Valerie Sainz, Carlos' sister, who is almost every day at the track with him, got a job at Ferrari's social media and design team.
She loves her work and can't wait to start.
But now she will work very close with the team and that also includes Ca...
It was early morning when I got to Carlos' place to discuss some things with my teammate and his sister. We would do the open meet-and-greet today and there were still some things to organize. »Hey, mate. Come in.«, Carlos greeted me as he opened the front door. I walked past him to the kitchen, where Valerie was standing, stirring a dough. »Good morning.«, I said carefully. »Morning.«, she replied, her mind somewhere else. I wanted to ask her what she's thinking about, but her brother was right behind me. »What are you guys doing?«, I asked watching Valerie put the dough on the baking tray. »I'm making some desserts for this afternoon.«, she answered, putting the tray into the oven. »Alright.« I sat down at the kitchen table and Carlos placed himself besides me.
We talked about little things that needed to be discussed and shared further ideas. »I'm gonna get changed.«, Valerie said and stood up. She still had her baking-apron on, covered in flour. I had to let out a little laugh as I saw it. She faced me with a daring look, making me shut up immediately before Carlos would notice. He had his eyes on his phone but you never knew.
In the meantime, we made an Instagram post together.
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As Valerie came back from her room, my jaw dropped a little bit. She wore a white blouse with a dark blue blazer on top of it and a knee-long skirt in the same color. Her hair was curled and laying elegantly on her shoulders. She had some beautiful bracelets on her arm and a silver necklace that I recognized from somewhere. Valerie walked towards us in white high heels and I had to concentrate not to smile or make any face expression. »You look very nice.«, Carlos said and stood up. She smiled and went to grab her little handbag.
How I missed that smile.
Carlos and I wore our red Ferrari-shirts and regular jeans. Nothing compared to her beauty.
»Are we ready to go?« Valerie already waited at the door.
When we arrived at our location, there was already a large table set up with some sun umbrellas. It was at the side of a street, behind us the ocean. We took a moment to gaze at the stunning place and then went up to prepare the rest. Soon Juliette accompanied us and brought cake with her.
We didn't have to wait long for the fans. First, there weren't that many but after some time the place was filled with tifosi. We got to sell some Ferrari shirts and caps and of course the pastries the girls baked. I can't say how many pictures we took or how many pens we used. It was really nice getting all that support of the fans. Both me and Carlos enjoyed that day so much and we were really glad Valerie suggested this. I always kept her in my sight between times. She was standing behind the table together with her friend, Juliette. They were busy with selling stuff and she didn't notice me staring sometimes.
Happily, the fans were calm and understanding and there weren't any incidents. At some points, it was even that calm that I had some time to catch a breath. I walked over to Valerie and Juliette to see what they had reached. The cash register was full and there were still things to sell. The sun walked over the sky and was burning down on us. »I'm gonna get something to drink. You guys want anything?«, I asked, pointing to Valerie and Juliette. She shook her head. »No, thanks.« But Valerie nodded. »What should I get?«, I asked further and was already walking backwards, still facing her. She shrugged her shoulders. »See what you get.«
As I came back, I gave Valerie what I brought with. She smiled and took the bottle of ice cold cherry ice tea. »Thanks.«, she said, still smiling. She knew that I knew this was her favorite drink. »Not for that.«, I replied and kept standing there for a while, taking a sip from my soda. I continued looking at Valerie. Her necklace got in my sight once again and I took a closer look.
Then I remembered. It was the necklace I gave her the day I asked her to my girlfriend. At the Grand Prix of Canada, between the beautiful nature of a local park. The sun was setting. Birds were chirping and the water rushed down the fountain behind us. Her hair was slowly blowing with the wind. I took her hand and we gazed at each other, not being able to stop. I reached out a little box and opened it slowly. The silver necklace inside glimmered in the sun and her eyes widened as I put it around her neck. It had a little diamond as a pendant and she couldn't stop looking down on it. When she looked at me again, the sun was shining in her grey-blue eyes and I saw my future inside of them. In that moment I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this woman. She was my everything. And then I asked her to be my girlfriend. Instead of a respond, she just wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a long hug. A warm feeling went though all inches of body and I never wanted it to end. When we pulled apart, she kissed me and sealed our relationship.
»Mate, you coming, or what?« I shook my head into Carlos' direction. He was calling for me and I saw that fans were standing in front of him, waiting for me. I looked back at Valerie and she seemed to had the same thoughts as I did a few seconds earlier. She saw the way I looked at her necklace. And she remembered too. The memory caught us both.
I rushed over and greeted our fans. But I didn't seem to be able to forget this moment. It replayed in my mind over and over again. The feeling of her lips against mine was unforgettable and I longed to feel it again. The longing lightened through my whole body and I had the feeling Valerie felt it too.
But I tried to push it away. It wasn't right. It would never be the same again. And we both knew it.
