My time | OP

5.

Briar's POV
When myself Oscar exited the office, we parted ways, Oscar to the garage and me to the grandstands. I still couldn't quite believe everything that was happening. I was back in the paddock, my old rival was in F1, I now had a job with McLaren and all of a sudden I have to work with Oscar fucking Piastri.

After a deep and long interrogation with Valeria about whether she knew about Oscar and a confirmation call from Robert to prove her story, she was all in the clear. I lay back in the chair of the McLaren hospitality and shut my eyes, took a deep breath and rethought all of my life decisions. When there began commotion outside, me and V picked ourselves up and dragged ourselves to the grandstands to watch the race. The chaos in the pit lane was diminishing with the curfew for the start of the race drawing closer.

Me and V took our seats in the McLaren hospitality, surrounded by the unusual presence if some celebrities and some middle aged men and women with more money than sense. The clock in the top of the track read 4:57 meaning that the race would start any minute. As the clock struck 5:00 the formation lap began. Soon enough the 57 laps began. The two orange McLarens lined up in P12 and P15. Soon enough 38 laps into the race, there was a crash towards the front of the pack with Carlos Sainz spinning into the barriers. Norris and Oscar moved up into P6 and P8 and crossed the line in P9 and P10, points for the both of them if I remember correctly. The cheers of McLaren fans and Red Bull fans alike roared across the track. I managed to catch a glimpse of Oscar the frown clear in my face.

"You Know Briar, maybe this won't be as bad as you think." Valeria spoke softly when she caught be staring at Oscar and the track below.

"For the love of God I hope you're right." I spoke praying that what she was saying was true.

We returned to the hotel to try and get some rest. I needed to try and conserve some energy for tomorrow morning when I have to meet Oscar to sort out this shit show. I tried my best to sleep but instead spent my time trying to scrape together a plan for what I was going to say and what would happen. I'd managed to pull together a rough plan that I thought couple work and placed it to the side to try and get myself ready for some much needed sleep.

I tossed and turned for about an hour, thoughts consuming my head. The out in my stomach once again grew to the point I felt physically ill, my body beginning to shake. There was the odd time I could have panic attacks but I could usually tell one was coming or I was in a stressful situation, this right here was out of the blue, in the comfort of my own hotel room with my best friend in the bed beside me. I hobbled to the bathroom, trying to be as quiet as I could as to not wake V. I placed myself on the floor, just underneath the mirror with my back against the cool wall behind me. All of a sudden, I was transported back to that day, the day I lost the championship. My dad had just gone off on one and I was crying exactly like this on the hotel bathroom floor.

I don't like to talk about what happened that night. That's a story for a later date. I sat on that floor for about 20 minutes, completing the breathing techniques my therapist had taught me and building the strength to return back to my bed. I set myself an alarm for the morning and soon fell asleep, my body to weak and tired to think of anything else. My eyes fluttered shut and I fell asleep just waiting for the morning.

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When my alarm sounded at 8:00 the following morning, I felt slightly better, just enough to drag myself to the bathroom and throw on a summer dress and some makeup to meet Oscar later. About half an hour later, I said my goodbyes to V for the day and hopped in a taxi to the McLaren motorhome before they set up to move to the next race tomorrow morning.

I popped my head round the reception desk, where the lovely brunette woman sat behind it took all my sizes for my uniform and handed me a ticket to go and collect it later this afternoon. After running my early morning errands, I grabbed myself a yogurt and some fruit from the cafe and sat in the same chair as I had yesterday and waited for Oscar to arrive. I really didn't want to work with him but I also really wanted to get back into racing and travelling around the world again, even if it did mean I had to wear that disgusting orange colour.

About 15 minutes later, and 10 after our agreed meeting time Oscar rocked up, his shadow appearing just behind my chair. I straightened my papers on the small desk in front of me while he sat down opposite me. His brown hair flopped over his forehead and of course he was wearing the signature orange shirt with that small black logo and his number printed on the back. He looked like he had just woken up, and not in that good way that you would all think, he looked like he had barely slept and I actually felt quite sorry for him, especially after a rather pitiful performance yesterday.

"Do you want a coffee?" I asked him, gesturing to the cafe behind me, realising I was going to need some caffeine to get myself through this meeting.

"Please, if you don't mind. I didn't sleep well, I had problems booking into my hotel room last night after the party and couldn't get in till the early hours of this morning." He answered, the Australian accent more evident when he was tired. I remembered that from our times racing together.

I shortly returned, two take away cups of coffee in hand. We sat in silence for another minute, Oscar and I staring into the yes of the other, frustration clear in my face and an emotion I can't quite decipher in his hazel brown eyes. After what felt to long, I took a mouthful of my drink and began to speak, the coffee apparently giving me some confidence.

"Right, clearly this isn't what either of us wanted, but I've got together a rough plan of what we can do." I said, my statement falling on deaf ears.

"Oscar!"

"Yeah sure. What are you planning?" He returned in his deep Australian accent.

"So... you should know from our days of racing that I take this shit seriously. That means, no late night parties when you've got places to be Oscar. And I'll take charge in booking your hotel rooms because clearly you're also incapable of that too. I'll speak with your personal trainer later about physical training. And I'll probably hate this more than you will but I'll be escorting you to and from interviews on race days and I'll personally be sorting out your PR stuff."

"What the fuck Briar, you can't control me all the time. I'm not a little kid." He exclaimed, the tiredness leaving his body.

"Right. You of all people should know that I'm good at what I'm doing. Was I ever late to an interview? No. Did I ever mess up in training? No. So listen right now Piastri, I don't fuck around, I can so easily go to Zak right now and say you won't co-operate. But I don't think you want me to do that. So do you want my help or not?"

His silence told me everything I wanted to hear and I stood up and started to walk past Piastri to Zak's office. That was until someone grabbed my wrist, making me stop in my tracks. I look down to see Oscar holding on, the fear in his face telling me all I needed to know.

"No. Please. Help me." He spoke softly, barely audible.

"We'll start tomorrow."

He exhaled and released my arm. Standing up to meet my eyes.

"Here's my number. Just message when you want to meet tomorrow and where and I'll be there.

He types his number into my phone saving himself under his name and handed it back to me.I nodded in appreciation and began to walk off to go and pick up my team kit. That was until Oscar spoke again.

"Briar?"

"Yes Oscar?"

"Thank you."

Those were probably the most meaning words we had said to each other in years. But you know, tomorrow is another day.

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A/N Hi guys, thanks to the few of you that have started to read my book. It really is appreciated. I apologise for the short delay ,I recently finished sitting my A-Levels. I am trying to get a few more chapters out soon and actually try and get to something a bit more juicy. But in the meantime, enjoy and excuse any spelling mistakes :)