Page 85 of Away We Go

Yeah, it does…

RACE ELEVEN

United Kingdom

Silverstone Circuit

18–20 July

CHAPTER 17

Cherry

The grey clouds hovering over Silverstone match my mood perfectly.

It’s another race weekend, the British Grand Prix this time, and one of the most anticipated races of the year. TeamVortex Motorsthink they have their car set up to win this weekend, and the whole place is alive and buzzing with excitement.

All but one, it would seem. That one being me.

It’s been four weeks since the ‘Canadian Incident,’ as it’s been labelled, and Nicky and I have stuck to the plan. We’ve not spent any alone time since he left me in my hotel room in Montreal, and as predicted, the media soon lost interest in me.

Probably because an even bigger, juicier story broke in the interim.

“I feel so bad for Nate,” Serena says, handing me a coffee like the angel she is.

“I know,” I sigh. “It’s bad enough that he has to go through all of this, but to do it so publicly is just brutal.”

The ‘it’ we’re referring to is the sensational headline news reporting that not only did Nathan’s girlfriend and prominent WAG on the F1 circuit dump the onetime World Champion, but she then hooked up with his brother. The whole mess has been splashed over every gossip magazine and tabloid newspaper and the British press have had a field day reporting all the salacious details of their national hero and his cheating ex-girlfriend—making the ‘maybe’ relationship between me and Nicky seem dull in comparison.

It's the only good thing to come out of Nate’s drama, and the guy is so heartbroken I can’t take any comfort from being left in the paparazzi dust.

“Have you spoken to him?” Serena asks. We’re getting ready for the race and are setting ourselves up in our usual spot to capture every moment and post about it on all the team socials.

“Not yet.” Since joining the team, I’ve gotten to know Nathan pretty well and, contrary to my first impression of him, he’s not the arrogant douche I’d built up in my head. He’s a sweet guy; I can see why Nicky likes him so much. And why their so-called bitter rivalry is a construct of the media desperate to make something out of nothing.

Gosh, it feels like the media are in the business of ruining lives around here.

“Hmm, and how about Nicky? Have you spoken to him?”

Serena knows about our plan to stay away from each other and does not agree with it. She believes it’s just giving in, letting the paparazzi dictate our lives, and while I secretly agree, I’m following Nicky’s lead on this one.

“Just some text messages.”

Her nose scrunches up. “There’s always this weekend.”

“What little there is left of it,” I point out. Today is the last race before the mid-season break, meaning that after we leave the track later this afternoon, there will be three long weeks without F1 and without a reason to catch a glimpse of Nicky. Even if it’s just from a distance.

Maybe that’s why I’ve got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach? Because I’m dreading the time apart from him?

“I still can’t believe he’s keeping to his word. Especially in Monaco. I was sure he’d cave and give in there.”

I say nothing, thinking of Nicky’s text messages and how disappointed he seemed to not have me stay at his place. We both knew it was the sensible thing to do, but sometimes doing the right thing just sucks.

“It was for the best,” I parrot the company line, swallowing it down along with a bitter pill of disappointment.

“Hey, is that Nate?”

She points to a forlorn figure sitting off to the side, away from the hustle and bustle of his team’s garage. His arms resting on his knees and his shoulders are bowed. Even from here, I can feel the heartbreak rolling off him.

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