Chasing Daisy

racing overalls.
    ‘Good time last night?’
    ‘Great!’ Until you did your disappearing act, that is. ‘All set for qualifying?’ I ask the obvious question.
    ‘Yep.’ He pats the helmet under his arm.
    ‘Good.’ What else to say, what else to say?
    At that moment Luis emerges from the drivers’ room behind him. He glances in our direction, but quickly looks away again, heading over to his car on the other side of the garage. My eyes follow him distractedly.
    ‘Catch you later,’ I hear Will say.
    I quickly return my attention to him. ‘Of course, yes. Good luck!’
    He doesn’t reply and I hurry back through the outside heat to the blissfully air-conditioned hospitality area, heart pounding ever so slightly faster than it was before.
    In Melbourne, Will and Luis qualified on the front row of the grid, a result which surprised everyone in the industry. So all eyes are on our team today. Can Will swipe pole position again? Will Luis beat him to it?
    Luis does end up in the running for pole, but against another driver, Nils Broden from Sweden. Luis comes second in the end, followed by Kit Bryson in third, while Will only just manages to pull fourth out of the bag. It’s still a good result, but not good enough for Will it seems. He leaves the track early on Saturday afternoon, while Luis sits around, happily chatting to the sponsors in the hospitality area.
    Holly and I don’t go out that night. Her hangover is still raging inside her head so she persuades me to stay in our hotel room and watch a movie. I don’t take much persuading, to be honest. I know Will won’t be out on the town again and I’m quite happy to avoid Luis or any teasing that might come, probably quite rightly, from the mechanics.
    The Malaysian Grand Prix the following day passes by with barely any incidents. Will has a good start, managing to overtake Kit Bryson to nab third place, while Luis keeps his second-place position, and this is pretty much how it stays until the end. With both drivers taking home trophies, we’re once again the centre of attention. But Luis is the driver most people are talking about. He now leads the championship – an impressive feat for someone in his first ever season. Will, on the other hand, has been in Formula 1 for two years and is yet to win a race.
    I wonder how he feels seeing team boss Simon give Luis a pat on the back following the press conference. Even I feel quite bizarrely like I want to congratulate Luis, but he’s always surrounded by people, and I’m too afraid he might snub me after my behaviour on Friday night.
    Early that evening as we’re well into the swing of tidy-up mode, I come out of the kitchen to see Simon chatting to the team’s technical and financial directors. Will and Luis are talking behind him, with Will making swerving motions with his hands as though describing a manoeuvre he made during the race.
    Simon turns around and sees me. ‘Ah, Daisy. We’re off, now.’
    I presume he means to Bahrain. It’s two weeks until the next race, but the drivers once again need to acclimatise themselves to the hot conditions.
    ‘Did you speak to Ally?’
    He’s talking about his PA.
    ‘Yes, I did. She managed to switch my hotel.’ I’m aware that Will and Luis have finished their conversation and are now listening to this exchange. It’s making me nervous.
    ‘And when do you arrive?’
    ‘Um, on the Wednesday before the race. Is that okay?’
    ‘Not really, no. I think we’ll need you out there before then. Does that interfere with your plans?’ His tone is brusque.
    It does, actually. Holly and I were going to Langkawi this week.
    ‘When were you thinking?’ I ask, my heart sinking as the image of us drinking cocktails together on white, sandy beaches slips away.
    ‘Later this week would be better.’
    ‘Okay,’ I reply a touch hesitantly. At least I’ll be able to spend a couple of days with my friend. ‘I’ll speak to Ally again.’
    ‘Good.’
    Still, she’s not going to be pleased. But as Will flashes me a smile, suddenly Holly is no longer at the forefront of my thoughts.

 
Chapter 6
     
    That’s it, I am officially bored. Don’t get me wrong, it is beautiful here. Warm, sunny days . . . A five-star hotel overlooking the sparkling waters of Manama Bay . . . Our own private beach and palm trees aplenty by a stunning outdoor pool. I know I should-n’t complain, but dammit! I miss Holly!
    I flew in straight from Kuala Lumpur and instead of the