F1 One shots

PT1 - Carlos Sainz Jr.

You look around the cafe where you're working on some administration when you continue to feel like someone is looking at you. A soft smile brightens up your face when you see a small boy, with beautiful brown eyes and dark hair, look at you with curiosity. You wave at him, chuckling when he looks away shyly before putting his small hand in the air. "Who are you waving at bonito?"  a man asks, ruffling the hair of the small boy and following his line of sight, resting his eyes on you. When you look up at him you feel your heartbeat quicken, gasping softly when you realize who you're looking at. Carlos, your high school crush and first ever kiss. He looks just as shocked as you are, before a blush and smile adorn his face. He waves, chuckling when he sees the small boy waving enthusiastic with him.

Before you can comprehend what's happening you see Carlos lifting the small boy in his arms, resting him on his hip while he walks towards you with a hesistant and shy look in his eyes. "Hola, it's been a while since I've seen you around" he starts, pointing at the empty chair at your table. You nod, smiling shyly when he sits in front of you with the small boy on his lap. "Yeah, it really has been a while" you answer, blushing when Carlos smiles brightly. "How have you been?" he asks, stroking the small boy over his head while he looks at you, giving you his undivided attention.

First, you feel a little uncomfortable telling Carlos about your life. You had heard from some friends that he had become incredibly successful in Formula 1, but you never had the guts to look him up. You knew that his career was one of the biggest reasons that you never managed to find the right time to become closer, and that had been a hard pill to swallow. While he was out there travelling the world and winning races, you were running the café he was sitting in, while also trying to finish your business studies that you hated. But, while you were talking, you realized how the uncomfortable feeling you had at the start started to vanish. He listened to everything you said, sometimes asking a follow up question or humming. He smiled when you excitedly told him about the café, how you created the interior in such a way that everyone could either come alone or with other people to chill or work on something. You wanted to create a welcoming environment.

"You really managed to create that, I've heard great things about your café which is why we decided to have some juice and a cookie" Carlos says, looking down at the small boy who was leaning against his chest, seemingly tired. "Is that one of your sisters' kids?" you ask, blushing when Carlos chuckles while shaking his head. "No Cariña, this is my beautiful son Benno." You feel the warmth spread over your face at the nickname but a sharp pain in your heart when you realize Carlos has a family. 'Of course he has a family, what did you expect? He is such a great guy' you muse to yourself, smiling at Carlos before telling him that Benno looks so much like him. Carlos nods with a big smile, "he's almost 4 now, it's been tough to combine racing with parenting, but I feel like I finally got the hang of it. I've got an amazing team and of course my parents and sister who help me out when it's hard." You nod with a smile, not sure if you should ask if he's married or not. You don't see a ring, but that doesn't have to mean anything.

Carlos looks at his watch before looking at a half-asleep Benno, smiling at the small boy and pressing a kiss on his hair. "I think it's time for me to put this little guy in bed, we went to some stores and the small animal farm this morning, so I think he's had enough impressions and needs some sleep." You nod, telling Carlos how nice it was to see him again after such a long time. He takes a napkin that lays on the table, before taking your pen, and writes down a phone number. "Give me a call when you close up, it would be nice to see each other again. Maybe we can catch up without Benno" he says, his dark eyes looking at yours directly before they linger on your lips. You blush, inwardly facepalming. 'He's in a relationship and has a kid, don't be so ridiculous' you tell yourself, nodding at Carlos before putting the napkin in your bag. You watch as Carlos walks back to his previous table, putting the sleepy Benno in his stroller before walking towards you again. "A hug?" he asks, smiling when you stand up to hug him. You hum when he tightens his arms around you, a giggle escaping when he lets go of you and winks. "I'll see you later" he says, pushing the stroller out of the café, waving at you while he walks past the window.

A sigh leaves your lips when you close down the café. It's been a week since you've seen Carlos, you put his number in your phone but eventually never reached out. He had a family, and even though it sounds nice to catch up you know that it would mean so much more to you than to him. That's why you didn't text him, or gave him a call. You had put so much work into getting over him when you were younger, you were not ready to do something like that again. The doors lock when you walk outside, you check to be sure that there is no light on before turning around and walking out onto the street. A startled scream leaves your lips when you look up, putting your hand on your heavily beating heart when you see Carlos. "God damnit Carlos, you freaked me out" you say while your voice trembles. He puts his arms around you to give you a hug, murmuring a sorry. "I didn't mean to freak you out like that, I was just on my way to see if you had closed up already" he says, stepping away from you a little while ruffling his hair. "You never gave me a call, so I was worried that you may have lost the napkin."

He falls silent while waiting for you to answer him, his beautiful eyes roaming your face. You let out a shaky breath, "I didn't lose the napkin" you start softly, looking away when you see hurt flash through his eyes. "I-I was hesitant to call you, you have a family now and I don't think that I can be just friends with you" you tell him, the last part almost a whisper. Carlos hears you though, a soft smile spreading on his lips while he looks at you. "I guess I wasn't clear enough last time, I'm sorry Cariño. Benno and I are just the two of us" he says, putting a strand of your hair behind your ear. "Oh" you breath, fiddling with your fingers before looking at him. "Would you like to have dinner with me? I can tell you a little more about my life then" he asks, smiling brightly when you nod. "Follow me, beautiful, I know a nice spot" he says, grabbing your hand while looking at you with a sweet smile.

The two of you spent the entire evening at the restaurant Carlos picked, talking about his career, life and mostly about Benno. The sadness in his eyes when he told you that Benno's mother wasn't in the picture anymore because she wanted to live a life without the commitment of a child made your heart hurt. You instinctively reached for his hand on the table, gently rubbing the skin while listening to Carlos' story. "I can't believe that I found you again" he says while leaning back in his chair, looking at you with rosy cheeks from the wine the two of you were sipping on. You smile, shrugging your shoulders, "I've never left here, just moved around a few times." He hums, taking the glass in his hand before taking another sip. You let your eyes move over him, appreciating his broad chest in a simple black t-shirt. When you look up to his face again you blush, the intensity in his eyes makes you shy and you're not sure where to look. "Cariña, can I take you home?" he asks, smiling at you when you nod.