The Feature Game - [Carlos Sainz]

Cinco

"Cabrón, la estás asustando así," [you're scaring her like that] Roberto Merhi swatted the back of Carlos' head when he threw the barbell down on the floor with a grunt after he deadlifted 150 kilos. "It's fine," Gloria crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at the Spaniard and then at Carlos, who pushed his sweaty hair out of his face. His face was glistening as well, plump lips parted with heavy breaths as he was nearly done with his first training of the day. She nearly passed out when he told her they were training twice today. And she had said they? like she had asked this morning. Gloria wasn't so sporty, at least not at F1 driver pace. She was a Pilates and yoga kinda girly. "I do have to admit I thought our first bonding activity would be something else than... Grunting and throwing around weights," she said, causing Roberto to laugh. "Ai, mami, if you want to do something else you could have just-... Ai!" it was Carlos' turn to swat the back of Roberto's head, causing his hair to be messed up.

"I have to take a call," Carlos said, taking his phone from the bench he had put it on and then moved out of the gym. "He's a tough nut to crack," Roberto said right away when Carlos was out of hearing distance. They moved to the windows to talk while the others continued to train. She met a lot of people on his team today, his personal team, who kept him fit, healthy and ready for the next challenge. "And he really likes his privacy," Roberto added, crossing his arms over his chest. "I already got that," Gloria said, giving him a small smile. "I'm surprised he even accepted the project. But he does realize that good publicity can do wonders, especially in Italy. He and his teammate are like Gods there, you know?" Roberto continues, and Gloria can barely make out what he says as he speaks so incredibly fast. It makes her chuckle a little. The tone of Roberto's voice fits him. "And next year he's up for contract renewal, but a little birdy in Maranello told me Ferrari's CEO is calling Lewis Hamilton behind everyone's back."

Gloria's eyebrows rose. "Is this some kind of test to know what I will do with the information?" she asked. "No, it's something you should know, because it makes him fight harder and shut people out faster. He wants a title with this team, he wants to win so bad. But inside, he has a cute little heart that's as fluffy as hair," Roberto said, dead serious, his eyes gliding between her left and her right one before he cracked a smile that was contagious. "I know the difference between paparazzi and good journalists, Gloria. While I have no idea what you can write, but if your pen works the same wonders as your eyes and your pretty face, you won't disappoint anyone," he said, causing her head to cock sideways. "Are you flirting with me?" she asked, an amused look in her eyes. "Bluntly, yes," Roberto grinned. "Can you not distract the journalist, please?" Carlos' voice made them turn around. Roberto's eyes lingered on her for a second before he pulled them away from her.

"I was telling her about your bad habits," Roberto cackled, earning a playful push from his friend. Carlos briefly looked at her from over his shoulders before he picked up a couple of weights again and focussed on his workout. His biceps flexed and the veins ran over his arms, making her stomach flip a little again.

"And then he had the audacity..." Roberto said, sitting on the edge of his chair as he was telling the story about Carlos getting signed by Ferrari. "To sit across me and wait for me to see the internet going completamente loco because they just send out the notification, instead of telling me first!" Gloria laughed at the expressions on the Spaniard's face, poking her fork into her roasted chicken salad. Carlos had a grin on his face, his fingers moving over the rim of his glass of water. After the gym session, Roberto suggested they went out for lunch. Rupert wasn't available, so they went with the three of them. "He always talks this much, by the way," Carlos informed, looking over at Gloria. "That's okay, I'm a good listener," Gloria replied. "You'll get tired of me, I'll assure you that," Roberto said, making Carlos laugh too. Roberto was supposed to be in Spain with them, but he was racing at the same time, so he couldn't join. The Spaniard explained all about the category he raced in, about his history in Formula 1 and how he became friends with Carlos.