Forbidden

86. Reserve Driver

Thursday meant media day like usual, but it also meant they were back at the paddock. Olivia loved the paddock, she loved the people rushing, the hustle, the secret chats in the motor homes, seeing her friends all grouped together, her morning coffee at the Red Bull Racing coffee station.

She was standing right there sipping her now cold coffee when she saw something through the window outside. A man in papaya orange walking down the paddock being surrounded by cameras, getting interviewed. Was it...?

Then she saw Checo, who was standing outside the motor home, walk up to him with open arms and hug him with a bright smile. Yes, yes it was.

Checo and Pato talked for a moment, not minding the cameras that surrounded them, Checo nodded and pointed at the direction of the motor home. Olivia froze, she hadn't seen or talked to Pato since they parted at the airport in Mexico.

Before Olivia even processed it, her legs were already moving towards the door decidedly. Once she realized where she was going, it was too late to back down, Pato had already seen her through the glass. Olivia opened the door to the motor home and a smile grew on her face as she saw her all-to-familiar Pato. She quickly walked down the stairs and hugged him "Patito, what are you doing here?!" She said a bit in shock as she hugged him. 

For a moment Pato hesitated and then hugged her back, but Olivia noticed. But after that initial hesitation it was like any other old hug, his arms tight around her torso as he lifted her from the ground. "Liv, it's so good to see you" he said as he lifted her momentarily and then placed her down on the ground again.

His smile was hesitant, like he had something to say but he wouldn't say it. It made Olivia feel uneasy. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming? Elba said you had a surprise? What did she mean?" Asked Liv wanting to know what was going on.

"Oh yeah, she told me about you drunk texting her by the way" teased Pato with a smile, getting back to their old familiarity.

"I wasn't 'drunk texting' her" explained Liv "I was texting her, and I might have been drunk but it was not 'drunk texting'".

Pato laughed "Liv that makes absolutely no sense"

"Well who cares anyway, just tell us! What is going on?" urged Olivia.

"Yeah Pato tell her" said Checo with a smirk, he clearly already knew what was happening.

Pato took a deep breath and let it out, he had a bright smile on his face as he said "I'm gonna be McLaren's reserve driver the rest of the season" he said excitedly.

Pato knew Liv would be happy for him, but he didn't know just how much. Her mouth opened wide in surprise "NO WAY" she said loudly in shock. She pushed him back lightly "are you serious?!"

"I'm dead serious, I've never been more serious in my life" he said with the brightest smile.

"Oh my god!!!" Yelled Liv as she gave a few small jumps and then jumped to hug him in excitement. Whichever way this may have looked to the outside world, they simply didn't understand. Ever since Liv and Pato had met as kids, Pato had talked about his dream of being in F1. Ever since, he had worked like no other to make that dream possible, and of course he had shared all of it with Liv. They had talked about all their crazy dreams and what they wanted to do when they were older. Now that moment was here, a chance to prove himself in Formula 1. He was already a foot in the door.

Pato caught her hug and laughed as he once more lifted her in the air for a second. He immediately put her back down and his smile started to waver but Olivia didn't care, she was so proud of the little boy who had told her all about his dreams during the starry nights at San Antonio, Texas.