered and she put on her pair of sunglasses and pouted her lips. This completed her look of being a rich woman who loved Ferrari, but knew nothing about the team except they were dressed in red.
'Seb will hate you, you know that right?' Tom had raised his eyebrows and was sitting on the edge of the table while eating a croissant.
Keira shrugged her shoulders and also grabbed a croissant. 'Hang on, how did we get these?' she said with a puzzled look on her face while staring at her croissant. She couldn't remember them buying them or being in the room. Not that she minded, because croissants were probably her favourite food to start the day with.
Tom pointed to a cart that was standing in the hall way. 'Room service suddenly appeared,' he grinned. 'Must be your friend,' he added with a wink.
Abby agreed with Tom and dipped her croissant into her coffee, very un-French like. 'He knows you very well, sending croissants and stuff.'
'Apparently,' Keira replied and made a mental note to thank Seb later. He really had thought of everything and she was curious what more surprises Seb would come up with this weekend.
They sat chatting for a while and eating all the other twelve croissants, because it would be a waste to leave them go to waste. Yesterday had been a whole new experience for them all and hearing the cars on track had made their ears bleed. Luckily Seb had arranged ear plugs, so they were protected against the noise. On Thursday evening during dinner Seb had told them that he wouldn't expect to be as competitive as the McLarens and the Ferraris this weekend. Because Monza was a power dependent circuit and everyone knew the Renault engine lacked top speed, so it would be difficult to keep up with the rest. It had shown in practice yesterday, neither Red Bull had managed to get into the top ten and they knew today wouldn't be much better. Therefore they were discussing who would qualify on pole today. Tom was sure that Hamilton would get it, while Abby went for Alonso because of the Tifosi.
'It gives you at least a few tenths,' Tom agreed with Abby and he put down his empty mug.
'What about Räikkönen?' Keira suggested as she didn't want to exclude her old favourite driver.
'Hmm, the Lotus seems fast indeed, but for some reason they are never able to turn it into a result,' Tom answered while rubbing his chin. 'I don't think they'll be able to snatch pole from a fast Lewis Hamilton.'
'Button then?' Abby's eyes lit up when she remembered the British driver. Yesterday she had spotted Jenson walking with his suit half down and since then she had taken an interest in him, to the annoyance of Tom.
'Also a good choice,' Tom nodded appreciatively.
'We'll find out this afternoon,' Keira said and she adjusted her hat. 'At least someone will qualify on pole,' she grinned.
'Smartass,' Abby rolled her eyes and they all laughed.
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The paddock was buzzing, the motor homes were full of people who had popped in for lunch and the sun was shining brightly. Anticipation filled the air and it was clear that everybody expected a close qualifying battle. In third practice there had been only thousands between Alonso and Hamilton and that made the Tifosi hopeful and very loud.
'It's amazing how good care Red Bull takes of all their guests,' Abby looked at her empty plate and then up to the other people in the motor home. They were all chatting happily and everybody seemed to enjoy their lunch.
'I don't mind,' grinned Tom and he also cleared his plate.
Keira sipped on her white wine and looked away from the group of Red Bull personnel she had been staring at. 'Especially when it's Italian food,' she agreed with Tom. She could happily get accustomed to this kind of food, it was better than she was able to produce.
'We can go by the other motor homes to see what they serve their people?' Tom suggested with a smirk. 'We don't have to go inside, just look at what people are eating and if something looks better, make Seb take us there tomorrow,' Tom made himself clear when he had spotted the faces of Keira and Abby.
'If they serve pizza somewhere, then that's where I am tomorrow,' Abby said and her eyes glazed over when she was thinking about pizza. She clearly had a slight obsession and didn't let a chance to eat it go by.
'We'll see, let's go,' Tom signalled to the two girls and they all went outside again.
'They're all serving pasta,' Abby pouted as they had walked past several of the motor homes.
'I think pizza isn't the same level of finesse as lobster and champagne, I guess,' Keira chuckled and she gave her friend a pat out of pity.
'Why does everything have to revolve around money?' Abby said in disgruntlement and she put her sunglasses on her head. Her eyes were narrowed and she was stretching her head to look inside the Lotus garage. 'Pasta again,' she exclaimed.
Tom and Keira both laughed at Abby's frustration and they put their arms around her shoulders. They often walked like this and it had taken a bit of practice to keep the right pace and not wipe out any other people. When they passed by the Ferrari motor home Keira suddenly crossed eyes with someone she had met before. His brown eyes locked with hers and a smile appeared on his face when he recognised her. He said something to the person he had been talking to and made his way over to the group.
Keira felt her heart starting to pound when she noticed him walking into their direction. What was he doing, why was he coming over? She tried to control her breathing and let her arm slip from Abby's shoulder. Abby shot her a quizzical look and Tom was goggling when he spotted Alonso.
'Keira, wasn't it?' Alonso spoke when he was standing in front of Keira. His wavy hair and his stubble were a bit longer than normal, but it was looking good on him. With a wink and a broad smile he made himself look even more attractive.
Keira couldn't look away and she had to agree that he knew how to present himself. 'Hi,' she said and hoped she didn't sound like an idiot. To make sure that was the case she gave him a small smile. She ignored the pokes from Abby and Tom, because she knew they didn't understand the situation. She hadn't told them about her encounter with Alonso the other night and she had hoped she never had to.
'I see you are supporting me,' Alonso pointed at Keira's hat. 'Good choice,' he said appreciatively.
'Actually, she's suppo-,' Tom began, but Keira stood on his foot to make him shut his mouth.
'Not now,' she hissed so that Alonso couldn't see or hear it. He was not going to ruin this too, like he had done with Sebastian. She didn't know what she had to say to Alonso, but it looked like he wasn't expecting her to say something anyway.
'I'm glad we meet again,' he said with that broad smile again. He fixed his hair and scratched his neck, obviously to show off his muscles. 'I have been thinking about you,' he winked again and this time it was a significant one.
Shocked by what he had said Keira felt her cheeks turning red. His eyes were still fixed on hers and a sly smile was playing on his lips. He was as forward now as he had been at the restaurant and it was difficult to get her head around his intentions.
Noticing her blushing, Alonso took a step closer to Keira. 'Maybe you want to go out for a drink tonight?' he asked confidently and he flashed his white teeth. He grabbed her hand again and made sure this time she couldn't pull it away.
Keira froze when she heard the question, this wasn't happening. Alonso the double world champion was asking her out for a drink? Why on earth was he doing that and he was looking at her again in that way he also done in the restaurant. Her eyes lingered on his strong arms and she debated with herself if she even wanted to go out with him. Of course he was good looking and that Spanish temperament was something that she liked, but she didn't know him at all. Also what on earth was she going to tell her friends if she did, they would never stop teasing her again. On the other hand she had missed going out, being here in Italy had reminded her of life in college where they had gone out on a regular basis. She couldn't remember the last time she had gone out with a guy and maybe it was time to step outside her comfort zone and just do things when the opportunity came along.
'Yes, I would like to,' she tried to sound confident and she threw her long hair over her shoulders. She noticed Alonso checking her out and it somehow felt good to be noticed by someone. Now all her injuries were almost all gone she didn't feel the need to hide anymore. It had been a long time since she had felt confident enough to show her body in something other than a thick layer of clothes and also to not cringe whenever someone looked at her.
'Great,' Alonso said and his mouth curved into a smile. He ran his hand through his wavy hair, making sure that Keira noticed him and then winked again.
They exchanged phone numbers and Alonso told her where to meet him and how late she had to be there. It was all going so quickly and before Keira knew he had said goodbye and winked again before walking off. She just had enough time to wish him good luck in qualifying and then was suddenly brought back to the present. With a quick look she checked both Abby and Tom, she had forgotten about them for a brief moment and they both were staring at her with wide eyes and open mouths. She clearly had some explaining to do.
'With how many drivers are you actually sleeping?' Tom had folded his arms and a line appeared between his brows. It sounded accusing and he tapped his foot on the floor showing his disapproval.
'None, I swear,' Keira tried to explain herself. She understood that it looked kind of sketchy, but she herself knew that nothing had happened. Also that nothing of that kind would ever happen, she would not let it get that far.
'How on earth do you know Alonso?' Abby asked while still staring at the space where Alonso had disappeared to. 'Seb I can understand because you live in the same town, but Fernando?' she even sounded a bit jealous.
Keira stared at her friends' faces and thought of something to explain. 'I met Fernando in the restaurant on Thursday, but we didn't even have a real conversation,' she said in an unsure voice. 'Honestly,' she added with a stronger voice. It was a word she had been using a lot lately and she blamed Seb for it, he always slipped it into a conversation.
'Why didn't you tell us?' Tom said accusingly. 'Also, what's Seb going to say about this?' a smirk appeared on his face and he was already less angry.
Keira suddenly froze, shit Seb, she hadn't thought about that. How on earth was she going to explain to him that she was going out with his biggest rival? He had told her many times how arrogant and annoying he thought Fernando was. Especially when he had once again told the media that he didn't think Seb was any good, that it was all the car Newey had designed. She suddenly felt guilty and cursed herself for not thinking about that before, but Fernando had came out of nowhere and had been so direct that she hadn't had time to think about anything else than him.
'Oh look who's coming,' Abby pointed at something behind Keira and a devilish smile appeared on her face. She waved and then looked back at Keira with a smug face.
'Hey, I was looking for you,' Seb said cheerfully. He was already wearing his race suit, but the top half was down, like they often did when not in the car.
'Hi,' Keira said nervously and she was almost too afraid to look at him. Her stomach churned and she was feeling even more guilty than before when she caught sight of those blue eyes.
'Looking forward to qualy?' Abby asked.
'Not really, it's not our battle today. If we qualify in the top ten that's the best we can do I guess,' he sighed and his smile faded a little.
'There's always the race,' Tom tried to cheer him up and he was still giving Keira accusing stares when Seb wasn't looking.
'True, let's hope it's a good one,' he said and a corner of his mouth lifted. 'Want to go out for dinner again tonight?' he asked on a happier note. He fiddled with the sleeves of his race suit and ignored the photographer who was taking photos of him.
'We would love too,' Abby said while giving Keira a knowing look.
Keira knew that Abby wasn't going to let this go and knowing she loved to stir things up didn't bode well for Keira keeping this from Seb.
'Only Keira has to leave early,' Abby made sure to lay focus on her last word. 'We have all evening though,' she added before turning her head back to Seb and giving him a smile.
Seb clearly didn't understand what she had meant and was now looking at Keira with his eyebrows raised. 'Why?'
Seeing his blue eyes look in to hers this intently made Keira shiver and her already dry throat made it hard to swallow. He was looking very handsome, although he was wearing his race suit at the moment. The fireproof underwear was very tight and it showed off his body perfectly. She could see a whole lot more of his body shape, because the shirts he normally wore weren't this tight fitted. It looked very good on him and she kept staring at his chest, to avoid having to meet his eyes.
'She's going out tonight for drinks, aren't you Keir?' Abby said with glittering eyes and she clearly enjoyed teasing Keira. She knew Keira wasn't going to tell Seb herself, so somebody else had to do it.
'You are?' Seb looked surprised, but also a bit hurt. The smile that had been on his face had disappeared and he was now just staring blankly at Keira. 'With who?' he then asked slowly. It was clear that he wasn't going to like any answer that they would give him.
Abby shrugged her shoulders and twirled her hair. 'Oh, Alonso,' she said sounding like it was no big deal at all.
In response to that they all turned their heads towards Seb, to see how he would react.