Hopelessly Devoted ☆ Pierre Gasly

VII

Anthoine found Juliette at the paddock, sitting on the ground against a building. All the races were finished in Monaco. Now it was the time to confront her with the discoveries he made this weekend. He walked to his friend.

He cleared his throat. "So...engineer at Mercedes it is?"

The corners of Juliette curled up, and she looked at Anthoine. "Performance engineer at Mercedes it is," she confirmed his question.

"Fancy," Anthoine chuckled and sat down next to her. "For real, Lulu?"

"Oui," Juliette said. "See this," she pointed at her outfit. "It says Mercedes. Honestly, wearing those clothes make me feel so powerful. Like... it's bloody Mercedes."

A laugh rolled over Anthoine's lips. "Bloody Mercedes..." He looked in front of him. "How did you end up at the track crew? You really need to explain this to me. How is it going with the speed skating part?"

"I quit," she simply said and shrugged. "Didn't like and wanted it anymore." She looked down. "The speed skating part, obviously."

"But you won gold at the Championship, Lulu. Gold. Like the European champion," Anthoine said, confused about her decision.

"Yeah, but that didn't mean I liked it. I freaking hated it, the pressure...blegh." Juliette yawned. "I left France, quit speed skating, started a new study, graduated my study, got a job at Mercedes, replaced my colleague, and here we are." It was a quick summary of the past six years of Juliette's life.

Anthoine nodded, impressed. "I never saw this career switch coming - even though you basically grew up in the motorsports. What made you pick engineering? You never told me that."

"You know, speed skating is kinda the same as racing: perfect rounds, sectors, improving stuff, the aerodynamic is the same on some points, but less complicated than racing. My dad works in motorsports, so I basically grew up between cars. It felt like a logical move, to be honest." Juliette plucked her nails. "Don't regret it."

"I'm honestly shocked about this. I never would think you would make this drastic change. You always seemed so passionate about speed skating, and when you were at the championship... You seemed so happy, in your element," Anthoine spoke up. "But if this makes you happier, then you should totally follow your heart."

Juliette snorted. "I could act really well, Thoine. I never liked speed skating; I hated it so much." She sighed. "Well, I used to hate it. I'm slowly starting to realise I like it now, but just for fun. You continued racing because you love it, and look where you are now." She waved around to show Monaco.

"You never liked it? Lulu, you're full of surprises." Anthoine weakly smiled.

She shrugged. "Life's full of surprises."

"Well, welcome to the motorsport world. Not gonna lie, I love it now we share the same world. Who would have thought?"

"See, something positive," Juliette said and took a sip from her water bottle.

"But how are you?"

She nodded. "I'm fine, thanks," she replied and looked at him. "It's hectic these days, but I like it. How about you? This was a fantastic weekend."

If Anthoine had to point out one thing he adored about Juliette, it was her enthusiasm for other people's interests. "I'm good," Anthoine replied, and a smile curved on his face. "It was a fucking fantastic weekend." He was happy with the results; the finished eight during the feature race and first during the sprint race. "But also quite sad because of Niki Lauda..."

Juliette's face softened. "Yeah, that is true," she softly mumbled.

"How was it for your team?"