Red Silver

S1.C21 - Face paint (Mexico)

The flight to Mexico City is something I really needed, the plane is nearly empty and the whole Mercedes team is in the economy class, Lewis insisted that he wanted me with him in First class, so I am now sitting in a very comfortable seat watching a movie with him, while George is sleeping 3 rows behind us.
"I was thinking about inviting you to the family reunion on Christmas" says Lewis playing with my hair.
"If it's a family thing, you don't have to..."
"It is, that's why I want you there, I want everyone to meet you. My nephews will love you"
"I'd love to"

He looks at me "What, ehm, do you think about marriage? I am not proposing and I am not assuming anything, I just.." he starts speaking faster.
"Lewis, Lewis, calm" I say laughing "I get what you mean. I'd love to get married one day. As a child I dreamed about the white dress, the music, the flowers and a man waiting for me"
"Me?" he asks.
"In my dreams you look absolutely breathtaking"
"In mine you look like an angel in white" he says.
"Did you think about a wedding?" I ask surprised.
"Actually yes, lately I got scared of losing you, not only for Carlos but for everything, what if you can't stand all of this one day? What if I am not worthy one day?"
"Lewis Hamilton, I will stay. I promised, with or without a ring, I will stay"
He smiles and kisses my forehead "One day, one day you will wear the most beautiful dress ever and I will wait for you down the aisle"
I lay my head on his shoulder and smile.

"There is an AMG car launch tonight, I have to go to this event" says Lewis searching something inside his luggage.
"Fantastic, I can go to sleep at 9 pm"
"Like an old lady?"
"Exactly" I say laughing, the reality is that I want to work on the W14 without him, the car looks good on paper but I don't want to give him hope for nothing and I want him 100% concentrate on this year championship, we may be out of the fight for the first place but maybe we can beat Ferrari.

I don't like the track here in Mexico, the car is looking mid. George and Lewis are not in their best mood, at least until we see the 2 Ferraris on track, their car is absolutely not working here.
"We have a chance" says Toto, and I believe it too, maybe not a win but we can think about a podium.

On Friday night we are surprisingly home earlier than usual.
"Dinner out?" asks Lewis.
"I'd love to, I love Mexican food"
"We have 2 options" he says dragging me on the bed with him "Fancy restaurant or little fast food outside the city"
I melt between his arms "You know me"
"Little fast food"
I kiss him "exactly"

It was so much time that we don't just disconnect from everything, that tonight feels like being back to the period of time where no one knew. It is again just Isabelle and Lewis, just us, two normal people, not the driver and his engineer, we are just a boy and a girl wearing comfy casual clothes singing in the car, no candles on the table and no expensive wine, just us on an old bench by the side of the road with 3 euros sandwiches and two diet cokes.
"Angela is going to kill me for this" Lewis says laughing.
"The sandwich?" He nods "Lewis is a vegan sandwich just like the one you had yesterday"
He laughs and I add "you should worry about the diet coke"

"I missed this" I say while we enter our hotel room.
"I did too"
"Promise me, promise me that we will do this again"
"I promise"
"I missed just Lewis" I say touching his face
"Just Lewis?"
"The Lewis that invited me on that beach in Australia, I love Lewis Hamilton but I fell for just Lewis back then"
Lewis comes closer and lifts me up leaning me on the bed "I remember Australia, the girl with the red shirt, with the fear of spiders and who loved my Mercedes, you were so beautiful, I watched you across the paddock running around with that tense gaze, the same gaze you still have when you are working, I also remember how hard it was not to kiss you back then"
"You wanted to kiss me?"
He kisses me, slowly "like this"
"Like our first kiss in Imola" I say looking into his dark eyes "I remember the feeling, in that car, on that hill, your perfume..." I stop because he starts kissing my neck and I lost my focus.
"Imola.." He says running his hands on my body knowing exactly where to touch and my body recognises him, recognises his touch and his kisses. I help him taking off his t-shirt and I stare at his tattoos.
"What?" He asks.
"I love you" I say without even thinking.
He smiles "I love you too"
I run my finger down his abs "let's recreate Miami"
"As you wish my love" he says taking my pants off as we start kissing again.

On Saturday I hear my name being shouted while I am having lunch with some colleagues.
"Georgie" I say when he runs to me.
"Isabelle, you need to come with me"
"Why?"
"Surprise" he says with a smile.
"You scare me, English boy"
"I know, Italian girl" we both laugh.
We go to the paddock and he makes me sit on a chair.
"Ok, you can paint her"
"What? George I need to work"
"Shhh, I know you are not on the front line today and you will be in the control room without cameras for the rest of the day"
"George Russell" I say looking at him with a furious gaze.
"I'd say pink" he says unbothered to the girl who is starting painting my face "Mexico, dia de los muertos, c'mon Isabelle"
"He is the next one" I say to the girl.

L-Why there is a photo of you and George with your faces painted on IG?-
I look at Lewis text and check George's IG.
I-He posted it. I will kill that boy-
Lewis laughs while texting Isabelle back-You look beautiful love-
-I'll kill your teammate anyway-

"No hard!" I scream in the middle of the garage, this Sunday is being a nightmare from the point of view of a strategist.
"We need hard, Max is too far away but we can wait for Checo soft tyres to..."
"Hard will not work"
Bono looks at me, he is upset "We all think they will"
"Bono, I know, and on paper I think the same but look at these" I show him an analysis of the hard tyres I did in the last FP session, it's a new method I am trying.
"Box box" says Bono keeping his eyes on me.
"What?" I hear Lewis on my headphones
"Box next lap" Bono looks at me "we box for soft"
"Copy"
I smile and go back to my seat.

As I was expecting the strategy was the right one, Checo was fast but not enough for the 2 Mercedes both on soft. P2 and P3, another double podium, lots of points for the team.
"That analysis, you did that?" Asks George's engineer.
"Yes, it's a new method I am testing"
"That's impressive for a first year engineer" he smiles.

After the podium ceremony I go back to the garage because I forgot my jacket. I find it and wear it, it's getting cold as the sun is setting down, I start walking back to the motorhome.
"Great work"
I turn around and see the chief of RedBull strategy team.
"Thanks"
"We understimated you"
"Everybody did and some still do" I say "that's something everybody does with us, women in motorsport"
"They do. I will speak with Horner, if you want a place"
"I work for Mercedes"
"You never know"
I look at her, she really thinks I will go to Red Bull team?
"Maybe one day you will look at the winning team" she says.
"I am in the winning team and it's not Red Bull"
She smiles "I like the attitude"

"Something strange happened" I say to Lewis
"What?"
"I got a job offer, a kind of job offer" he looks at me curious "Red Bull"
"What?" Says Toto who just entered the cafeteria to get a coffee.
I start laughing "That's what I thought, I hope she was joking"
"That's a good sign" says Lewis biting an apple.
"Why?" I ask.
"They fear you or at least, they fear your potential" says Toto smiling proudly. 
"I don't think..."
"Oh baby, they do" Lewis says smiling and giving me a little kiss on the forehead.
"Am I going to need a new contract for you?" Says Toto.
"I think that's the last thing you need to worry about"
"Oh, I am not worried about you, but I am worried about that team as always"

"Brazil next, mh?" I say on our way to the airport.
"We need to go shopping, you'll need an elegant dress"
"Why?"
"Nothing, just an honorary citizenship"
"Who? What? You?" I softly punch him "that's an amazing thing, Lewis, I..."
He smiles "Your boyfriend will be an honorary citizen of Brasil"
"I am so proud of you, Lewis, I am so proud"