Under the surface

21.

AN: Holy crap this is a long chapter! Almost 1000 words. Now, let me know what you are all thinking about this chapter as you go and leave a comment about your view on the book as a whole! Would absolutely love some feedback about how my book is being received. Thanks!

After the Summer was the Monza GP, a home race for PREMA, adding more stress on top of Aurelia and Ollie's relationship troubles.

Over the last week of Summer Aurelia found herself a therapist, who she trusted to tell about her struggles with her father's death and with Ollie.
Jolie, her therapist, also worked with Ollie, even though neither drivers knew. Ollie had also dumped his view of the Summer onto her, so it helped her to understand both sides of the story. Jolie tried her hardest to steer both of them to a path where they would forgive each other, however it wasn't proving to be very easy.

Now, back to Monza. Annoyingly, Aurelia and Ollie were put into rooms right next door to each other, so they could basically hear everything the other was saying.

The walls in their hotel were not very thick, and were especially thin when Ollie was having fun with an Italian girl he met earlier that evening. Aurelia just sat on her bed, with tears in her eyes, listening to the girls cries.

"Oh Ollie! Yes Yes!"
"You're so big!"
"I am gonna finish!"

These cries ran through Aurelia's head and they was trapped inside. She couldn't bear to think that Ollie was fucking another girl, and she was upset about it. She regrets rejecting him in Croatia, if she hadn't it would have been her in there.

Her excuse about her not liking him was a lie. She knew that. She just panicked in the moment and it was the first thing she thought of. If only there was a way for her to show him how she feels.

Aurelia pulled out her phone, put her earbuds in and called Jolie.

"Hello Aurelia, is there a problem?"
"He- he- he is fucking someone." She barely managed to get her words out.
"Ollie? How do you know?" Jolie asked
"Walls real thin here."
"Oh no.. oh wait. Yes. That might work!"
"W-what?"

A few minutes later Aurelia was outside Ollie's door, smacking her fist into the oak wood. She pounded that door as hard as she could and then suddenly, the corruption stopped. Ollie's room went silent.

The door opened and a shirtless man stood, clearly looking unimpressed that his sex was interrupted. But as soon as his eyes locked onto Aurelia, his face turned to shock.

"Aurelia? What are you doing?"

Behind him, nothing was left to her imagination. There was a girl, completely naked on Ollie's bed, looking at her with the same pissed expression Ollie had before. She was not happy her sex had been interrupted.

Aurelia rethought the words Jolie had told her. Her therapist told her: "Just tell him how you feel. Tell him that you truly do like him and you were just being silly. If he wants to forgive you, he will. If not, you at least know that it isn't going to work out. Aurelia, sweetie, you have nothing to lose."

Aurelia had to do it. She had to tell him how she truly felt. She started to speak to Ollie, stuttering.

"I... I..."

"Take your time Aurelia."

"I am sorry, Ollie. I am so sorry. Back in Croatia, I rejected you, and I know I was wrong. I told you that I did like you, but I didn't want to mess it up. The death of my dad hit me hard, and I didn't want my grief to affect our relationship. I was so fucking wrong."

Aurelia was in tears, and she saw a few starting to form in Ollie's eyes too.

"Believe me, I have had a crush on you since the first weekend of the year. You're so kind, funny, and get along with everyone, not to mention you are smoking hot. I love the necklace you gave me, and that night in Belgium was magical, and to be honest... I want that permanently. 'You fell first but I fell harder.' That's the British phrase, right?" She smiled.

"Yes, yes it is Lia." Ollie laughed.

"Lia? I love that. And to be honest, if this were to work out, I would want it all. I promise you I would be committed. I want to meet your family, friends, your little brother. I am sure my mother would love you. I would want the team to know. The whole world. Ollie I have definitely fell for you and I just hope you will take me back."

Ollie stood there in silence, slowly letting all this information process. He stood there for around a minute and a half, before turning around and walking to the naked girl on his bed.

Aurelia feared the worst. What if Ollie didn't want her back and he wanted to finish the girl off? Should she leave? She closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.

"Get out." He said. She started to turn around to walk away until she heard the girl say:

"What the fuck? You are kicking me out? You believe that bullshit? But we were having such a great time!"

"I don't care. Get your clothes on and leave."

She did as she was told, got her clothes and left. Now it was just Ollie, shirtless, and Aurelia. He walked up to her and pressed his lips against her. She was shocked, still having her eyes closed. She opened them and saw his face.

He slowly pulled away and said: "Now, I have a friend who definitely wants to finish his business. Now I can either pull that girl back here or you could help me." He said with a grin.

Aurelia's face went bright pink, however she followed him inside, making sure to shut and lock the door.

"By the way, I hope you don't mind me calling you Lia for short. Like Aure-Lia?"

"I think I understand the origin, Ollie. And yes, you calling me Lia sounds perfect." She joked.