Page 66 of Racing Hearts
At the after-party I stuck to just a few drinks. I fully intended on remembering every part of my Monaco win. Luca, surprisingly, had also decided to drink less. Ever since the kiss after the race, he’d been acting aloof. Instead of being his normal, boisterous self, he was quiet as I got ready for the party. It felt unnerving. Even at the bar, he was attentive when I needed him, but mostly kept to himself.
Truth be told, I was feeling annoyed. I’d won the Monaco Grand Prix, my home race, and for some reason, Luca had decidedthiswas the time he was going to give me the space I had been craving. Instead of grabbing me and giving me my prize, he’d kept his hands to himself all night, and if I was being honest, I was disappointed.
Was this how Luca felt back in Monza after his win?Suddenly, I was starting to understand how he felt.
It was infuriating watching Luca and Lily sit at the bar, innocently chatting away about their races. Green envy slowly crawled up my spine as I watched the two of them. Just as I was about to march up to Luca and demand he give me that prize he promised, I heard a voice call out behind me.
“Georgia, wait up!” Turning around, Anthony smiled at me.
Christ, not now, Anthony.
“Hey, um… so…” I shot him an impatient look as I spared a glance at Luca and Lily chatting a few tables over.
“Spit it out, Anthony.”
He recoiled at my snapping but swallowed before continuing regardless. “Congrats on today. That was an amazing race from you.”
I forced a smile, trying to act polite despite my irritation.
Shifting uncomfortably, Anthony slid his hand through his hair. “Look, Georgia. I know things have been… complicated between us.” Understatement of the year. “But seeing you up there on that podium today, living your dream, it made me realize how much I missed you,” he sighed. “Here you are winning the Grand Prix you’ve been dreaming about, and all I wanted to do was congratulate you. I just, I’m sorry, alright?” I stared back at Anthony in disbelief, mouth wide open. “For before, you know? For not believing in you.”
“Uh huh.” I wanted to kick myself for not being able to say something—anything—better than that. “And this sudden change of heart is because…?”
Anthony lightly laughed. “I know, I know, why would you believe me now? Look, I feel bad for what I said before, and for what I said at the bar. I guess… I’m not really over you.” I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. “You don’t have to say anything back. Seeing you with Luca back in Barcelona, I guess I wasn’t able to handle the truth.”
No way was he being serious.
“The truth being?” I asked cautiously.
“That Luca’s right. That you deserve better than me. I couldn’t handle all of your success, and I was an ass about it, but that doesn’t change the fact I miss you, you know? I miss our late-night conversations, our fun road trips.”
“You sure have a hell of a way of showing it,” I said dryly. “Honestly, Anthony, I’m sort of struggling to believe you right now.”
He cut me off. “I know, and I deserve that. Look, I know you have to get back to your friends, but I just wanted to let you know.” Stunned into silence, all I could do was stare at him while I attempted to process Anthony’s unexpected confession. He reached for me, but before he could grab my wrist, Luca suddenly appeared by my side, a discernible frown on his face. Arms wrapped around my waist in a possessive hold as Luca narrowed his eyes at Anthony.
“Is there a problem here?” Luca’s voice was laced with a subtle threat.
Anthony’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly taken aback by Luca’s sudden appearance. “No problem,” he stammered. “I was just congratulating Georgia on her win.”
“Yes, well, thanks, Anthony,” I said flatly before turning to Luca. “Ready to go?”
He quirked a questioning eyebrow but nodded, letting me drag him into the cab I’d hailed outside of the club.
The ride to my apartment was silent. Truthfully, I didn’t know what to say or think about Anthony’s confession. It was unlikely that this sudden change of heart was genuine, but a part of me wanted to believe the apology anyway. I’d held on to my hate and anguish for so long, and yet watching Anthony apologize to me, it felt unfulfilling.
I didn’t need his apology to feel whole anymore.
His opinion of me didn’t matter. Whether the apology was genuine or not didn’t matter. At this moment, the only thing that mattered was Luca. He was the only person I wanted to spend tonight with, even if it felt like he was ignoring me. The moment the car arrived, we quickly shuffled into my living room, and I was feeling more and more annoyed with him.
He padded over to my fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and turned back to me, smiling slightly. “Well, what a good day. Night, Georgie.” And with that, he waltzed into his room and shut the door.
Why was I fuming? Not for any decent reason I cared to admit. I marched over to my guest room and flung open the door, not sparing him a knock. Inside was a shirtless Luca staring back at me. His eyes conveyed a look of innocent shock, but the ever-so-slight curl of his lip told me otherwise.
“What was that all about?” I demanded.
“Hmm?” he asked casually, setting his water down at his bedside table.
“You!” I yelled back, starting to raise my voice. “You spent the whole night ignoring me by, like,notignoring me.”
