Page 54 of Red Queen
So, in these unfortunate events, my mother now knows I’m dating her friend’s son, and I can’t tell her that none of it is real. Oh and surprise, she messaged Mateo’s mother on Instagram and invited her over to have lunch together. All of us. In our holiday home. In three days.
Let’s just say, there might be some strange stuff happening to me until then, which will unfortunately stop me from attending the family gathering. Poor me.
“Really? Wow! That’s so amazing! You’ve been together for like…two months, and you’re already meeting the parents. Must be pretty serious then.”
Mateo looks at me, searching for my gaze, not letting it go while he’s talking. “Yes, I’d say we’re pretty serious. She helped me out of a bad time. I’m lucky to have her.”
He’s gotten so good at lying and at pretending that he almost sounds genuine now; it’s almost believable that he means it. He cannot possibly actually mean it, right? Just because we’re great in bed, it doesn’t mean he’s starting to like me.
“I’m so glad you two found each other. You look great together. And what about that journalist? Any news on that?”Jenny pulls us out of our intense eye contact, reminding us that the interviewing crew is also here.
“I cannot really share much detail about it, but… we’ve got it under control,” Mateo speaks up, shrugging off the question. I really hope they do. Even I don’t get updates on that.
“Uh… Awesome! Well, thank you so much for coming, guys, and I hope to see you soon!” She grins, and we both let out a big sigh that it’s finally over.
The cameras stop rolling, then they take the microphones off, and everyone says goodbye. We thank them for having us, and we start walking toward the exit. There are several Moscardi and F1 fans waiting outside the gates, and my hearts melt at the sight of a little boy dressed all up in Moscardi merch.
Mateo starts signing different stuff for the fans, occasionally stopping to take some selfies as well. He reaches the boy, and when his mother asks to take a picture with him, Teo doesn’t crouch down next to him; instead, he picks him up with a smile, making small talk while he holds him close.
My heart leaps at the sight, maybe even stops for a couple of seconds, warmth taking over my whole body. He grins into the camera, embracing the kid like he belongs there. The grumpy asshole persona is now completely gone, his gaze soft, and a big smile is plastered on his face.
After they’re done taking the pictures, Teo sets him back on the ground, then turns to me, grinning even harder at my reaction. Damn baby fever. And we’re not even really together.
He signs a couple more things, takes some more pictures, and then holds his hand out, inviting me to follow him. When I’m at an arm’s reach, he grabs my hand and pulls me close, cradling my face. His eyes go back and forth between my eyes and my lips, and I nod a little, giving him the go-ahead.
We held hands, hugged, even kissed each other, but all those kisses only lasted a second; they were just pecks. We weren’treally comfortable enough to kiss in front of cameras yet, but from what I’m sensing, it’s gonna change now.
He finally leans in, but it’s not like any other kiss we’ve had before. This one’s raw and intimate, nothing like the hungry and intense ones we usually share. When he breaks the kiss, a blush spreads on my cheeks from the way he’s looking at me.
This kiss felt real. It felt like the whole world stopped around us, the kind that makes you lift your foot up. And his gaze that’s piercing through mine is indicating the same, holding untold feelings. And that…scares me a lot.
35
MATEO
We sit awkwardly on the plane facing each other. After that kiss a couple of days ago, things got weird between us. We’re still doing our obligations, pretending that we’re a real couple, but now everything feels awkward.
It’s funny, because I could’ve sworn we still don’t like each other that much, that we’re still angry at each other, but now even the arguments have stopped. We can barely look at each other in private without getting embarrassed, which is much scarier than pretending.
I decide not to make it any weirder, and scroll on TikTok until we arrive in Spain. I put in my earphones, then open the app, and I’m welcomed with a dog video. Best way to open this app. My For You Page is mostly built up of racing, gym, cooking, animal videos, but sometimes it tricks me with sad ones too. It’s cruel to show these types of videos, especially when I’m alone.
It should be studied how these videos always hit me in the face when I’m thinking about myself, my future, this whole situation with Rosa, how I wish it wasn’t so complicated… Then boom, there comes a video about a badly abused dog in a shelter. Fuck them for reading my mind.
I scroll and scroll, the earphones blocking out the outside sounds. After another funny video, I spot myself in the next one. I sometimes see edits of myself, and let me tell you, I’m honored. This one starts with an interview of mine from years ago, when I had a model girlfriend, Drea. We were together for eight months, but she chose a more famous driver and left me for him. Well, I left her instead when I found her in our bed with him.
In the interview, they asked me about her, right after we broke up. I was lost and sad, I was shocked, because I thought she really loved me back. But as it turned out, she just used me to climb higher and bag a guy with more money.
The interviewer asked how I’m doing, and I told them honestly that I wasn’t so well. Then and there I decided that I don’t need another relationship, I was still young, still had time to find the one.
Then, the old interview fades, and the recent interview pops up from days ago, where I’m with Rosa. I look happy and in love, which the edit also highlights. I look…different from what I’m usually portrayed as. I’m not one to be very kind toward people, especially not toward interviewers who don’t give a damn about our privacy and dignity and just straight up ask the most diabolical questions.
I usually speak up for myself and for others, too, if that’s what’s needed, but this Mateo, this is new. And it feels even weirder that they’re making edits of us when we’re just fake dating, and they don’t know that none of this is real.
I put my phone down with a sigh, then look over at the sleeping form of Rosa. Her expressions are softened, peaceful on the somewhat quiet plane. She’s even more beautiful like this, when she’s not frowning from anger.
I’ve thought about our situation a lot. We’ve had an undeniable connection from the first night, even in Monaco, but then I spotted her in our rival’s garage.
I might’ve overreacted that day, but the fact that she just completely ignored it, that she thought it was okay to hold back this information, is what made me so angry. It might not be a big deal for her, but it is to me.
