⌞ long live ⌝

⌞ fifteen : qualifying ⌝

"Alright, time to steal that spotlight."

___

I decided it was better to wear white and blue since I was spending the day in the Mercedes garage. Which was fine, I think I looked okay in those colors. I'm sure that Lewis would find a way to compliment me anyway. It's not like it was a bad outfit, I just thought I looked better in red. 

The outfit was comfortable, though. I chose a pair of white jeans and a cropped blue t-shirt. I decided to put my hair in a slicked-back ponytail. As Mother would say, 'it was easier to be seen as beautiful when it was something simple'. Silver jewelry to accent and some blue, white, and black Jordans. Simple. 

Once I felt okay with my outfit after staring in the mirror for however long, I walked into the kitchen. The others were still asleep, leaving just Jules and I. He had to get there earlier to prepare for qualifying and Lewis wanted me there to see everything, so it was just going to be us with everyone else coming later. Closer to when everything started. 

"You look lovely, Lu." 

I smiled, taking the coffee from him. It was in a cup, that way I could take it in the car with me. "Thanks, Ju." 

"Blue is your color." 

I tilted my head as we walked out of the flat. "I don't agree." 

"What do you think?" 

"I like red." 

Jules chuckled, opening the door for me. I got in, setting my cup into the holder so I could get comfortable. I watched him walk around and get into the car, waiting to hear what he had to say. 

"Nah. Blue." 

"Are you just saying that to argue with me?" 

"No, I actually mean it." He reached over to tap me on the nose and I swatted his hand away. "Blue looks good on you." 

I rolled my eyes at him, just deciding to ignore him. Jules had a right to his own opinion but I don't think I would ever agree with him. I was a die-hard Ferrari fan. Red was the only color that would ever see myself in. 

But I didn't say any more about it. Jules needed to focus so he could get into the right mindset and I was okay with a bit of silence before everything got crazy. Qualifying, while not an actual race, was still just as crazy as the actual race day. People were there, lots of yelling and cheering, the bustling and running around. It could get overwhelming, even if I was just going to sit in the garage. 

And I was right. As we pulled in, there were people everywhere. Jules looked over to me before grabbing his phone. It was a quick text and I knew it was to Lewis. 

"Are we just going to wait here?" 

He nodded. "I'm not going to drag you through all that. I know you hate crowds." 

"Merci." 

"You don't have to thank me." 

We waited, just sitting in what silence we could get. The crowds were loud but the car muted it just a bit. I watched the people walk past, some stopped to wave and Jules would wave back or smile. And then I saw Lewis. He smiled at me as we made eye contact through the windshield and held up a black Mercedes hat.