Book 2: Beginning Again -Carlos Sainz

Chapter 26

Carlos let out a scream/yell as he crossed the finish line, letting the sounds of the words "that's P1 mate," fill his ears. He felt the smile that overtook his face and the feeling that was unparalleled. The feeling of winning. He parked his car under the #1 and hopped out. He jumped off the car and ran towards the team, watching as his friends were just as excited as he was. He lived for these moments, and after a tough season last year, this was exactly what he needed.

"God, I needed this," he thought as they all tapped, patted, and hugged him. He looked over the crowd, sorting through the faces as he looked. He had looked for a solid 10 seconds before he realized who he was looking for and a few more seconds before he realized that she wouldn't be there. The realization hit him over the head as he backed away and was ushered by some race officials. He'd ended things with so many girls before, but it was never like this.

**

"It has never been like this before. I've never been so... caught up on a girl like this before," Carlos thought as he stared at the group of women in front of him. He took another long swig of his drink. The blonde girl, of course, was standing right next to him talking about something. She had just put her hand on his arm, and he was too drunk to care, or even notice. Parties like these were the best way to meet women, and Carlos had an 100% success rate after his wins. He knew he was out of practice, but the blonde girl was a guarantee as she looked up at him through her lashes. Carlos looked at her and felt... nauseous.

"It's all the alcohol," he mumbled as he briefly excused himself from the woman's grasp of his bicep and turned around just to be slammed into by the physical-therapist girl he had just met a few days ago. A welcome distraction from his weird thoughts and emotions. He finished the rest of his drink as he talked to her.

**

Marie moved her last suitcase back into her apartment. She closed the door with a slam, letting the silence of the empty apartment fill her mind. She briefly thought about Carlos and how he won the race, catching the highlight clips as she reposted them to the company instagram stories. She knew he was at the after party right now, thinking about him in his slutty button down shirts and how he was no doubt flirting with women and pushing his hair back. Marie let out another groan at the thought as she flung her body onto her bed. Her and her dad had a long talk after qualifying, and he agreed to let her take a break from the F1 tour and send out Mark, her most promising intern, instead. She told him that she would let him know the minute she was ready to return to her job. Before she knew it, Marie was falling asleep in her bed after a long day of travel and crying.

She bolted awake in the middle of the night, dripping sweat as she ran to the bathroom. Marie barely made it there before she got sick in the toilet. Over and over again, Marie had even dragged a pillow and blanket into her bathroom to rest between the waves of nausea. It was a few hours before she had a moment to think

"Flu? Food poisoning? Am I-"

The thought hit her like a truck as she laid on the cool tile of her bathroom floor. Her dehydrated and slightly loopy mind took her back to a memory that she had often replayed.

Marie sat on the balcony of their Airbnb in Capri, enjoying the cool breeze and ocean sounds as she read her book. It was her quiet time, even on vacation. Marie set her book down, looking out towards the view as she saw the sun bouncing off the waves. It was a beautiful place, and she felt like she was in Cinderella when Carlos and his private jet showed up for her. He referred to it as their two-month anniversary trip, and Marie laughed when he told her that he would take her for trips each month. The door behind her opened as Carlos came and sat next to her, dressed in a loose white tee and athletic shorts. She smiled at him as he sat down and looked towards the view.

"This is really beautiful," he said.

"I know, I'd love to have a vacation home in a place like this. Just escape for a few weeks at a time," Marie said without a second thought.

"Do you want kids?" Carlos said, looking at her as he cocked his head to the side.

"What?" Marie nearly choked out as her brain triple checked that she heard him correctly.

"Do you want kids someday?" he repeated.

"Uhhh, Carlos we've been dating for two months," Marie replied with confusion.

"I know, but I'm asking about the future," he replied, as if it was the most normal thing for a man with commitment issues to bring up. "I want kids."

"Uhhh, I haven't really thought about it that much," she said, honestly. "But I think I would like to have a family someday."

"I think three is good"

"You are not the one who has to house and push them out of you," Marie said with a side glance and a cut tone.

"I know, but I just think the more the merrier. I love having such a big family. Big holidays together and big Christmas parties. Vacations to places like this. We'll have big houses with plenty of rooms to fill up," he said as he looked into the distance.

"As long as we have one boy to continue the family racing legacy," Marie said with a light laugh.

"Hey, I'd hope by then that F1 has plenty of women racers. Between my racing talent and your pure determination, our little girl would absolutely dominate the field."

Marie's heart squeezed at the words 'our little girl.' She couldn't help but let the image of their domesticated family run through her mind as the words tumbled out of her mouth.

"I hope our kids have your hair and your skin," Marie said quickly. She started to apologize for being weird, but Carlos speaking cut her off.

"I hope our kids have your eyes and personality," he said with a deep smile. "I think I'd be a great girl dad to some tiny, blonde, competitive, bossy girls."

Marie got up for the toilet again after the memory finished playing in her mind, not sure if it was the memory that triggered the nausea. She made a mental note to go to the pharmacy the next day for a test. She laid back down on the floor, feeling as empty as she had ever felt. Physically, there was nothing in her body, and emotionally, there was nothing in her heart. She practically begged her body to not let her cry, as she had cried more in the past few weeks than her entire life. As she laid there, waiting for either the puke or the tears to come, she made a promise to herself. That she would never, ever, let a man make her feel like this ever again. She knew she could never trust what was too good to be true, because it turned out to be just that. Marie grabbed her phone and shot Erin a text for moral support as she took a long exhale and tried to get some sleep.