Counterpoints Book 3 Read online

  The car feels amazing, he thought to himself, seeing how it responded perfectly under his touch.

  Curb number five, straight. Curb number six, Christopher repeated in his head and then he leaped out of the curb, on to a straight, so fast the car drove so close to one of the barriers he heard Robert’s voice immediately after.

  “Christopher, that was close. Keep the car in the trajectory”

  “I got it under control. I was going so fast, I didn’t want to change the trajectory” he smiled under his helmet and pushed hard, harder now, giving the car all it had.

  “There is a wide gap between you and Harold. You can slow down. You just started the last lap, he won’t overtake you” Robert reassured him.

  Christopher smiled again, holding tighter to the wheel as he sped past the stands, past the boxes and saw his fans hold up his flag.

  “I know” he said. “I want the fastest lap record. Now let me drive. I know what I am doing” he laughed a little and heard Robert chuckle.

  “Roger that”

  And just like that he was alone in the car again, alone with his thoughts, his heavy breathing the only sound in his ears.

  Straight, curb, curb, straight, curb, his mind kept reminding him, as he was half way through the last lap of the race.

  His stomach tightened, as he pictured the finish line.

  He was alone in the car and yet he felt guided, every single step, every single moment. He wasn’t, alone. Not anymore. There was someone in his life, by his side and he could feel her presence every step of the race.

  Fastest lap, he ached to hear that on the radio. Fastest lap, come on. Come on.

  With all the energy he had left, Christopher drove into the last curb, breaking as late as possible and picked up speed quickly on its way out.

  The finish line was there, he could see it now. It was there, right in front of him.

  Fastest lap, for you dad.

  He closed his eyes a moment and then crossed the line, race marshals waving the checkered flag as he sped by.

  “Fantastic! Great job, mate! You won the race and you just gave the track a new record. Fastest lap, Christopher well done. Well done” Robert told him.

  “WOHOOO” he screamed to the top of his lungs. He raised his hand up and waved at the screaming fans on the stands.

  Who is the fucking son of? He thought and continued his lap, slowing down the car and waving to everyone.

  “I AM BACK!” he screamed and raised his hand up again, as he sped by another stand of fans. “Christopher is back! Thank you, guys. The car felt like it was flying today. Amazing job, you did with it. Isabella” he said and paused. He knew she was listening, he had told her to.

  Isabella’s heart stopped, the smile on her face grew wider now, after hearing him call out her name.

  All eyes were on her in the boxes.

  “This is for you. It’s all for you, luv. It’s all because of you”

  Christopher held the trophy high above his head and enjoyed every little second of the crowd’s screams.

  Standing on the highest step of the podium, was still one of the best feelings he had ever experienced in his life, despite having been up there so many times. Hearing so many people shout out his name, was the best reward after two hours of racing. It wiped away every single drop of sweat, any issue and tension he might have had in the car.

  He was never tired of it and never would be.

  He looked down, as the British national anthem played in his honor and saw Isabella leaning on the railing, taking pictures of him and Noah up there and smiling wide. He knew she could feel it too now, the pride, the satisfaction of being part of the team.

  We race together, it said on the wall behind Isabella’s work station and it was the truth, they weren’t just words. The team was what made him- the driver- so confident in the car and gave him a chance to be there on the podium.

  He winked, pointing down at her and smiled wide, seeing her cheeks blush behind her camera.

  Isabella was quick to take a picture of him then.

  It was perfect, that image of Christopher at the top where he belonged, pointing down, telling Isabella it was for her, it was also thanks to her that he felt so strong and confident.

  “Congratulations” Noah held out his hand, after they had drunk and sprayed the champagne everywhere.

  Christopher took it and shook it slowly, studying Noah for a few instants. They heard photographers take pictures as they stood there, both trying to make something out from their looks.

  Before speaking, Christopher thought about it twice.

  “Thanks” Christopher nodded “What are you going to say this time? My surname helped me win the race?”

  Noah held on to his hand, as a smug smile spread across his face.

  “I am not going to apologize for defending myself to the press. This isn’t the end. We are still close in the championship” Noah said, referring to the points they both earned.

  The championship was still open, their gap wasn’t that wide especially after Christopher’s crash in Berlin. “I am faster than you”

  “Show me” Christopher smiled and let go of his hand to wave at the crowd, as if he and Noah hadn’t just argued about the results, about the race and their friendship.

  “Show me what you can do”

  Then, Christopher took his champagne bottle and hopped off the podium. There wasn’t anything left to say.

  It was time to celebrate.

  “I get it, stop repeating the same things over and over” Marco rolled his eyes and gently hit his head in a dramatic manner on the table, as if Isabella was nagging him to death.

  His sister slammed her hand on the surface and the sound made Marco snap back up again.

  “I am serious, no stalking, control your blabbing and don’t embarrass me” Isabella pointed a finger at him.

  “I promise. Now can I meet them?” Marco rolled his eyes again and waited anxiously for his sister’s approval.

  Christopher and Noah were walking around the box, drinking with their mechanics and engineers, after the conference, after the interviews. They were relaxing and posing for photographers and TV camera men, every now and then.

  Summer holidays had officially begun.

  “Noah this is Marco, my brother” Isabella introduced them briefly.

  Marco shook his hand tight and grinned.

  “Nice to meet you” Noah said with his usual, nonexistent enthusiasm.

  “It’s such an honor. Congratulations for the result. Loved the way you overtook Simoncini at the very end. The guy hardly saw you. Epic” Marco shook his hand again.

  “Thank you” Noah smiled and the rarity of it caught Isabella off guard.

  Damn, stop smiling Noah or we can kiss our summer goodbye, Isabella thought while checking out the sky for any clouds.

  Nope. The sky was still a clear, light blue.

  “And this is Christopher. Christopher this is my brother Marco” Isabella put her hair behind her ears and watched Christopher reach for her brother’s hand.

  He smiled big and welcomed Marco in the boxes.

  “Thank you” she heard Christopher say to Marco’s praises.

  “It’s incredible to be here, in the box with you guys” a tray of champagne glasses went by then and Marco reached over for one. Isabella snapped his hand away.

  “You can’t drink, you are underage” Isabella said through gritted teeth.

  “I got carried away” his shoulders went up, defenselessly.

  Christopher watched Isabella and Marco do their thing, amused at their jokes and exchange of funny remarks.

  It was so interesting, seeing Isabella move around in her own environment, in her country, in the city she worked in for so long, around her brother. She was exactly herself, only two times sassier and full of life, around a person she knew so well like Marco.

  “Do you want to sit in the car?” Christopher asked.

  “Sure” Marco nodded. “Can I?”
he turned to look at Isabella.

  “Yeah, sure if that’s okay with Christopher” Isabella said.

  “Of course, come this way” he led Marco to his car and helped him in.

  It was tight for a man his built but Marco, a lanky, skinny teenager, fit in beautifully. He explained the buttons on his wheel, how they worked and when to use them and Marco listened to every word without ever interrupting.

  One of his idols was explaining to him how a race car worked, it would be considered blasphemy to even speak while Christopher did.

  They were so concentrated on the car that they hardly noticed Isabella standing there talking pictures at them.

  The box went quiet to the sound of a single, high pitched voice, demanding silence.

  “Be quiet, people!” Hillary shouted over the music.

  She stood on a chair, as people drank and celebrated Christopher’s victory and the overall success of MB that weekend.

  She pointed at the stereo and someone turned down the volume.

  “Listen up, it’s summer break and we won’t be seeing each other for a while. And thank God for that, I am sick of you men around me all the time with your burping and testosterone” she made a face and everyone laughed at her joke.

  “We’ve done the racing and the briefing, the debriefing, the chit chatter. Now it’s time to PARTY!” she raised her arm up and everyone cheered.

  “So, since this year we have an Italian lady in our group, it’s her task to take us around the city’s night life. Who wants to join us tonight? We are going clubbing in a cool place by the beach near Rome”

  The chit chatter was back, as people tried to figure out where they would be going and at what time.

  “Eleven pm” Hillary told everyone.

  As Hillary kept answering questions and making jokes with the guys, Christopher sneaked behind Isabella, placed a hand on her hip and startled her.

  “Sorry” he smiled cheekily, his face telling her he was anything but sorry.

  “Liar” she smiled back.

  “Can I talk to you, for a sec?”

  “Sure” Isabella said and excused herself from the guys.

  They walked over to the back of the room and, as they did, Isabella spotted her brother standing with Fred, listening to Hillary speak to the group. They reached the wall, just as the music was turned back full on.

  It was the perfect excuse for Christopher to move closer to Isabella, so that she could hear him speak and he could touch her. Not that he needed an excuse to touch her now that their relationship was out in the open.

  “What are you doing tonight?” he asked and his fingers brushed against hers.

  His touch sent prickles up Isabella’s wrist and all the way up her arm.

  “We are all going out, aren’t we? Except for my brother Marco of course, who is so excited about it but has no idea he isn’t coming. I’ll break it to him and I’ll make it quick” Isabella eyed her brother, who was listening to Fred and Mark’s conversation and laughing like he was having the time of his life.

  “You are cruel” Christopher chuckled.

  “I am the eldest sister, I have to be cruel. They stole all the attention from me” she kept her face serious as she spoke but then couldn’t fight back a smile.

  “Nobody could steal attention from you” Christopher said and then grabbed her lower back and made Isabella jump a little. He held her tight and kissed her.

  Christopher’s lips were warm and a little rough from wearing the helmet for so long, but his hands on her body felt amazing. Isabella opened her eyes unwillingly, secretly wishing the kiss would have lasted longer.

  “Anyway, I meant after the clubbing. You are not going back home at that time in the morning, right? You are staying with me at the hotel” he nodded.

  After all Christopher wasn’t exactly asking a question, he was more like suggesting she’d stay with him since Isabella had declined a hotel room in Rome. She was staying home with her family, since it was so close to the city.

  “What’s in it for me?” she looked at him and bashed her eye lids at him.

  Christopher smiled to the side and reached down to kiss her again, only this time the kiss was deeper and slower. It was a promise, a promise for a night together, a night to remember.

  “You convinced me” she mumbled.

  The sand was wet and cool at that time of night.

  Or is it morning?

  Isabella looked up to the sky and saw it was dark blue still but there was a thin yellow/orange line at the horizon. The sun was going to be up soon and she could tell from how the wind on the coast had started blowing - slightly warmer than before, since they had walked out of the club- that it was going to be a fantastic summer day.

  Someone laughed at the front of the group and Isabella caught sight of Hillary, looking happy and joyful next to Fred and Mark. It was nice to see her smile, despite the last few weeks of anguish for having broken things up with Mr. Jenkins.

  Everyone seemed to be enjoying the walk on the beach, after all the dancing and the drinking. Isabella had been so happy to see Maria, Giacomo and Cristina at the club, too. It had been the perfect opportunity for them to meet her coworkers all at once.

  And to meet Christopher without making it such a big thing, Isabella thought and congratulated herself on how natural it had all seemed.

  She recalled Cristina’s words after Maria, Giacomo and herself had spoken to Christopher for a good ten, fifteen minutes alone. Her friend had crossed the VIP room to join Isabella at the bar and had told her exactly how she felt about Christopher.

  “We knew he was handsome. What we didn’t know was how mesmerizing he is when he speaks”

  “Oh, stop it” Isabella had laughed and almost choked on her drink.

  “I’m serious. How do you concentrate when he’s talking with that sexy, posh, British accent of his, I don’t understand” she had grinned and clanged glasses with Isabella. “No, I’m serious he’s a nice guy. Really outgoing and not stuck up at all. What’s with him?” she then had pointed to Noah, who had been sitting on one of the couches in the room, drinking and avoiding conversations.

  What was wrong with Noah? Who knew, Isabella had simply shrugged and then they had gone on and on, talking about Christopher and how according to Cristina he was so crazy about Isabella.

  It wasn’t so much what he said when he spoke to her, it was how he looked at her, how his eyes never left hers. Even if he was busy talking to someone else, Christopher would always glance her way.

  “It’s not just that” Cristina had squinted her eyes a little “Something’s changed. You are different. You are different around him and I mean it in a good way. He’s done something to you, I can’t put my finger on it”

  “I feel different” Isabella had easily agreed with her friend, but wasn’t quite sure what had changed in her.

  It was like Christopher had opened her eyes to so many things. Everything seemed possible around him. There were no limits, no obstacles, no boundaries. When with him, Isabella felt free and overwhelmed by the passion.

  He is teaching me how to let go, she had come to believe, just like she was showing him how to overcome the ghosts of his past.

  Cristina’s last words before she had gone home – her train for Milan left early the next morning- echoed in Isabella’s head.

  “Does he talk to you in English or in Spanish in bed?” Isabella giggled then and looked down, at her feet deep into the sand, holding onto her white, heeled sandals.

  “Hey” Christopher had stopped walking and was waiting for Isabella to catch up with him. She hadn’t noticed how slow she had been walking then, the rest of the group was a little ahead singing and doing a little dancing.

  Isabella smiled wide, her hair over one shoulder to the side.

  “I’m coming”

  “Are you tired?” he wrapped an arm around her and at the same time he waved to Robert, who was telling the others to wait up for Isabella and Christopher.r />
  “No, I’m alright I was just thinking about my foot prints in the sand” her voice trailed off.

  “What about your foot prints?” Christopher looked at her and smiled amused.

  “I was thinking of how we all leave our prints here and there. Then something bigger than us, like the waves, comes and washes them away” she pointed at the small waves that brushed against the shore. “But people like you, so great at what you do, will leave their marks forever”

  “I vote you stop drinking when we go out” he grinned and watched Isabella’s face change color.

  She was blushing and giving him a dirty look. Her face softened, as he kissed her head and they laughed it off together.

  “For what it’s worth, you are leaving a big print in many people’s lives. You are leaving a big one in mine” he looked ahead and let his arm run down her back, as he moved away from her and listened to something Robert was saying to him.

  His words made Isabella smile again and she felt a burning feeling in her stomach, the same that Christopher left her with, every time they were so close to one another.

  I’m madly in love with him, Isabella admitted to herself.

  She had come to realize that what they had, was more than sharing the things they had in common. It wasn’t like that at all. What did they have in common?

  Their connection was all about being their true self with each other and feeling proud of the person they were with.

  Love, she tried on the word in her head.

  To love meant to trust. To love meant to have faith in someone, to put one’s happiness in someone else’s hands.

  Standing next to Christopher, Isabella felt bare, free to give in to their passion, free to be herself and it didn’t scare her one bit. She felt strong, like never before.

  “You are one hell of a host” Hillary wrapped her arm around Isabella and hugged her gently. “What a night! Rome is beautiful. And your friends are so cool. Cristina has a smart mouth”

  “She’s a lawyer” Isabella laughed a little and Hillary grinned.

  “I liked them all” her boss told her again and then they heard a small chorus rising among the group. Some guys from Noah’s team had started singing with Christopher, Fred, Mark and – surprisingly enough- Noah himself.