Page 92 of Racing Hearts
Edward pointed towards the gifts on the table. “Ooo, what’s this?”
“It’s nothing,” Luca cut in. “Just some promotional stuff I got Georgia a few weeks ago.”
I flashed Lily an “I told you so” look, before dumping the items back into the basket. Even though I was right, it didn’t stop my heart from cracking, and I tried to blink away the tears that were forming. Edward shot Luca a frustrated glance, which Luca pointedly ignored. I stuttered out a thank you, and Luca just curtly nodded as he walked over to his room, throwing his bag onto his bed.
“I’ve got a few things to do, but I’ll meet you all at the dinner tonight,” Luca announced. Not waiting for an answer, Luca slammed his door closed.
At first, I thought it strange that Edward was organizing this dinner for Henri, Lily, Luca and me, but after reading Luca’s press release, I knew why. As soon as his contract with Rennen was announced, my phone blew up with messages. Lily had sent no fewer than five texts filled with question marks and exclamation points, while Henri wanted to know how long I’d known. I didn’t respond to either of them. I figured they could ask Luca themselves at dinner.
It wasn’t like I had the answers anyway.
As promised, Luca met the four of us at the restaurant, which fortunately wasn’t too mobbed with tourists. I’d secretly hoped that I’d have a moment in the hotel room to ask him about his move to Rennen, but every time I went to knock on the door, I chickened out. After his coldness earlier today, space felt safer than rejection.
“Hey! Look what the cat dragged in!” Edward called out to Luca. Taking a seat at the table, Luca thanked Edward for the glass of wine before quickly ordering with the waiter.
“Sorry I’m late. Had to finish a call,” Luca apologized.
Lily leaned in. “So, Luca, I see you signed with Rennen. Why such a big change?”
“It just felt right, I guess,” he said with a shrug, swirling his wine. “It’ll be nice to get a fresh start.”
“Well, sounds like a good move then.” I tried to give him a smile, soft and genuine. But Luca just gave a small nod, barely meeting my eyes, before taking a sip of wine. Seconds later, he excused himself to the bathroom, leaving a lingering silence behind him.
Leaning over, Edward grabbed my wrist, admiring the charm bracelet. “Wow, Luca did an amazing job with the design.”
“I’m sure the Aphrodite Jewelry’s sponsorship team gave him a few pointers.”
Edward shot me a confused look.
Edward’s voice dropped, serious now. “Luca did this by himself, Georgia.”
“I mean, I’m sure he helped, but Aphrodite sponsors both of us—” I started before Edward cut me off.
“Georgia,” he said sternly. “Luca designed these charms himself and ordered the bracelet without any knowledge from the sponsorship team. I saw the designs on his phone before summer break.”
“Wh-why?” I whispered, my voice cracking like thin ice.
“That’s for you to ask him.”
“Well, maybe if he’d stop ignoring me, I would,” I bit out.
Edward gave me a pitying look that made me want to sink under the table. “Look, Georgia, you and Luca will have to work this out between the two of you, but here’s what I can say. Don’t give up on him. Not yet. He might appear to have a laissez-faire attitude, but deep inside, he’s just like you, trying to live up to all the pressure that’s been mounting on him. I’m not sure what happened between you two in Mallorca, but give him a chance to explain when he’s ready.”
Before I could respond, Luca returned, sliding silently into his seat. I tried to catch his eye with a small wave, but he didn’t look up. His focus went straight to his plate, his fork moving mechanically as he picked at his food, eating in silence for the rest of the meal like he wasn’t even in the room with us.
By the time we made it back to the hotel, the sun had long since dipped below the Austrian skyline. Outside the front doors, a crowd of fans buzzed with excitement, their eyes scanning every car that pulled up. We were used to this by now. Fans always found the hotel, no matter how quiet the team tried to be.
Guess it’s their lucky night,I thought grimly, tightening my jacket.
I pushed into the hotel lobby, taking a few selfies while I attempted to maintain the happiest face I could muster. A deep, unsettling voice called out to me.
“Feeling guilty yet for taking a spot from a driver whodeservesto be here? How’s it feel to be a diversity hire?” My body stiffened at the taut, and I quickly scanned the crowd for the source. Lily and Henri spun around, scanning the faces, but Luca beat them to it.
“Come over here and say that to her face!” he demanded.
The crowd’s murmuring quickly turned into a tense silence as Luca locked eyes with the offending fan. With a single hand gesture, he summoned the man to step forward. The sound of phones clicking pulled me out of my haze. No doubt this would be all over social media tomorrow.
Luca’s eyes burned as he pointed directly at the man. “Come on. Let’s hear it again.” The guy stood still, stunned. His mouth opened but no words came out. Luca looked like a man hell-bent on destruction, ready to burn anything in his path. The man was deathly still, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. After a few moments of silence, I finally found my voice.
