Nico

The Bahrain International Circuit was alive with noise and energy on Friday morning. The sun beat down mercilessly on the asphalt, turning the track into a shimmering heat haze. Formula 1 Friday practice was in full swing. FP1 had just ended, and teams were already preparing for FP2.

Mechanics swarmed around cars in the pit lane, engineers stared at data screens with intense focus, and the unmistakable roar of high-powered hybrid engines echoed across the desert.

I stood at the edge of the Red Bull garage, my arms crossed over my chest, watching the track through my sunglasses. My eyes were locked on one car in particular — the sleek black Ferrari with the prancing horse logo and car number 16.

Alaric’s car.

He was out on a long run, pushing hard through the flowing corners. I could see the way he attacked Turn 1, braking late and trying to carry maximum speed into the apex.

The car looked sharp, but something was slightly off. He was a fraction late on the exit of Turn 4, losing a bit of time on the long straight.

It was subtle, but I noticed it immediately.

Beside me, my teammate Ethan Ramsey leaned against the wall, tall and broad-shouldered at 6’2. His brunette hair was neatly styled, and his sharp blue eyes followed the cars with the same intensity as mine. He was a solid driver, reliable, and we had been teammates since I joined Red Bull.

"It seems Alaric is having issues," Ethan commented casually, wiping sweat from his brow. "Look at that exit on Turn 8. He’s sliding wide every lap. I have to admit that he has lost his touch after the hiatus, clearly."

I didn’t reply to him immediately. He was right, but my jaw tightened as I continued watching Alaric’s Ferrari carve through the track. He was still fast, still dangerous, and the only driver who could push me to my absolute limit, so I didn’t care about anyone’s opinion.

Ethan scoffed. "I mean, what the hell was he expecting? Coming back after two years and thinking he could jump straight into winning again? Some people get replaced, and you, my friend, have replaced him a long time ago."

That made me see red.

I cast a sharp glare in his direction.

"Uhm, what?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, surprised by my reaction. "Why are you getting mad?" he asked, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Didn’t you hate the guy? You’ve always wanted him off the grid, even made shady comments about him. So why are you being defensive now? Make it make sense."

I kept my voice low and controlled. "He might have been away for too long, but he was a champion. People don’t just forget that kind of talent overnight."

Ethan laughed under his breath. "Talent doesn’t last forever. He should stop worrying about fighting for first place and focus on beating the Mercedes guy, Kelvin. That’s the real threat to you this season. Red Bull isn’t winning anything if you keep getting distracted by some rusty comeback story."

"Stop talking," I said sharply, the anger evident in my tone.

Ethan gave me one long look and shrugged, looking unbothered. "Just my observation."

I didn’t respond.

My eyes stayed glued to the black Ferrari as it completed another lap. Alaric was improving with every run, finding his rhythm again. The fire was still there. It had always been there. I could see it in the way he attacked the corners, in the aggressive lines he took.

He might not be the same driver who had left the grid two years ago, but he was dangerous. And that made something dark and possessive stir in my chest.

I wanted him to continue racing.

That wasn’t my intention from the onset, but now, seeing him from the crowd’s perspective again like I did all those years ago, he was doing great. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Alaric is on a whole different level," I muttered under my breath as I continued watching him.

The session timer ran down after a moment, and the cars began to return to the pits. Practice was over for now, and media interviews awaited us in the paddock.

I turned away from the track, my mind already drifting back to the message I had sent Alaric last night and the way he had blocked me.

A slow smirk tugged at my lips, knowing that I must have pushed him to the limits.

"Come on, let’s head over to the media pen," Ethan said to me as he started walking off.

I nodded and turned back to the track one last time to see Alaric and Dami communicating.

An idea popped into my head, and I smiled brightly as I made my way through the bustling paddock, weaving between hospitality units and camera crews until I spotted him.

Alaric was walking alone toward the Ferrari motorhome, his shoulders tense and his hair still damp from the helmet.

Perfect timing.

I quickened my pace and fell into step beside him before he could disappear inside.

"Hey, princess," I called out, and all heads turned as everyone walking past us wondered who I was calling.

Alaric stopped abruptly, turning to face me with a glare that could cut through dimensions. He rushed toward me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me into a corner where no one would see us.

"What the hell do you want, Park? I told you it was never happening again, and yet you keep bothering me. I blocked you because I wanted to!"

I stepped closer, crowding his space just enough to make him tense. "You picked up the video call. You watched me. You could have ended it at any time, but you didn’t. So tell me, Alaric — why are you so scared of answering a simple message?"

He scoffed, but I saw the flush creeping up his neck. "I’m not scared. I don’t want any distractions, especially from you. I am done with your twisted games, so stay the fuck away from me. All I care about now is the race."

I smiled and placed a hand above his head on the wall. "You can say that, but I am sure that your body remembers how good it felt when I had you against the wall, when you were on your knees for me, and when you came apart with my cock down your throat. You can block me, but you can’t block the memory, can you?"

Alaric clenched his hands by his sides and gritted his teeth as he spoke. "You are delusional. I already told you that was a mistake. It is one I won’t repeat ever, so now get out of my face before someone sees us."

I leaned in even closer until our chests touched, my voice dropping to a whisper. "You can keep telling yourself that, but we both know the truth. You want this as badly as I do. See you on track, princess, and try not to think about me when you are sliding wide in Turn 4 again."

Before he could respond, I was already walking away. "I will meet with you after the interview. You better change your mind, or I will scream for everyone to know what we have done."

"You wouldn’t dare," he challenged.

I stopped walking, raising my brows mischievously. "Oh, you think so?" I asked him and then grinned wickedly. "Don’t test me, de Villier, because I can do that. I will make sure everyone finds out what we have done, and it will be explicitly well explained."

His face turned red almost immediately. Seeing that I had affected him so visibly, I turned away with a satisfied smirk and waved over my shoulder. "Until then, princess."