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Once Upon A Time IT girl, Aurora Jones, out and about in Kuala Lumpur with glamorous heiress bestie and newlywed Beatrice Beaumont (with newly minted husband Peter). Aurora is rumoured to be dating the hunk of the F1 racing circuit, Leonardo Fontana, though he was nowhere to be seen. Don’t know if I’d let Aurora out of my sight dressed like that, phwoooaaaar!
Aurora clicked out of it, her skin tingling with a sense of panic. Any idea of concealing their relationship evaporated. It was now, apparently, a matter of public record.
The sound of the door clicking shut caught her attention and she turned around guiltily. Leonardo’s expression was distant; his eyes shuttered. He focused his gaze on her and seemed to breathe out with a heavy sigh of feeling.
“Aurora.” He moved with his panther like grace across the room and crouched before her. “I was wrong to pressure you. I’m sorry.”
She froze, surprise etched in her features. It was the last thing she’d been expecting him to say. “You’re sorry?”
He nodded, a small smile on his lips. “I know I don’t say it often. Asking you to marry me was very, very spontaneous. Completely unplanned. Until I heard myself say the words, I didn’t realise that I even wanted that either.” He took her hands in his and held them tight. “It surprised me as much as it obviously did you. But I know now. It is what I want. One day, you’ll be ready, and I’ll be waiting. Because married, or not, all that matters is that we’re together.”
She let out a small sound – a cross between a sob and a moue of gratitude. She couldn’t formulate the words to express what she was feeling. She dipped her head forward. “I wore the dress.”
He was quiet for a moment. “I thought you might.”
“And some stupid pap got a shot of me in it.”
He could have laughed at how glum she sounded. “Why does this surprise you?” He queried, putting a finger under her chin so that she was looking at him.
“It wound up on a stupid gossip column online. That and the fact that you and I are dating.”
“Good. Great. I told you, honey, I want to shout it from the rooftops. As for the dress, you look great in it. Sinfully delicious. A little too great for my liking, when I’m not there to ward off unwanted attention, but it’s not the end of the world.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry we fought.”
“No.” He kissed her lips, and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You don’t get to apologise this time. It was my fault. It’s your life and your decision to make. I was very wrong to pressure you, instead of listening to you. It won’t happen again.”
Why did that leave her with an aching gulf of emptiness? The idea that he’d accepted her refusal. Worse, that he might not ask again?
She tossed and turned all night, until eventually, afraid of disturbing Leonardo’s sleep the night before the qualifying round, she slipped out to the lounge area and lay on the sofa. If she was going to not sleep, it didn’t matter if it was in bed, or on a leather divan.
The frustration she felt at herself was immense, and it showed no signs of abating. The next day, during qualifying, she steeled her nerves, to sit trackside with Beatrice and Peter and watch the race.
It was the most nerve-inducing day of her life.
By the end of it, Aurora felt exhausted. Physically drained.
“You’re joining us for dinner again?” Peter asked in the lobby of the hotel.
“No.” Aurora forced a smile to her pale face. Leonardo was still at the course, going over some final details with the car. He made control freaks look lazy, Aurora had always thought. “I’m beat, guys. I didn’t sleep at all well last night. I’m going to turn in early.”
Beatrice scanned her best friend’s face thoughtfully. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “I’ll be fine. I just need to rest.”
Beatrice nodded, though she insisted on walking Aurora to the door of her room. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”
“Yeah.” She pulled a face. “Sorry, Bea. I got so used to bottling everything up that I can’t break the habit.” She shrugged. “I don’t know what I can and can’t talk to you about anymore. Leonardo’s your brother. It’s not like a normal guy, where I can bore you with all my relationship problems. I don’t want to put you in a weird position.”
Beatrice’s smile was reserved. “It’s new ground for all of us. But you’re my best friend. Our relationship works best when we’re honest. What’s going on?”
Aurora’s beautiful face was haunted. “I hate this.” She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall for support. “I hate that he races. Every time he gets in the car, it’s like I’m back in that hospital.”
Beatrice frowned. “You were in Germany?”
Aurora nodded jerkily. “Yes. I was there. I saw his car come apart. I saw him crash into a hard wall of cement. I saw his broken, mangled body wrapped in bandages and stuck to machines and cables.” She shuddered. “He was broken, and it’s going to happen again. How can it not? And how can I see that?”
“I went to Germany.” Beatrice frowned.
