Combined with the sore throat from throwing up and my incredibly empty stomach, the panting isn’t doing me any favours. I desperately need to collect myself and wipe all memory of this morning from my brain. Spend what’s left of this day off resting and rehydrating. Kian said his sister basically advised that, and she’s a nurse so I should probably listen. I’m definitely not ordering a couple of rounds of toast from the room service menu because Kian told me to.
I don’t care what Kian thinksat all.
ChapterNine
Kian
We smash the Australian Grand Prix out of the park. It’s the second time Hendersohm have had two podium places so far this season and I could not be happier to be back on top of the world in first place.
It’s a strong start to the season, and as I reflect back on some of the reasons for this, I grudgingly acknowledge that Harper has brought out the competitive side in me – and maybe this is giving me an edge on the track. Having to look after his sorry ass the other day had an upside: it finally got him to commit to joining me in the gym. He’s actually making the effort, rather than acting like he’s just here to prove a point to our principal, which is nice.
It starts on the treadmill. He picks the one right next to me and at first we warm up gently. I up my speed to a jog and he’s quick to follow. I increase my speed again, and he matches it; I notch it up again, and he’s there alongside me, upping his speed to catch me and then I’m upping mine. It goes on like that until we’re both working hard, practically sprinting, but I can’t stop myself. I can’t bear to let him win. To win what, I have no idea, but it’s exhilarating. My whole body’s on fire, both with excitement and how hard I’m pushing it. I can’t remember the last time, outside of being in the cockpit, when I felt thisalive.
Eventually, he hits the stop button and I experience a moment of intense triumph, before quickly following suit. We pant like dogs as the machines slow us both to recovery walking pace, our gym towels unable to mop up the sweat pouring down our faces quick enough.
It’s the most fun I’ve had in ages. With Harper James, of all people!
‘What do you squat?’ he asks between glugs of a purple-coloured sports drink.
‘One forty. Depends on reps. What about you?’
‘One forty.’ He doesn’t sound sure, though, and I feel like he’s probably going to recklessly try to prove it to me and we’ll have another driver out on injury.
‘Well, I’m doing upper body today now that my cardio’s done,’ I say, ‘so you can save your squatting skills for another time … if we’re doing this together?’ He doesn’t attempt to fight me on this, which is nice for once, and instead follows me to a bicep machine.
Yet we continue to compete, trying to outperform each other on every setup. But the strange thing is that it’s actually a laugh, and I enjoy my routine more than normal. I definitely push myself harder than usual and I have to admit that maybe this new injection of fresh motivation is long overdue in my gym workout.
* * *
Now, unfortunately, it’s time to keep up my end of the bargain. I’m dressed in what Harper has deemed my going-out clothes – a short-sleeved navy blue shirt and denim shorts that feel a little snug. We’re at a bar that he considers appropriate for the celebration and which I would never have come to in a million years if I hadn’t agreed to this deal.
Harper and Johannes charge towards the bar and I find myself wandering in search of a booth that’s a little more out of the way from everyone else. I hate feeling like I’m on show all the time.
They return quickly, two glasses of something dark and stormy in Johannes’s hands and a bottle of beer clutched in Harper’s. Fuck’s sake! I was crystal clear that I just wanted water. Neither says anything as they sidle into the booth around me, matching grins on their faces because they’ve clearly intentionally ignored everything I said.
I don’t think I’ve ever been more uncomfortable in my life. I sneak a peek at my watch. It’s early morning at home. I could be chatting to Elise, giving her some adult conversation before the kids get up and she has to start Mum’s morning routine. The need to be there, even if only virtually, is greater when Grant’s away at a conference.
‘So, Kian, this guy finally dragged you out, huh? How’re you enjoying Oz? S’pose you’ve been coming here for the last decade. Does it ever get boring?’ I know Johannes is just trying to be nice, but I only ever see the inside of the hotel, the track, and whatever venues I get dragged to for interviews.
I wrack my brains for what it was like ten years ago when I was more their age, when life was easier and the pressure wasn’t so great. I was never a big partier, but I did a bit of sightseeing here and there.
‘It’s nice to be in the warm, but I can’t say I’ve seen a lot of it this time round.’
‘I’m telling you,’ Harper starts, the rim of his glass of whatever perched against the bottom of his lip, ‘he doesn’t leave the hotel until qualifiers. He does yoga in his room!’
Rolling my eyes, I almost groan. Not the yoga thing again. I will probably never live this down.
‘Nothing wrong with yoga,’ Johannes says, and my jaw almost drops. I was prepared for the pair to gang up on me. I imagined I’d spend the next hour – the amount of time I agreed I’d stay out for – being teased. ‘The team trainer is quite big on it. He got me into it last year and it helps me loosen up after being cramped into a cockpit for hours at a time. I got that neck strain last season, d’you remember? Yoga’s what fixed it. Well, it’s what’s prevented me getting it again, anyway. I swear by it now.’
‘Oh, God. You’ll be doing downward dog together before you know it and thenI’llbe forced to join in.’
I snort. I very much doubt that. But it does bring home to me that Harper’s in his first top-category season. He’s never had all these trainers and specialists and professionals trying to micromanage every aspect of his fitness before. He’s also still got the invincibility of youth that makes you sneer at the advice of older people. He hasn’t had any major injuries yet and he hasn’t felt his body let him down. His energy is infectious, though, and I find myself hoping, that for his sake, his arrogant confidence doesn’t lead him to make a reckless decision now that he comes to regret in the future.
God, when did I start caring about Harper James’s future?
Luckily, Johannes just laughs off Harper’s suggestion and I sink into the booth a little. The time blinks in the corner of the TV screen that’s showing a rugby game. Just fifty more minutes and I’m out of here.
We talk some more about today’s results and about flying to Azerbaijan for the next race. Apparently, it’s one of Johannes’s favourite circuits. Never heard that one before. I didn’t think anyone was a big fan of it. I don’t mind it myself, but it’s too split in half for me to really enjoy it. One side is wide and open, full of beautiful straights where you can push your speed to the max. The other is tight and twisty, full of punishing turns that make you pay for every fractional mistake tenfold. It takes a lot of concentration to flip between these two states. I guess that’s part of the challenge, but it’s not where I feel at my best.
