On and Off the Track

T W E N T Y T W O.

We were arriving to the race on my family's boat. We had a spot in the harbour. My parents had invited a few of their friends to watch the race with them, from the boat. I decided I would rather watch from the paddock. You had better views and you could hear the commentating way better, in my opinion.

I spent my time getting ready. I knew there would be lots of photos taken of me, and I wanted to look good. Today was always the busiest, not only because of the pure commotion at the race but afterwards there is always a gala for all the drivers, teams and invited guest. My family being one of them. It was always a laugh and the funniest to watch everyone so drunk. Normally the drivers, scatter off to carry on partying on their boats at the end of the night. The best part was to compare people from the start of the night to towards the end. They would no longer be formal looking and presentable, but a complete and utter mess.

I was applying my lipgloss, when I heard the door bell ring. Due to the events of last night, I had no clue who to expect. I opened the door and saw Mila; standing there grinning from ear to ear, with a bouquet of flowers. I hugged her as I ushered her inside.
"What are you doing here" she held out the flowers, allowing me to take them and place then in a jar of water.
"I wanted to surprise you and offer emotional support"
"Are you and sol okay, I thought you had to meet his parents"
"Yeah, completely" she didn't sound convincing but I knew by her response she did want to talk about the situation any further.
"Well, I'm glad you are here. I really appreciate it" I hugged her again, this time tighter. Both knowing the hug wasnt completely for the appreciation but also comforting her for whatever had happened. I took a step back, holding her shoulder as I looked at her face. Trying to get a better understanding of what she was feeling.
"Bronte, I'm fine honestly. Now lets go" she threw her arms up and danced out the door, as I followed behind chucking at her display.

We took my car, the streets were packed. I pulled up to the traffic lights, the long line of cars, meant we would be here for a long time. I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel impatiently.
"We have ages to get there, we wont be late" mila said, slightly rolling her eyes at me.
"I know, I know. But you know how my parents get when I'm late" I mimicked their facial expression when they get annoyed at me, earning a laugh from Mila.
"Dont worry, you have me to surprise them with. They can't be annoyed then" I nodded my head. She had a point, Mila had always been my parents favourites. We had an inside joke that Mila was the daughter they never had. The joke would hurt but the fact it was true, I couldn't help but laugh at it. "So what's happened since I've been away, B?"
"Um. Yesterday was torture. But last night the weirdest thing happened"
"What" her eyes lit up in excitement. The light turned green, causing me to resume driving.
"Well... charles came over. Completely out of the blue"
"Wait what" I winced at the volume she spoke at
"I know, I was so confused"
"What happened" I looked across at her, taking a second before responding
"Absolutely nothing" she rolled her eyes, and huffed like a sulking child.
"Do you like him" I flicked my head to face her, disgust plastered onto my face.
"No, of course not. I feel nothing for him, absolutely nothing"
"Is that so?" Her tone was amused, which only annoyed even more
"Yes. He's cocky, incredibly irritating, and thinks he's the best looking person in the room."
"Sounds like you like him" She raised her eyebrow, giving me that all knowing look
"Definitely not, he likes himself too much for that"
"Whatever you say B" I sighed in frustration, luckily we had just pulled up to the harbour.

The boat was already there, with my parents waiting anxiously for my arrival. 10 minutes early was still considered being late in their eyes. We grabbed our bags and passed the keys to the valet, before making our way up the steps to the boat. I greeted the crew, before turning to my parents to exchange an awkward hug.
"Mila, what a nice surprise" my mum turning to hug her.
"Vivienne, so nice to see you." She turned to my dad, nodding her head to him, "Louis" he chuckled before pulling her into a hug. We moved up to the sun deck, my parents introducing us to the rest of their friends. After exchanging formalities, Mila and I escaped inside, to the seated area. Settling down, we grabbed a martini off one of the crew. The boat began to sail off to the harbour, the journey would be short. So I made sure not to get too comfortable.
"You dont know how much I appreciate you being here" Mila smiled, holding her glass up to cheers.