Then Ollie stepped in behind her, his hand settling possessively on her lower back, guiding her forward like she needed his direction to navigate a simple doorway.
The smile disappeared from her face as if it never existed.She looked away first, breaking whatever fragile connection we’d forged, and let Ollie guide her deeper into the bar.
Georgia’s head snapped up mid-laugh, her eyes clocking them before they fully entered.She excused herself from the cluster of Hermes engineers she’d been entertaining, her smile widening in that genuine way that meant she was happy to see Lily, not just being polite.
“You made it!”Georgia’s voice carried across the bar as she wrapped Lily in a hug.
I turned back to my whiskey, staring into the amber liquid like it held answers.
“Henri.”Éliott’s voice pulled me back.“You even listening to me?”
“Sorry.”I took a sip, the whiskey burning pleasantly down my throat.“What were you saying?”
He gave me a long look—the kind that said he knew exactly where my attention had gone.“I was saying that you drove brilliantly today.Best I’ve seen you all season.Whatever was in your head this weekend, you channeled it perfectly into the car.”
If only he knew what was actually in my head.
“Thanks,” I managed.
“But.”Éliott’s tone shifted, becoming more serious.“You also look like shit.When’s the last time you slept?”
“I sleep fine.”
“Bullshit.”He flagged down the bartender, ordering another round without asking if I wanted one.“You’ve got that look.The one you get when you’re running on fumes.”
I didn’t argue, because he wasn’t wrong.
My gaze found them again, almost involuntarily.Lily and Ollie made their way to the bar, Ollie already signaling the bartender with that easy confidence.His hand returned to her back, casual and possessive in a way that made my head hurt.
Or my heart.
Then Lily stepped sideways, creating space between them.His hand fell away.
Ollie seemed to notice me at the same moment I was staring.His eyes met mine across the crowded bar, blue and calculating, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth like he’d won something.
Then Lily’s gaze followed his.
Her expression when she saw me was complicated, layered with things I couldn’t quite parse in the dim light.Not quite a glare, but definitely not happiness either.After Saturday’s press-conference disaster, I couldn’t blame her.We’d both said things we shouldn’t have.Her press-conference insult still stung like an open wound.
I looked away first, focusing on my drink with more intensity than it deserved.
“You want to leave?”Éliott asked quietly.“We can go somewhere else.Grab Luca, head back to the hotel, and drink just the three of us.”
“No.”I set my glass down.“Georgia organized this.I should stay.”
“Being here out of obligation isn’t the same as actually being present, my friend.”
When did Éliott become so wise?
The bar filled up gradually, more team members, a few other drivers, the usual post-race crowd seeking refuge from the intensity of the paddock.The noise level rose, conversations bleeding together into an indistinct hum punctuated by occasional laughter.
“You won today.You’re supposed to look at least moderately happy about it.”He studied my face with a scrutiny I could never quite escape.“What’s going on?”
“Nothing.Just tired.”
His gaze flicked toward where Lily had disappeared into a booth in the back with Georgia.“Does this have anything to do with—”
“Don’t.”I cut him off before he could finish.“Please.Not tonight.”
