ALICE Ch 238

“Miss Flores!”

Val pauses with her hand on the door. She looks over her shoulder, then reluctantly pulls away from the Freedom HQ. The paddock is still busy at this hour. Val’s in no hurry to get to the hotel; it’s the same one that FUTA is at, and there’s a lot of immature weirdness going on as a result. She has no patience for it. Matt has at least finally gotten the hang of not putting Val next door to Patty.

Erica leans on the handrail. She has a little brown leather jacket on over her polo, but it’s her eyes makeup that has Val’s attention. Erica always makes a point to look nice, but this is effort. Real effort. For who?

“You know I can’t talk to media without my manager,” Val says, even as she’s strolling over. She hooks her thumbs into her belt, and Erica straightens up. The rail is between them, but Erica’s a step down from where Val is. It’s enough to negate the height difference; they are eye to eye for once.

“I only have one question.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

“Would you want to have a drink with me?”

Val blinks, searching Erica’s face.

“I’m sorry?”

“A drink. I don’t want to ask you questions. No, I want to. But I don’t have to. I just want to spend time with you.”

Val has felt less surprise when spinning out at full speed in an F1 car than she does now.

“Uh,” she says, looking around, embarrassed. People are everywhere, but nobody’s listening.

“I never stop thinking about you.”

It’s not the eye makeup, Val realizes as goosebumps cover her from head to toe. It’s vulnerability. She’s never seen that on Erica, or heard her speak earnestly.

But Val is a Formula One driver. She does not rattle easily.

“I’ve never been asked out by a woman before,” she admits, breaking eye contact for a moment as a memory of seeing Coach Riley and Coach Adella rears its head. She faces Erica.

“I won’t be the last,” Erica says fearlessly.

“I—I’m meeting with Matt,” Val says, pointing at the building. “And some other people.”

Erica just looks at her, helpless.

“Are you OK?” Val asks her.

“I am now. I needed to ask. I was holding that in for a while. It was difficult.”

Val’s mind heroically pulls itself together. She’s blushing, but it’s dark.

Feelings aren’t just annoying, they’re stupid. Thoughts are good, though. It’s already late, and she has a meeting. There’s no time for anything tonight, let alone hanging out with Erica. Tomorrow night? She has to get ready and be in bed early for qualifiers. Breakfast? The shareholder thing, then the media thing. Lunch?

“Lunch,” she says.

Erica tilts her head quizzically.

“Lunch,” Val repeats. “I could do lunch tomorrow. If you mean it, and you aren’t looking for a story.”

Erica looks so happy that it’s hard to watch. Val looks away in embarrassment.

“OK,” she says, and heads inside. Once the door is closed securely behind her, she lets her smile take over her face and fans herself with a hand. She is so lost.