Driven by Secrets || Carlos Sainz

nine

A/N

Just before we begin, apologies for the little break I have had from writing, I've been out of home, then later sick, so I didn't have motivation nor time to write, but I'm back on the track and let's say, A LOT is coming <3 thank you for all the support and understanding :)

Now let's get back to Julia...

Knock, knock, knock.

I nervously stood in front of Carlos' door, fidgeting with my hair. His odd behavior over the weekend was still on my mind, and I couldn't seem to make sense of it, no matter how hard I tried. But as he opened the door, I couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked. His fluffy hair, deep dark-brown eyes, and slightly unbuttoned shirt could easily make me question my thoughts, so I rather quickly snapped back to reality.

"Hey, you look great!" I greeted him with a cheek-kiss.

"I could say the same," he replied, giving me a slight smile. I had decided to keep the same dress on from dinner, as there wasn't much time to change. Almost without saying a word, we got into the taxi, but I couldn't hold back any longer.

"Carlos, what's wrong? Don't tell me it's nothing, it's obvious," I bursted out.

"Julia, I promise, everything is fine. I, uh, might have found out about something I'd rather not know, but that's life. I mean, I don't even know if the situation was actually the way I interpreted it, alright? Don't worry about it. I'm glad you're here with me, so let's not ruin that," Carlos replied, switching looks from me to the road. I simply nodded my head and asked him more about the race, which resulted in the rest of the ride being completely fine.

The night went absolutely terrific. All of us might have had a bit too much to drink, but that's the right way to celebrate a win like this. I got to know Kika, Kelly, and Charlotte, and we ended up bursting into laughter in the bathroom as we tried to clean the champagne Kika spilled all over herself, but it was a hopeless task. Reminding myself that this is actually Carlos' celebration party, I went in a tipsy search for him. He was chatting at the bar with George and Carmen, so I went over and called him to the dancefloor. We spun, laughed, and danced until we couldn't anymore, so we decided to take a little break on a small balcony.

"Woah, careful there!" Carlos shouted as I tripped over a tile.

"I'm going to hate myself in the morning," I mumbled, my words twisting on my tongue. Carlos just put his arm on my back as I leaned over the railing, trying to catch my breath. I straightened out and looked at him, wanting to say something, but I couldn't. Not only because I had never drunk so much in my life, but also because his appearance completely captivated me. If Disney were casting live-action fairy tales, he could be their Prince Charming in the next one. Suddenly, I felt the urge to kiss him, leaning in closer, and he seemed to react the same way. Just as our lips were about to meet...

"Julia, I'm sorry," he suddenly pulled away, "but you know, we can't..."

"No, no, I apologize. I shouldn't have," I embarrassingly looked away. He was right; this wasn't right at all. I had to think about my dad, my job, and... everything else.