Starting from the Pit lane - Lewis Hamilton

Inked

By now the months had slipped from their hands and Melissa and Lewis had made their relationship official to all intents and purposes. She had started her career online and had soon picked up some sponsors, so she had started earning much earlier than expected. It wasn't entirely thanks to Lewis, given that she still preferred to stay away from the spotlight and barely appeared on his social profiles. Their photos from the Met Gala or the shots stolen in Monaco were always present on the covers of the newspapers but she still remained the "everyday" woman. Always a beautiful woman and financially wealthy but she managed her work and personal finances on her own. However, she made a good impression and had integrated very well within the group, also thanks to the fact that she had met most of the drivers during the internship.
When it happened, four of them went out with Valterri and his wife or with Charles and his girlfriend.

However, the tragic moment had come: introducing Lewis to her parents.
Melissa wasn't really worried about it, he was a nice guy, attractive even and from a work point of view you couldn't complain about anything. She already knew that her mother would object to the dangerousness of his career but, other than that, there was really nothing to worry about. She knew that neither of them would have liked the numerous and more than obvious tattoos he had scattered around his body but they would have pretended nothing happened, or at least so she hoped.

She had made a reservation at a restaurant in Parma, which was the city she felt most like hers and her father would have made a little trip for that dinner but he seemed to do it willingly. Melissa and Lewis also came from Monaco but they were thrilled by that trip, the Englishman couldn't stand the music his girlfriend chose but he loved her so much that he let her put whatever she wanted. Once Melissa had purposely put on the ugliest playlist she could find just to test the patience of Lewis, who had remained silent out of love.

-Excited?-
-Mh?- he muttered with one hand on the steering wheel and another on her thigh
-To meet my parents- Melissa specified.
-A little, yes- he smiled at her
-Just a little?- she pretended to be offended
-Well, since I was fifteen years old I've been introduced to my "in-laws" and since I've been a Formula One driver the girls have stopped going out with me just to disappoint their fathers, actually. Now apparently I'm a great match- he joked -Seriously, I'm very happy to meet your parents but I also have a good feeling. I'm calm, I feel that the evening will go well- he took her hand and brought it towards his face to kiss it so as not to take his eyes off the road. It should have been a six-hour journey but at that moment he had turned his back on the Mercedes to drive his favorite Ferrari and with a car like that the journey hours are instantly halved, not to mention his driving talent from six hours gone by very quickly at two and a half. Melissa was a little afraid to reach certain speeds in traffic but she could definitely trust him, for obvious reasons, even if in everyday life she often forgot who he was. Aside from joking, he never bragged about his career or accomplishments. He liked to boast a little about the lifestyle he led; anything but humble among apartments, cars, boats and restaurants; on social media, above all, but at the dinner table or in a casual context he talked about something else entirely.

They even arrived in Parma early and Melissa showed him a bit of the city, it was very small so it took little time to show them most of the places where she had kept good memories.
-You see? There, yes, right there!-
-The tree?-
-Yes, under that tree I had my first kiss. Very first kiss with my very first boyfriend!- she teased him.
-Yes but I will be the last boyfriend who will kiss you so I'm fine with it- he smiled to tease her and in the end they walked towards the restaurant.
All the people of Parma turned to see that luxurious car but in the end no one did or said anything other than investigating about the owner.

Darkness fell quickly and Melissa and Lewis were waiting for their in-laws at their table. The dark-haired man was sitting three-quarters, bent over the girl, with his arm resting on the back of the chair next to his. They had decided to sit next to each other thinking of making things less embarrassing, Andrea and Filippa had been divorced for years and, perhaps, placing them close together and avoiding making their eyes meet often could have helped.

They arrived at two different times, first Andrea and then Filippa. They sat down and immediately gasped when they saw "the character", who they didn't recognize at all. They spoke to him in Italian and Lewis turned to her -you told him who I am, right?-
-No-
-Don't they know it's me?-
Melissa shook her head as she hid her nose in the glass of white wine.
-Lis, didn't you tell him that we're dating?-
-obviously they know we're dating-
-But?- he looked at her as if to extort a confession from her
-But they don't know it's you-
Lewis looked at her disappointed and closed the menu.

She introduced him properly and saw that it had not been fully understood, Melissa translated with a smile and Lewis watched the in-laws' mouths move waiting for a translation but the girl replied in Italian and did not update the boy.
-What's happening?-
-Nothing, baby. I just told them who you are...-
Lewis saw Andrea's wide open mouth and smiled at him sheepishly. Filippa was visibly upset, her eyes jumped from her daughter to her boyfriend and in amazement she also looked for her ex-husband's gaze.
-This isn't going too bad, isn't it?- Lewis joked playing with his trouser pocket, something fell out but he immediately stopped Melissa telling her –It's just my watch-
The evening continued normally and the embarrassment vanished as soon as the appetizers arrived. They had dinner together and managed to have a pleasant evening, Lewis offered dinner for everyone and in the end they all left smiling.
-forgive me-
-Mh? - he said, starting the car.
-For not having been transparent with my parents-
-Exactly what did you tell him when you went to live in Monte Carlo with a boy-
-Well actually I tried to talk to my parents about it but have you seen my dad tonight how many times has he checked his emails and work phone? And how sociable is my mom? I tried to explain the situation to them but they didn't pay much attention to me, they only understood that we had met during my internship and as soon as I said the words "cohabitation" and "Monte Carlo" they stopped listening because they knew I would be fine-
Lewis couldn't blame her entirely, he had noticed her parents' constant distraction. The evening had been more than pleasant but it was undeniable that there had been several interruptions.

It took them three and a half hours to get home, due to traffic but also because it was dark.
As soon as they reached the living room Melissa gave Lewis a kiss and he held her close to him.
-I was disappointed that you couldn't... tell them "the truth" before meeting me-
-I know, sorry. You're right- Melissa shook her head resignedly.
The Englishman took from his pocket the box he had dropped earlier at dinner, "the watch", and opened it. Inside was a huge and very precious diamond ring.
-That's why I would have liked them to already know about me, I love you and I thought it would be more romantic for you. Will you marry me-?
It seemed that Ursula had stolen Melissa's voice as well as Ariel's, she couldn't make a sound. She hugged Lewis, and two tears fell from her honey-colored eyes. She nodded her head and cheeks red, put her left hand in front of him and put her right hand in front of her mouth.
They touched their foreheads and sighed in disbelief.
Lewis picked her up bridal style and carried her to their bed.