Book 2: Beginning Again -Carlos Sainz

Chapter 53

"I should've known," Marie said as she looked at the sight in front of her.

Carlos stood, holding two putters in front of a cheesy, tourist-y mini golf course. He wore a blue quarter zip and athletic pants, full well knowing how competitive he would get.

"The element of surprise was crucial here, plus you owe me a rematch," Carlos said as he walked towards her. The smirk on his face showed how much satisfaction he got in her happy reaction.

"Where's... everyone else?" Marie said as she looked around the deserted place.

"I rented it out for the day. No distractions, remember?" Carlos replied with a grin.

"Okay, game on," Marie replied, matching his smile.

She knew she was in for a great time, but getting ready for and arriving on this date only made her remember just how much this man knew her. When he texted last week her asking where she was going to be in the upcoming month, Marie had, admittedly, low hopes. She never thought he would fly out to where she was for a date. And not just any date, but a perfectly planned date with mini golf and privacy and Carlos in his slightly-too-tight pants that made Marie admire men's fashion designers. Marie accepted the club from Carlos, still refusing to break eye contact. He pulled out two golf balls from his pocket, briefly glancing at them before handing one to her. She took the ball and scanned it as she rolled it in her hand. It took a minute before she saw the inscription "C+M."

"I, uh, actually had them made a long time ago, I don't want to be presumptuous," Carlos said as he saw her surprise.

"No, I love it. It's so cute."

Her smile was genuine as she looked up to see that his anxiety had faded away. Standing before her was a happy, content, smiley, goofy Carlos.

"So," he said as he wiped the cheesy grin off his face. "How are things at work going?"

Marie stuttered before she answered, thrown off by the normalcy of his question. Something he used to ask all the time, but seemed far too casual for where they were now. They both walked leisurely to the first hole.

"It's good, different than I expected. Everyone has, you know, preconceived notions about me and that I'm only there because of my name. My supervisor definitely hates me, but I'm just going to prove her wrong," Marie said, feeling weird at how easy it was to open up to him.

"You're particularly good at showing people how wrong they are about you. Just wait, I mean, give her a few months and I know you'll be showing her up. Once she gets over her jealousy, I'm sure she won't hate you," Carlos replied as he stopped in front of the first hole.

Marie stared back at him, taking in the words he just said.

"Thank you, I mean I can't imagine a world where she would be jealous of me," Marie said as she hid her blush.

"I could name a million reasons. You're so fucking smart, and passionate about your job. You just have an instinct for these things, and you're never boastful about it. And... I should probably stop talking now," he said as he winced and looked down to line up his putt.

"You always know the right things to say," Marie said as she watched him concentrate on his putt. He readjusted his form, looking towards the hole and back. Even on fake grass, surrounded by weird plastic articles and fake-blue water, he cared to make it the best putt he's ever had. The words came out of her before she could stop them,

"I'm actually jealous of your work ethic. I mean you work almost 24/7 for basically 10 months out of the year. Your passion for F1, I mean, it's beautiful. It was really amazing to see," she trailed off.