Chasing Daisy

in the eye. I size him up in return, but even if I wasn’t so sure my instincts were correct, something tells me I can trust him.
    ‘Holly is having an affair with Simon.’ There. I’ve said it.
    Luis doesn’t reply at first, but then he nods and takes a swig of his beer.
    ‘It’s true, isn’t it?’ I speak again as my heart pounds faster. He looks back at me. ‘Oh, my God.’ I’m dumbfounded.
    ‘I thought she must’ve told you,’ he says, confused.
    I stare down at my fingers in a daze. ‘I suspected, but I didn’t know for sure.’ I glance back at him. ‘How did you know?’
    ‘I saw them together.’
    ‘You saw them together?’ I’m still incredulous. ‘When?’
    ‘When we were filming that advert in Italy. She came out of his hotel room at five o’clock in the morning. She didn’t see me, but later that day I overheard them talking. It was intimate.’
    ‘Catalina wasn’t in Italy, was she?’
    ‘No. Nor at the following race in Istanbul.’
    ‘Of course.’ I remember Holly disappearing in the middle of the night. ‘No wonder she was so rude to Catalina earlier,’ I muse.
    ‘Was she?’ Luis raises an eyebrow.
    ‘Yeah. A bit too rude, to be honest.’
    ‘Hmm.’
    ‘You don’t approve, do you?’
    ‘Do you?’ he challenges me.
    I think about it for a moment, realising horridly I may not be all that different to Holly if I ever get the chance to be with Will, but I keep my answer true to my heart. ‘No. I don’t. Catalina may be a bitch, but she doesn’t deserve that.’
    We both gaze over at Holly, who has collapsed against Pete’s shoulder and is laughing hysterically. Pete, also laughing, tries to take her drink away and put it on the bar top, but Holly immediately reaches for it. They have a play fight, which ends with Pete downing Holly’s drink and her beating him on the arm. I start to smile, but then remember what Luis and I have been talking about and instantly feel sombre again.
    ‘You haven’t told anyone, have you?’ I ask, suddenly worried.
    ‘Of course not,’ Luis replies irritably.
    I can’t take my eyes off Holly. And I can’t help feeling disappointed. When Luis says after half an hour or so that he should probably head back to the hotel, I decide to walk with him.
    I tell Holly I’m off and while she isn’t happy, she’s too far gone to protest much.
    The night is cool and I’m cold. I wrap my arms around myself and walk fast to keep warm.
    The security guard follows at a distance. To be honest, there wasn’t much need for him. Despite the place being crammed with race fans, I don’t think many would expect to see a top driver out on the town. The rest of the grid are probably tucked up in bed or downing protein shakes.
    ‘Do you want my coat?’ Luis offers when he overhears my teeth chattering away to themselves. I shake my head. ‘Go on, take it.’ He shrugs it off and hands it to me, so I put it on.
    ‘I still can’t believe it,’ I say after a while. We’ve been walking in silence.
    ‘About Holly and Simon?’ Luis checks, glancing at me.
    I nod. ‘And I know that probably makes me a hypocrite.’
    Luis doesn’t answer, and his lack of response makes me feel worse.
    He follows me through the automatic doors into the bright hotel lobby. I inadvertently glance towards the reception desk and stop in my tracks when I see Will leaning up against it, talking to one of the receptionists.
    ‘Watch it!’ Luis puts his hands on my arms to steady himself as he bumps into me. Will turns around to see us and reels backwards ever so slightly.
    ‘Hi!’ he says, coming over.
    ‘Hello,’ I answer guardedly. ‘What are you still doing up?’
    ‘I was checking to see if I had any messages.’ He points to the reception desk. ‘Have you two been out together again?’
    ‘With the others, yeah,’ I tell him, feeling on edge.
    Luis walks over to the lift and presses the button. Will follows me in that direction. The lift doors open and Luis steps inside, turning around as I begin to follow him.
    ‘Hey . . .’ Will grabs my elbow, pulling me back. Luis puts his finger on the button to hold the doors open. I look at Will, confused. He glances at Luis then at me. ‘Can I talk to you for a sec?’
    ‘Er, sure,’ I reply, moving away from the lift.
    ‘She’ll catch the next one up,’ Will tells Luis.
    Luis gives him a hard stare and then takes his finger off the button. The lift door closes.
    I turn to Will. ‘What’s up?’ I