Driven By Desire || Toto Wolff

30: Austria Day 2 (Addison)

Me and Toto walk down the stairs hand in hand down to the car. He opens my door and I get in, stopping  to shake off the mud from the bottom of my shoe. I look back up at Toto and smile. "Your fly's down" I say turning and looking back through the windshield. He closes my door before walking behind the car, stopping to putt up his fly before walking back to the drivers seat, he opens the door and reaches for something in his back pocket. He leans down and looks at me. "I think I forgot my phone upstairs. I'll be right back." He says before closing his door and walking up the steps. He stops talking to someone in their door way, when I look closer it's an old lady. She starts wagging her finger at him as he rubs the back of his neck. He looks like he's being scolded. I can't help but laugh. after a little while Toto points to the car and says something to the lady. She shakes her head before saying something. He gives her a look before answering her. After a few more words Toto jogs up the stairs. The lady turns to the car and starts walking towards me.  

When she reaches me she taps the window and I roll it down. She stares at me. "Hi" I smile. Her eyes narrow. "You're young, How old are you?" She says, her accent unbelievably thick.

"I'm Twenty-Three,'' I reply.

"That boy might as well be put in jail" She says to herself disappointed. I bite my tongue not wanting to laugh.

 "What is your plan with him? Do you want money? The thrill of an older man?" She questions. I sit up straighter.

"I don't need Money from him, nor does he come with a thrill. Torger is an incredible person and I see that" I answer. Her eyes thin before she nods.

"You be careful with him. Don't hurt him, or you'll have me to deal with" She warns.

"I have no reason to do anything of the sort" I smile.

"I'm watching you," She says before walking away.

I watch as she walks away rolling up the window again. Toto walks down the stairs as she reaches the landing. She says something to him before he gives her an unimpressed look. He says something back before hugging her and walking back to the car. When he gets in he looks at me and smiles. "Don't take anything she says to heart" He tells me. I laugh.

"She's protective of you, it's sweet" I tell him.

"Yea that's Lena for you" He says turning on the engine and driving.

 "So who is Lena?" I question. He laughs.

"Sorry Lena is my moms best friend. She was basically a second mom to me growing up. She was never able to have children so I was the closest thing she had to that dream. Her husband died a year after my dad and she never really found anyone after that." He tells me. I made a joke about him not telling me I was meeting the family and he laughed before putting his hand on my thigh and squeezing it. It makes me blush and I look at him.

 "So, she basically helped raise you?" I ask him.

"Yeah, pretty much." He replies with a grin

"So where are we going?" I ask him.

"Oh, just a little place I know. You'll see." He says lifting an eye brow, I can't help but laugh.

I listen to Toto's stories and we drive through the streets of his hometown, a smile on my face. He looks like a kid in a candy store. We stop outside a small restaurant and Toto opens the car door for me as we get out.  Toto walks us over the an unassuming restaurant with worn paint and slightly faded letters. Despite being slightly antiquated, there's something quaint and cozy about it. As we enter, we're warmly greeted by the smell of freshly baked pastries and coffee blended with spices.

I sigh as the smells fills my senses. We enter the restaurant and I look at spacious interior with hardwood floors and cozy-looking furniture. It's not too packed with people, and the atmosphere is calm and relaxing. The walls are lined with framed photographs of different dishes, and there are a few newspaper clippings that have been taped to the walls. There's a cozy fireplace in the corner, which makes this place even more inviting seeming as the cold air outside is less than desirable. 

We look around for a place to sit, and Toto leads me to a booth by the window. It's one of the more secluded areas of the restaurant, away from the hustle and bustle. As we sit down, a wave of relaxation washes over me, and I feel completely at ease. Toto looks at me with a tender smile. "This was my favorite place growing up," he says. I look around at the cozy interior and the charming surroundings and understand why.

After we're seated, a waitress places menus in front of us. "We won't need those" He says. I glance at the menu briefly. "Part of this adventure means I get to pick for you" He tells me. I give him an unimpressed look. "You'll like it," he assures me. "I promise" I smile and nod, trusting his choice. He speaks to the waitress in German before she nods smiles and says something back, before walking away. 

As we wait for our food, Toto leans back in his seat and smiles at me. He looks so carefree and easygoing, totally at ease in his own environment.  I lean back in my seat as well, taking in the atmosphere and enjoying the moment. Toto leans forward again, bringing me back to reality. "So, Addison, I want to ask you something," he says.

 "Sure, what is it?" I respond, intrigued by his tone.

"I want to know what you see with me?"

I smile, finding it a rather charming question. "You mean, besides your charming personality and good looks?" I tease. Toto chuckles.

"Yes, besides that." He shakes his head.

"There are so many things I like about you," I say, taking his hand. "But if I had to narrow it down, I'd say that your kindness and sense of humor are two of your most attractive qualities." Toto looks pleased with my answer and squeezes my hand.

"You know," he says, his tone more serious. "There's something we've never really spoken about before, that I think we should" He tells me.

"What is it?" I ask, leaning in as I sense that this next part is important.

"I see a future with you in it," he says softly. "I can't imagine my life without you. But there's one thing that has been holding me back from making us exclusive"

"What is it?" I ask, my heart beating faster. Toto hesitates for a moment, but I can see that he's gathering his courage.  "The problem is, as much as this so called sneaking around is fun, will we ever go public?" He ask and my stomach twists. "It's just the minute we go public everything changes,something like this, it becomes front-page news. And I know how intense the pressure can be. Fans will be everywhere, asking questions about us and our relationship. It's a lot to deal with." He looks at me tentatively, his gaze full of concern. "Do you think you can handle it? Because if you can't, I totally understand," Toto says. "Because if you don't.....I don't think there's a point of us doing whatever we're doing" I think about what he said for a moment.

I care more about him than anything else. I take a moment to think about what I truly want. I want to be fully and openly dedicated to our relationship. I want people to know that we're together, to see how happy we make each other. I could deal with the fame and the attention if it means we can be a true couple. I look up at Toto. "I don't want to stay a secret," I tell him. "I want to be with you, openly and proudly. I don't care about the fame and the attention and even what my dad might say. I can handle it. So, yeah, I'm okay with revealing our relationship to the public." I smile at him and he smiles back. "But you know there's a small problem with this" I tell him. His face falls.

"What's that?" He asks warry. 

"You've never actually asked me to be your girlfriend" I tell him.

He chuckles before nodding. "Noted" He says and before I can get another word in the waitress comes with our food. 

She puts down a cup of black coffee in front of Toto with Water, and a cup of tea and a water in front of me. Before putting three plates down with beautiful baked goods on them down. Toto thanks the waitress before she walks away. 

"This looks amazing" I tell him. "What is it all?" I ask. 

"Vanillekipferl" He points at a biscuitish dish doused in powdered sugar. "Marillenknödel" He points at a dumpling looking dish. " And Kaiserschmarrn" He points at the last dish. "I used to get one of these on the way home almost everyday" He tells me. 

He continues to tell me about each one as I taste test each of them. Nothing feels more freeing than this. Just us living our life. 

"Hey sorry to interrupt" a girl that looks like a mini me says very anxiously. "I debated coming over here as I'm sure your just trying to have lunch but is there a chance I can get a photo with you?"I look at Toto and He smiles "You can take a photo with me" He smiles. She nods before snapping a picture. "Sorry again for the interruption, have a good day" She says before running away.  "She looked alot like me" I smile. He nods "Spitting Image" He adds. We shake it off before continuing on with our lunch.