MOTH TO A FLAME ☆ CARLOS SAINZ JR

ii. run-ins

MADRID, SPAIN
AUGUST 18th 2022

Throughout the past month of their official relationship, Luca and Sofía hadn't seen each other since he left Spain. Until that week in mid August, when he called a couple hours before he needed to be at the airport to tell her he was coming to see her.

Every August and September, Sofía would go to Spain to visit her mothers family. Every year since her birth, her parents had made it a habit to come here for their summer holidays. And every year since she had moved out, she would meet her parents at their family home on the outskirts of the city and spend those weeks with them.

This year, apparently Luca would be joining them.

It had made Sofía extremely anxious. Yes, she had known Luca for months now. But was it not too early to be introducing him to her family? Were they moving a little too quickly? Would her parents even approve of him or would they compare him to...him?

God, she couldn't even think about his name.

"Are you feeling okay?" Luca asks from the passenger seat of her car, clearly her anxious thoughts had transcribed onto her face and he had noticed.

Sofía swallows the forming lump in her throat, turning quickly to give him a somewhat comforting smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You're just being really quiet." he shrugs, fully knowing she was lying to him. "And your fingers have been fiddling with the steering wheel for the past ten minutes."

The Spaniard glances down at her hands, realizing that she had in fact been poking her fingers at the leather of the wheel, one of her nails having formed an indent at the top. She takes one of her hands off, clenching then unclenching her fingers, trying to calm herself in any possible way.

"Sof?" Lucas eyebrows furrow, her hand reaching out to hold the one she had stretched out. "Maybe we should pull over."

"No, I'm fine. I promise." her fingers tighten in his hold, "We're almost there, it's just down this road."

Her parents had been the ones to urge her to bring him along for the day, stating that it would be rude for her to leave him alone. Sofía didn't think it was rude, she had her own life and Luca had his. They didn't necessarily have to do everything together.

Right?

Her car pulls up on the small driveway, right next to her fathers car. She had barely had a moment to turn off her engine before the front door was opening and her mother was excitedly waving at them from the front steps.

With a chuckle, Sofía quickly grabs her stuff and exits the car, rushing towards her mother. "Hola, mami."

"Oh mi hermosa chica, te extrañé!" Gabriella squeals into her daughters shoulder, too engrossed in her presence to register the person behind her until her husband exits the house as well.

"Ah, you must be Luca!" Logan Reyes greets the man, letting his wife hog their daughter for the moment.

Luca side steps his girlfriend, approaching her father with his hand outstretched. "Yes, sir. It's lovely to finally meet you."

"You too, we've heard quite a bit about you." the older man pushes a smile onto his face, before turning to his wife. "Gaby, will you hand over my daughter now please?"