Page 105 of Away With You
“That’s pretty boring,” Rosie says with a pout when I describe this to her.
“Don’t be a brat,” Theo drawls.
She turns and pokes her tongue out at him. “You shush. This is none of your business.”
His eyes narrow, and I tug on my friend’s arm, pulling her back and stopping yet another argument in its tracks. These two could argue with each other under water. It’s pretty incredible to watch.
“Anyway,” I say. “What I need is to get in front of him. I’m hoping the words will flow from there.”
Rosie nibbles on her bottom lip. “I mean, flying across the world is a pretty romantic gesture. You don’t need to do anything more. I guess…”
I gulp.Do I need a big romantic gesture?
“Don’t listen to her.” Theo’s deep voice rumbles through my chair. “Just tell him how you feel.”
Breathing out a sigh of relief, I nod. I can do that.I think?
“Will they still be on the track when we get there?”
Theo glances at his phone and at the screen in front of us. The changes in the time zones between London and Melbourne are no joke. We departed Heathrow Airport Saturday night and will arrive mid-morning, Monday.
Like, what?
“Yeah, we’ll go straight to Albert Park. Nathan is running the afternoon testing, so we’ll see him before he starts.”
Pre-season testing works differently depending on the team. Some teams have one driver test all day, and they alternate days, and others alternate drivers between the morning and afternoon sessions. Looks likeRedline Racingis the latter, and this means I won’t have to wait for too long to see Nathan in the flesh.
I’ll have just enough time to get my thoughts together. To find the right words. And to sort through this jet lag. After so many hours in the air, I’m barely a human at this point.
“Right, well, good,” Rosie re-enters the conversation. “We can all relax now that we have a plan.”
I chuckle, patting the nerves swirling in my belly. A plan. A plan to get to Nathan and tell him that I love him.Sounds pretty simple. Right?
?·?·?
“Geez. It’s hot.”
We exit Melbourne airport into the blinding hot mid-morning sun. After weeks of dreary London where the sun rarely bothers to appear, my corneas are crying out in a panic.
“Welcome to Melbourne. Where the sun is hotter than anywhere else in the world,” Theo drawls while putting on his sunglasses and looking like a supermodel in an ad campaign.
I follow suit, covering my eyes and digging through my Gucci tote for my sunscreen. “Oh right, yes, that whole hole in the ozone layer thing. Gosh, it’s pretty sharp, hey?”
Rosie holds her arms out and purrs like a kitten. “I love it.”
“You’re going to burn,” Theo warns.
“Whatever,” she mutters as we hop into the waiting car. “Always such a killjoy.”
“Someone needs to be the grown-up,” Theo retorts.
I block them out; my eyes are fixed on the view outside my window. We’re now zooming away from the airport, and the nerves in my belly are fighting the bubbles of excitement in there. Because I’m here. I made it to Australia. I did the hard thing, the brave thing, and whether or not things go well with Nathan, I’m ticking this off my bucket list.
For me and my mum.
Different versions of Melbourne flash by my window as we leave the airport and head towards the track, and I don’t want to blink for fear of missing anything. We speed through ugly, grey industrial areas, which morph into trendy eclectic streets and alleyways, complete with amazing graffiti artwork and funky-looking cafes on every corner. After this, we cross over the Yarra River and are gifted with a magnificent view of the bay, the coastline and the beach beyond that. I’m so wrapped up in soaking it all in—this city is gorgeous!—I’m caught off-guard when the Albert Park Grand Prix track is upon us.
“We’re here?” I ask the silent car. Somewhere along the thirty-minute drive, Theo and Rosie had given up arguing and had sunk into a grumpy silence instead.
