Page 104 of Loving the Legend
“Uh.” I tilt my head. “Peach pie. Yours?”
“Doughnuts.”
Ah, fuck. I walked right into that.
“Time for scrummy doughnuts for the birthday boy!”
He throws the rear of the car into rotation around the front set of wheels, creating a doughnut skid-mark pattern on the track. The windows are draped in dense smoke as we spiral in dizzying circles. I’ve done doughnuts before, but never at this maniacal speed. Turning to me, he belts out the “Happy Birthday” song, and I burst out laughing. He sounds terrible, though his lack of fucks is endearing. He rolls down the windows and brings it home, belting his wicked heart out. A couple of mechanics on the sidelines shout and clap for him.
“Had fun?” he asks, shifting to face me.
“Seriously! Can’t you tell? I aged a decade, but it was exhilarating. I can’t believe you do that for work.” I’m covered from head to toe in sweat, and my throat aches from screaming and now laughing.
“Best job in the world,” he says, grinning.
I remove my helmet.
He pulls out his phone and pulls up his social media profile. “Mind a birthday post?”
“Go for it.”
He scans my face. “You look great.”
I nod. “You too.”
He unbuckles his seat belt, shifts a little closer to me, and starts to record. “Beautiful people, join me in wishing my bruv Ty a happy birthday! Like an F1 pro, he survived a wild ride that ended in delectable birthday doughnuts! Ty, want to say anything to the people?”
I ignore the camera and face him. “Thanks for the ride, man! That was unforgettable. I’m not sure if I’ll have dreams or nightmares tonight. But I’m convinced you’re the best driver in the world.”
“Thanks, bruv! Next time I’m in LA, I’ll swing by, and you can teach me how to shoot one of those insane half-court shots.”
“Bet,” I agree, grinning.
He reaches over and hugs me with his free arm.
He throws up deuces at the camera and stops recording.
As he waves out the window, I dip my head to see who he’s waving to and spot Sid sitting in the stands. I wave him over. My legs feel like jelly when we climb out of the car. I hold on to the hood for a few seconds to get my bearings, and then I pull out my phone and snap a picture of the whip. It’s a beauty! Archie asks a mechanic to take a picture of the three of us in front of it. Iglimpse the shot. I’m standing in the middle with Sid and Archie on both sides. I’m framing this one for my mantle at home.
“Thanks, bro! I owe you one,” Sid says to Archie.
“It was my pleasure. Ty already promised to teach me how to shoot a long-range shot. We’re good.” Archie says, hugging Sid.
“How was it?”Sid asks as we walk to the car.
“That was the best birthday surprise of my life.”
“Yeah?” He grins. “Love to hear it.”
I meet his gaze. “Thank you, baby." I fill him in on the experience, including the doughnuts and reel that we recorded.
"Ow!” he exclaims when I punch his arm.
“You let me talk your ear off about him while you knew him personally the whole time!”
He grins. “The minute you flashed your heart-shaped eyes for him, my brain got to work. It would have dampened the surprise if I told you I knew him.”
I lean in and nudge his arm. “I only have heart-shaped eyes for you. I had starry eyes for him. Besides you, big shot, I never meet celebrities. Well, just Wilhelm…from All-Star—”
