Slipping my hands into my gloves, I smiled to myself as I ran my fingers over the smooth material before I checked my reflection in the mirror. My pink dyed hair was straight and parted in the middle, my eye makeup matching the light shade of pink of my hair. I smiled as I reached into my pocket and pulled out my pink balaclava before the door to my private room opened.
I glanced up in the mirror before I smiled at the person who had entered the room. "What are you doing here, Charles?" I turned to face him, a smile creeping across my lips as he closed the door behind himself.
"I wanted to see you before we go out there," he told me.
My eyes looked him up and down; honestly, he looked as hot as fuck standing there in his red overalls. The red was a stark contrast to my Red Bull overalls, I just wanted to pull him close to me, but I knew that if I did, then I would not be starting this race.
Placing my hands on the wall behind my back, I grinned at him. "Are you afraid that I might go out there and beat you?" I teased him as I rocked slightly on my heels.
Charles stepped forward, his hands either side of my head as he looked at me with the overly intense stare that he had from time to time. "Make me a promise, just this one thing. Please."
My eyes flickered between his hands either side of my head before I looked returning my gaze to his, "I can promise not to go easy on you out there," I winked at him as I put my hands on his arms as I held him close to me.
He placed a kiss on my lips, a quick tender kiss before he pulled away from me a little. "You are such a tease, mon amour." He removed his hands from the wall before lacing his fingers through mine, "But seriously, Melody. This is your home race," he reminded me as he wiped the smile from his face. "I know how excited I was at my first home race. Please don't take any crazy risks out there," he advised me as he held me close to him. "Promise me, you will be safe out there, Melody."
Nodding my head, I smiled widely at him. "You don't need to worry about me."
"I do though," he spoke softly before kissing me on my right cheek. "I have to go," he removed his fingers from mine before he smiled at me. "Please, Mel?"
"I'll do my best to be a good girl on the track," I winked at him as he opened the door. "Please don't expect me to go easy on you," I kissed him on the left cheek before I left the room with him at myself. He headed out of my garage and towards his own.
Walking to my car, I smiled as I approached my team. "How are we looking?" I asked as I ran my fingers along the side of the vehicle.
My race engineer, Scott, put a hand on my shoulder as he approached me. "Everything is looking good for today. Are we all prepared for your home race?"
I nodded excitedly before removing the gloves I was wearing then tucking them into the pockets of my overalls as I smirked. "I feel like a child on Christmas day," I bounced up and down on my tiptoes as I looked around. "Today is going to be a good day!"
XOXOX
Standing next to Charles on the track with the other drivers, I beamed widely as they announced the national anthem was about to start. My smile was wide as I put my hand on my chest and sang the anthem alongside the crowd and my fellow Americans that were on the grid. I noticed Charles watching me out of the corner of his eyes as he listened to the anthem being sung. I winked at him before looking away and continuing on in my own world.
Once the anthem was over, I gave Charles one last glance before I heading towards my car. Scott caught up with me, he passed me my helmet and pink balaclava as we walked. "Get out there and do us proud," he told me as he put his hand on my back. "I know starting from fourth on the grid isn't ideal, but if anyone can do it, it's you."
Looking around, I saw Charles putting his helmet over his head before climbing into his vehicle, he was starting second on the grid. In pole position was Sebastian Vettel, he'd earned it, he worked really hard in the qualifying. Third on the grid was Max, he'd pipped my time at the last minute during the qualifying session, I was gutted to be moved down to fourth, but it was better than being last. Right behind me was Lewis Hamilton who had a shocker of a lap in qualifying, somehow I had managed to out-qualify him.
"I'll see you at the end then," I told Scott before he gave me a nod and walked away to the garage. Putting my headphones into my ears, I listened for any sign of life on the other end of the line before I put my balaclava on. Being the only female on the track gave me the advantage of being recognised even more so when I started to use the colour pink more often, especially when it came to interchangeable items. I put my helmet on, my fingers shaking and fumbling as I did the clasp.
Climbing into my vehicle, I looked in front of me, my eyes catching Max, who stuck his tongue out at me before he turned away. Laughing to myself, I got comfortable in my custom seat before I made sure everything was as safe as possible before I gave the thumbs up to John, who was watching me, waiting for my feedback.
Putting my steering wheel into the car, I pressed a few buttons before I heard Scott's voice in my ears. "It's looking like a lovely day out there, a great day to bring home a trophy."
I chuckled as I leaned back in my seat and stared up at the lights, "I just need to finish this race." My lips curled into a smile as I listened to the cheers of the crowd as people started to move off the track, ready for the opening lap.
Starting my car up, I moved off following the people in front slowly. "Just keep an eye on Lewis," Scott warned me. "He's got a much quicker start than you," he reminded me. "Good luck out there, M."
Scott ceased talking for the rest of the opening lap, and before I knew it, I found myself sitting on the line waiting for the lights to change. My hands shook as I held the wheel, my fingers hovering over the buttons, my foot lingering over the pedal for the accelerator. Everything was quick, my heart, my eyes moving around and my hands shaking.
For a second, I glanced over at Charles' car, my lips curling into a smile behind my balaclava before I returned my attention back to the lights. Today was going to be a good day no matter where I finished, I just couldn't wait to finish this race already to be celebrating with Charles.