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So he brought a cup of coffee for Luca, too. Guess he is in an apologizing mood.
“Someone is in a good mood,” I said plainly, taking a sip of my coffee as I watched Henri eat his pastry. Henri looked around, and I could tell he was trying to spot Luca.
“He usually journals this early in the morning,” I informed my brother.
“Ahh… yes,” Henri acknowledged, taking another sip of coffee as he took in a deep breath. I knew he was preparing for a speech, so I braced myself.
“So I – uh – wanted to come and apologize, Peaches. I know the last several weeks I have probably been a lousy brother… and a lousy teammate to Luca, too.”
“Probably?” I quipped. Henri shifted his eyes uncomfortably, but I nodded for him to continue, a small smirk forming on my face.
“It was different when you were in America. Now that you’re here and we see each other so often, I started to get protective. I just want everything to be perfect so that you will continue to want to stay here, in Europe, with us. I shouldn’t have said anything to Luca, just after everything that happened with Anthony, I didn’t want you to go through another situation like that. Still, I didn’t have any faith in Luca, and it’s becoming clear that maybe he wants to change.”
I felt for Henri in that moment. I knew me going to America was hard on the family, because it meant we saw each other so little. When I had called in absolute tears over Anthony, I could tell they were worried for me – worried and thousands of miles away, across an ocean.
“You’re an amazing brother, Henri, and I am so lucky to have you – even luckier because I get to share our dream together, but I need my friend back. I miss my best friend.” Henri leaned in for a hug, wrapping his arms around me. I returned the hug, leaning deeply into my brother. Henri had always been a wonderful hugger, and I felt incredibly comforted in his arms –relaxed even.
“Come hell or high water, Peaches, you know I will always be here for you. Always be your best friend,” Henri whispered as he broke away from the hug. I smiled at him and leaned back against the couch, taking another sip of coffee as I contemplated my brother’s words. We sat in the living room for another ten minutes, chatting about the track and weather for today.
Luca came out of his room and eyed the two of us warily; I could tell Luca was suspicious as to why Henri was here. Henri immediately got up and handed Luca a cup of coffee, which Luca took cautiously. No words were exchanged between the two of them, but after a few sips, I saw Luca give my brother a warm smile as he plopped beside me on the couch. I knew this was Henri's way of apologizing to Luca.
“So...” Luca said, finally breaking the silence, “which one of you is going to be on my left and which will be on my right when I stand on the Podium today.” Luca winked at the two of us and downed his coffee at an impressive speed.
“In your dreams, Rossi,” I retorted back, finishing my last few sips of coffee. “If you’re ready, I’m good to head to the paddock early.” Both of the boys nodded, and we made our way downstairs. Henri gave me one last hug before venturing off to his car, and Luca and I hopped into his car and, once again, made our way to the paddock, hand in hand. Luca dropped me off at the Valkyrie garage, which was at the beginning of the walkway, wishing me luck.
“Keep your luck to yourself, Rossi. You’re the one that is going to need it.” Luca stuck his tongue out at me in response, and I smiled at him cheekily, blowing him a kiss before heading back inside the garage.
* * *
“And there we have it! Georgia Dubois has crossed the checkered line in the first place!”
“Fuck yes! That’s how we do it!” I screamed back into my radio. Baku had been exhilarating, one of my best races to date. Lily had just missed out on a podium, which was disappointing, but it was nice to have Noah and Eric up there with me. Henri and Lily had come P4 and P5, respectively, while poor Luca dropped out of the race due to mechanical issues. I truly felt for Luca; I knew how badly he wanted a podium today, but the car just wasn’t performing up to standard, and he was going to need to take a new engine in Canada which would place him at the back of the grid with a penalty.
“So proud of you, Georgia. You’ve made up for your horrendous prank yesterday,” I heard Fiona yell into the microphone.
“I don’t know, Fiona. I’d say pranks might be our winning strategy.”
“They aren’t,” she responded dryly, and I heard the radio click off.
I pulled into the assigned P1 spot for the winning car and hopped out, immediately launching into my signature window-washing dance to the sound of the team’s cheers. As I looked down, Eric was standing there with his hand out, which I took happily. He then pulled me into a big hug, congratulating me on my race win.
As I rushed towards the team to give them a hug, I saw Luca standing to the side with Henri, a big smile on both their faces. I made my way to them and gave Henri a hug first, congratulating him on P4. As I went to give Luca a hug, he pulled me into a kiss.
“If I didn’t know better, Tesoro,” he whispered into my ear, “I’d say you won just because you hoped you might get a little reward from me later.”I looked back up at him, a slight blush on my cheeks.
“Don’t be silly, Flash. IknowI’ll get a reward from you later,” I whispered back. I saw amusement on Luca's face. Henri gave me a questioning look after the exchange, but I just shrugged, deciding it probably wasn’t best to share that tidbit of information with my brother – he and Luca had onlyjustmade up.
The rest of the day was consumed with photos with VIPs and press meetings. After the podium celebration and winners press conference, I was shuffled back to the Valkyrie conference room because Isabelle had asked the team to gather before we all made our way back to the hotels. Since Baku was such a long flight, almost everyone was leaving tomorrow, which meant a party tonight for all of the teams.
By the time I had arrived at Luca's car, I was alreadyfairlydrunk. When I saw him in the lot, I beelined it to the black car, hopping into his arms so I could give him a huge hug.
“I WOOOONNN!” I yelled, bouncing up and down as he set me down. Luca snickered at my antics as he caught me.
“Yes, Cara, I saw that. Let’s get you back to the hotel, hmm?” I let out a little pout at Luca's request but obliged him and hopped into the car, trophy in tow. The drive back to the hotel was fortunately short for Luca, who had the task of getting me out of the car and into the hotel without me running into too many things – or fans who wanted photos. After a few –well, several– more fan photos and another glass of champagne with Oliver, who had caught us at the hotel bar, Luca shuffled us back upstairs.
It had been my intention to grab Luca and drag him to my bed for my celebratory reward that I suspected I waseasilygoing get out of him, but when my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep almost immediately. Luca let me sleep for a couple of hours before waking me up, insisting that it was time to get ready for the party, which started at 9 p.m. My head was a little dizzy, but I was glad Luca had let me nap before the party, lest I face another hangover.
After another glass of champagne, Luca and I were squeezed into a taxi with Lily, Henri, and Oliver, who had opted to come with us instead of Edward due to Anthony being part of the Wilmington party. When we arrived at the club, we were shuffled up to the top floor, where Éliott met us with Eric. I ran over to Éliott and Eric, giving them a joint hug. I could see Éliott give Luca a look out of the corner of his eye, and I heard Luca laugh behind me, likely confirming that,yes, I was still a little drunk from this afternoon.
