Chasing Daisy

I moan.
    ‘ Really? ’ she sits up in bed, surprised.
    ‘I shouldn’t have done it, Holly.’
    ‘Why not?’ she asks, pulling a face.
    ‘He’s not good for me.’
    ‘We know that ,’ she brushes me off. ‘But was he a good shag?’
    I don’t answer.
    ‘He was, wasn’t he?’ She gives me an amused look.
    Some of the details come back to me and a shiver goes through my entire body.
    ‘You’re blushing!’ she squeals. ‘Tell me everything!’
    ‘No way,’ I say firmly. ‘I never kiss and tell.’ I climb out of bed and go into the bathroom, ignoring her protests. I grab my toothbrush and squeeze out some toothpaste then commence brushing my teeth.
    God, he was a good kisser. . .
    Another shiver.
    Oh, and that body . . .
    I pause in my brushing and just remember for a moment. Then I spit out the toothpaste and rinse out my mouth before impulsively splashing my face with cold water. I need something to cool me down.
    I’ve never felt so nervous as I wait for him to appear at the track that morning. I can’t believe he has to race today, because my head is pounding with a terrible headache.
    When he walks through the doors to the hospitality area at Japan’s Suzuka circuit, my heart starts to pound like a jackhammer. I busy myself with the bacon while it occurs to me he might go straight to his room, but he doesn’t. The next time I glance up, he’s standing at the serving table looking straight at me.
    ‘Morning,’ he says, raising one eyebrow.
    ‘Good morning.’ I look down, then up again, before looking back down at the bacon. I want to ask if I can get him anything, but don’t think that will go down too well.
    ‘How are you feeling?’ He has an amused expression on his face.
    ‘Okay. Apart from my hangover. I was really drunk.’
    ‘Were you?’ He frowns. ‘You didn’t seem that bad to me.’
    ‘Oh, I was,’ I assure him. ‘Weren’t you?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Really? I thought you were wasted! Weren’t you drinking whisky and Cokes like they were going out of fashion?’
    ‘No whisky, just Cokes.’
    ‘Oh.’
    We both fall silent.
    ‘Can I get you anything?’ I ask reluctantly. Well, sorry, but I don’t know what else to say.
    ‘Sure. The usual.’
    ‘Is that the usual you used to have, or the usual your new, improved, healthy self would opt for?’
    ‘Just get me some bacon and eggs, bun tart.’
    We grin at each other and I breathe a very large sigh of relief as I load up his plate and hand it over. He winks and a thrill passes through me as I watch him walk away.
    Okay, so I still fancy him. What’s the big deal?
    ‘I am totally going to go on that rollercoaster later. Are you coming or what?’ Holly interrupts my thoughts. Suzuka circuit has an amazing theme park on site and its Ferris wheel dominates the skyline.
    ‘You’ve got to be joking. I’d probably throw up.’
    ‘Hey, was that Luis?’ she asks suddenly. ‘What did he say to you?’
    ‘Nothing,’ I reply casually.
    ‘Nothing? What, he ignored you?’
    ‘No!’ I exclaim. ‘I mean, nothing of interest.’
    ‘Oh. I can’t believe you’re not kissing and telling,’ she says disappointedly.
    ‘Well, I’m not, so get over it.’
    I don’t speak to Luis again before the race starts, and when I do see him, he doesn’t meet my eyes. I tell myself he’s just trying to get his head together and stay focussed, but the insecure part of me thinks it’s something more sinister. I’m not sure I want to go to the pits to watch the action, and when Holly persuades me, I don’t feel comfortable when we stand in Luis’s garage. I can’t help but think all the mechanics are judging me. Do they all think I’m a Screwdriver? God, I hate that term now. . .
    Luis wins the race, but I’m not full of elation along with the rest of the team. Those niggly doubts that have been bothering me are right in the forefront of my mind. I go outside to watch the podium celebrations because it would look odd if I didn’t, but afterwards, I hurry back to the kitchen to commence the clean-up mission.
    A couple of hours later, Luis comes to find me.
    ‘Where have you been?’ he asks, standing by the door.
    ‘Just in here, tidying up.’
    He gives me a weird look. ‘Well, I’m off now.’
    ‘Okay. I guess I’ll see you in Brazil.’ I don’t go over to him.
    ‘Are you alright?’ he asks quietly, glancing around to make sure no one is in earshot.
    ‘I’m fine,’ I reply, nodding behind him to warn him of