Hello everyone! This chapter originally got to be so long I needed to split it in half. So, the other part is ready, and I can't wait to share it with you soon. Until then, I hope you like it :)
Of course I couldn't get up in the morning. I overslept two of my alarm clocks, and it was Vicki calling me at 10 what woke me up in the end.
"I'm here," I said in a harsh voice answering her call.
"God Clara, I'm waiting for you for 30 minutes now. I had so much patatas bravas for breakfast I'm not eating again until the family dinner on Saturday."
I giggled on her vow, because I was sure she will break it at very moment I show her my favourite churros place.
"Then wait a bit more please, I'll be there in a minute," I promised.
I buried my face in my palms, softly massaging my eyes to freshen up a bit. The memories from last night flashed back, with Charles's words echoing in my head. I still couldn't believe what he said last night about us, and that he would go out together. So far, I was convinced we were just a casual thing, but that wouldn't include going public for sure. At least for me. Some celebrities don't care about being seen with casual flings, but Charles wasn't like this as far as I knew. He had several girlfriends before, but all relationships seemed serious. I know, I checked all of them online, hence we never discussed his love life. I don't even know if he sees anybody beside me. Fuck, I don't know anything about him. We do all the things but talking...
I sighed, and got out of the bed to get ready. I hurried down to the restaurant but I was so late I missed breakfast. Luckily, Vicki saved me a huge mug of coffee. It was plain black, just as I liked.
"Thank you," I said, grabbing the cup and sipping.
"So, did you drink this much last night?" She smirked at me, clearly thinking I was the drunk and not her yesterday. And I couldn't admit that while she was already passed out in her bed I was out sightseeing and arguing with Charles Leclerc until dawn.
"Well, I guess," I shrugged.
We agreed on doing a bit of sightseeing before I start to get ready for Carlos' party. Vicki informed me about Max arriving safely. I smiled on the thought - if all fails, he will be there to save me. That made me a little more secure, thinking about today's evening. I still wasn't sure how would it turn out, but I honestly hoped it'd be fun.
We just climbed up to Parc Güell, when my phone rang. It was incredibly hot, we were sweating and I panted as I stopped to take my phone out of my pocket and answered. It was Daniel.
"Hey Clara," he said in an all too happy voice.
"Hi," I said, short of breath. "Sorry, but I'm mountain climbing at the moment," I panted. Vicki stopped next to me, and gulped half the content of her water bottle.
"Great," he said, not really caring about me suffocating, clearly didn't call for checking up on my vitals. "So, today," he started hesitantly, his voice not so confident anymore. "You're still coming, right?" He asked.
I nodded, then I realised, he can't see me.
"Yes, of course," I said. "What time it is? When?"
Fuck, I don't know anything about this, and my stomach made a loop again.
He giggled shortly on the other side of the line.
"See, that's why I called you. It starts at 8 and it's about an hour away. So I could pick you up around 7? If that suits you," he explained.
My stomach made the next loop on the thought of me arriving with Daniel, when Charles could see us.
Shit Clara, you are going deep here.
"Yes, it works for me," I answered anyway after a brief sigh. There was a short silence which felt a bit awkward.
"Great, then text me your address and I'll be there," he promised.
"Thank you."
"See you, Clara from England," he said, gently laughing. I laughed too, because calling me that brought back the memory of our first meeting.
"Bye," I said, still smiling and hung up.
"Was it Dan?" Vicki asked. She was sitting in a tiny bit of shade, made by the only tree in the street.
"Yes," I admitted.
"I could have guessed," she said with her all-knowing look which I already knew from yesterday.
"He picks me up at 7," I said, not really knowing what to do with that information.
"Yes, that's what guys usually do," she laughed, then stood up from the rock she was sitting on. "Come on, I want to see some more Gaudi before your date starts," she murmured, only to herself.
"I could hear you, and it's not funny," I said and went after her.
On our way back to the hotel, we finally had some good churros, which Vicki adored.
"Oh my god, it's fantastic," she said.
"I know, right? Too bad, we have to run twice as much tomorrow," I said, looking at her meaningly. We were determined to continue our tradition of the little running club on race weekends, and hoped the Ferrari girls and Aurelie could join us as well.
A little after six I managed to narrow down my choice of clothing to two options. It was jeans with a flower printed blouse or a white, short summer dress. I glanced at Vicki, who was sitting on the couch, fiddling with her phone.
"I'd stick with the dress," she said, no hesitation in her voice. I nodded in agreement.
"And that pink lipstick of yours - the one you used last night - would match with that perfectly," she mentioned and it made me roll my eyes. However, I put it on. If I'm going to a party with all the f1 drivers, at least I wanted to look good.
I was satisfied with the end result, and gladly realised I was still on time.
"Wow, Clara," Vicki was amazed, seeing me. "I guess I'm used to your Red Bull t-shirts now," she said. "But you look particularly sexy like this."
I blushed on her comment.
"Thanks," I giggled.
We said goodbye, and after Dan called me I went to the hotel lobby to meet him.
He was near the entrance and - to my surprise - was speaking with Max. I was happy seeing him, least that'd took the edge of things a bit. As I walked closer, Dan noticed me, and visibly forgot to answer Max's question, because the Dutch was talking to him then turned around. Both of them had their eyes on me and grinned like fools.
Shit, I should've gone with the jeans. And probably a used Red Bull t-shirt.
"Hi," I said and hoped I'm not blushing before reaching them. That would be awkward.
Daniel nodded.
"Wow, girl," whistled Max, "I didn't know you're this hot."
I could laugh on his comment, and gently kicked him with my elbow on his side.
"Shut up," I said.
"Ok, I'm out of here in a moment," he said on a fake huffish voice. "I'm just waiting for Vic."
"Oh, she's coming as well?" Dan asked in a surprised tone.
"Yeah, if ever she gets ready," Max said and sighed. He told me previously that maybe he's inviting his sister, who is also coming to the Grand Prix. They were very close, and personally I couldn't wait to meet her. Max was sure we could get on well.
"Anyways, you just go ahead," he said and an evil grin appeared in the corner of his mouth. "I'll overtake you anyways, Ricciardo."
I laughed out loud on that comment, but it was now time for Daniel's cheeks to turn pink.
"Bye, Max," he said simply, and gestured towards the door. I smiled at him encouragingly.
He was driving a blue Infiniti SUV, similar to Max's. It was huge and comfortable, spacious in the inside. I settled in the passenger seat cosily.
"So, what do you want to listen to?" He asked, when he started the engine.
"Whatever," I shrugged. "I'm mainly good with anything but jazz."
"You're lucky I'm not the jazz type," he smiled. Then he forgot his eyes on me for long seconds.
"Hey, you should check where you head," I warned him. He scoffed, and overtook the car ahead of us.
"You're lucky I'm the racing driver type," he smirked, eyes now on the road. I nodded, and watched the landscape changing for a few minutes. The next song came on, and actually I recognised it.
"Is it Hilltop Hoods?" I asked and he looked at me so surprised his mouth fell open a little.
"Do you know them?" He asked.
"I do," I couldn't hold back my laugh seeing his expression.
"Wow, Clara," he said. "You are incredible." I frowned, he acted like I was kind of a freak.
"Why?"
"Nothing, it's just... Never mind." He shook his head. I didn't want to get it more weird, so I left the subject. I was looking out of the window, and he was humming to the song which made me smirk again.
"You know, I know them, " he said after a while. "The guys from the 'Hoods."
I nodded. They were all Australian.
"I should have guessed," I smiled.
"Last summer Matt and I went on to karting in Adelaide, it was fun," he explained.
"Oh, it must have been fun," I nodded. Mentioning Australia got me thinking about his origins.
"Do you plan to move back?" I asked him. He was thinking for a couple of seconds, then sighed.
"Yep, I guess," he began. "That'll be always my home. I love Monaco, but all my friends are back in 'Straya. And My family," he explained, and I nodded understandingly.
"So, you'll become an old farmer on a distant farm?" I asked him giggling. He laughed out too.
"Yes, actually I'd be fine with that. You know, to have a calm life, being settled down, a family for my own, kids running around..." He explained, and looked at me with a shy smile.
I nodded, because I could totally picture this guy playing in a big house with his kids. Although, settling down would mean the end of his career.
"So, what about the racing?" I asked curiously. I could see him biting his lip.
"Well, of course that's my life now," he started after clearly thinking it through. "And I love it. But if I find someone I can imagine my life with, I'd be happy to start a new chapter," he said, his eyes still fixed on the road. I watched his face, looked for any clues, but failed to find any. I had to ask.
"Is Daniel Ricciardo talking about retiring?" I asked with disbelief. He looked at me, with a half smile.
"I... can't comment on that," he said in the end, and the politically correct answer got us both laughing.
"And what about you?" he asked, and stole a glance before turning back to the road.
"What about me?" I asked back.
"What are your plans for the future?"
I bit the inside of my cheeks. Well, it was not like I'm clearly planning anything, considering my current situation. I sighed.
"Well, of course I want a family. And I want to remain working as a doctor," I said, and he nodded curtly.
"It's not like something you can stop doing, right?" he asked. I shook my head.
"I can't imagine doing anything else," I smiled. If anything, I was damn sure of that.
That got us both thinking for a few minutes.
Soon, we arrived to the Sainz Villa. It admired the beautiful building, which already had some cars parking in the front. Nice lights were hanging everywhere as decorations, and loud music were coming from the back terrace.
Daniel parked, right next to a casually talking Kimi Raikönnen and Sebastian Vettel.
Oh God, we start rough right?
I swallowed, and got out of the car after Daniel hurried to open the door for me.
"Hey, Dan," Sebastian greeted him smiling. I didn't hear if Kimi said anything yet. Instead, the German turned to me.
"Clara, right?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. It really surprised me he remembered my name, but I nodded smiling.
"Yes," I said. "Hi," I added, also turning to Raikönnen. He checked me out, and offered his hand.
"It's always good to have nice girls around here," he shook my hand, and I felt I was blushing.
"So, we should go inside, right?" Daniel asked, and gently put his hand on the small of my back. I sighed as I felt the warmth of his hand through the thin fabric. God, I hope he only touched me by accident, and it never happens again, otherwise I'd spend this whole night with a red face, sweating.
We left the two friends in the parking lot and walked into the house. Carlos opened the door, and a big smile appeared on his face as he saw us.
"Dan," he hugged the Australian. "Come in, have a beer," he pulled us inside and during that - as a matter of factly he introduced himself.
"I'm Carlos," he said. "I'm happy that you came. Please, enjoy yourself," he nodded, and handed us two beers.
Then he left to hurry out to greet other guests. I looked at he beer in my hand, and then I looked at Daniel, disappointedly.
"What?" He asked, frowning.
"I hate beer," I admitted, pouting. He shoot me a fake disappointed look, then grabbed my hand and pulled me with him.
I tried to protest, because I had no idea were we are going, but he didn't stop.
We should have been arrived rather early, because the kitchen was empty. A lot of food, and drinks were waiting on the counter to be served.
Daniel went to the double door fridge and casually opened it. I grinned on his randomness, he acted like he was living here for years. He even hummed the music coming from the garden.
"Geez, these guys are well prepared," he stepped aside to show the inside of the fridge.
He was right - it was full of drinks, beers, wines as well as several bottle of spirits.
"What do you want, my lady?" He curtsied, gesturing to the drinks. He managed to make me laugh again.
"Wine, please," I asked, and sat down to one of the chairs at the kitchen isle.
He poured two glasses of rosé, and handed me the drink when Lando Norris entered the kitchen from the back door.
He was wearing a cooking apron with a "kiss the cook" writing on the front, and had strong smell like smoke.
"Hi," he said, smiling at me. "I'm Lando."
"Hello, I'm Clara," I nodded. He turned to Daniel, and hugged him.
"Hi, mate," Daniel greeted him. "What are you up to?"
"Well, I'm making dinner," he straightened proudly. Daniel and I bursted out laughing. Somehow, it wasn't believable at all.
"Do you need help?" I asked. He shook his head protesting.
"No, thank you. I'm good, and you'll see it's amazing," he promised. "You just have fun," he waved, and next second he was out of the kitchen with a foiled tray in his hand.
I looked a Daniel frowning, but he raised his hand.
"Don't ask," he said, laughing.
"OK," I nodded, and sipped a bit of my wine to prepare myself for what you cannot prepare for.
We decided to walk around, and ended up at the back terrace, were it seemed like the center of the party would be.
Lando was enthusiastically flipping burger patties, and a long table were already neatly settled for dinner.
There was a DJ set as well, and some dance music was played from a mobile phone connected to it.
A blonde girl was putting out glasses quietly. After she finished, she came to us, and greeted Daniel, and introduced herself. She was Isa, the girlfriend of Carlos.
In a few minutes, another big group of guests arrived, including Max and his sister Victoria.
I waved to Max and they came closer. Victoria was smiling at us for afar. She was wearing a colourful long skirt and a denim jacket. Her hair was the same colour as Max's.
"Hey, guys," she nodded. "Dan," she hugged the Australian tight, then turned to me."Clara, it's so good to finally meet you," she said, and hugged me too. "Thanks for what you did for my brother," she whispered in my ear.
"I was happy I could help," I smiled.
"Oh, I'm not talking about medical stuff, I mean being his friend," she waved me down. "It's a huge help he doesn't whine to me all the time on the phone," she laughed.
"Victoria!" Max snapped which made us all laughing.
"Well, it looks like the class of 2018 just arrived," said Victoria with a scoff. I turned to the direction where she was looking, and saw that a new bunch of guests arrived. I understood at once what was she referring to.
Pierre Gasly, his girlfriend Kate, Alex Albon, George Russell and Charles Leclerc just walked in. I tried to ignore my stomach sinking to the floor by the sight of the Monégasque and sipped some more wine.
"Let's go and say hi," said Daniel enthusiastically.
Oh no, let's not. Let's so not, Daniel.
Anyways, we walked there. Carlos, as the perfect host was already there, and with the help of Isa, they poured some liquor to everybody.
"Here you are, Clara," he smiled at me when he handed me a drink. "Oh, do you know these guys?" He asked, frowning.
"Well," I started. Of course I knew them. But they didn't know me - well at least apart from the one I spent most of the previous night together with. I sighed, but Carlos seemed to understand my confusion, and gestured towards me.
"Hey guys, this is Clara."
I blushed, and nodded towards the young drivers. They all smiled politely and and greeted me.
"She is the new doctor at Red Bull," Carlos kindly continued. "She is with Daniel," he added in the end.
My eyes almost fell out of their sockets from the surprise. What? God, why would he say such a thing? Fuck. No. Fuck. Why? I felt like my face was on fire.
"No, she isn't." A little to my right, Charles snapped, incredibly fast.
The previous polite smile was nowhere to be seen on his face now. Instead, his nose flared and he narrowed his eyes.
Seeing him like that got me sober up in an instant. So I gulped and I forced a smile on my face.
"Well, Daniel was just kind enough, and invited me," I grinned, turning to Daniel who was standing next to me. He nodded with some proudness on his face.
"So, are we guys here for drinking, or what?" Victoria asked, and raised her glass. It made Carlos come out of his probable shock after the awkward comment. He turned to me and Dan, and whispered an inaudible "sorry". I smiled at him, and shook my head. It wasn't his fault, he simply misunderstood the situation.
"Well, I'd like to dearly welcome everyone here, I hope you'll have a good time. And next, we will have an even better time on the weekend. Aplausos!" He said and raised his glass. All the others followed, and I also drank the golden liquor. It was horrible, strong, felt like my trachea suffered third degree burns. I could see the others feeling the same.
Pierre was coughing, and Victoria made a disgusted face
"What on earth was this?" She asked. Carlos laughed.
"This, my dear Victoria was a chupito, made from Orujo, truly Spanish and as strong as fifty percent," he proudly explained. Victoria rolled her eyes.
"I need my gin and tonic," she insisted, and left to go into the kitchen.
"Guys, if you are finished, the burgers are ready," Lando shouted to the crowd from behind the grill. Overall applause followed, and people began to take their seats at the big table.
I sat down between Max and Daniel, on the other side of the table were Pierre and his girlfriend. Lando insisted on bringing burgers to everyone. He was super enthusiastic, hurrying back and forth, serving everyone. He even brought another beer for Kimi.
We were chatting casually during eating. It was nice to meet the rest of the drivers, I was still surprised to see they are the same, human beings like me. Daniel was joking around with everyone, once making Kate laugh so hard she nearly pissed herself. Pierre made all the devilish comments. And Victoria and Max was the best and worst pair of siblings I ever met.
"Oh fuck, why did Sainz have to invite this fuckhead?" Max cried out angrily when Esteban Ocon arrived with Lewis Hamilton.
"Hey Max," Pierre leaned closer to him across the table, grinning. "Which one do you mean exactly?" This managed to get us all laugh, including Max.
"Either one Pierre," Victoria answered. "He hates everyone equally."
Max nodded and grinned evilly.
"Lando, it was fantastic," Carlos stood up after the majority finished. "Thank you, my friend."
He clapped, and we joined. The food was really good, and if it was all Lando's work then he totally deserved the appreciation. The English smiled shyly at the other end of the table.
"Well done, kid. Now, let's drink," shouted a semi drunk Kimi Raikönnen, and handed him a beer. Lando took it with a red face, and sipped a bit. Kimi patted his shoulder like a proud father. Next to them, Sebastian and Nico grinned at each other tellingly.
"Oh god, is it his first time drinking or what?" Victoria leaned in to see him better.
Max shrugged and looked at Daniel, but he was clueless as well.
"I have no idea man, you stream with him all the time," he said to the Dutch.
"Yeah, but we never really talk about personal stuff," Max said, and clearly was thinking. "In fact, we don't talk much personal stuff," He looked around the table.
Daniel raised his eyebrows surprised.
"What, you mean we don't talk much?" he asked Max, clearly referring to himself. The other one grinned in his beer.
"Fuck no, Daniel, you are always whining to me about your love life," he said with a shit eating grin.
I looked at him, and couldn't stop myself thinking. Is he? About whom? It must be that fan girl. Or that blonde reporter? Wait. Maybe he has a thing for blondes?
Daniel scoffed, and his face turned red in a second.
"Shut it," he mumbled, and buried his face in his palms.
"No, I meant the others, I barely know what these guys are doing outside of track," Max said.
"Yes, maybe we should hang out more," Pierre told him. "Next time, we can go to hunting together in Canada," he proposed with an evil grin.
"Good choice darling, let's hope nobody shots his rivals," Kate said, and it made everyone laughing hard.