lola

Oscar was having some days off in Dublin when you met him. It happened in a bar, after a show by the band of which you were the guitarist and vocalist.

He didn't know you. He had no idea who you were. But when he saw you in the dark place, lit only by colored lights, something clicked into his mind.

“That guy won't stop staring at you." said Gene, your friend and drummer.

“He was probably at the show. I kinda recognize him…”

You were too drunk to remember that guy was Oscar Piastri, your little brother's favorite F1 driver.

Your dad was obsessed with motorsport. When you were younger you used to watch a lot of races with him. But growing up, you got always more busy with your band, always writing about your feelings, practicing, and even doing some shows in random bars.

“He’s hot. You're single. You should go talk to him!” Gene continued. 

“I'm definitely not doing it.”

You went to the bar and asked the bartender for a cuba libre. 

Oscar kept staring at you. He loved the way you looked. Your makeup was a little messy, but in a sexy way. Your little white dress combined with a red laced bra fitted your body in a perfect way. It had a little transparency, letting some things for his imagination. Your bangs above the eyebrows highlighted your brown eyes. You were the most beautiful thing he ever laid his eyes on.

Suddenly, he decided it was time for a drink, too. 

He sat down next to you, continuing to stare at you.

“Can I pay for a drink for you?” He finally said.

“Sure. Why not? I want a guiness.”

Seconds ago, you said you wouldn't talk to him, but now he was close to you, and you felt comfortable with that. He didn't look like the kind of person who would frequent this type of place. He was tall, in good shape. You could imagine him in a very well attended nightclub. 

“Were you at the 3Arena today? I can recognize your face." You took a sip of your beer. 

“No. I wasn't.” He said, looking into your eyes. “You probably recognize me because I'm a Formula One driver.”

“Oh God, sure. You're Oscar Piastri, right? My brother loves you.”

“Yes, I'm. That's good. How old is he?"

“Seven.” You said as you looked him straight in the eyes. 

The silence between your voices enveloped you. All you could hear was the speakers blaring music. It wasn't awkward. On the contrary, it was actually comfortable. Maybe you were both too drunk to have a decent conversation.

“What were you doing at the 3Arena?”

“Playing guitar and singing.” You gave him a little smile. 

“Oh, so do you have a band?” 

He started to find you even more attractive the moment you said that.  

“Yes, yes. I do. Since I was thirteen. We are growing now. You probably heard one of our songs on the radio recently.”

“That's fucking amazing.” He randomly said.

“Uhm… I really want a cigarette. Can we go outside?” 

“Sure, prettie.” 

You were leaning against the wall, with the cigarette between your lips, looking for the lighter lost in your bag. 

“Do you need that?” He said as he took a lighter out of his back pocket. 

Oscar didn't smoke. He tried it once, but it just wasn't his thing. But he always had a lighter with him, just in case he needed it.

You nodded, and he lit your watermelon marlboro.

Silence fell again. You only noticed how attractive Oscar was now. His defined chest and biceps were well outlined by the navy blue shirt. He approached you as you smoked and watched him.

He brushed a strand of hair from your face. You had never been so close. Your heart was beating fast with nervousness. 

He looked deep into our eyes, trying to find out if you wanted the same thing he did. 

He gave you a little peck on the lips, very sweetly. 

“Oh I'm so sorry. I'm so hypnotized by you that I forgot to ask your name.”

You laughed. “That’s ok, Oscar. My name is y/n."

He placed his right hand on your waist.

“And how old are you, y/n?"

“I'm nineteen.”

Younger than him. Oscar wasn't the kind of guy who dated younger girls. But there was something different about you, something that attracted him.  

“That's a beautiful name. Can I kiss you, y/n?" He said, whispering in your ear. You heard that Australian accent, and you could feel yourself melting from inside. 

You just pressed your lips against his while holding his hair. Your cigarette was lost on the floor at that time.

The kiss was slow, hot, and passionate. He held your waist tightly with both hands. He seemed to be afraid that you would run away. You had your fingers tangled in his hair. You could tell you would faint under his touch. You could smell his cologne, it was probably very expensive. He continued to pull you closer, increasing the intensity of the kiss. It only stopped when you both ran out of breath.

“Holy shit!” You got scared when you heard Thomas, your bassist, almost screaming next to you and Oscar. The other band members were with him. All of them with beers in their hands.

“We were looking for you. Who's that, y/n?” He continued.

“Oh, hmm… This is Oscar. Oscar, those are Thomas, Gene, and Paul. The rest of the band.”

Oscar greeted them politely. 

“We are going back to the hotel. Wanna come with us?” Gene asked.

“Sure, yeah, It's late. You guys can go ahead, I'll be safe." 

You could see the boys walking to the hotel. It wasn't that far, and they were probably too drunk to request an Uber.

“How are you going back to the hotel?” Oscar asked you.

“I'll probably just order an Uber, I don't know. I just wanted to talk a little more with you.”

He was holding you in his arms in the sweetest way possible. 

“We can do it later. I'll take you to your hotel, I just need you to tell me where it is.”

You were probably crazy to be in a complete stranger's car going to a place you weren't very familiar with. But the alcohol was coursing through both of your bodies, and something inside you knew nothing bad would happen. 

The music coming from the radio hissed at a barely audible volume. You stared at him as he drove.  

Oscar stopped right in front of the hotel. The street was dark, only a faint yellow light allowed you to see each other. 

You gave him a small kiss on the lips, which ended up evolving into a kiss as intense as the other you gave him. 

When you realized, you were already sitting on his lap, pulling his hair and biting his lips. His hands were traveling all over your body. 

You stopped kissing him when you felt his erection pressing against your thigh, just to tease him.

Still in his lap, you grabbed your bag and searched for a small notebook and a pen, writing your number on the last page and placing it in the car's cup holder. 

“Thank you, Osc.” You said after getting out of the car and before closing the door.  

⋆ ✴︎˚｡⋆ 

A few months passed and you were already dating. More in love than ever. 

Your band would perform for the first time as a headliner in a festival, and Oscar was there to support you.

The show was going amazing. When there were only six or five songs left, you started talking to the audience, once again. 

“This next song is from a cover from a band that we love, it's really special to us. And I want to dedicate it to a really special person; Oscar, this one's for you, my love.”

You and the other band members started playing. You could hear the crowd screaming as you started singing, and Oscar had a smile from ear to ear along with blushing cheeks on his face. 

“Give you my lovin'

Seven days a week

I'll be your honey

If you'll be sweet [...]”

“[...] Man says it's rainin', rainin' outside

I'll be out there in a little while'

Cause you see, rain reminds me of you

And everything has turned to you [...]”

“[...] When I see you

I wanna kiss you

But I know that ain't right

So I ask if I can hold you

Oh, babe, I need you so bad

Oh, babe, I only want to make you

Glad”

The song was 'Give You My Lovin'' by Mazzy Star. A song you mentioned in one of your conversations when you weren't even dating. And he remembered it, he remembers almost everything you say. 

When the show was over, he was waiting for you in the backstage. You ran into his arms and kissed him softly.

“You were amazing. I love you so fucking much.” He said in your ears.

Moving from a small town to study journalism was my biggest dream. In 2023, it finally happened. I moved to an apartment in Monaco with my best friend and started the college I always dreamed of doing.

2024 started with me having a really good time with my friends and family, and after the journalist who did the pre and post race interviews randomly decided that he would retire in the middle of the season, my internship manager decided that I would be the best option to replace him, even though I was only in the second year of college.

Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one to get promoted. Franco Colapinto was the newest Williams Racing F1 driver.

Franco was someone I've kissed in a lot of parties. I thought that he wasn't like the other guys, but that was before I really knew him. He is the type of guy that texts you the whole day, pretends to care about you, asks how you're feeling, sends you roses, tells you he spoke about you to his mother in a space of time, and completely ignores you for the next whole month.

If someone asks me about him, I would just say that he's a dickhead and I absolutely hate him. But if he sent me a message saying he feels so sorry for ghosting me, I would forgive and not fight. Why does he gotta be so vicious? I could never be mad at him, even if he was destroying my heart. All my friends just told me that I'm being stupid and should stop talking with him, but they didn't understand me.

✸

Franco was ghosting me for a few days, but he couldn't escape from the pre free-practice interview, specifically in his first time driving an F1 car. He couldn't escape from talking with me, even if it was for professional reasons.

He finished FP1 in 17th place. I've already interviewed his teammate, Alex Albon, and Kimi Antonelli, who sadly crashed George's car.

The Argentinian was in his flirting mood, responding to all my questions with phrases that could be interpreted in another way. I was already angry at him, and the way he was acting was really annoying me.

I was leaving the paddock when I felt someone touching my left shoulder. Of course, it was him.

“You can't just ignore me for weeks and then pretend that you didn't do anything. I can't play your little game anymore.” I almost screamed at him.

“Hermosa, you can't just pretend that you don't like me. Stop being selfish and let me talk to you. Let me explain myself.” He said with that accent that I couldn't hear without getting crazy.

“So you are calling me selfish? Oh, please, Franco. Act like an adult for a second. I don't wanna talk to you."

He just laughed.

“And stop fucking laughing.” said while I started walking faster.

✸

When I got to my hotel room, the first thing I did was block him everywhere. No more Franco, no more stress.

But only an hour later the room phone started to ring.

“Miss y/n, someone left a thing in your name at the reception.”

“I'm going there.” I put my shoes on and left my room.

“It can't be Franco.” I said to myself while waiting for the elevator.

The ‘thing’ someone left to me was an example of my favorite book, My Year of Rest and Relaxation. I told Franco it was my favorite book when we had our only date that wasn't in a club. On this day, we went to a coffee shop and talked there for hours. I think it is my favorite memory with him.

I unblocked and called him.

“You can't just buy me with presents. I said it before, and I'm saying it again. I can't play your little game anymore.”

“This was the only way I found to grab your attention. I tried to talk to you in the paddock, but you just ran away from me. I would call you, but you blocked me. I really feel that I have to explain myself, but I want to do it face to face. Can I go to your room? No second intentions, I just want to talk.”

I stopped for a moment and considered whether I should let him come and talk.

“My room is number 1043. But you better have a good excuse.”

15 minutes later, I heard someone knocking on my door.

“Come in.” I said to him.

We sat on a sofa. He had his elbows on his thighs, his hands under his face.

“I've had a lot of failed relationships, and it was all my fault. I think I just get scared. I'm scared about things just getting wrong again, and I lose you. I don't know why I kept doing it. Treating you like the whole world and then after, completely ignoring you. Y/n, I really like you, and I can't keep treating you like you're nothing. I'm really sorry for everything I've done to you, and it would mean the world to me if I could only get a second chance.”

I knew he wasn't lying. I saw the truth in his eyes.

“I can't give you a second chance because I've already done that. I really like you, Franco, and I wish things weren't that complicated.” I looked him directly in the eyes.

“I know I kept making you more and more upset with me, and I'm really sorry for everything. I would do anything for you to forgive me. Te lo ruego hermosa.”

“Actually, you've never made me really sad. You just made me really angry, but that always went away when we started talking again.”

“I'm so sorry about everything.”

I grabbed his hands.

“You'll have to prove that you really have changed.”

“Anything for you, mi amor." He gave me a soft kiss after saying that

I told him to go back to his room and just went to bed.

That night, I couldn't sleep well. Was he really being honest? How could I be so sure he wasn't lying? What will happen with us? all these thoughts kept me awake for a few hours. But something inside of me said that everything would be fine.

✸

It was the race day. Lando Norris was on pole and Franco placed 18th.

He had never been so sweet to me and I was really happy cheering for him.

After a long race, he finished 12th place, which was a pretty good result considering that it was his first time racing in an F1 car.

He was the third driver I would interview. After I congratulated Leclerc on his win, the Argentinian driver came in.

“Franco, it was your first time racing in F1, and you had such a great result. How are you feeling right now?”

“I'm feeling like a brand new man.” He said with a big smile.

“The car is really good as far as possible, and I'm really excited for the next race. It's all so different from F2, but me and the team are doing a great job.”

“Congrats, Franco.”

Growing up as the daughter of an F1 team principal was really something. As I grew up and my tennis career started to leverage, my frequency of going to the paddock reduced for almost every race to just a few, and it was enough for me to start a great friendship with the Mercedes junior driver, Kimi Antonelli.

Kimi and I became almost instantly best friends, and as time went by, it became very common to see him in my games and me in the Prema paddock.

It was January 2nd, a new year had just begun, and the winter cold still continued in Monaco. I was watching Juno while eating some candy when Kimi texted me.

It could be a lot of Kimi's friends and I was really nervous. What if it's terrible? What if the guy is a completely weirdo? What if the guy is Kimi himself?.. I would only know the answer to my questions the next day.

✸

I did nothing but get ready the whole day. When it was almost time for me to be late, I went into my dad's office “I'm going out with some friends, see you later!” I said while opening the door.

“Yn come here. You're not going anywhere.” I heard my dad saying it with his strong accent.

“You have 5 minutes. My Uber is almost arriving.”

“Why would you need an Uber when your dad is home and can drive you anywhere? Yn, where are you going?”

“You'll never let me go out if i tell you my situation.” I checked the time, 6pm. I should already be there.

“Kimi asked me if I wanted to go on a blind date, and after he insisted a lot, I said yes. I don't know who the guy is, but I'm pretty sure it is not a sociopath who is planning to kill me. By the way, I'm really late, and he's probably already waiting for me.”

Toto, my dad, took his glasses off “Oh God. I'll let you go. But be safe and send me your location. And be home at 8pm.”

“Thank you, dad. Ugh, my Uber canceled. Can you take me there? It's at the cinema nearby.”

✸

I arrived there exactly 15 minutes late. “Call me if anything happens, and good luck!” Toto said while leaving a little kiss on my forehead.

When I got out of the car, nobody was outside the cinema. I instantly got more anxious. “What if he got tired of waiting and just went home?” I said to myself. I entered there, and the first thing I saw was Oliver Bearman holding a bouquet of lilies.

“Kimi said you like lilies. Those were the prettiest I found.” He said with a shy smile.

“They are amazing! Thank you! God, I'm so glad that Kimi invited you. I was so nervous.”

Ollie was someone that I never had a conversation that lasted more than 3 minutes, but I always had a little hidden crush on him. He's definitely my type, another athlete, tall, gorgeous, and british.

“Sorry I was late… We should probably just go, our film will start soon.”

Ollie tried to grab my hand, but I was sweating so much, I just pretended I didn't see it. When we got to our seats, the movie had already started. The first few moments were terrible, I couldn't move even a finger. But then I finally found just a little bit of courage in my body and laid my head on his shoulder. When the movie was almost ending, I gave a delicate kiss on his left cheek while caressing his hand. We're staring at each other and our faces were getting closer and colser and when I thought we would have our first kiss… the film ended and all the lights came on. We just shared a good laugh.

Despite the cold weather, we decided to go to an ice cream shop. We sat on a table, next to each other, just talking and eating.

“What did Kimi say to you? He just texted me asking if i was interested in going on a blind date.” I said while biting my mochi.

“Actually, Kimi didn't say anything to me. I said to him I was interested in you, cause I think you're really pretty and such a cool person, but I didn't know how to talk with you and ask you on a date. So Kimi suggested it, a blind date. At first, I thought it was a terrible idea, but he ended up convincing me.”

“So you you think I'm pretty?” He smiled when I said that.

“Yes, I do.” Said with a convinced voice.

I sat closer to him. So close that I could hear him breathing. He pressed his lips against mine, and we started with soft kisses. Then I felt his tongue in my mouth, it tasted like the chocolate ice cream he was eating minutes ago. The kiss was soft, slow and full of desire. His hands were in my cheeks and mine were in his neck and hair. We separated because of shortness of breath, but it was amazing, a moment that i wanted to last forevermore.

✸

I got home kinda late, Ollie and I spent some time kissing and talking about our lives. He paid my Uber back home, and we kept talking through our phones.

“Ladie you are almost an hour late.” I heard my dad's voice coming from our apartment kitchen. He was oppening a botle of wine. “How it was?”

“It was Ollie… My date was Oliver Bearman, Kimi's teamate. It was amazing, we watched the film and after we went to that ice cream shop that I like.”

“You are not going to date a driver.” he said with a serious voice.

“Why not? He was so sweet to me, you don’t even know him. And it was just a date, we're not officially a couple.”

“Honey, i wasn't born yesterday. I know how those young drivers get crazy when they make it to F1. He will be cercaded of womens and he will love it. I saw it happening so many times, I just know how it works.”

“Ollie doesn't seem to be this type of guy.”