Rush: Part One & Two (The Pitstop Series Book 3)

Adrian and I sit on Grandfather’s couch as we stare at the television. Our dad didn’t want to bring us to the race, which is a normal thing now. Grandfather has been making sure we aren’t too excluded, and he’s been training us for years, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less. Our father has abandoned us for his career. This is a pain, which isn’t easily overcome. However, Grandfather is doing his best to raise us. Adrian and my dreams are his priority, and my brother has been taking it more seriously the last couple of months. Not as serious as me, but still.

“Look, the safety car is out,” Adrian informs me, and I bring my attention back to the television. There are many reasons why the safety car might be required. It could have been a crash between two drivers, a driver crashing into a barrier, engine failure leading to a car in the middle of the track, or many more reasons. The safety car is a sports car and usually comes when the conditions on the track are unsafe. The rest of the drivers are instructed to follow behind it at a much slower speed.

“What happened?” I ask because I didn’t pay enough attention to the screen. Adrian turns to me and shrugs.

“Silver drove into the wall because they didn’t properly screw on his tire. It fell off, and he spun off track. He’s fine; he walked away without a scratch. They just need the safety car because his is in a dangerous position for the other drivers.” My eyebrows lift, and I gasp. Patrick Silver is my father’s biggest rival and the only one who was in his way of winning the championship. My daddy is going to win the championship! I jump up from my seat to run into the kitchen where my grandfather is. Excitement overwhelms me.

If I am this happy for my father, how happy will I be when I win? Well, I guess I will have to find out.

Saturday morning comes faster than I want it to. Today is the first Qualifying of the season, which determines the starting positions for the drivers on the grid for the race the following day. Adrian and James are beyond nervous. I can see it in the way they walk, the lack of communication, their body language, and especially how they keep checking the time. They’re still operating, but inhumanly so. This is important for them. The first race is always the most nerve-wracking for Adrian. Today, everything is amplified because it’s his first Qualifying with Ferrari. They are one of the top three teams in the sport, and in the last five years, they have been attempting to eliminate Mercedes AMG’s dominance. Although Mercedes has won the Constructors Championship three years in a row, Ferrari has always been a close second. Winning the Constructors Championship means their team has collected the most points over the season. A driver can secure up to twenty-five points for their team with every race, depending on their position at the end of the race. The points from both drivers are totaled into one sum for the Constructors Championship. Those points also count to the Driver’s Championship, where each individual driver competes for the title.

This year, Ferrari has younger, more motivated engineers, the drivers are eager to prove their worth, and the whole team has improved immensely. Something inside me wants to sit down with the strategist and listen to their Qualifying plan, but I can’t do that. All I’m allowed to do is stand at the sidelines and hope everything will run smoothly.

My eyes scan the Ferrari garages, but I can’t find Gabriel anywhere. That means he probably already put his game face on and doesn’t want to be distracted. It works this way for most of the drivers. Adrian is in his red suit; James is in his blue and so is Eduardo. When he sees me, a huge grin spreads over his face before he goes back to work.

When Qualifying starts, I’m tempted to bite my nails as I look at the small TVs inside the garage. Eduardo gets a good lap in Q1, which makes me happier than I would have expected. James has a good lap, too, and I’m waiting to see how Adrian and Gabriel fare. By the time Q1 is done, Gabriel completed the fastest lap, Adrian has the second best, and then the Mercedes AMG team occupies the third and fourth positions. Five drivers are out in Q1, and Q2 is set to start soon.

In Q1, the drivers who place anywhere between sixteenth and twentieth are eliminated from the next Qualifying round. That means their positions are set for the Grand Prix on Sunday. They have eighteen minutes to complete as many laps as the team deems necessary without using their regulated amount of tires. In Q2, the same principle applies, except the session is only fifteen minutes long, and any position after the tenth is eliminated. In Q3, the remaining ten drivers race twelve minutes for pole position, which is the primary position, and then are placed anywhere between one and ten, depending on their lap time.

James, Eduardo, Adrian, and Gabriel all make it to Q3, and my heart is racing in my chest. Cameron is positioned in eleventh place, Leonard occupies thirteenth, and the Mercedes AMG drivers, Jonathan Kent and Kyle Hugh, are also in Q3. I constantly switch between standing and sitting, depending on how nervous I am. The time starts counting down on the clock, and I jump out of my seat. All of the mechanics in the garage follow my lead and are probably as anxious to see the results as I am.

These twelve minutes feel like the longest of my life, but when the Qualifying finally ends, I can’t believe my eyes. Adrian gained pole position, Jonathan is second place, Gabriel is third, while James and Kyle occupy the fourth and fifth positions. My eyes scan the leaderboard for Eduardo’s name, and I notice that he came in seventh. I’m jumping up and down and clapping my hands together in joy. I feel overwhelming pride for Adrian as he snatches the first pole of the season. After what feels like forever, I finally get to hug my sweaty brother, who picks me up and squeezes me tightly.

“Congratulations! I’m so proud of you!” I tell him, and he puts me back on the ground. “I can’t believe you did it!” Adrian has gotten poles before, he’s also won races, but I’m still surprised he got the first pole of the year.

“You don’t have to sound so shocked,” he says and smiles at the same time. “I gotta go, but I’ll see you back at the hotel tonight. Love you,” he adds, kisses the top of my head, and jogs out of the room.

A couple of hours go by while I talk to Martin, Adrian’s press officer, and we have a great time discussing the strategy for Adrian’s Formula One future. Martin leaves me in the conference room, and I pull my phone out of my pocket to check my messages. I enjoy the brief moment of solitude because I know it probably won’t last very long.

“Hola, hermosa,” Eduardo says from behind me and lightly presses his fingers to my elbow. I turn around and almost immediately feel his lips on my cheek, making butterflies storm around in my stomach. A big smile spreads over my face because I’m unable to contain my happiness. I must be moving on; otherwise, I would not feel like this.

“You’re not satisfied with seventh place, are you?” He shakes his head and puts one of my curls behind my ear. His hand cups my face, and his thumb caresses my cheek. My skin isn’t on fire, but his touch feels pleasant.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“Although, I’m happy because I get to look at you now,” he says with his Spanish accent, and I melt a little.

“Don’t you have to go and let your performance coach massage your tired muscles? That sounds much better than spending time with me.” I laugh, and he joins in.

“No, I like spending time with you,” he tells me sweetly. “But yes, I do have to go. I’ll text you later.” He gives me another innocent peck on the cheek before he leaves, and I wonder why he’s not kissing me. I don’t have time to dwell on it when my heart rate picks up speed from another interruption.

“Is he treating you right?” Gabriel’s familiar voice drowns into my ears, and I turn around to give him my full attention. He’s casually leaning against the wall, but I can tell something’s bothering him.

“So far, yes,” I reply truthfully, and he gives me a small smile.

“That’s good. I’m glad,” he mutters absentmindedly before shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“It bothers you to see me with him,” I state because it’s obvious. Gabriel’s eyes lift to my face, and his lips part in an attempt to speak, but he closes his mouth without saying a single word. “Why does it bother you?” I challenge, and he looks away then.

“It bothers me that I can’t be him.” That wasn’t the response I was expecting. “Eduardo has always had a picture-perfect fucking life. No one’s ever left him; no one’s ever truly hurt him. He can deal with emotions better than someone like me, but it still breaks me that I can’t be good like him.” He pushes off the wall and takes three steps closer, making my heart beat rapidly in my chest. His words give me hope. “Chérie, you are the most incredible woman anyone could ever ask for. You’re so kind and, at the same time, a complete badass.” I chuckle at his word choice. “You’re not afraid to speak your mind, and I love how forward you are,” he informs me, and I almost choke on my spit. I like Eduardo, but if there is any chance Gabriel will let down his walls, I have to try. I want him, even if I attempt to convince myself otherwise.

“Okay, if you love that about me, then here it is: stop fighting your feelings. I understand how terrifying they are, but we’re both suffering from your fears when we don’t have to be. You want me,” I state, and he nods. “You make me happy, Gabriel, can’t you see that?” He shakes his head, and I take a step toward him. “Think of yesterday, would you?” Gabriel puts his hands in his pockets, closing himself off from me. I reach out to touch him, and to my surprise, he lets me. My hand rests on his cheek, and I can see the hurting boy inside of him. Gabriel is only vulnerable with me, and I love how close it makes me feel to him. “Stop pushing me away,” I almost whisper, and his eyes fixate on mine.

“I’m sorry, chérie,” he replies. His apology is sincere, and I can genuinely see now how lost Gabriel is. Nothing makes sense to him, as it doesn’t for me.

“Stop being sorry and do something about this,” I say and point my index finger between us.

“Kiss me,” he begs, relinquishing all control and giving it to me without a moment of hesitation.

My other hand lifts to touch his cheek, and I step on my tiptoes to press my lips to his. I’ve been waiting for this since I’ve met him, for this exact moment. Gabriel is surprised I’m giving him what he wants, but his lips melt onto mine soon enough. Shivers run down my spine as heat takes over my body. I’m aching, I’m exploding into a million pieces, but it feels incredible. It feels better than anything I have ever experienced. The mint I can taste from him is heavenly. Gabriel’s hands drop to the small of my back then to my butt, and he squeezes gently. I part my lips slightly, and Gabriel’s tongue enters my mouth with ease. A small moan escapes me, catching both of us off-guard. I’ve never moaned from a kiss, and he tightens his grip on my bottom in response. Our lips move in perfect harmony, which is why I whimper when he removes his from mine.

“Not here,” he whispers, and panic settles in my stomach. I wasn’t even thinking about anything past kissing him, but now, it is all I can think about. He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, and it surprises me how much better it feels when he does it instead of Eduardo.

“Then let’s go to your hotel room,” I suggest, and he tugs his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Okay, but I think we should talk some more before we go any further,” he says, and I almost groan before we both let out a small laugh. His lips come to mine one more time, and he hands me a small envelope with his key card and his room number. Gabriel lets go of my hand and runs out of the room.