Page 71 of Red Queen
My parents were equally happy we called them up, except they didn’t know we were originally fake dating. At least we know we were good at pretending. Or as it turns out, it wasn’t really pretending.
We talked to Teo’s team as well, before media day, so they can prepare for any kind of unwanted questions, because I’m not kidding, when we seem more natural now. Some people accused us of fake dating, but now that it’s actually real, we can just ignore these smart people.
We’ve terminated the contract, and we even put it into the shredding machine, so it would never get into bad hands. Even though I’m not getting paid for dating this infuriating man now, he still spoils me just as much.
Not even financially, but mostly emotionally. He doesn’t mind when I’m being cuddly; he’s happy that I’m by his side.
Maybe it’s still early to say that, but I think this is what a normal, healthy relationship looks like. I feel happy, wanted, loved, lusted, everything’s there. It’s good that he doesn’t have to clench his asshole anymore, as he’s trying his hardest to push me away. Thank god he’s given up on that.
After he won in Singapore, he reduced the gap to nine points behind Asher. In the next race in Austin, he finished in second place; he couldn’t overtake Asher, so the gap increased to 16 points. In Mexico, the love and support of the crowd helped him finish first, winning another grand prix. As a result, now he’s only one point behind Asher, and there are only four races left of the season.
He’s doing much better since his incident. People don’t realize how stressed and overworked these drivers are. I think he needed those two months off to regain his strength. Maybe that was also a reason why we were arguing so much.
“Okay. Yeah. I’ll be there.” Teo puts the phone down, falling back into bed next to me. It’s around 6 PM, we were taking a little nap after he came back from the gym, and had a shower together. He turns to face me, a tear running down his face, pressing his quivering lips together.
“Hey, hey. What’s wrong? What happened?” I ask, wiping the tears off his face.
“Do you… Do you remember that kid in Spa? I took a selfie with him and signed his shirt. He gave me that bracelet,” he murmurs and buries his face in the pillow. I rub my hand up and down his back in a soothing way.
“Yeah, I do. I remember I got a little…baby fever from it. You were, uh…quite cute with him,” I say, and a small smile appears on his sad face. “What about him?”
“Enzo called. He’s from here, Mexico. He has cancer. That’s why he didn’t want me to take off his cap and sign that too.” His voice breaks slightly, remembering back to the moment. “Enzo said they called him from a foundation, and the kid’s last wish is to meet me.”
“Oh god…” Tears start to swell in my eyes, still trying to soothe Mateo. His condition has gotten so much worse in these past three months that he’s now being granted one last wish? Shit. Always the ones that don’t deserve it.
“I can’t do this, Rosa. It’s gonna break my heart.” He moves to bury his face in my chest, seeking comfort.
“Hey.” I lift his head so he’s looking into my eyes. “It might break your heart, yes. But that kid used his last wish to meet you. One time wasn’t enough for him. He needs this before he falls asleep, so don’t you dare decline it. You don’t have to tell him everything’s going to be fine; he knows it won’t. But he’ll appreciate that you took the time to go and see him. I’ll wait for you outside, alright? I’ll go with you if you want.”
“If I want? I need it. Or else I won’t be able to step inside the room. I’ll be his emotional support, and you’ll be mine.”
I nod, planting a kiss on the top of his head.
“Okay. Deal. When do you have to go?”
“It’s tomorrow morning. Before we take off.” Great. At least he can cry his heart out on the way to Brazil.
“Okay. You can at least prepare for it, then.” He scoffs, sensing he doesn’t believe so. “Alright. Hey, how about I distract you now? Try to think of something more positive.”
He lifts his head, a smile spreading on his face. “I’ll be okay. I just need some time to process.”
I pull him in for a kiss, caressing his face after. “Okay. Then what if we watch Friends?”
He sighs dramatically at my proposal, rolling his eyes as he buries his face in my neck. “Again? Can’t we do something…more fun?”
I laugh at his attempt, but I’m not giving up on Friends. The fun time in the shower drained me earlier.
“I think you’ve had enough fun for today. Now we can just order dinner and keep cuddling while watching my favorite series.” I start playing with his hair as a way to convince him. I know he’s weak for that.
“I can never have enough fun with you. But okay, if I can’t eat you, I’ll eat something else.” I burst out laughing at his answer, but happy he changed his mind. “Te amo, brujita.”
“Te amo más, amor.” I pull him in for another kiss, savoring the moment for as long as I can.
47
MATEO
I’ve never been happier than I am with Rosa now. Since we’re normally communicating, I’m actually less stressed. She knows every single detail about my life. It’s comforting that I can pour my heart out to someone.
