On and Off the Track

N I N E T Y

The next morning, soft sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the hotel room. I lay in bed, snuggled up against Charles, my head resting on his shoulder. It was a lazy morning, both of us too comfortable to get up. We were scrolling through our phones, catching up on the flood of posts, messages, and updates from the night before. My feed was full of posts about the race weekend, clips from qualifying, and highlights from our dinner the previous night. I occasionally leaned over to show Charles something funny, and he'd chuckle lightly, still mostly engrossed in his own phone.
"Look at this," I said with a grin, showing him a photo of him and Carlos caught mid-laugh in the paddock. "Fans are having a field day." Charles glanced at it and smiled.
"They always do." We continued scrolling in silence for a few more minutes until Charles spoke, breaking the calm. "You know, if I just finish higher than sixth in the next race," he said thoughtfully, "I'll win the championship." I shifted slightly, turning to face him more fully.
"Really? That's it?" I raised my eyebrows, suddenly more awake. Charles nodded, still staring at his phone but clearly thinking deeply.
"Yeah. It's a strange feeling. After everything this season, it's that simple now." I placed my phone down, the weight of his words settling over us.
"You've worked so hard to get here, Charles," I said softly. "It's not just simple. It's a result of everything you've put in." He smiled, this time more to himself.
"Yeah, I guess so. But still, anything can happen. You know how unpredictable the races can be." I reached over and gently nudged his arm.
"You always say that, but you're driving better than ever. I mean, you've got this." Charles finally set his phone aside and turned to face me, his green eyes locking onto mine.
"We'll see," he said quietly, his expression serious but laced with a hint of optimism. "I'm just trying not to jinx anything." I smiled at that, knowing how he liked to downplay his success until it was officially in the bag.
"You're not going to jinx it. You deserve this." He sighed, his hand brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Thanks. I just don't want to think too far ahead." I leaned closer, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.
"You don't have to," I whispered. "Just keep doing what you're doing." Charles pulled me in closer, our phones forgotten on the bed. For a while, we lay there in the morning stillness, holding onto each other and the peace of the moment before the day truly kicked off. The pressure, the media, the fans, it all seemed distant, as though we were in our own little bubble of calm.
"I'll finish higher than sixth," he muttered against my hair after a while, almost to himself. I smiled, resting my head against his chest.
"You will. I know it." The room was quiet, the early morning calm only broken by the gentle hum of the city outside and the faint rustling of the bed covers. Charles' steady heartbeat echoed in my ear as I lay against him, and we stayed like that, wrapped up in each other, savouring the rare stillness before the chaos of race day set in.

After a while, Charles stretched lazily and shifted his weight, glancing at the clock on the nightstand.
"We should probably get moving soon," he murmured, though his tone suggested he wasn't in any rush. I gave a small groan of protest, burying my face deeper into the crook of his arm.
"Just five more minutes," I mumbled, my voice muffled by the warmth of his body. I wasn't ready to give up this bubble of comfort just yet. Charles chuckled softly, his hand lazily tracing patterns on my back.
"You know, for someone who has so much to do today, you're surprisingly good at procrastinating."
"Learned from the best," I teased, tilting my head to look up at him, a playful smile tugging at my lips. He grinned back at me, his fingers brushing a strand of my hair away from my face.
"Fair point." After a few more moments of indulgence, Charles reluctantly pulled away, sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed.
"Okay, really, no more stalling. I've got training, and you've got about a million things to do too." I rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling as I exhaled. I knew he was right. There was no time to linger in bed, no matter how tempting.
"Yeah, yeah," I said with a mock sigh of defeat. "I'll get up. Eventually."