Page 39

Cherry

Back to reality.

I’ve gone from yachting to taking the bus, travelling with the team from Amsterdam to the small coastal town of Zandvoort for the first race back after the mid-season break, and I’m not sure what to make of it all.

Nicky had wanted me to travel with him, had argued with and cajoled me when I refused, but I’d been adamant, wanting to keep things as normal between us as possible while we’re working together. While I’m working for him.

Though, judging by the looks I’ve been getting all morning, I’m not sure if this is going to be possible.

“Don’t mind them,” Serena nudges me, drawing my attention back to her and away from the prying eyes at the back of the bus. “They’re just jealous.”

I shake my head. It’s not jealousy I’m seeing on their faces; it’s judgement. Their faces read as, ‘Ah so this is why she got this job’.

Or at least that’s how my insecurities are reading them .

“It’s just so strange, you know?” I sigh. “Having it announced to the world like that. We were barely together and then suddenly everyone knows.”

And by everyone, I mean that it feels like every single person in the world knows about us and has an opinion. And most of those opinions are harsh, and downright mean.

“You and Nicky want to be together, right?” Serena had been one of the first people I’d called to tell her the news. She’d been a good friend, refraining from yelling ‘I told you so’ for three whole minutes.

“Of course. But it’s difficult.”

After the story broke in the press and every gossip and tabloid news site wanted their piece of our pie, Nicky and I had spent our last days together on the yacht moored far away from any land or any people.

Other than Rachel, Captain Alex, our amazing chef and the deckhand, we didn’t see anyone for three whole days.

It was only after we returned that we copped the full brunt of what people were thinking and saying about our newfound relationship.

And sadly enough, it seems the masses aren’t fans of our coupling.

“It will be old news soon enough.”

I nod. “Do you think Nate has any more scandals lined up to take the heat off us?”

She giggles and pats my arm. “Just don’t read the comments.”

“Believe me, I don’t. I learnt that the hard way.”

When we’d first come back to land, and posted a joint statement hard launching our relationship, I’d made the grave error of perusing some of the commentary out there about our budding romance.

And what I’d read left me wanting to crawl into a hole and hide.

She’s not even pretty. What does he see in her ?

She’s got the body of a teenage boy. Ew.

That hair colour is fake for sure.

It was like the internet trolls took every mean thing Troy had ever said about me, every terrible thing I’d ever thought about myself, and published it for the world to see.

It’s enough to have my dormant doubts and insecurities crashing back to the surface and even now, when I’m not looking at them, these comments are weighing on my mind.

“You know that social media is a cesspool for people who just want to hate for the sake of it. Nothing they say about you is remotely true. You know that, right?”

I nod, trying to let Serena’s words silence all the others. “Yeah, I know. I just wish it wasn’t so awful. That being with Nicky didn’t come with a side of hurtful commentary.”

She links her arm through mine and squeezes me to her. “It’ll get better. I promise.”

I know she can’t possibly promise such a thing, but I choose to believe her.

“Thanks.”

Blotting the haters from my mind, I lean back and close my eyes, focusing on the weekend ahead.

Nicky had said it would not be easy. But as my confidence takes one hit after another, I never imagined it was going to be this hard, either.

· · · · ·

It’s race day and Nicky is insisting we arrive at the track together. Over the last few days, we’d maintained a business-like distance between us, with me doing my little job and him out there getting pole position and being a superstar .

But after being apart from each other for seventy-two whole hours, Nicky had had enough. Late into the evening last night, he’d knocked on my door, walked right in and didn’t leave again until this morning. And that was only to get dressed and ready. Then he came back to take me to the track.

“We’re not supposed to be hiding this,” he’d said as he dragged me along behind him to the car where James was waiting for us. “The whole point of putting out that statement was so that we can be together out there. In public.”

It was cute how determined he was to be with me, to not care what anyone says or thinks about us. But he’s also not the one facing all the judgemental stares and nasty side comments.

Those have been saved for me.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask, sitting on my hands so I don’t wring my fingers.

Our car is stopped outside the back entrance of the track, and I can already glimpse the crowd of press and fans waiting for him.

This is what he wants us to walk into together?

“We don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” he says after a long look at me, his eyes lingering on my hands under my thighs.

“No,” I shake my head. It’s time to pull my big-girl panties up. “It’s fine.”

He hesitates before opening the door and helping me out of the car with his hand in mine.

We’ve barely taken two steps when the crowd swarms around us.

This is the VIP area, so these fans I know have paid for the privilege of having this sort of access to the drivers, but it still doesn’t feel safe.

“Nicky? Over here.”

Phones are stuck in front of our faces as we slow walk our way towards the team headquarters. Nicky stops every few steps to take a selfie with a lucky fan, and as I get pushed further behind him, I release a relieved breath, happy to hang back and fade into the background with James.

“Can we get a photo of the two of you?”

This request comes from one of the official F1 photographers, Fiona. I know this because she’s someone I’d consider a friend. And she’d asked nicely.

Nicky turns and puts his arm around my back, drawing me up next to him. “Smile,” he whispers into my ear as three billion cameras go off at the same time. “Pretend you like me.”

I know I’m standing stiffly, but I can’t help it. This is awkward and weird. And all I can think about are the comments that will flood in on every site once these photos are posted.

“I do like you,” I mutter under my breath. “I’m not too sure about them.”

He chuckles, looking more amused than anything else, and I wonder if this is the shot that will get shared with the world. The one where I’m looking uncomfortable and he thinks it’s funny.

Hmmm, not looking forward to seeing those comments either.

“Nicky! You’re so close to sealing the title early this year. How are you feeling about this second half of the season?”

I pull away from him and slink back into the background again. Nicky frowns at me before turning around to answer the question. He’s got full confidence he’ll be clinching the title as early as Singapore. Only four races from now.

“And what about you, Cherry?” I flinch at hearing my name called out. “How does it feel to lock down the hottest man in Formula 1?”

Nicky growls in front of me and I feel James tense beside me. They both know how inappropriate this question is, but in lieu of cursing this reporter out and stomping away, there’s nothing much we can do about it .

“If you ask me, I’m the lucky one. Convincing her to give me a shot,” Nicky answers while James nudges me off to the side. The door to our freedom from this mob is just a few steps away, and I only just hold myself back from racing through it.

“Are you okay?” James asks as we step inside. I take in a shaky breath and nod. That hadn’t been so bad, but it hadn’t felt amazing either. Being the girlfriend of a professional athlete is going to take some getting used to.

“Cherry?”

I turn to see Nicky looking at me. Flicking my eyes away from his intense ones, I wobble out a smile.

“I’m good,” I lie, unable to have him feeling badly for me. Or because of me. “It’s fine.”

He frowns and shakes his head. “It will—”

“Nicky?”

Paul calls for his attention and I know I’ve lost him until the race is over.

“Go,” I nudge him away, feeling my phone vibrating like crazy in my pocket and dreading what I now know that means. The trolls will be trolling. “Be amazing today.”

He brushes his lips over mine and I melt into him, trying to absorb some of his strength. After pulling away, he gives me a lingering glance, like he’s trying to read my thoughts, before he leaves.

“It will get easier,” James mutters next to me as I tell myself the same thing.

I flash him a smile, a real one this time. “Thanks. I better get to work.”

Carefully, I skirt my way around the crowd of mechanics and engineers, all who just saw Nicky kiss me and are probably questioning my role here today. Am I here now as his girlfriend? Or as a member of the social media team, as intended?

“There you are.”

Oh great. As if I haven’t been traumatised enough, now Frieda wants to talk to me.

“Hi.” I smooth a few wayward strands back from my forehead, comparing my appearance with her immaculate one and instantly feeling inferior. Would it kill her to have a bad hair day every once in a while?

“We haven’t talked since everything happened, so I’m glad I’ve bumped into you today.”

Something tells me there was nothing unplanned or coincidental about her ‘bumping’ into me today.

“Okay…”

She steers me over to a private corner and smiles. Yup, no lipstick on her teeth either. Annoying.

“Let me just say how happy I am for you and Nicky.”

I tilt my head and squint up at her. Well, that’s lie number two.

“Um, thanks.”

She nods. “You two make a very sweet couple and everyone seems to eat up the whole childhood-friends-to-lovers angle.”

This is news to me.