Lights Out and Away We Go | LN4 - LH44 - MS47

Chapter 4

A Mercedes polo.

Moni didn't think she'd be so nervous for her first day, but as she stared down at the outfit laid out on her bed before her anxiety coursed through her veins. Something felt off.

Maybe it was the fact that it would only be the second time in her life she'd be putting on Mercedes gear – the first being the rain coat at SIlverstone the week before. But this was different. This was her life now. It was real.

Moni had arrived in Bahrain for pre season testing yesterday with Mick, having flown in on the private jet that the team had chartered for him.

"Moni this is so exciting, I can't believe we are going to be working on the same team!" Mick had said as the air hostess placed waters before both of them.

"Mhm," Moni nodded, her face buried in her phone. She was reading the contract she had signed only the day before with the team, trying to convince herself that this was all truly happening. But it wasn't accepting the offer that had made it feel real, and it wasn't signing the contract. No. It was that damn polo.

Her thoughts returning to the present, she reached down and ran the hem of the polo between her fingers. She had been standing at the foot of her bed for at least ten minuted by then, fully dressed in the team-standard black trousers, black trainers, and her bra. Something in her just wouldn't let her slip the black polo over her head, though.

Her thoughts were finally interrupted by the sound of a knock on her door.

"Moni!" Mick's voice called out from the hallway.

"Fuck," she grumbled under her breath.

"Moni it's time to go!" he called again. There was no more avoiding the inevitable, and she snatched up the shirt and quickly pulled it over her head and down around her waist. It fit like a glove.

"Coming, Mick!" she replied, scrambling around her room as she grabbed her purse and phone. Once she had collected her things she ran to the door and met Mick in the hallway.

"Look at you!" he punched her arm, elated at the sight of her in Mercedes gear.

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled, trying to lock her hotel room with one hand and tuck in her shirt with the other.

"Oh Mon, don't tell me you're nervous?" Mick said, referring to her forlorn disposition.

"I'm fine, Mick, let's just go," she hurriedly replied as she finally managed to get the door locked.

"Hey, hey," he grabbed her shoulders before she could try to escape down the hall. "It's going to be great, you're going to be great." Moni faked a smile at his comforting words but still couldn't rid herself of the pit in her stomach.

As the two made their way down to the hotel lobby all that she could think about was how out of place she felt. Toto had taken the time to invite her to Mercedes HQ in Brackley a few days earlier so that she could become aquainted with more of the team mebers, but that was only half of the equation. She hadn't seen or talked to either of the drivers since she had been hired, and she was itching to know what they thought of her onboarding. Toto was right – there were few if any other people in the world who had the same level of race knowledge as her, plus the added benefit of her familiarity and comfort with the F1 grid and spotlight. It goes without saying, though, that her addition would inevitably controversial. Poaching the daughter of another team's CEO would inevitably garner at least a bit of media attention, and there was no guaranteeing that the move was something that would be accepted by the rest of the team. Admittedly, though, Moni was incredibly relieved to have a best friend in Mick by her side throughout the transition.