The Battle Of The Heart

Chapter 6: Just a glimpse

Lewis' best friend Andy, his coach Angela and Mariam had joined us for dinner. Lewis was in high spirits. He had kept his word and outperformed Sebastian in second practice. Mariam and I were dressed for the yacht party that we would be attending later on. I had a white, flowy dress on while Mariam wore a particularly tight bodycon dress. As usual, she looked stunning and I noticed she already had a fan in Andy.

"After the race, I'm going to have a small party at the hotel," Lewis was saying. "Everyone's expecting me to have a crazy, extravagant party but I'm gonna keep it private."

"Is Daniel going to be there?" Mariam wanted to know.

"Ricciardo?"

"Uh huh."

"Somebody's got a crush!" Lewis teased.

"Well, I'm Team Mercedes all the way," Mariam smirked. "But I wouldn't mind a sip of red bull every now and then."

"For when you need to be up all night?" Lewis shot her an innocent smile.

"Exactly."

I was dreading the party. All I wanted to do was stay in bed and replay certain parts of the day in my head. Just thinking about it gave me butterflies. When it was time to leave, I reminded Lewis of his promise to take me on a drive around the marina in the hope of avoiding the party.

"Ah sorry babe, I've got the team waiting for me to go over certain things before Quali tomorrow." He gave me a peck on the cheek. "Maybe tomorrow, if we manage to finish everything on time."

I nodded, disappointed. With no excuse left, I got up to leave with Mariam.

'Be good," Lewis said, giving me another kiss.

The party was a luxurious affair. But, within two hours of arriving, my social battery was dying. Mariam, on the other hand, was in her element. She was full of smiles and jokes, surrounded by a group of newly made friends. I should probably make more of an effort to socialize, I thought to myself. However, I decided that my bed was more appealing right now and went to find Mariam.

"Please stay," she said, slightly tipsy.

I shook my head. "Please, don't get too drunk. And text me as soon as you get back."

We had met King Bach and Amanda Cerny, two social media stars, who were staying at the same hotel as us. They promised to make sure she got back safely.

The hotel lobby was bustling with people even at 11pm. I was making my way towards the elevators when I caught a fleeting glance of a red Ferrari shirt among a crowd, walking down the right corridor. Could it be...? No, Dani, don't be silly. Just go to bed. And yet, my legs carried me past the elevators and down that corridor. I followed the crowd, my heart throbbing in my chest. I didn't even know why I was doing this but I just couldn't fight the urge to see him. Just a glimpse, I thought. I knew I would see him on the track the next day but it was like my heart was saying No bitch, just do as I say.

The crowd entered a room on the left. The door was still open. I had no business being there, so I decided to just walk by the room and try to sneak a peek inside. Just a glimpse, I assured myself. I walked past as nonchalantly as I could pretend to be. If I got caught, I would just declare myself lost. I managed a quick glance of the inside of the room.But it was too quick. It appeared to be a suite, packed with people and cameras, but I didn't manage to spot anyone of interest. I felt a pang of disappointment with ensuing shame as I realized I had just behaved like a fangirl, stalking F1 drivers. No one seemed to have noticed me, thankfully. I had to walk back the same way I came to get to the elevator, but this time I promised I would keep my head down and conduct myself with more dignity. And I did. Until...