Recipe for Love

Chapter 15

Charles

"What do you want?" said an angry voice on the other end of the phone. It wasn't easy for me to press the green button next to Joris' name because it meant admitting that I was screwed, and he was right all along.
"Hi," I muttered, wondering what to say next. Maybe I should have written it down first. Jo was patiently silent, waiting for me to say something.
"I wanted to apologize to you. I acted like a jerk," I admitted quietly.
"Um."
"I need you, Jo. Could you come and... look after me?"
"Only if you admit you have a problem and I was right," he said. I knew he was grinning smugly on the other end.
"I admit I have a problem and you were right."
"That was easier than I expected. I'll be there tomorrow," he declared and hung up without another word.

I felt relieved. And when Andrea arrived in the afternoon, he also immediately noticed that I was in a much better mood than yesterday. "I settled it with Joris. He will come tomorrow," I informed him, and Andrea nodded contentedly. "Okay. Maybe you should find a girlfriend. Then you wouldn't have any time to wallow in your own depressive thoughts," he declared, and I immediately remembered Anna. Why on earth do I immediately think of a girl I've seen like three times, and who has given me no reason to think there could be anything more between us? "I think Joris is more than enough for now," I smirked, tied my shoelaces and then we headed out.

I was really starting to feel like a stalker, but I didn't have her number and it felt silly to text Lewis asking for it. So I stood by her car for a while before closing time, waiting for her to finally come out of the restaurant. "This is getting really weird," Anna laughed as she got close enough to be sure it was me. "I know, sorry," I muttered, running a nervous hand through my hair. "Is everything ok?" Anna asked, tossing her backpack onto the back seat of her battered Fiat. "Yeah. I just wanted to... see you. Sorry, it's stupid. I'd better go," I moaned, looked at her apologetically and walked towards my apartment. "No, wait!" she squealed and grabbed my wrist. "I'm glad you're here. I don't know anyone else and it's nice to have at least one friend here," she smiled sweetly, but that last word caused an unpleasantly oppressive feeling in my chest. Friend, ok. Probably still better than nothing.

We walked together through the darkened Maranello, and I showed her all the important places. Well, not that there were many in this small town, but for me it was like a second home. "When do your races start?" Anna asked when we reached the main gate of the historic part of the factory. "In 2 weeks in Melbourne. There are 24 race weekends again this year," I explained to her. "24? So many?" her eyes widened in shock. "You really don't know anything about Formula 1, do you?" I laughed. She shook her head resignedly. "But I have a feeling that I will soon find out even what I don't want to know," she shrugged, and I just looked at her silently. Did that mean she wanted to learn those things from me? "Now that I live with Lewis," she added, and I sagged in disappointment.

"Can you lend me your phone?" she asked as we walked back to her car. I hesitantly unlocked it and handed it to her. She tapped something on it and returned it to my hand. "So that you can write to me normally and not have to lurk on me, like some kind of creep," she smiled, and I looked at the newly saved contact with the British area code on the display. "I wasn't lurking on you," I protested weakly, but she just raised an eyebrow and smirked.

For the first time in a while, I didn't feel like an abandoned wreck in the evening in the apartment. For the first time in a while, I didn't even think of going to the nearest convenience store for a bottle of low-quality wine. My best friend was supposed to come tomorrow and what else? I had the number of the most beautiful and interesting girl far and wide in my phone.