midnight rain [f. colapinto]

n i n e t e e n

The race on Sunday could not have gone better. Alex finished the race in P9, Franco not far behind in P12. The Argentine rookie was beaming when he got out of the car.

"I made up six places, Evita! And I didn't get lapped," he exclaimed excitedly as they walked to the media pen.

"That's fantastic, Franco," said Evita, her voice in a monotone. She tried to walk a little faster, but his legs were longer, so he kept pace with her easily.

"You could at least pretend to be proud of me," said Franco.

"Maybe I'd be prouder if you scored some points for the team," said Evita.

"I'll score points in Azerbaijan. Just for you, Evita," promised Franco, sending a wink in her direction. Naturally, Evita rolled her eyes in response.

"Okay, come on, you've got interviews," said Evita. "Save some of your energy for the camera.

"Hi Franco, you've finished your first Grand Prix. You must be delighted with the performance, only thirteen seconds off a point," said the interviewer.

"Yeah, yeah, it's not bad for the first race," agreed Franco. "The car was really strong, and I am very happy, of course, with the performance we had this weekend. A lot of question marks going into the race. Of course, I've never done more than eight laps in a row before in an f1 car and today we had fifty three to do with very high track temps, the highest of the weekend, and a lot of unknown things but I think I've done a good job."

The two continued to chat back and forth about how Franco prepared for the weekend, all of the last-minute trainingn and simulation work it took to get him ready. Evita was impressed. He was respectful and well-spoken, exactly as she worked with him at their meeting the day before. He was talking a lot, which she had wanted to avoid, but the conversation was easy-going and flowed well.

Evita started to get anxious when the interview went overtime, with neither Franco nor the interviewer showing any sign of ending their conversation.

Evita waved to get Franco's attention. He glanced over at her, eyes widening when he saw her motioning for him to finish things up.

Franco politely excused himself and joined Evita.

"You do realize we're on a time crunch, right?" asked Evita.

"I know, but it's polite to speak with people," Franco said cheerfully.

"Not here it isn't," said Evita, keeping her tone firm. "The people in the paddock don't give a crap about manners, just hearing your thoughts and moving on. I know you're excited but you have a responsibility."

"I know, I'll try to make it quicker," said Franco.

The next interview was not quicker. Franco spent nearly five minutes talking to the F1TV presenters about his weekend, leaving Evita anxiously picking at her fingernails while she silently prayed he would hurry it up.

"Don't look so stressed, Evita," said Franco, glancing down at Evita's damaged fingernails. "I have everything under control."

"That's the problem," muttered Evita, crossing her arms protectively over her chest.

"Oh right, you hate not being in control," said Franco. "I remember quite well. You're still the same Evita."

Evita's face burned. Though he hadn't explicitly brought it up, even the implication of their previous relationship was enough to make her lose her train of thought.

"Anyway, I'll try to keep it brief," said Franco. "And no flirting this time. See, Ev, I'm learning."

"At least you're picking up something," said Evita.

"But if they ask me about how incredible I was today, I can't promise a short conversation," said Franco.

"Right, because that's what we need: more talk about your 'legendary' driving," said Evita, surprised to hear the humor in her voice.

"You should be proud of me, I'm the first driver from our country in Formula One for years. Just wait till I'm winning a championship. You'll be happy for me, I guarantee," said Franco, nudging her arm as they returned to the media pen for his last interview.

Evita had to fight back a groan when she saw the pretty woman from yesterday, representing DAZN.

"First of all, Franco, P18 to P12, what an excellent drive!" complimented the woman. Franco turned red from pride. "As you look ahead to the upcoming races, how do you feel about your preparations compared to what you experienced this week? Are there any specific tracks you're particularly excited about or feel more prepared for?"

Obviously races are coming up that I don't know first, but there are also races coming up that I can prepare for more easily than how I could for Monza. I really only had one day in the simulator, and nothing more," said Franco. "I'm looking forward to keep training and seeing where the rest of the season takes me."

"You've always been known for your straightforward approach in interviews. What do you think makes for a good conversation during interviews?" asked the interviewer.

Evita crossed her fingers, hoping Franco would redirect the conversation back to racing, but to her dismay, he didn't.

"I'm not much of a sweet talker, I really say what I feel and what I see, always have. You make me laugh a lot in your interviews, and it's a pleasure to be here chatting with you," said Franco.

Evita jerked her hand across her throat, as if slitting it, in an attempt to get his attention. She couldn't tell if he was just focused on his conversation, or if he was choosing to ignore her. Either way, the driver and the reporter talked for a few more minutes until Franco finally decided it was time to go.

"How was that?" he asked, as he and Evita left the media pen and walked back to the Williams motorhome.

"You were off to a good start," said Evita. "You kind of ruined it when she asked you about your interview approach."

"Hey, you're not yelling at me," said Franco cheerfully. "I'll take that as a win. Though I do admit, it's kind of hot when you yell at me."

"You're impossible," said Evita, letting her hair fall in front of her face to hide her blush.

"Impossible to resist," he countered smoothly. "But really, it's nice to have someone who cares enough to call me out."

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't," said Evita. "Besides, someone has to keep you in check. You're quite the handful. Now go, do your debrief or whatever. I'll see you in Baku."

"You're leaving already?" asked Franco, leaning against the wall outside the Willliams motorhome.

"I have to catch a flight back to England. I have class tomorrow," said Evita.

Franco made a face. "Gross."

"It's not gross. It'll be nice to be there in person for once," complained Evita. "You're just jealous because you're too dumb for university."

"Not true," retorted Franco.

"Okay but you'd definitely get kicked out for talking too much," said Evita.

"You've got me there," said Franco. "Have a safe flight, Evita."

"Thank you," said Evita, shocked to hear the sincerity in her own voice. "Don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone. If I don't see you at the Grove, we'll have a media meeting in Baku."

"I look forward to it, Gorgeous," said Franco, winking at her. "See you around."

He walked inside the motorhome, leaving Evita standing outside, utterly bewildered by the afternoon she had just had.

...

an: i actually despise this chapter but i needed to get something out. anyway, now that the monza part is done, i can get to baku (introducing a fun new character) and singapore (a really fun scene i've been prepping for weeks), so hopefully things will get more fun! anyway, i'll be focusing on this a lot more now that i am caught up with my indycar fic, so expect more frequent updates. -willow <3