Requested by alelealeooo
207: "Why is it that you never want me to come to races and when I do, you won't hold my hand or even admit that you're in a relationship?"
Before entering the paddock with your boyfriend, Dino for the first time, you were ecstatic that he had finally agreed to let you come to one of his races after much persuasion. You were overjoyed that you would finally be able to support him in person whilst doing the thing which he loves the most. However, now that the day had finally arrived, you were feeling very differently.
Initially, as you entered the paddock for the first time, a broad smile was spread across your lips at the thought of being able to meet Dino's friends and team members, but it quickly became clear to you that Dino wouldn't be involving you in much across the weekend, it feeling as if he had completely forgotten you were beside him. Not only did he not bother to introduce you to those who he was talking to, but you couldn't help but notice the distance between you, Dino swatting your hand away from his own several times when you would attempt to entwine your fingers, as well as standing quite far away from you, making it seem to anyone else as if you had entered the paddock completely separately and had no idea who the other was. To begin with, you let this slide, thinking it was because Dino wasn't used to having you around, meaning that he would just be going about life during a race weekend in the way which he was used to. However, when he was talking to his teammate, Paul, you just standing awkwardly on the outskirts a few steps away, it was confirmed to you that this definitely wasn't the case.
"So, who's that girl then?" Paul muttered to Dino through gritted teeth with the hopes that you wouldn't hear and think he was being rude. "Do you know her? Because if you don't, why does she keep lingering around you?"
"She's just a great friend, but she's quite shy." responded Dino quietly as he glanced guiltily at you over your shoulder, this causing rage to start to bubble within you because Dino had never so much as asked you how you felt about being introduced to people.
Their conversation may not have lasted much longer, but whilst the two continued to talk, you had no idea what they were saying because you couldn't stop focusing on the words which had just left Dino's mouth. As the two Prema teammates were parting ways, you didn't hesitate to begin charging away from Dino, wanting him nowhere near you as you headed to his motorhome to give yourself chance to calm down in private, away from the hustle and bustle of the paddock.
"Y/N, I'm-" Began Dino with desperation, slightly gasping for breath as he followed you into his motorhome, leaning against his door once he had closed it behind himself as he slightly gasped for breath after he had needed to jog to keep up with you.
Even though Dino couldn't begin his sentence fast enough, even though you could tell in his voice and by his expression that he immediately recognised what he had just done to be wrong, in that moment, you were finding it impossible to forgive him straight away.
"Just friends? Are you shamed of me or something?" You began with sorrow as you rapidly blinked away the tears which were starting to form in your eyes. "Is that why you haven't so much as asked me about how I'd feel about you introducing me to people? Is that why you've been keeping your distance? Why is it that you never want me to come to races and when I do, you won't hold my hand or even admit that you're in a relationship?"
Dino understood even further how much he must have hurt you as your tears then started to trickle down your cheeks, the Swede wrapping an arm around your shoulders as he lead you over to his sofa. Once you were sitting down, you rushed to get away from him, wanting to hear his explanation before you would even consider forgiving him.
"You've got no idea how sorry I am about the way I've just acted. I was completely out of order," Dino began apologetically as he hesitantly took one of your hands in his, this causing the edges of your lips into a small smile because he at least recognised that what he did was wrong. "When I say this, I'm not making an excuse for what I did, but I've been distant with you today and I haven't invited you to race weekends in the past not because I'm ashamed of you, but because I don't like the concept of wags being at race weekends. I don't like how attention is taken away from the sport and put onto them. I don't like how slutty and attention seeking they are and I don't like how they're invading their partner's workspace. Take your dad for example, he's a businessman, he works away, but your mother doesn't travel around the world with him on business and hang around his office whilst he's trying to work. Those around me know how I feel about this, so I've been keeping my distance because I don't want to seem like a hypocrite. That's why I've been making excuses for you not to come to race weekends. Once again, I'm so sorry and I know I should just have been honest about this with you right from the start."
Now that you had heard Dino's lengthy, heartfelt explanation, you completely understood where he was coming from. It was because of this, that before responding verbally, you took his other hand in yours, being able to entwine your fingers at last as you leaned forward and pressed a gentle peck to your lips.
"I completely get where you're coming from. I wish that you would have just been honest with me from the beginning, but there's no point in me holding a grudge because we can't change the past," you responded warmly, before letting out a few giggles as Dino let out an audible, exasperated sigh of relief. "Also, to be honest, if I was one of you drivers, I'd probably feel the same. How about to make you feel more comfortable, to allow you to be true to yourself and not seem to be a hypocrite, I watch from the hotel this weekend?"
That question meant the world to Dino, who was perfectly happy to fling his arms tightly around you due to the privacy which you currently had. Once you did go back to the hotel, he was replaying your interaction in his mind and due to the endless questions which the broad smile which was fixated to his lips was causing everyone around him to ask, Dino did eventually admit that he had a special someone in his life, saying that he was keeping your identity a secret in order to keep you out of the public eye, keeping his personal and professional lives completely separate as he always told his team he preferred to do.
