Heartdriven

13. Bashful Sleepy Doc Grumpy Sneezy Dopey Happy

Having avoided each other for the rest of the day, Alice did feel like she had enjoyed another experience of media day. She had gotten the conversation with Sebastian out of the way and felt she could move on. She did not feel the need to reach out to him, she did feel the need for them to find each other again, but it was not in her hands, it was in his.
Daniel had walked her back to the hotel from the paddock, as they were staying in the same hotel, but he stayed in the lobby to catch up with some of his friends. After all, he was known around Monaco and she had some photos to go through.
She excused herself but he stepped after her, "Do you wanna catch a movie later? They've got Dumb And Dumber on pay-per-view!"
Looking at her wristwatch and pondering for a few seconds at all the friends he had to catch up with, she still grabbed the chance to get to know him better. "If it's not too late... Sure."

She woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. Looking at her clock, it was late... or early. For her, at least, she was still quite sleepy.
"Hello?" coughing the raspiness out of her voice.
"What's up doc, are ya' still up?"
She had fallen asleep on her couch while looking through photos and waiting for Daniel to call for their movie night, and had gotten a bit grumpy.
He quickly apologised and explained that he had something he wanted to tell her, so when she showed up in the paddock tomorrow, she should head for the Toro Rosso garage and find him.
"I'm hanging up now. Good night." Okay, maybe she was a lot grumpy.

Showing up early in the paddock, ready for practice, it was desolate inside, a contrast to the noise of the active streets surrounding the circuit. Sure, there were a few people walking around, but nothing in comparison to the usual. Maybe she had shown up too early this time.
She walked into the Toro Rosso garage, as instructed, and could hear a few low voices inside.
Following their sound, she knocked on the wall as she neared, "Knock-knock, anyone here?"
Daniel popped his head around the corner, smiling as always, and she suddenly felt bad.
"Daniel, I'm sorry for last night, I was a bit short with you," she put her hand to her forehead.
"Eh no worries, I did blow you off."
Why did she keep feeling bad about being blown off?
She followed him around the corner to the car and where the other voices were coming from. She recognised their faces from the hotel lobby the night before, and Daniel introduced them as the media crew.
"So I made a little deal with them and the big boss, told them about your situation and such... figured we could put in a good word for your future and... well, we'd like you to follow us for the rest of the weekend. Dope, huh?"
Daniel looked proud of himself as one of the media people took over, handing her a different paddock pass, "You get free access to the garage and hospitality, you can even come along with us in the pitlane. Not quite the briefings, but you get a bit of an inside look to a Formula One team. Of course we will have to approve the photos you share first."
She nodded, eyes wide.
"Thank you. I don't know what to say. You are all so kind and welcoming, I'm so happy for this opportunity. Thank you."
She shook all their hands as they left the garage, and Daniel stood left behind, with his arms spread open, "Bring it in," and she received a bear hug.

She felt on top of the world, walking around the paddock and pitlane freely, wearing a Toro Rosso shirt she had received. She hadn't thought about Sebastian all day. She had just been focused on the task at hand; the job.
Daniel had introduced her around before the first practice session and to his teammate Jean-Eric Vergne, who also agreed to let her photograph his side of the garage. But she stayed with Daniel.
After the second session ended, he walked her back to the team hospitality. Giving him another hug in gratitude before he headed off to his briefings, she looked across the paddock and saw him stare at them.
Him. Sebastian... Daniel left and Sebastian looked her up and down, at her Toro Rosso shirt and his eyes followed Daniel down the paddock, back to the reporters he was with, and she went inside the hospitality.