Page 21 of The Fake Date Deal

Eve nodded slowly. “Powerful,” she said. “Like you’re doing what you’re meant to do? What you were made for?”

I lit up. “You get it. Exactly right. It’s this feeling like… like?—”

“Coming home, almost?”

“Coming home, yeah. Coming into myself.” I leaned over the table, curiosity piqued. “The way you’re talking, you must’ve felt it as well. You must have something, uh?—”

I broke off abruptly. Eve was staring past me. I twisted around to see what had caught her eye, and a camera flashed in my face through the window. Somehow, we’d been spotted. My car, most likely. Should’ve found a better parking spot. Somewhere discreet.

“Go on,” I yelled. “We’re trying to eat.”

A boom mic bumped the window. Eve jerked away.

“Let’s get out of here,” I said. “We can take this to go.”

I waved the waiter over. He bagged up our food. I asked if there was a back way he could let us sneak out, and he hustled us out through the kitchen. But the press had foreseen our back-door escape, and they were waiting when the fire door swung shut. We were locked out with them, trapped in the alley, cameras popping off all around. Eve was smiling a frozen smile on autopilot. I scowled. Threw some elbows.

“Back off, come on.”

The sea of mics parted to let us pass through, but the questions kept coming, the lights in our eyes.

“Marco! How do you feel after today’s race?”

“This is the fourth race you’ve been seen at together. Would you say you’re an item now? An official couple?”

One of the news cams swung up in Eve’s face. “How did you feel today, watching the crash? Did you know one of the drivers broke both his legs?”

Eve recoiled from the cameras, but they pressed in around her. She opened her mouth, closed it, and shook her head. I thrust my arm in front of her.

“Leave her alone.”

“But the crash! Were you scared? Did you think it was Marco?”

Eve blinked like a rabbit in the headlights. I smacked a mic away and two more thrust in. Eve grabbed one of them and clutched it to her chest.

“Of course I was scared,” she said. “Who wouldn’t be?” Her eyes flicked to me, then back to the cameras. “Those race cars weigh, what? Fifteen hundred kilos? You get hit by that, you’re in it when it rolls over…” She shuddered all over and looked away. “I worry about Marco. Of course I do. But this is his passion, and I admire that.”

“So you won’t try to stop him? Get him to quit?”

“Eve! Over here!”

“Will you be at his next race?”

She passed back the mic that she’d been clutching. “We’re done here,” she said. “But I’ll say this: a lot of life’s scary. It’s a wild ride. But a thing can be scary and still be worth doing. It can be dangerous and still be great. Marco’s the best driver I’ve seen. I’ll support him in that as long as he wants to do it.”

I liked Eve’s answer, her fire, her conviction. But I didn’t like the way her voice cracked and shook, the way she trembled against me when I pulled her close. When the cameras surged in again, I shoved them back.

“You heard the lady. We’ve answered your questions. Now, it’s been a long day for us. We need to get back.”

“Marco, wait!”

“Eve!”

I shouldered my way through the jostling crowd, shielding Eve with my body as best I could. I couldn’t wait to be with her, just us alone. Couldn’t wait to be holding her, soothing her fears. Then I was doing what I did best, driving us out of there. Peeling out fast. And Eve was laughing beside me, sweet, unrestrained. Laughing with relief and the joy of speed, and I loved that she trusted me. That in my car, she felt safe. My chest swelled with pride, and the need to protect her.

I’m here.

I’m with you.

---