all eyes on you - carlos sainz jr F1

28

"So, Cami. We have all seen your adorable relationship with Charles, or 'Charlie' as you call him. Can you finally comment on that?" The interviewer asks.

I'm sat between Charles on my left and Carlos on my right. Sarah sits next to Carlos, Lando next to her and Oscar next to him.

I look at both of the Ferrari boys on either side of me and let out an awkward laugh. George had prepared me for this question but I still wasn't prepared to give it.

"Well, you know. I think that there's more to people then-" I start but Charles cuts me off.

"Is it really anybody's business if we are? I'm not saying that we are, but if- if we did, why does it become your business? Why does the media call some weird- uh- how do you say- dibs?" He asks.

I feel my cheeks go pink and the interviewer stutters out a response. I notice in the corner of my eye that Carlos has clenched his jaw.

"Okay! Maybe, we just talk about something else? Are there any other questions?" Sarah asks.

Lando snickers and I start picking at my nails, even though they're freshly done.

"One for you, Carlos." Another interviewer says. Carlos sits up slightly, grabbing ahold of his mic. "We've heard some rumors about stewing tension between you and Cami. How do you feel about this based on the fact that she is with Charles, or sorry, allegedly, she is with Charles?"

Carlos' knuckles go white on the mic, but his answer comes out calm. "Are you going to ask us any genuine questions or are they just going to be about who we're with? Because I can tell you for one, Cami is not here to be objectified by the press as well as her ex-boyfriend, if any of you media have problems take it up with him. Ask us questions about anything else, no one needs to know about our dating lives."

A silence settles over the room and Oscar lets out a low whistle. I see Amanda at the back of the room with her head in her hands.

"Well, does anyone want to know what my favorite one of Sarah's films is?" Oscar asks and everyone laughs, the tension is somewhat lifted for a moment.

"Sure, Oscar. Tell us." One of the other interviewers asks. There was a crowd of about 10 of them, and for some reason were doing the same sort of interview that the drivers do before a race weekend. I feel awkward being put on a pedestal in front of a crowd of interviewers who are all prying for the best story and not asking about what type of car Carlos is driving, or what the change in gearshift meant for Lando.

"Well, I liked 'Set it Up' with Glen Powell back in...jeez when would it have been? 2014?" Oscar asks and I nod my head. Sarah lets out a small laugh.

"Yep, that was 2014. I love that movie actually, I think it was a fun one to star in and help produce. Glen is an amazing co-star, we're doing Twisters together which is coming out next year." Sarah says I watch all of the reporters' heads going down to write in their notebooks.

"So would you say you and Glen had a relationship of sorts?" A reporter asks and Sarah slumps a little.

"Right, that's enough!" Lando says. "Have any of you got questions of substance or are you wasting our fucking time? Sure, you reporters do it every weekend for us drivers, but we have guests here who are famous in and outside of their fields. They have given up time to be here and the one thing that will be remembered from this was how Cami didn't answer the question about her and Charles, or how Sarah might've had a fling with Glen Powell. It's ridiculous! It is now the second time that we, the drivers, have had to reprime you about your comments. It's unacceptable the way you have behaved, and frankly, it's just unfair. These ladies are too respectful and kind to say anything to any of you, but I, frankly, won't sit here and listen to this." His eyes blaze as he looks around the room.

"Yeah," Carlos coughs. "None of us will."

The silence is deafening and I look down, but turn my eyes to Sarah. She looks as embarrassed as I feel. I put my head up and meet the gaze of all the reporters.

"I hope you have all embarrassed yourself enough now to ask us proper questions," I say into my mic, before putting it back on my lap and waiting.

"Cami, you commented recently that you are starting a world tour for your new album, which is amazing, by the way. Are you going to follow the circuit of the race calendar and perform at each race?" A younger, female reporter asks.

I smile, finally a question I can answer without feeling judged. "Yes! I plan on coming to each of the races and then doing the closing ceremonies. Of course, some of the nights already have some big names attached to the show, so in places like Miami or Vegas I'll probably take a break or perform individually."

The reporter smiled at me before writing down what I answered with.

"Oscar, we heard over the radio last race that your front wing wasn't set properly. Has that been sorted?" A reporter asks and Oscar answers. I look at Charles who must sense me look at him because he smiles.

I offer him a small smile back before looking at Carlos who sits on the other side of me and smiling at him as well. The table we sit under covers our legs as he puts his hand on my thigh under the table. His grasp spreads a warmth throughout my entire body but I try not to react.

It's not often that a woman can feel completely safe around a group of guys, but I did. I felt 100 percent protected by these four people who I had met three weeks ago at the most. I would never take that for granted.

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AH. love the six of them sm!!