Adrenaline

43 | all the stages and the stars

For the next month and a half, we hit the ground running with planning our next tour, which includes an announcement for all of our dates. The plan is to start in North America before making our way over to Europe, and by some luck, quite a few of our tour dates should coincide with F1 races. Not always meeting up in the middle, but close enough that Brendon and I should be able to see each other. The more challenging part will be when we move to South America and then back to Asia. If they were flipped around, it might make it a little easier, but the logistics of a tour aren't up to us, so we have to go with the flow. There's even talk of us headlining a major music festival next year, though there are a lot of details that need to be looked into before we can commit. As exciting as it would be, our tour comes first and we don't want to wear ourselves out when we have so many dates scheduled. Working through exhaustion is much more serious than the average person realizes, and the last thing we need is one of us falling apart on the road.

        When I inform Brendon of our plans, he ensures me we'll be fine. It's comforting to realize how quickly I believe him.

        "Stevie!" Seira yells.

        Seira arranges herself on the couch so she can show me what she's looking at.

        "I was going to ask if you looked at the points yet."

        "I saw that Brendon won again," I reply, proud of him but distracted.

        He sends me a text after the race but we haven't talked on the phone yet. Running the risk of sounding clingy, I admit that I miss the sound of his voice.

        It's been a week since our last call. Timezones and busy schedules suck.

        "I don't know the exact numbers."

        She shoves her phone in my face. I force her back a few inches so I can read them, and it takes a second to register what the standings mean. Brendon has been ahead in the points for a couple of races, but he's been extending his lead little by little. Assuming he keeps up this streak, he will be in a good place come the final race of the season.

        "It's not enough to win yet but Idris is far enough behind that it's looking good."

        Races are won within milliseconds, and some championships are decided by a single point. The oldest driver on the current grid won his championship by two points in a three-way challenge, and it was a result of the two other drivers crashing into each other on the final lap of the race.

        That means not getting too comfortable with being in the lead. Anything can happen at a moment's notice, and there are too many variables to feel secure without a definitive lead, which Brendon does not have yet.

        All that aside, everyone is excited for him. Not only has he been exhibiting the expert craftsmanship that earned him the Windsor contract in the first place, but his team has also been on point with the strategy as well. Since F1 is all about the bigger picture, it's not enough to have a good driver. The marriage between a driver, their team partner, and the crew is a union that has to be maintained to achieve desirable results. If Brendon is going to cross that finish line as a championship winner, everyone, including himself, will have to pull their weight.

        "Why do you look so nervous?"

        She's looking at me like I haven't said anything for a long time. "Sorry, I have a lot on my mind."

        Seira tucks her head into my lap and brushes her fingers down the side of my wrist. "We're almost there. We have almost all of December off and you can enjoy getting cozy by the fireplace with your boo."