𝙁𝙊𝙍𝘽𝙄𝘿𝘿𝙀𝙉 𝙁𝙍𝙐𝙄𝙏 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘴

𝙁𝙄𝙑𝙀

𝙁𝙊𝙍𝘽𝙄𝘿𝘿𝙀𝙉 𝙁𝙍𝙐𝙄𝙏 ᯓ★

𝙀𝙇𝙀𝙉𝘼'𝙎 𝙋𝙊𝙑

AFTER THE RACE it had been time for yet another painful session that neither one of us wanted to partake in at this points. Another hour of me trying to get him to open up instead of make my job harder than it has to be and him denying.

He entered our usual room, a small room with a nice circular table, a couch and a window looking out into one of the alleys between garages.

He'd walked in, choosing to linger by the window instead of sit down.

Noticing he wasn't intending on sitting, I began. "So, how's the adrenaline rush settling down?"

He leaned against the wall, arms crossed as he looked at nothing in particular. "Not as quickly as I'd like. You know how it is—hard to switch off."

"You've had a day to unwind. Surely you're not still on edge?"

He glanced at me then looked away. "You could say that. Some things linger longer than others."

"Like what, exactly?," I probed, raising a brow.

A light smirk played on his features. "Oh, just the usual. Pressure, expectations. The thrill that won't quit."

My eyes narrowed. "Thrill or something else? You seemed pretty intense out there."

He kept his back towards me, facing the window into the deserted path. "Intense? Or just focused? It's hard to tell the difference sometimes."

He wasn't giving me what I wanted so I stood up and approached him. "It's easy to mistake intensity for something more personal. You might want to clarify."

He turned to face me, eyes darkening. "Clarify? What do you mean by that?"

He hadn't been as happy about getting P2 in the race as I'd initially expected. Something was still holding him back from celebrating. "Well, it's not every day someone gets this worked up over a second-place finish. Especially someone who usually keeps it together."

He moved closer to me. "Are you trying to provoke me?"

"Just trying to understand where the tension is coming from."

"Maybe it's easier if you don't." His voice had dropped to a whisper.

He'd stood so close our faces were only inches apart. "Maybe understanding could help you move on."

I watched intently as his gaze flickered from my lips to my eyes. "You think you're so insightful, don't you?"

I nodded slowly. "I try to be. It's part of the job."

I noticed him take a step back slightly. "Sometimes the job gets in the way."

"Or maybe the job brings out things you're not ready to confront," I suggested.

"You think you know me that well already?" Hs voice was strained.

"I think I'm starting to see the cracks."

He looked at me in an intricate blend of frustration and curiosity, but I couldn't tell which was more dominant. "And what if I don't want you to?"

"Well that's too bad."

𝙇𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙊'𝙎 𝙋𝙊𝙑

Something unspoken lingered in the air, words on the tips of our tongues that we wouldn't let escape.