midnight rain [f. colapinto]

s i x t y - o n e

Evita practically skipped into the pizza restaurant she was meeting her cousin and Logan at. The scent of tomato sauce and baked cheese filled the air, and a hum of cheerful chatter floated through the space. She spotted Carmen and Logan at a table near the window, waving at her enthusiastically.

"Finally!" Logan exclaimed as Evita reached the table. He stood up to pull her into a bear hug, lifting her off the ground for a moment. "I was starting to think you got lost."

"Logan, put me down!" laughed Evita, smacking his shoulder lightly.

"Fine," he said, setting her back on the floor but keeping hsi hands on her shoulders to look her over. "You look good, Ev."

"Thanks, so do you, Lo," said Evita. "The break's been good for you, I can tell."

"Stop being an attention whore, Logan," said Carmen, standing up to engulf Evita in her own hug. "It's so good to see you again. You've been too quiet in our group chat."

Evita groaned as she sat down. "I've been so busy."

Logan raised a brow, leaning forward. "Oh, this I gotta hear."

"Oh, you will," promised Evita, picking up a menu. "But first, I need to order something to eat before I lose my mind."

"While we wait, how did your midterms go?" asked Carmen. "With work and everything?"

"It was a lot," admitted Evita. "But uni's going well. Midterms were stressful, but I did amazing on all of them."

"That's great, Ev!" complimented Logan.

"Congratulations!" said Carmen.

"Thank you," said Evita. "It was nice to be home to revise, it's so tough to do on the road. I'm dreading finals being right after Abu Dhabi."

Once the three ordered their meals, Evita began the more important story. "So, living with Franco. Where do I even begin?"

"Maybe with why you haven't throttled him yet?" Logan suggested.

Evita laughed. "Believe me, it's crossed my mind. At first, he was insufferable. But, he's actually not that bad."

Carmen tilted her head, her brows furrowed. "Not that bad? That's a big shift from 'insufferable.'"

Evita shrugged, sipping her water. "We've started finding common ground. I taught him how to use a pottery wheel a few weeks ago."

Logan choked on his drink. "Franco Colapinto? Pottery?"

Carmen nudged her best friend. "She mentioned this two weeks ago, Lo. Keep up."

Logan waved her off. "Please tell me there's photographic evidence."

"I promised those pictures will never make it to the public," said Evita. "But I swear he actually tried. He was terrrible, though. No patience. The poor vase he made looked like it melted."

"What else happened?" asked Carmen, smiling knowingly. "I saw those ice cream posts."

Evita felt her face turn red.

Logan leaned over to Carmen. "She's blushing," he whispered loudly.

"Oh hush," scolded Evita. "I was stressed over revising for my midterms, and he made me leave the house. So we got ice cream because he didn't like the options I had in the freezer."

"Was it mint chocolate?" asked Logan.

"Perhaps."

Logan sighed. "Ev, honey, you have the worst taste in ice cream flavors."

"He and I established that already," said Evita.

"And I saw you were at a dance studio," said Carmen. "What was that about? You don't dance."

"We went to a salsa class so I could loosen up a little," said Evita.

"Did you dance with him?" asked Logan, his curiosity peaking.

"What do you think?" asked Evita.

"Evita, you do realize that all of these little outings you guys are doing together seem like dates, right?" asked Carmen.

"They're not dates," complained Evita. "Just an effort to understand each other better."

Carmen raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her younger cousin, but she didn't say anything.

"So there won't be any repeats of Singapore?" asked Logan.

Evita groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Don't remind me. That was too complicated. I got a little too tipsy and was too stubborn to admit I might not hate him as much as I thought."

Logan raised his hands. "Whoa. Are you saying you actually like the guy now?"

"No! Not like that," Evita backtracked, her cheeks warming. "I mean, I respect him. He's dedicated and hardworking. He's complete shit at media, but he's trying. At least, I think he is. He still pushes my buttons, so things haven't changed that much."

Carmen and Logan exchanged a knowing glance. "Uh-huh. Sure."

"Don't start," Evita warned, but she couldn't suppress her smile. "Now Logan, tell me about trainig for you Indycar test."

Logan quickly launched into explaining his methods for preparing for his test next month. He seemed so excited to be back in a race car, it make Evita's heart ache. Though they hadn't talked about it much, Evita knew how much it had hurt him to leave Formula One. Getting this fantastic opportunity with Indycar would open new career opportunities for him. She would get to see the old Logan again.

The conversation flowed effortlessly, filled with more stories, laughter, and life updates. As they shared their meals, Evita felt a weight lift from her shoulders as she reconnected with two of her favorite people, the three of them finally together in one place.

...

an: whoops, i wrote this like a week ago and completely forgot to post it, but better late than never! i don't have much else to say other than rip to my dreams of yuki at redbull and i am predicting the hadjar announcement to come out within the next 48 hours (though i am dreading this) love you all! -willow <3