One Day // Daniel Ricciardo

CHAPTER 8

I can't say I avoided Danny for the next week it was just tactically planned around my work load which had increased between the two races. Danny flew out from Italy to Belgium two days earlier than me for press conferences and when I flew out, I requested a different hotel and involved myself in a lot of work to keep occupied.

Sleeping with him confused things way more than it should have, alcohol and I have never been friends and thanks to that night we never will be.

I couldn't avoid him for long though of course, every day he lingered around our meeting room and would then leave quickly. Funny how a man like him would questions his moves so much, race Danny and real-life Danny were two different people.

"Can I talk to you?" I finally made the move and pulled him in to the meeting room "Honestly I don't know what to say I've just seen you lingering around here so much I was hoping you would know."

"You don't know what to say?" His eyebrows were burrowed together as he repeated the words I said, "You asked me to kiss you, you told me you wanted to sleep with me and then after it happened you've not come near me. Do you know how that looks?"

I nodded my head slowly and sat down on a chair, "I do know how it looks."

"Honestly Jessica I don't know what you want from me anymore."

"Nothing, I want absolutely nothing from you anymore." I finally said, "It's been almost three years I think you should find someone else and forget about whatever fantasy of us could be."

He looked at me like I ripped his heart out and shred it in front of him. I felt the same, truthfully, I didn't mean it but he really would be able to find someone very quickly who deserved the love he had to give.

"Do you think that's just the way it works? You're playing so many mind games I'm really not keeping up anymore."

"Mind games?" I scoffed, "I told you from day one I didn't want anything, we tried as friends and for a very small period of time it worked and somehow it was still longer than I expected it, people like you and I can't be friends because they get drunk and just want to rip each other's clothes off and I think by this point we have to agree that we're just not meant for each other."

"You're in complete denial," He threw his hands up in the air, "You seem to forget that you were the girl I was going to marry, I had a ring and a plan."

"It's nothing more than sexual attraction at this point Danny," The amount of lies I was telling was unbelievable but it was anything to get through to him. "We had so much but we need to accept that it's over, those 5 years were great and I loved every single moment with you but last weekend was a mistake and some things, for example us, are better left in the past."

"I don't know what to say, I thought I deserved just a little bit of respect from you."

I slowly nodded, taking in his words and took to my feet. "I hope you find someone that loves you the way I want to be able to."

With those being my parting words, I quickly left the room. It wasn't exactly how I had planned for it to happen but it did and it honestly felt like I had a broken heart all over again.

I locked myself in the toilets and sat in a cubicle quietly crying so nobody could hear me if they came in. I've never wanted and not wanted something as bad as this, I hated it, I absolutely hated it.

My job wasn't worth this stress and pressure, they could find someone that would do this job and do it well. I could go to another team and avoid him again like I did, maybe even take some time off, maybe even leave the industry full stop it would be better for both of us.

The toilet doors swung open and a gaggle of girly chatter followed it, I tucked my knees up to my chest hoping they wouldn't see my feet at the bottom of the cubicle and tried to make as little noise as possible.

"You should talk to Jess about it, I'm pretty sure she should be able to help you. Jess is the OG WAG I'm pretty sure if someone can help you with navigating the stress she can." I heard Kelly say. I quickly realised she was in with Luisa and a few other girls voices I couldn't really make out.

"Call her! I saw her about an hour ago, she didn't look too busy it's still a few hours before the race."

My eyes widened in panic as I tried to find my phone in my pocket before the ringtone sounded but I was too late. It started ringing full volume so I had no choice but to swing the cubicle door open and reveal myself. My eyes were already puffy, my cheeks were red and I still had tears streaming down my face.

Kelly came over to me and wiped my face, pulling me in to a hug she stroked my hair and hushed me in a typical mum way.

"I told Danny to find someone else." I sobbed, wiping my eyes with my sleeve, "I told him that we couldn't be friends, that he needs to move on and last weekend wasn't a mistake."

The girls look at me with their mouths open in shock, I didn't expect anything less from them.

"But last weekend, you thought it was a mistake? You both looked so good together."

I shook my head and sobbed even harder, "I didn't, it was the most normal thing that happened to me in the past however many years but that's why it was so wrong I can't be that girl for him. I'm not in a position to be anything to him right now."

"But he can help you get in that position," Kelly said, her hands cupping my face, "We were just trying to give carmen advice on being so involved with all of this drama now and we said you'd be the best person to talk to."

George Russell's girlfriend stood in the middle of us all, looking at me with a mix of fear and concern.

"I don't know what to say," I shrugged, "It's the best and worst thing possible and I'm not even one of you anymore."

The girls laughed in sympathy and stroked my hair.