Career Driven Woman

Chapter 11

I woke up in the morning to an empty bed. I rolled over and laid my hand out where Carlos had been and felt sad so much so that I started to tear up. I sat up in bed and grabbed a tissue, blowing my nose and wiping my eyes. As I went to grab my phone I found a note left by Carlos.

Dear Mi Amore,

I didn't want to wake you as it was very early in the morning and it would have been even harder for me to have said goodbye to you.

Please know that it was still hard for me to leave you and I already miss you so much and I have not even gotten on the plane. You are literally next to me as I write this.

This week was absolutely amazing and I am sad it had to come to an end. I will see you soon Mi Amore.

I will let you know when I have made it home. Make sure you do the same.

- Carlos x

His note made me burst into tears and now I was sad all over again. I cherished his words, but he was right. We will see each other again. God I had hoped it would be sooner than imagined.

I pulled myself together and checked the time. I needed to meet Lottie and El in the lobby soon so we could grab an Uber and head to the airport. I tried my best to compose myself and headed to the shower. Maybe that would calm me down.

When I was done and feeling refreshed I brushed my teeth and did some quick makeup. I didn't bother with my hair as I was only getting on a plane no biggie. I grabbed my charger and put it in my bag doing an inventory check to make sure nothing got lost. So far so good.

I zipped up my bag, put on my jacket, grabbed my handbag and scoped out the room one last time for any possessions left behind. Once I was satisfied I went down to the lobby to meet the girls.

I was quiet and the girls noticed. They tried to make me feel better but it was no use. I was being slightly dramatic, we were still seeing each other. What scared me more was the thought of doing long distance with a man I had quite literally just met. What if he decided he didn't want me anymore and kick me to the curb? It didn't matter for him, we were on opposite sides of the world.

As we boarded the plane, I slipped on my headphones and turned on my music hoping it would take my mind off things. I was looking forward to being back home in my own bed. One that I wish I would be sharing with Carlos. Dammit. It wasn't working. Maybe a nice little nap would do me good. Sure enough I woke up from my nap and we were descending into Brisbane. Local time 2pm.

I met Lottie and El at the gate and we wandered over to the baggage claim to grab our bags. One by one they arrived and we headed out the front of the airport. We said our goodbyes, not that they would be for long. We would all see each other tomorrow bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Well.

Some of us.

I grabbed an Uber and headed back to my apartment. I swiped in and wandered up the stairs to my flat. It was small but it was cozy enough for me. A studio Apartment practically the size of a shoe box. If you sat on the bed you could pretty much see every room in the one view. But I didn't mind. After all, it was just me.

I kicked off my shoes and wheeled my suitcase over to the wardrobe. I thought about unpacking but then I thought about leaving it and went with the second option. I went and had a shower scrubbing the plane off of me and jumped into some comfy clothes.

I checked my notifications and saw that Carlos had texted. I let him know I was as well and asked when was convenient to call.  He said he would call me soon but gave no time. I decided that rather than kill myself with waiting for him to call I would take a nap and ease into the evening. Nothing like a little quick nap to get you through.

_ _ _

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I picked it up and squinted looking at the screen. It  was Carlos. I quickly scrambled to answer trying to not make it look like I had been asleep but he saw right through that.

"Did I wake you Mi Amore?" He asked laughing

"Nooooo"

"I think I did. You love your sleep don't you"

"Well I have been very tired lately" I said awkwardly laughing. "How are you? How was your flight?"

"It was good. Very long but good. I am glad to be home. How was your flight?"

"It was good. I fell asleep. Can you believe that?"

Carlos chuckled and I can imagine that he was shaking his head while doing so. "Yes Mi Amore I can believe that".

I smiled. "Oh I forgot to mention Lewis started following me on Instagram".

"How did he get your Instagram?" Carlos's voice became less relaxed and started to become more stern and inquisitive.

"Well I didn't give it to him. I am just assuming that he looked for my name in your following list and found me that way"

He huffed.

"So what are you up to before the next race. You have like 3 weeks off don't you?" I asked trying to shift the conversation away from that. It seems I had struck a nerve.

"Yes. I'm going to just relax, probably see my family and then Charles mentioned something about sailing in Monaco next week so probably that"

"Wow. Wish I was sailing in Monaco" I said sarcastically.

"So come Mi Amore!" Carlos said the excitement in his voice amping up.

"I was being sarcastic" I said laughing "I need to work unfortunately".

Carlos sighed. I felt bad. I wasn't trying to be rude and I wish I could be in Monaco sailing on a fancy expensive yacht but not all of us were leading rich extravagant lives. We continued to talk for hours, Carlos listening to me make and eat dinner, me listening to him make and eat lunch.

I eventually checked the time and realised it was almost 10pm. I needed to go to bed. I had to be up early to head into the office considering I had been gone for a week.

"Alright Carlos as much as I want to keep talking to you I need to head to bed"

"Oh Mi Amore do you have to?"

I thought about it for a moment "well I suppose I could stay a half an hour longer"

I could feel his smile through the phone as he continued talking and telling me about his family and his proposed plans to surprise them. I listened intently, loving the detail and thought that was being put into his plans. Dinners, wine, expensive flowers, it sounded amazing.

I eventually wound down the conversation, Carlos had managed to convince me twice to stay on the phone and I couldn't turn him down, but the third time, I definitely had to be in bed. It was now midnight and I really needed to get some sleep.

We said our goodbyes and good nights. I was said to hear his voice leave and be met with a dead line but I was happy I even got the chance to hear it.