One Day // Daniel Ricciardo

Chapter 29

"You can clean that car until you can eat your dinner off it but trust me, you'll drive it two minutes down the road and complain it's dirty again." I said to my dad who was scrubbing his alloys.

"When you buy a car again you'll be the same, nothing wrong with having a clean car."

"I'm going on a run, maybe by the time I come back you'll have at least moved on to the next wheel."

I put in an AirPod but was distracted by the rumble of car engine turn in to the street- Daniel.

"You didn't say he was coming again." My dad grinned, pulling himself away from the sponge.

"I didn't know?" I responded.

He parked his pristine car across our driveway and got out smiling, "Sorry to bother you guys unannounced, do you fancy that drive James?" He held up his keys to my dad who was almost bouncing like a little boy at Christmas.

"You're taking my dad out for a drive?"

"Nah, your dads taking me out for a drive." He tossed the keys over and my dad caught them.

"Don't mind me kitten, you said you were going for a run I'm going out for a drive."

"You're going for a run? If you can wait 5 minutes I'd love to come with you!"

I nodded and smiled at Daniels eagerness to please us both. My dad completely forgot he was in the midst of cleaning his car and just ran off so they could play toy cars.

5 minutes turned in to 20 minutes, which turned in to 30 minutes, which nearly turned in to 45. By the time the two of them came back I had finished cleaning the car (knowing fine well my dad would find spots I had missed when he came back) and I was sat on our door step with my chin in my hands.

When they came back they embraced in a hug and my dad went inside.

"You better be a fast runner, I would've been started and finished by now if I went alone." I tapped my Apple Watch on to record 'outdoor run' and started jogging down the street.

I glanced over my shoulder to see if he was following but he had already caught up with me.

In the end we did 5k in just under 25 minutes, on my own I was barely doing sub 30 but my competitive side was showing with Daniel.

He bought us coffees and we found a little park bench near the pond.

"My Dad was really happy when you took him out, I'm going to be hearing about that all day." I smiled, taking a sip of my drink.

"I'm sorry for showing up unannounced, it's weird being here, last season I just kind of bounced about from place to place but now I'm spending a lot of time in London and I feel like I have no mates. I thought if I couldn't see you I could at least win your dad over with a drive."

"I have no friends it's okay, my sister is like miss popular but honestly I have like one friend from school and weirdly it's nice."

"Technically I'll be your second friend, just a temporary friend though don't get too comfortable in the friend zone."

"Only you can get away with that, anybody else would give me the ick." I giggled, "At least you know you don't have to win my dad over the hard jobs done."

"Just your mum." He laughed.

I know he was joining in on the joke but I stopped laughing awkwardly and looked down at my lap.

"My mums not like my dad, let's not get into that though." I sighed, "my family's a little bit messy, I wish I could say the opposite but unfortunately not."

He reached out and touched my hand, "I'm sorry if that's a sensitive subject, I didn't mean to upset you."

I couldn't work out what to tell him. My Mum had a long term illness and she was extremely unwell? Lie. My mum was currently locked in her bedroom going cold turkey from drugs? True. Although he'd most likely run for the hills and never talk to psycho Jess again.

"Please don't think any different of me, my mums got a little drug and alcohol problem it's on and off and not the nicest thing. We're not very close, never have been but I stick around for my dad, he's too good for everyone. He sticks by her, pulls her out a rut every few months, she treats him like a piece of shit on her shoe but she's the mother of his kids so he feels like he has to stick around."

"And you? You stick around for your dad?"

"I moved out for uni, it was the best 4 years not being here but I couldn't afford my own place while transitioning between uni payments and no money so I'm here for a while until I save up enough from working. It's also convenient enough to get to work though so I'm not in a rush if my dad has patience to deal with it I should have patience just to be under the same roof."

"You don't have to-"

"Uh I think I asked for you to not look at me any different?"

He stopped talking, "I think you're great, I wouldn't judge you for anything."

When we got back to my house everything seemed quiet for the outside. I didn't want to go back inside yet, I'd only be hiding myself in my room watching Netflix.

The two of us sat on the door step for a while continuing our conversation. We spoke about everything and anything, we went deeper than we had done previously on our first date and the more we spoke the longer it felt like I knew him.

Before I knew it he was leaning over, his hand touched my chin and he tried to pull me in.

"Hold on," i interrupted, pulling back from him. "I've just started my job, I don't want you or anyone to think I'm being unprofessional, I like you but I don't want anything ruined for either of us."

"Forget everyone else, I'd really like to kiss you Jess."

I smiled and forgot about everything I had just said, instead I leaned in and let him kiss me. His lips were soft but his kiss was firm, it wasn't long but it wasn't a quick peck. It was perfect.

"While we're here actually, your dad called you little kitten?"

I started laughing and buried my face in my hands, mortified about my nickname being revealed, "I think the explanation is even more embarrassing than the nickname."

"Go on, you have to tell me now." He teased.

"I was obsessed with postman pat when I was little, and postman pats cat was called Jess. Ever since he's called me kitten."

"I like that." He grinned, "I won't steal it from him but I'm glad I've got an embarrassing nickname as ammunition now."

He put his arm around me still laughing, pulled me in towards him and kissed my head.

From that moment on we spent every day together. We became almost inseparable and completely in love.