Recipe for Love

Chapter 24

Charles

"I'm telling you, there's something wrong with that guy," I complained to Joris after that strange encounter in front of the restaurant.
"Maybe the fact that he's dating a girl you like?" Jo smirked and I gave him an angry look.
"Not only that. I'm telling you he's just weird," I grunted, biting the nail on my thumb.
"I understand that you are annoyed that she forgot about you so quickly, but can you be mad at her? She has a job here that she likes. She's not the type of girl who will follow you around the world like an obedient puppy."
"I don't even want that. I just wish she would at least give it a chance," I moaned. "I'd like some wine."
"Not a chance," Joris said nonchalantly, setting up another game on the PlayStation.

I didn't even have time to settle down in Maranello and it was already time to leave for Bahrain. The whole situation with Anna made me really tired and I kept complaining about it to anyone who would listen. Of course, I knew I had no right to be interested in who Anna was seeing, but my intuition told me that there was something off about this guy. I would never dare to say that I was the best choice for Anna, but I was 100% sure that absolutely anyone would be a better choice than the lanky guy from the restaurant.

"Oh my god, then ask Lewis what he thinks of him," Joris whined when I brought up the subject of Anna before the second free practice. For about the fourth time that day.
"What if he doesn't know about him? I don't want to be a snitch."
"So what do you want?" he threw his hands around, slamming into the table from which a pile of signed cards fell on the floor.
"Oh great," I sighed and quickly lined them up again in a neat column. "I don't know. To get rid of him and give me a chance."
"And you didn't think to call her and tell her?"
I glared at him. "Of course it occurred to me, but how do I tell her?"
"Maybe you don't have to tell her so explicitly to dump the guy, but you could tell her the other part."
"You're probably right," I thought.
"God, why do I have to be your best friend?" cried Joris.

In Bahrain, the situation has finally started to take a significant turn for the better. Ferrari brought out the first of a series of major upgrades this weekend and the car finally performed the way Lewis and I had imagined. Out of the blue, we were at least a bit competitive, and the reliability of the car improved significantly. We managed both practices without the clutch or brakes failing or the car starting to overheat after a few laps, which I considered a huge achievement.

In the evening, I sat in my hotel room and held my finger over the contact that had Anna's name for perhaps half an hour. Joris was lounging on the bed next to me surfing the internet, but when I sighed for about the eightieth time, he sat up, cursed, yanked the phone out of my hand, and pressed the green button. I looked at him in horror, but he just shrugged, grabbed his phone, and ran out of the room. "Hello?" the phone suddenly said. "Anna?" I made sure as if it could possibly be someone else.
"Charles?" she giggled, and my stomach lurched. Hearing her say my name was enough to give me the courage I had lost before.
"What's going on?" she asked when I was quiet for a few seconds.
"I just..." I swallowed. "I just wanted to hear you. And make sure everything is fine. I still think about that Monday night, you seemed uneasy."
"Everything is alright. I'm sorry for how Gabriele acted. He can't stand it when other men talk to me."
So now I can finally put a name to that face. And his description as a jealous boyfriend didn't put me at ease at all.
"I don't have a good feeling about him, Anna," I blurted out before I could stop myself.
"I think it doesn't really matter how you feel about him. I feel fine," she protested, and I slapped my forehead with my palm.
"I didn't mean it that way. It's just..."
"I can take care of myself, don't worry," she said and hung up.