Criminal ~ OP81

10. 'Cooling Properties' makes no sense

Andrea Wolff

George was a great person.

But holy hell his girlfriend, Carmen is ten times better.

I've had plenty of friends and even best friends they have come and gone but I don't think I've meet a funnier or nicer woman than her. I technically invited her as a surprise for George by telling my dad she was my friend, but now I'm tempted to not even tell George she's here so me and her can hang out!

We're on our third round of refills and most likely annoying everyone in the paddock restaurant area with our 'hushed' laughter as we figure out how in common we are. I'm holding my stomach as she's bidding her giggles behind her hand to try and hush them- it's not working but it's better than me who's laughing freely.

"I swear, Carmen, I thought I'd never live it down," I gasped, wiping tears of laughter from my eyes. "There I was, stuck to my desk like a limpet, with Mrs. Berger frantically trying to unstick me before the bell rang."

Carmen's laughter echoed mine, her brown curls bouncing as she shook her head. "Oh my god, Andrea! I can just picture little eight-year-old you, hand glued to the desk, panic-stricken!"

"The worst part," I continued, barely containing my giggles, "was that Elias moser wouldn't stop calling me 'Sticky Fingers' for the rest of the year. I swear, I considered changing schools!"

Carmen wiped a tear from her eye, still chuckling. "Kids can be so cruel. But honestly, that's hilarious. Did you ever live it down?"

"Private school kids are even worse" I mumbled before shrugging it off, a wry smile on my face. "Eventually. By high school, it was just a funny story. But let me tell you, arts and crafts were never the same after that!"

As our giggles subsided, I noticed a shift in Carmen's expression.

She bit her lip, hesitating before speaking. "So... George mentioned Oscar the other day. How are things going with you two?"

My heart skipped a beat. I hadn't expected George to share that information, and for a moment, I was unsure how to respond. But looking at Carmen's open, friendly face, I felt a surge of trust. It also didn't help that I was bursting at the seams wanting to talk about Oscar, and chatting with George can only help so much.

"Honestly? It's been amazing," I admitted, lowering my voice instinctively as a smile tugged at my face. "But this race is tough. We're not in the same hotel like last time, and all this sneaking around is starting to wear on me."

Carmen nodded, her eyes full of understanding. "I get it. George and I struggle with the secrecy too. Sometimes I wish we could just go public, you know?" She paused, fiddling with the unused napkin in front of her as she avoids eye contact. "But then I think about all the attention, the scrutiny... I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

I reached out and squeezed her hand, which to convey eh the comfort I knew she needed. "Hey, that's totally valid. There's no rulebook for dating an F1 driver. You take it at your own pace."

"Thanks, Andrea," Carmen smiled gratefully. "Can I ask... how do you handle it? The pressure, I mean. Especially with your dad being who he is."

I let out a long sigh, leaning back against the wall. "It's not easy, I'll tell you that. Why do you think this is my first season in like five years? Luckily I was only asked to tag along for two races."

Carmen nods along before stopping short and giving me a confused look. "Isn't this technically your third race?"

I let myself think about and that's when I realize I haven't really been thinking about that. Because yeah, technically I could've left after the last race- but I wasn't really in a hurry to leave anymore.