Page 53 of Red Queen
“Ew, Teo!” I laugh, squirming, trying to push him away, but he grabs my wrists and pins them to the bed.
I wait until he’s finished, then this time, he really kisses me, melting at his taste invading my mouth. He tastes like honey, sweet and intoxicating, the kind I can’t get enough of. The kiss is slow and sloppy, enjoying the moment while we can. After a couple minutes, he breaks the kiss, falling onto his back beside me.
“I think I died and I am in heaven now.” I burst out laughing, smacking his shoulder, reminding him of the harsh reality.
“You didn’t. But you will die if Enzo learns that we’re going to be at least 30 minutes late.”
“Let’s make it 45 then.” He swiftly stands up, grabbing my ankles, pulling me closer to him, then throwing me over his shoulder without warning.
“Hey! Put me down, cabezón, I can walk!” I bang on his back, but it’s no use. He ignores me and keeps swaying his hips toward the bathroom, while I admire the VIP view of his ass.
34
ROSA
We’re exactly 34 minutes late, and during those 34 minutes, Enzo has been calling Mateo nonstop. He was scared to pick up the phone, so the plan is now to sweep the interviewers off their feet and make them forget we should’ve finished the interview by now. We check in, and then hurry to the media station, dragging me with him.
“Hi! I’m Rosa. So nice to meet you. We’re so sorry we’re late. You won’t believe this, but we got stuck in our hotel’s elevator. It was crazy.” We greet the first interviewers, and the whole crew looks skeptical, but seem like they believe it. Kind of.
“Let’s just get this over with,” says one of the cameramen, and a woman sits us down next to each other, while another sits in front of us.
“Hey, don’t worry that you’re late. It’s a shame you got stuck, but we’re glad you’re here. I’m Jenny, by the way,” the woman sitting in front of me whispers, and I smile at her kind words, happy that at least she’s not mad at us.
Can you blame a couple for having a little fun? Even if others shouldn’t know that. And even if it’s supposed to be fake.
They put the microphones on us, we go over some testing, then they tell us the cameras are now rolling.
“Hello, everyone! Today, we’re here with Formula 1’s new lovely couple, Mateo and Rosalia! Welcome! Rosa, you’re practically glowing! You look stunning. What’s your secret?” she asks with a smile, and I blush when I look over Mateo, who’s seemingly trying his best not to burst out laughing. Sex is my secret, darling.
“Hi, everyone! I’m so happy to be here. And thank you! You look stunning as well. And as for my secret, it’s just…lots of water. Staying…hydrated, you know?” I chuckle awkwardly, not knowing how to really answer. I feel like she knows the real secret, and it’s bugging me.
“Good to know. Now, Mateo, how are you doing? How’s recovery?” She turns her gaze to Mateo, and I quietly thank her. Pictures are okay, but talking to people about something private? I’ll be damned if my anxiety isn’t peaking right now.
“Hola, todos. I’m doing well, thank you. I still have the plaster on, and I will for a little while, but if I’ll ace physical therapy, then I might even be back before Austin.” Jenny’s eyes widen, shocked by the information.
“That’s like…three months from now! Fans will be really sad you’re leaving out this many races. All while fighting for the championship.” Mateo tenses, shrugging his shoulders, trying to mask his annoyance.
“Yes. But we’re positive I can still fight for it when I come back. And even if I don’t, I’ll be happy that I recovered from the accident and hopefully finish the season on a high.” He starts fidgeting with his fingers, nervousness taking over him.
It’s going to be tough to come back from this. Asher is still 54 points behind him, but if he wins two races, then it’ll decrease to four points. And even if he manages to come back for Singapore, there are three races between, and it’s not written in stone thathe will win the first race after not driving for two and a half months.
But he’s one of the best drivers, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s on Asher’s ass after the first race. We just have to support him.
“I can imagine how hard it is for you now, especially since Milo, Moscardi’s reserve driver, did so well in Hungary and Spa. Given that he’s basically a rookie and has just been brought up from F2, finishing in 6th and 7th place is really good.” Teo clenches his jaw again, and his leg starts bouncing. I look up at him, and he’s trying to control himself from snapping. Well, this interview has taken quite a turn.
I slide my hands onto his thighs, squeezing them as a way to remind him that I’m here. His leg stops bouncing, and he’s not so tense now. He puts one of his hands over mine as he turns to me and smiles at me, silently thanking me. I smile back, then move to hold his hand between mine, rubbing the back of his hand.
“Yes, we’re really happy he adjusted to the new circumstances so well. We’re having a lot of fun during weekends, and now that I help out as a strategist, I can understand the kid’s mind more. He’s a natural. I’m sure he’ll achieve more in F1 soon.” He smiles at Jenny, not letting her manipulate him into saying something wrong. Good job.
Jenny’s smile falters a bit, seeming sad she couldn’t trick Mateo. He’s a high-performance athlete; he’s not stupid, Jenny.
“Alright. Well then, let’s talk about your relationship! Any news we should know about?” Her fake smile appears on her face again, and now I feel ashamed that I didn't see earlier that she was pretending to be nice. Teo turns his head toward me, waiting for me to speak up.
“Well, we’re doing great. We try to spend as much time together as we can, enjoying each other’s company. I don’t know if it counts as news, but now that we have a month off, we’regoing home and… officially meeting each other’s parents,” I say enthusiastically, trying my best to hide my anxiety again.
Yes. I’m meeting his mother. And he’s meeting my parents. My dear, beloved, sweet angel of a mother called me last week, and started to kind of yell at me for not telling her that I’m dating someone, and especially if that someone is Mateo. I felt like a kid being sent to my room after my parents grounded me. It was awful.
But if that wasn’t enough, she also told me that she “googled up” Mateo, and found his mother on Instagram, and guess what? It turns out my mother and Mateo’s are long-lost friends. They were neighbors while they went to primary school together. Then, I got reprimanded again for not mentioning that it’s her.
