#kimi

Kimi had faced pressure before — race starts, qualifying laps, simulator tests with engineers watching his every move — but nothing, nothing, compared to the chaos of being interviewed by a group of kids.

They were tiny. They were loud. They had no filter. And they were staring at him like he was some kind of superhero.

You stood off to the side with his PR manager, trying not to laugh as Kimi sat in the little chair they’d set up for him. His knees practically reached his chest. He looked like a giant in a kindergarten classroom.

One of the kids raised her hand before the interviewer even finished introducing him.

“Kimi, do you like going fast?”

He nodded, smiling. “Uh… yeah. That’s kind of the job.”

The kids giggled like he’d just told the funniest joke in the world.

Another kid shot his hand up. “Do you ever get scared?”

Kimi shook his head. “Not really. I trust the car. And the team. And myself.”

You could see the pride in his posture — the quiet confidence he carried everywhere. But then a girl with pigtails leaned forward, eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

Kimi froze.

You watched the tips of his ears turn pink. His PR manager whispered, “Here we go,” under her breath.

The kids leaned in, sensing weakness like tiny sharks.

“Um…” Kimi cleared his throat. “Yes.”

The kids erupted into squeals.

“What’s her name?”

“Is she pretty?”

“Do you kiss her?”

“Does she like racing?”

“Is she here?”

Kimi’s eyes darted to you instinctively, and you couldn’t help the smile tugging at your lips. He looked like he wanted to sink into the floor.

“She’s, uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Her name is… well, I call her my girl.”

The kids melted.

“Awwwwww!”

Kimi’s blush deepened. “And yes, she’s very pretty.”

You felt your heart flip.

One of the boys leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “How pretty? Like… princess pretty?”

Kimi didn’t even hesitate. “Better.”

Your breath caught.

The kids gasped dramatically, as if he’d just confessed to loving a mermaid.

Another girl chimed in. “Do you love her?”

Kimi blinked, startled by the bluntness — but then something softened in his expression. He didn’t look embarrassed anymore. He looked sure.

“Yes,” he said simply. “Very much.”

Your chest tightened in the best way.

The interviewer tried to move on, but the kids were relentless.

“What’s your favorite thing about her?”

“Does she make you snacks?”

“Does she watch your races?”

“Do you miss her when you’re away?”

Kimi laughed — actually laughed — shaking his head as he tried to keep up.

“Okay, okay,” he said, holding up his hands. “One at a time.”

A tiny boy with glasses asked, “What’s your favorite thing about her?”

Kimi didn’t even need to think.

“She makes everything feel calmer,” he said softly. “Even when I’m nervous. Even when things are crazy. She just… makes me feel like I can breathe.”

Your eyes stung.

He continued, voice warm and steady. “She believes in me. Even when I don’t. And she’s kind. And funny. And she makes the best pancakes I’ve ever had.”

You covered your face with your hands, laughing quietly.

One of the girls gasped. “Does she make you happy?”

Kimi’s smile was small but certain. “She makes me the happiest.”

The kids collectively sighed like they were watching a romance movie.

Then one bold little boy pointed directly at you. “Is that her?”

Kimi’s head whipped around so fast you thought he might get whiplash. When he saw you, his whole face lit up — that soft, shy smile he only ever gave you.

“Yeah,” he said, cheeks pink. “That’s her.”

The kids turned to stare at you like you were a celebrity. You waved awkwardly.

“HI KIMI’S GIRLFRIEND!” they shouted in unison.

You laughed, covering your face again.

Kimi looked at you with so much affection it made your knees weak.

The interviewer finally wrapped things up, thanking the kids and Kimi for participating. As soon as they were dismissed, the kids swarmed him for high‑fives. He gave every single one.

When he finally made it over to you, he was still blushing.

“Don’t,” he warned softly, pointing at you before you could speak.

You grinned. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You’re thinking it.”

“I’m thinking you’re adorable.”

He groaned, burying his face in your shoulder. “They asked so many questions.”

“And you answered them beautifully.”

He mumbled something into your shirt.

“What was that?” you teased.

He lifted his head, eyes warm. “I meant what I said.”

Your breath caught. “All of it?”

He nodded. “Every word.”

You cupped his cheek, brushing your thumb over the faint pink still lingering there. “You make me the happiest too.”

Kimi leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “Good. Because those kids are terrifying, and I think they’ll hunt me down if I ever break your heart.”

You laughed. “They absolutely will.”

He wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you close as you walked out of the room together.

“Next time,” he murmured, “you’re doing the interview with me.”

“Deal.”

And as he laced his fingers with yours, you realized something:

A cold-hearted woman of ice. The media’s favorite way to describe you. You couldn’t blame them though. You never showed up at after parties, you answered questions with few words and your tone always seemed to be laced with a certain coldness.

If anything it seemed like you wanted to be anywhere but the track, but you knew that nothing was farther from the truth. The track was exactly where you wanted to be, it was where you were born to be.

Nothing made you feel more alive than the sharp turns, high speeds, and the rush of an overtake. You worked hard to be on that track, women had only been allowed into the F1 since a couple of years ago, and even though you weren’t the only woman on the track you felt like you had a certain reputation to uphold.

The FIA was strict, interviewers and paparazzi were shameless and you wanted to give them nothing they could unnecessarily critique you for, no media attention, just racing.

You felt the disdain of many other racers on the track towards your attitude, and you’d had many conversations with Mekies where he’d ‘asked’ you to improve your attitude. If it wasn’t for your skill he would have certainly dropped you by now.

One man however did understand you, and to your comfort that was your teammate Max. You didn’t even need to confide in him about your reasons, he just understood. A simple nod, a simple look, that was all it took. He led most interviews for you or he would steal you away when reporters came running.

You were eternally grateful for that. Besides a teammate Max had become a great friend to you, maybe even your only teammate on the track, but that all changed when the 2025 season began.

Kimi Antonelli.

The new child prodigy of Mercedes, Toto’s new golden boy. You didn’t have a problem with him, per se, but suddenly Max was around a lot less leaving you alone with interviewers prying about strategy and penalties. Luckily the child prodigy took away a lot of the attention from you.

He was 19, only a year younger than you but you still saw him as a child, maybe to distract yourself from the pure talent that he possessed, or his sudden wins during the 2026 season. He overtook with annoying ease.

He climbed up the ranks higher than you ever did, fueled with pure determination and the will to show his team, to show everybody what he was capable of. The ‘new’ Max Verstappen, as the media started to call him.

Whilst your team started failing, Max’ engine completely giving up in Monaco and your engine stalling during the race, too, Kimi seemed to be allergic to losing. Curse you, Bono.

Still you somehow managed to get on the podium, mostly due to George’s penalties. You coldly congratulated both Hamilton and Antonelli, the way you always did. As the champagne sprayed around the podium Kimi made a move and started approaching you, you saw Hamilton mumble something to him.

Over the loud roars of the audience you weren’t quite sure what he said, but Kimi shrugged his shoulders and moved towards you anyways. He stuck out his hand, and smiled at you. Genuinely smiled at you.Not the fake smile the other drivers would put on to avoid criticism from the media.

You hesitated, but stuck out your hand slowly, he grabbed it and shook it. “Congratulations!” he screamed over the loud music and cheers from the crowd, his thick italian accent had the corners of your mouth threatening to lift. 

This was the first time you’d ever had a podium with the Italian, his hospitality was unlike other drivers. Where they’d glare, sneer and grimace, he smiled, cheered and sprayed everyone with his champagne. The sparkle in his eye was unmistakable.

Lewis’ eyes on the other hand were as wide as pancakes. You almost chuckled, and eventually you did. Kimi was jumping all over the podium, cheering loudly and head to toe covered in sticky champagne. It was way too hard not to laugh.

It was the first time you actually decided to ‘join in’ on a celebration, the first time you audibly laughed on a podium. You cracked open your bottle and caught Kimi right as he turned around towards you.

“Not fair! I’m empty!” He laughed as he tried to get you with his last few drops of champagne. Somehow he managed to steal away your bottle and he almost chased you all around the podium with it.

It was pathetic, and it was the happiest you’d felt in a while.

Lewis stood beside you two, staring in absolute disbelief as the girl who’d been a stone cold Medusa to him and the rest of the grid for the past two years, suddenly seemed to melt next to the rookie. And best believe the media caught that, too.

“Antonelli melts the ice queen!” The headlines were inescapable, but you’d never seen Merkies so happy. And rewatching that podium later, you realized you’d never seen yourself so happy, either.

Then your phone buzzed. The atmosphere in the hotel was tense and cold. You picked up your phone. Dad. It read. Shit. That was another thing you and Max could bond over, horrible fathers.

“You could’ve had at least P2, pick up the pace next time.” It stung like a wasp, but not as much as the other fifty times he’s said something like that.

“The engine stalled, I tried my best.” You replied. His response came shortly after. “Your best is not enough, and never let me see you like that on a podium ever again unless you finally win a championship.” You rolled your eyes and tried your best not to tear up.

“Sorry.” You threw your phone across the hotel bed after hitting ‘send’ not interested in whatever bullshit he’d think about your position or your celebration. But he was right, though. Wasn’t he? 

Even though the media was remotely positive about your podium moment with Kimi, it felt like the shield you’d been building up all this time had started to crack. 

You couldn’t let that happen, above all what mattered the most was winning. No stupid celebrations, no fraternization, only the points behind your name. Right?

Your phone buzzed again.

You tried to ignore it, but curiosity got the better of you. You braced yourself for whatever insults your father was going to throw at your face as you turned over the screen. It was…

“Kimi?” You whispered, like the hotel walls were listening. How did he even get your number? 

“Hello it’s Kimi!” The message read, he was still typing. “Will you come celebrate with us tonight?” He was referencing the notorious after parties after each race weekend.

You weren’t going, you never went. You had nothing to celebrate, you weren’t P1, you hadn’t won. 

“Don’t think so.” You tried keeping nonchalant, even though you knew that wouldn’t work on him after this afternoon. “Why not? You got podium!” You tried not to smile at his sweetness.

You had to come up with a lie, fast. “I just started a movie, gotta finish it now.” You typed back, closing the messaging app thinking he’d get the hint and get off your back.

“Which one?” The notification popped up on your screen just as you closed the app. Damn he was fast.

“The Fast and The Furious.” You answered with the first movie that came to mind, maybe you shouldn’t have gone with a racing film. “Oh like us!” He typed back. 

Like us.

You never knew a simple phrase could make you feel so conflicted. Us? What did he mean by us?

“Will you be here next time?” You thought for a second. Your fingers hesitated above your phone's keyboard. 

“Maybe.” You stated, a simple, short answer. Leaving just enough room for ambiguity. Not a yes, but not quite a no, even though you knew it was a no. 

He simply replied with a thumbs up and that was the last of that. You then decided to actually watch the Fast and the Furious, you wanted nothing to do with social media at the moment, nor were you feeling like racing in the sim.

The week went by fast, training in the gym, training in the sim, free practice on friday. Barcelona was hot, almost unbearably so. The kind of heat that was wet, seeping into your skin and leaving as sweat. The sun was bright and piercing through your skull, you could only squint as you entered your car, off to qualifications.

You set a nice enough time in Q1, enough to go off to Q2. You sped up, suddenly you picked up pace, your car flowed smoothly over the burning asphalt, you were quick to overtake Sainz and another driver on the track. You’d just made it into Q3.

The sun was burning, your car was heating up fast, not just in temperature but on the track, too. Somehow you picked up pace fast, you passed Piastri, you passed Max, Leclerc took to the wall. Norris lost his focus, he took a turn way too wide, you intercepted.

At the end of it all you placed in third position, just behind Russel and Antonelli. You felt a rush like no other, this was one of the best qualifications you had had in a long time, you felt alive. So alive. Markies cheered you on as you got out of the car, as did Max. 

But from behind them all came someone else, Kimi. “Well done!” He shook your hand. “You were almost faster than me!” His smile was horribly infectious. You tried keeping casual and professional. “Almost is not enough.” You shrugged. 

“But it’s still great, no?” He smiled and finally let go of your hand. You shrugged again. His face was covered in droplets of sweat, carefully running down his cheeks and disappearing under the neckline of his racing suit. “Maybe, huh?” He playfully mocked, hitting you with his elbow. 

You couldn't help it and almost broke out laughing, luckily you just smiled instead. “Yes, maybe.” He winked at you before walking away to Bono and Toto. You froze in place for a second. Why did he just wink at you? And why did it make you feel even warmer than you already did in the scorching Spanish sun?

Kimi was gonna be a bigger problem than you thought. 

A little while later, you and Max were analyzing your performances during a walk around the outskirts of the city. “You really put down a nice time today.” He complimented you, you smiled and told him the same. You saw the slight hint of disappointment in his eyes. You knew he wasn’t that happy with the team anymore.

“The car just doesn’t feel like it used to, you know?” He stared off into the setting sun, you silently nodded. In an attempt to lighten the mood, you decided to ask him about the Monaco after party.

He started going on and on about Lando giving Oscar a hurricane shot, Lance bitching and moaning about who knows what and Carlos attempting to become the server and dropping a whole tray of glasses in the process. You laughed so hard you swore you would die. 

“You really ought to come to one of them these days, you work so hard, you deserve a break, too.” He nudged your shoulder, you looked away from him focusing your gaze on two cats near the bushes, one seemed to want to play with the other, but he wouldn’t come out of the bush.

“Yeah, maybe.” You murmured. “Wait, was Kimi even allowed to drink though? He’s only nineteen.” You quickly changed the subject, mostly out of genuine curiosity.

“Kimi? Oh I don’t know, he wasn’t there.” Max said it so casually, but that sentence made something go off in your brain. Kimi wasn’t there? Kimi didn’t go? But he invited you, did he not go because you didn’t go? You started quietly overanalyzing every interaction you’d had with him up until this point.

Looks, smiles, winks, texts. Max noticed you’d gone quiet and asked you if something was up. You shook your head, “No, just…” You stopped, “just thinking.” From the corner of your eye you saw Max sporting a big grin.

“What are you smiling like that for? I haven’t seen you this happy since George put in a pink sock with his whites.” You both laughed at the memory, but Max shook his head. “No just, you and Kimi.” You stopped dead in your tracks. Max walked forward and then turned around to face you.

“What do you mean me and Kimi?” He’d said it so casually, you and Kimi, like you were a pair, like how one would say Ben and Jerry’s, Batman and Robin, or Mickey and Minnie. “Oh well you know… just how his eyes seem to be glued to you ever since his debut.” You rolled your eyes and walked past him, bumping his shoulder.

“Whatever, Verstappen! You don’t know what you’re on about.” You turned around with a smug smile, knowing it annoyed him when you called him by his last name. “Just to remind you, I'm the one who’s been spending a lot of time with him, if anyone knows anything, it’s definitely me.”

You grumbled something before walking on. “Come on! Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed?” He yelled trying to catch up to you. I mean, you did notice, at least lately. But was it true he’s had his eye on you for over a year now?

“Well..” You started before shaking your head, “It's nothing, nevermind.” You had never seen Max Verstappen be any faster than when he ran up to you at that moment. “No! Tell me!” And you had never seen him this excited either.

“It’s nothing really… just…” Max was dying from anticipation. “You said Kimi didn’t go to the after party, but he texted me that night in Monaco to check if I was going. And now that you told me he didn’t go, it does make me think about why he would even ask me, unless he didn’t go because I didn’t go. But that’s crazy right?”

Max was quiet for a moment, before bursting out in a cheer. “Yes! My favorite teammate and my grid son! This is such a magical moment!” You could only stare at him in disappointment and disbelief before bursting out laughing, too.

“Im sorry-” You managed between laughs, “Your grid son?” Max proudly smiled and nodded at you before going back to laughing. “I can assure you your favorite teammate and your grid son aren’t going to be anything.” You assured him after you two managed to compose yourselves.

“And I can assure you you are so wrong. You will come to the next after party and I am going to personally prove it.” You mouthed blah blah blah at him which only caused him to double down. “I’ll only come to the party if I get P1 tomorrow, so good luck.”

“Then I guess we have to get you P1.” He smirked, you tried to argue but he had to cut your walk short due to a call from Merkies.

You slowly made your way back to your hotel, along the same route you’d come from. You passed the same tall buildings, the waves near the boardwalk, the butterflies fluttering along the beautiful greenery. One thing you absolutely loved about the Grand Prix’ was the fact you got to travel all over the world, even if it’s just for a week.

You loved tasting every country's delicacies, sightseeing when possible, and the beautiful nature. You especially loved going around Europe, specifically the mediterranean areas, Spain, France, and of course Italy. 

Along your walk you passed the same area of trees and bushes as before. The cats were still there, but now the second cat had finally come out of the bushes. Their tails were intertwined as the one cat started pawing at the other. You smiled to yourself.

You had gotten the best sleep you had in a while, and after an early morning of inspecting the track and getting ready in the paddocks, it was time to race.

After lots of laps of keeping pace, blocking Lando, sadly having Hamilton pass you after a bad pit stop and almost overheating in the Spanish sun, you were currently in P3 with Hamilton in front of you, and Kimi up ahead.

You smirked to yourself, ‘Told you I wasn’t going to get to P1’ you thought, imagining you were talking to Max, but then. Lap 43, Kimi’s engine suddenly gave out, forced DNF. You were now P2.

The nerves were starting to build up, you rarely ever got to P2 in a race, you rarely ever kept P2. Hamilton decided to take a pit stop in lap 46 and to your luck somehow their pit crew messed up incredibly badly, making his stop last almost seven seconds. He would never catch up now.

You still had Lando breathing down your neck with a gap of two seconds, and you still had to make a pit stop. Markies was yapping in your ear about strategy, the feeling was overwhelming, god is this what it was like being a race winner? 

Then, Alonso. A crash at turn 8, a safety car, a free pit stop.

A chance to win.

After a free pit stop of exactly two seconds you got back into the lead, you stayed in the lead, and you finished in the lead.

The audience cheered like never before, maybe it was just the euphoria of winning your first race, maybe it was the sound of your hard work finally paying off, or maybe it was the annoying sound of your teammate coming up from behind you.

“A deal is a deal!” He hugged you before letting you celebrate with Markies and the team.

Later, when you stood on the podium and sprayed Lando and Russel with champagne, finally laughing with the grid for once, you felt… bad? Kimi was nowhere to be found and it felt unfair to celebrate with him having to DNF, if he didn’t you probably wouldn’t have won. You owe him.

The reporters were all over you, asking how it felt to finally have a victory, wanting you to talk about being a woman on the grid. One of them dared to ask you if you thought this was just a lucky moment. Deep down you did feel that way, but you simply told the reporter, “no comment.” and moved along.

You looked around for Kimi but he still seemed to be missing. “Boo!” Someone grabbed your shoulders from behind, causing you to jump and yelp, your heartbeat going a million miles a minute. Then you realized you recognized the voice, the accent.

You turned around. Kimi. “You think it’s funny giving me a heart attack?” you playfully shoved him as he laughed his ass off, how can someone be this happy after their car just gave up? “You won!” He shook you by the shoulders, the glimmer in his eyes ever so prevalent. 

“I told you you could be faster than me!” He beamed, even on a bad day the man was like a walking ball of sunshine. “I wasn’t actually faster than you, Kimi, you would have won if it wasn’t for your engine.” Kimi shrugged, “Maybe.” He teased you, giving you another wink.

You sarcastically rolled your eyes, the smile on your face giving you away. “Does this mean you will be at the after party tonight?” He questioned, you saw Max standing behind him, grinning from ear to ear and holding both his thumbs up. “Lucky for you I have no choice, but trust me I am not excited for it.”

Kimi’s bright smile was immediately replaced with a sad frown. “Why not? We will celebrate! Celebrations are fun, no?” You brushed him off, moving your gaze to the engineers in the paddocks. “I just don’t think the grid would be too happy to celebrate me.” Kimi moved to be in your line of sight again, god this boy really does not give up. “Nonsense! Allora, you just need to show them you can celebrate, too! Like with me! We will have fun, trust me!”

We.

“Well, only because I already promised Max.” You sighed, you were almost a hundred percent sure Max put a spell on the other drivers to get you to P1. Kimi cheered. “Bellisimo! I cannot wait to see you there!’’ He was about to walk off when you stopped him.

“Are you gonna be there this time, Kimi?” His face went red like a tomato, realizing he’d been caught. He tried to play it off, “Oh what’s that Toto? To the pit? Right now? Okay!” He hurried off after pretending Toto was calling him, you just stood there, shaking your head.

“Told you.” Max came up from behind you.

“Oh fuck off, Verstappen.”

A little while later you’d taken a shower, the sticky champagne finally washing off of your body. You had to admit you were beyond nervous to attend the party, you barely got along with anybody on the grid except for Max and, well, now Kimi.

They never liked you, but that was nobody’s fault but your own. Maybe if you had been nicer.. but that simply wasn’t an option. At least that’s what your father always said. “They’re your competition, not your friends.” You sighed to yourself.

You wished it could have been different, you’re twenty for God’s sake and still you had no friends, no social life, barely any ambition. All your life you had to remain focused on the track, focused on being the best, focused on being a champion.

And where has it gotten you? You were a lonely girl, sitting in a hotel, off to a party full of people who hated you, to celebrate a win you didn’t deserve.

Your breathing started picking up, your heartbeat became irrationally fast, you stared at yourself in the bathroom mirror. The tears started welling up in your eyes, something else built up inside of you, too. Anger? Disgust? Sadness? Or everything all at once?

Whatever it was, it was overwhelming all of your senses. You clutched the towel draped around your body. Your other hand grabbed the bathroom sink trying to stabilize yourself. Your breathing only quickened, no matter how much you tried to control it, the tears came shortly thereafter.

Your knees wobbled, your body felt like it was giving up on itself. You felt like giving up on yourself.

brr-ing, brr-ing!

Your phone buzzed on the counter, vibrating so hard it might fall off, but that could’ve been your imagination. You tried composing yourself, and reached to pick up the phone with shaking hands. 

“Fuck..” You whispered, of course it had to be Kimi It would have been fine if he texted but he just had to call. You ignored the call and let it go to voicemail, but he called again. And again. After the fourth time you were so frustrated you almost forgot you were about to lose your shit.

You clicked ‘answer’ and before you could yell, “Are you okay?” His voice spoke over the phone, he sounded genuinely concerned. It only made you feel worse. Trying not to cry you told him you were fine, and why he asked.

“You seem like the kind of person to pick up after one call.” Fuck, he read you like a book because, yeah, you are that kind of person. How did he know that? You dismissed his worries and asked why he called. “Oh I wanted to know what you were wearing.”

You hadn’t even thought about that yet, you hadn’t even stepped out of the bathroom yet! “Oh well it’s starting in like.. an hour?” You were now even more panicked than before, your hair was still wet, hell your body was still wet! 

“I will help! Tell me what you’ve brought.” You walked Kimi through the select few outfits you packed in your suitcase, honestly you didn’t even know why you agreed to let him help you, you probably could have done it by yourself. You always did everything by yourself.

“You have no dresses?” He said after a while, you put your phone on speaker on the floor next to you while you frantically pulled everything out of your suitcase. “Im a Formula One driver, Kimi. Where and when would i need a dress?” He was quiet for a little bit.

“So from what I hear you have nothing, correct?” He asked you, you grumbled whilst looking at the mess of clothes and shoes on the floor. A few bland shirts, two pairs of jeans, and one pair of comfy, off-track shoes. “I guess, yeah.” You murmured.

“Okay! I will be there in twenty minutes! Do your makeup or something, see you soon!” He hurriedly spoke, and before you could question him or protest, he had already hung up. This dude was unbelievable, but you knew that even if you texted him now he wasn’t turning around.

You silently obeyed for some reason, and did a bit of makeup whilst drying and semi-styling your hair. Kimi arrived in twelve minutes with a knock on your hotel room door, how the fuck did he even know your room number? You opened the door anyway.

He stood there with the biggest smile on his face, exposing his vampire-like canines, he was slightly hyperventilating. “Okay first of all, did you run up the stairs, and how did you even know my room number?” He passed you to go inside before you could even finish the sentence. “Yes I did, and Max told me.”

Always at the scene of the crime, that man, ugh. “Are you finished?” He was rocking back and forth on his heels, clasping his hands together whilst looking around at the mess in your room. “Surprisingly, with the short amount of time you gave me, I am.” You were so happy you put on a pair of jeans and a shirt just before he came in.

“Okay! Allora, I am going to take you to get clothes!” He grabbed you by the arm, dragging you out of the hotel room. “Woah Kimi wait! What do you mean?” You released yourself from his grip, grabbing your hotel keycard, and some other necessities. “I mean, you have no clothing, we have like forty minutes until the party starts, and I have George’s car!” He beamed, almost speedwalking down the hallway.

“God, there’s really no arguing with you, is there?” You took a print, trying to catch up to him. He shook his head with a bright smile. “Now come! We have time, but not a lot.”

“Where are we even gonna go?” You finally caught up to him, he shrugged. “We are in Barcelona! We go anywhere.”

After a few stores, and about half an hour, you finally managed to find something. A cute top, a classy short skirt, nothing like you ever owned before, but you loved it. Along with the outfit, you somehow also got new shoes, new jewelry, another top, some other pants…

To be fair, you had never in your life before gone shopping. Your father never approved, a waste of money, a waste of time. Kimi seemed to love seeing you try on different items of clothing, though. “Okay but this is definitely the one you will wear tonight!” He said as you stepped out of the dressing room in a navy blue halter top.

“Are you sure? I’ve never worn something like this before.” You doubted yourself, seeing yourself go from a baggy shirt to a tight top felt unreal. “Definitely, you look amazing!” He cheered you on. That warm feeling you felt after the race had come back again.

The store owner allowed you to keep on the clothing you would wear to the party, it saved you time from changing so you thanked him. As you went to pay for the ridiculous amount of items you’d just gotten, Kimi ‘accidentally’ pushed you away and pulled out his own card instead.

“Kimi!” You gasped, “Why did you do that! Oh my god, no, I’m paying you back!” You immediately pulled out your phone, “What’s your venmo?” He just blankly stared at you, “No no, I take you shopping, so I pay.” He pushed away your phone.

“You two are so cute, you know?” The cashier gushed as she packed up your clothing. You and Kimi both looked at each other, looked away and immediately got red in the face. “No uh, we aren’t like… together…” You softly spoke, almost in a whisper, almost as if you wish that wasn’t true.

The cashier stopped packing your clothes to look you two up and down, she then smiled to herself as she continued. “Oh! I still have to change.” Kimi gasped as he ran out to his car, he came back with a change of clothing in his arm, you couldn’t quite see what it was as he ran off to the changing rooms.

“Thank you, have a nice evening!” You told the cashier as you took the bags and waited for Kimi who came out of the changing room a few seconds later wearing… “A navy blue dress shirt, really Kimi?” He just smiled as he took the bags from your arms and carried them to the car.

“Was this all just a cheap ploy to get me to match outfits with you?” He stayed silent and simply hummed as he loaded your purchases into the back of George’s Mercedes. “You’re unbelievable, but thank you, I really appreciate what you did for me.” You thanked him as he opened the car door for you, you sat down and he did too. “No thanks! You are a winner, you deserve it.” He started the car.

You had to admit he looked really good in navy blue, the shirt was tight in all the right places, showing off his surprisingly toned biceps. He even undid the first two buttons of his shirt, allowing you to peek in but still letting a lot be left to your imagination. Your mind drifted away, shamelessly staring. And Kimi definitely noticed.

Your gaze then turned to the display screen of the car. “Wait shit– Kimi we have to be there in like two minutes!” You started stressing, checking your phone to see if the time on the display was right. “No worries! We do this for a living, no?” He looked over and smirked at you, whilst keeping eye contact he hit the gas.

He remained eye contact as he sped down the highway, the speedometer quickly shot from 0 to 60. You knew this was wrong, you knew his eyes should be on the road, but you would be lying if you said this wasn’t extremely attractive. He grinned as he took his eyes off of you to take a left turn. Surprisingly you only ended up a minute late, fifty-nine seconds late to be precise. 

“See?” He said with a smug smile. He was impossible. After he opened the door and let you out of the car, you two were almost instantly approached by George. “Kimi! Since when did I allow you to use my car? I had to catch a ride with Max! Max!” George was frantically going on and on about Kimi’s disrespect, but you could see he wasn’t listening to any of it. 

“George, my friend! Calm down, let’s have a drink okay?” He led George inside, guiding him by the small of his back, luckily for you Max was just getting out of his car too. “You had to ride with George, huh?” Max shrugged, “It’s fine, he says I drive like a maniac, I think he’s a pussy.” You both laughed at that.

“But you came with someone too, huh?” He nudged your shoulder, you could only look away and smile as you tried moving past the subject at hand. “And uhm, don’t get me wrong but, I don’t think I have ever seen you even look at a top like that.” He stated, eyebrows raised and pointing at the navy blue halter top. “Yeah uh, he got it for me, along with like.. another few hundred euros worth of clothing.”

You mumbled the last part, hoping Max didn’t hear. “I’m sorry WHAT?” Max’ jaw almost fell to the floor. “I wanted to pay myself! He wouldn’t let me!” You frantically tried to explain, but he wasn’t having any of it. “My grid son! He’s doing so well, simply lovely!” You wanted to argue but Max had already grabbed your arm to drag you inside.

The place was moderately fancy, high ceilings, greek decor, but with the lights off it looked like something completely different. Neon strobes of light beamed throughout the area, you could only make out the faces of a few fellow drivers once the lights hit them, and besides that there were about a hundred more people you didn’t recognize.

Max led you down a few steps of stairs, dragging you along the sweaty bodies on the dance floor and letting you go once you had arrived at the bar. “What are you having?” He almost had to yell over the loud music coming from the DJ stand. “Uhm, disaronno and coke?” You hesitated. Max’ face looked pleasantly surprised, he nodded and walked away to the bar.

You just stood there, arms leaning on the counter, looking at the people you saw every weekend on the grid dancing, laughing, flirting. Lando had his arms wrapped around some blonde girl, Oscar stood behind them, still and disinterested. You were snapped out of your thoughts by a tap on your shoulder. Lewis Hamilton.

“You did well today!” He grabbed and shook your hand, but you shook your head. “If it wasn’t for your horrible pit stop, I wouldn’t have even come close to winning.” You admitted with a half smile, he  lifted his shoulders. “That might be true, but you still defended against Russel and Lando for like twenty laps, that’s impressive, you should be proud!” Hearing someone like Lewis telling you to be proud, it moved something in you.

The man you couldn’t help but idolize since the start of your career, the man who had seven championships to his name, he told you to be proud of yourself. He told you you did good, and that mattered more than any approval you could have ever gotten from your father.

You smiled, praying he would not notice the tears starting to form in your eyes. “Thank you Lewis, it really means a lot coming from you.” Lewis smiled, too. “You are better like this, more open, you seem happier, keep it up.” He patted your shoulder before reuniting with his teammate across the area. You almost broke down right then and there.

But before you could, Max handed you your drink, he himself held something that piqued your interest. “Max, why is your drink piss-colored?” You couldn’t contain yourself and bursted out laughing at the suspiciously translucent drink Max held in his hand. “It’s vodka Red-Bull! Not piss! It’s actually lovely!” You eyed him up and down with a sarcastic look of disappointment.

He shoved the drink in your face, turning the straw to your lips. “Taste! It’s good I swear.” You hesitated, you didn’t want to drink too much, your father would–

Your father. 

It was then you realized, your father wasn’t in Barcelona, your father hadn’t congratulated you on your win, your father had never told you to be proud. The respect you had just received from Lewis was more and greater than anything you had ever received from your father.

You grabbed Max’ drink and took the biggest sip you could, and then another until he pulled the straw away from you, “Hey you’ve got your own!” He pointed at the mixture in your still shaky hand. “True!” You exclaimed, before finishing it in three big gulps. Your face contorted at the bitter taste of sweet marzipan and coke sliding down your throat.

“And now I don’t! Let’s do shots!” You moved past Max, making your way to the bartender, he grabbed you by the shoulder. “Woah, woah, slow down cowboy.” You looked back with a smug grin. “I thought we were going to celebrate my win? Backing down now?”

That triggered something in him, and before you could even blink he was already at the bar ordering two shots of something clear that tasted like pure acetone going down. “Ugh, what the fuck was that!” You both laughed before he told you it was bacardi. “Let’s get another!” You dragged his arm to the bar.

And another turned into another, eventually Kimi, George, Carlos and somehow Oscar joined you too. You and Kimi clinked your glasses together, loudly cheering before interlocking your arms and taking the other’s shot. George and Max did the same, Carlos was the most hyped and Oscar sat silently in the corner of your guy’s booth with his own entire bottle.

You sat in between Max and Kimi, George sat next to Max and Carlos was on Kimi’s other side. Somewhere during the night, Kimi’s arm had found its place draped over your shoulder. “I'm sorry, you let your engineers do your homework?” You were laughing so hard it ached, and Kimi did too. He nodded proudly, work smarter not harder he said.

“Oscar! Do you want to sit with us?” George yelled over to the man on the chair in the corner. He didn’t even reply, just took another swig of the bottle in his hand, before shaking his head. “What’s his issue?” George asked, half-sarcastically, Max just pointed at Lando and the blonde, everyone nodded. Everyone except you, but you couldn’t be bothered to ask what was up.

“I really like your necklace!” You whisper-yelled in Kimi’s ear over the ever-so-loud music. He removed his arm from your shoulder, which involuntarily made you a little sad, but he then went to unclip it from the back of his neck. “You want to try it on, yes?” You tried telling him no but his hands were already around your neck. His surprisingly soft skin brushed against your warm neck, it made you jump a little.

“Allora! It looks great on you!” It was a lot looser on you then it was on him, you played with the whale tail pendant a little and thanked him. He went back to putting his arm around your shoulder, and you all went back to chatting and drinking. That was until you heard a few beats to a song you could recognize anywhere. “Oh I love this song!” You squealed, Max shot Kimi an expectant look, and he immediately picked up on it. “You want to dance?” You nodded frantically.

As you tried to stand up, you almost fell down, Kimi and Carlos helped you back up and you dragged Kimi by his arm to the dance floor. “It’s simply lovely, right George?” Max sipped on his drink and George grumbled something, but quickly shut up when Max put his arm around his shoulder, too.

You led Kimi to the middle of the dance floor, you’d never been a very good dancer but somehow the swaying of your hips and the movement of your arms felt like second nature. You moved your arms to be around Kimi’s neck, his hips moved exactly in sync with yours, his hands placed on your waist.

Your gaze locked onto his brown eyes, their sparkle ever so prevalent. His face was lit up by the various flashes of strobe lighting, red, green, blue. Like always, his tongue was grazing his lips and teeth, his mouth curled up into a daring smirk. His gaze was locked onto you, too.

You moved a little closer, as did he, so did you, as did he. You could feel his breath on your skin, even though the hot mess of sweat and air from around you. His bottom lip almost grazed your top one, mere nanometers apart, you wanted to close that gap.

BANG

Your heads whipped around to where the loud sound came from, and you were met with quite a sight. Lando on the floor, Carlos with a raised fist and Oscar with balled fists and an angry stare beside him.

“What the fuck?” You gasped, Max let go of George and ran over to try and calm Carlos down before he could swing again, but Carlos wasn’t having any of it. “I think I'm gonna be sick.” You held your hand up to your mouth, suddenly the combination of chaos and strobe lighting made your throat up.

“Uh okay, okay. Allora, come with me.” Kim held out his hand for you to grab and you did. He led you away from the chaos, past Max and Carlos arguing and Lando’s bloody nose. You ended up on a balcony on the second floor. 

You breathed in the warm air, in through the nose, out through the mouth.Your hands rested on the balcony’s balustrade, your eyes closed, letting the small bits of wind cool you down. Kimi came standing next to you.

He placed his hands on the balustrade next to yours. “Are you feeling better?” The tone of his voice was so sweet, it almost sickened you. “Why are you so nice to me?” You asked him, but it must’ve been the liquid courage, because a question like that would have never crossed your mind sober.

He looked surprised, “Why wouldn’t I be? You’re nice, and pretty and I like you.” He shrugged his shoulders and took a sip from the drink he brought. He likes you? “Why do you like me?” You were genuinely confused, which confused Kimi, too. 

“What is not to like? Amore, you are great! You are determined, focused, you are funny, you are ambitious, and again very pretty.” You looked away, he was nice, too nice. You chipped and picked at the white marble of the balcony’s balustrade. You’d never had someone care about you this much.

“Besides Max, you are the only person to ever be truly nice to me.” You shook your head and looked at your hands, rolling pieces of debris between your fingers. Kimi moved closer to you. “Just hard to believe, you know?” You continued, with full conviction this was something most people could relate to.

“I don’t know.” He spoke honestly, you looked up and met his eyes. The sparkle was vague, you stayed quiet. He placed his hand on top of yours, his thumb rubbing on your skin slowly. Your phone buzzed in your pocket, you reached for it and checked the notification.

‘Pure luck.’ Who else could it be but your father, ruining your night, your win. Kimi looked over and saw the message, too. “Who is that? Why would they say that?” He tried peeking more, but you already turned over your phone, nearly slamming it on the balustrade.

“It's nothing, Kimi.” You tried skipping over it but if Kimi Antonelli was one thing, it was definitely determined. After prying and pressing for a few more seconds, truly no prying and pressing at all, you gave in. Maybe you just wanted someone to listen to you for once.

“It’s my father, he just wants me to, you know, be the best.” You told him. “Well he’s not doing it well.” The Italian bluntly stated. You swallowed the lump forming in your throat.

“Ever since I was young, he’s been pushing me to be the best, somewhere I believe he always wanted a son, not a daughter. It would have made his life so much easier, he says every time. Just luck, I'm not that good, I need to push harder, be faster. You know, if I had the choice, I don't even know if I would've become a driver.” Your voice was shaky.

He was quiet. He squeezed your hand, his soft voice and smooth accent made something settle inside you. “Kimi, do you remember the first time you lost? Ever?” He slowly shook his head. “I do, he never lets me forget.” Your eyes started to sting.

Kimi turned you around to face him openly, and with a second's hesitation he pulled you in for a hug, deep, warm, slow. He embraced you and held you like you could disappear at any moment. "I'm sorry." He said it so sincerely, a slight crack in his voice, a twitch in his hold.

“Kimi?” Your voice was slightly muffled with your face being pressed into his chest. “Yes?” He let go of you, just a little, just enough to hear you. “I like you too.” You smiled at him with tented brows, his eyes looked watery, the spark was back.

“Are you sure?” He asked, half-joking, you upped the ante. “Maybe.” You jokingly shrugged, he burst out laughing, still holding onto you, you laughed with him, to the point your ribs hurt, to the point your abs couldn’t take it anymore.

His hand moved up to your cheek, it was soft, but rough in the right places. His face moved closer again, like on the dance floor. You moved in, too, it felt like your body was on autopilot, like it just knew what to do. And then your lips finally met his.

His lips tasted sweet, they were soft, pillowy. Seconds felt like a lifetime, he pulled away and kissed you again, and again. First just his lips, then he got brave, he opened his mouth and you followed, slowly letting your tongues move along one another. He moved into you more and more, like there was an invisible void he tried to fill.

Breathless, the only way to describe yourself after he pulled away.

It wasn’t before long until you both sat in the backseat of an uber, on your way back to the hotel desperately trying to keep your hands off of each other. For the driver’s sake.

The walk up the hotel’s stairs was nothing short of messy, you both stumbled up the stairs, your hands locked in his hair, and his travelling all over your body, gripping your waist tight. Your lips were stuck together like magnets, the taste of his tongue was sickenly sweet.

You blamed the alcohol for your reckless behavior, but truly you just loved feeling free, so free for the first time in your life. You were making your own decisions, chasing your own desires and damn did it feel good.

He pushed open the door to his room, surprisingly it was kept pretty neat but the fitted sheets were soon crumpled by your bodies crashing down onto the bed. He was laying on top of you, one knee in between your legs, hands slowly undoing your new shirt.

The soft cotton strap slowly moved along your neck as it came loose, he broke your kiss as he moved the shirt up over your head, leaving you exposed in just a bra. You were a little embarrassed, you had never done anything like this with anyone before, and on top of that you’d chosen today to wear the ugliest bra you owned.

Kimi didn’t seem to care, though, as he made quick work of taking your bra off, too. His swiftness and obvious experience scared you a little. No it wasn’t scary, it was thrilling.

“You are so beautiful, amore.” His eyes were full of admiration, that same sparkle shining only brighter, he slowly moved a hand up to your breast and started playing with it. Squeezing, massaging and eventually licking.

You whimpered, you moaned, you couldn’t even fathom the sounds leaving your mouth. You hands pulled at his curls, he looked up to you and you tugged at his shirt. He smirked as he understood your request and moved his button up out of the way.

The man was built. Like incredibly so, obviously he had to have a nice physique, being a driver and all but you never expected him to be this toned.

He hesitated for a second, his hands were frozen mid air as he reached for your body. “What do you want to do?” He asked. A question so simple but still stirring something inside of you. What did you want to do? He was so considerate, so sweet. You knew a question like this was what would be considered the bare minimum.

But to someone who had never been offered even the bare minimum Kimi was like an angel sent from heaven.

“I want..” You stopped, you thought, you considered. “I want you, I want everything.” That’s all you had to say, the look in his eyes, the surprise of your words activated something inside of him. Something pure, something raw.

He almost ripped your bottoms off, taking your underwear off, too. You were left naked on the bed, and before long he was bare too. You almost gasped at the sight of him, people often made jokes online about how it was a tick for him to reach for his crotch when nervous and that it must be big.

They’d never know how right they were. He was big, and thick too. A few large veins ran up from the bottom to the tip. He noticed your staring, and tried comforting you. “I’ll be gentle, prometto.”

And gentle he was. After spending a good amount of time kissing, licking and biting you all over, leaving marks everywhere he moved between your thighs. He licked a long striped all the way up to your pussy. He circled your clit with his tongue.

You felt him make shapes, licking you all over. You gripped the sheets and moaned so much your throat hurt, this new sensation was nothing like you ever experienced before, not even with your own fingers. 

Kimi was way too talented, and after a few minutes you felt something build up inside of you. You weren’t quite sure what it was but you knew you didn’t want him to stop. You whimpered as the feeling only got stronger and stronger. Like a firework something burst inside of you, you felt it from the tips of your toes to your ears, almost getting goosebumps.

“Was it good?” He looked up from in between your legs, his mouth was covered in your juices, and much like on the podium his tongue was out, licking up the remaining cum leaking from your pussy.

“I, think so, yeah.” You almost whispered, still catching your breath. He smirked and took two of his fingers, slowly wetting them in between your folds and pushing them inside, “Good.” He ate you out again, and again. Your head was full of pleasure, your body weak from the overwhelming orgasms he was giving you.

After number.. you lost count. You pulled his head away from your pussy, “Can I please feel you now?” His eyes went wide, shocked at how nicely you asked him. God you turned him on so bad. He stuttered a little before just simply nodding.

He lifted you up and against the headboard of the bed, spreading your legs again. “I hope I prepared you enough.” He slowly moved towards you, hesitating a little before nudging your entrance with his tip, coating it in your slick. “Just do it, please Kimi.”

The way you said his name so sweetly, so desperately, like you needed it, like you needed him. How could he ever refuse?

“You drive me crazy, amore.” He slowly pushed himself inside of you, letting out a low and broken moan. You reassured him you were okay, and he started moving inside of you. You held onto him by his neck, placing kisses and bites all over. His head was by your ear.

He was incredibly vocal. Moaning and whimpering in your ear as he thrusted harder and harder, his hips slamming against you. He moaned some unintelligible Italian stuff as well, something “così perfetto” and “Sei bellissima, amore.” Whatever he said it sounded hot, and that’s all that mattered. 

You were left like that all night, with him slamming inside of you at relentless speed, the man’s stamina was unbeatable. From missionary to doggy, grabbing and pulling you by the hair, slapping your ass. Prone bone, with his sweaty body slicking and rubbing against you holding you by the neck. 

His lips were always by your ear, licking and moaning. You lost count of how many times he made you cum, hell you lost count of how many times he came.

“You’re so beautiful, so pretty, a-ah.. I’ve wanted this for so long.. wanted you.. needed you amore.” 

His words of praise drove you crazy, and it seemed like the night would never end, his necklace was still around your neck, the cold metal feeling like home against your skin. But all good things must come to an end.

The morning came, the sunlight pierced through the curtains of the hotel room, waking you up unwillingly. Your head was killing you, for a second you didn’t even know where you were. Then you realized why you actually woke up.

Your phone buzzed like crazy beside you on the floor, you picked it up. Headlines, news stories, messages from Merkies, Max, your father even. Your eyes were unfocused, your head pounded like crazy, you tried reading any of it but gave up, you scrolled the news articles Merkies sent you. It was a picture of you and Kimi, kissing on the balustrade.

I think Kimi is into breeding in a more primal way than the other drivers, yk? He's younger, hormonal, and possessive as FUCK. He's not necessarily thinking about starting a family perse, but moreso thinking about pumping you so full of his cum and marking you up so bad that nobody else could ever come within 50 yards of you without immediately knowing who you belong to. Every time you fuck its like he's competing with an imaginary opponent to fuck you better, harder, faster, deeper.

Who can leave more marks all over your neck and chest that you can't hide, knowing you have to be at the paddock the next morning around everybody including his teammate and the Mercedes crew who are absolutely looking. Who can fuck you so good you have a lil bit of a limp at said paddock appearance? Who can fill you up so much that you swear it'll be leaking out for the next week? The answer is always him, but its in his nature to wanna improve and never stagnate, especially in bed.

Kimi memorizes your body like the curves of the track, and owns you like it. He can make you cum so fast its almost scary, and isn't satisfied till youre so cock drunk and fucked out that you can barely keep your eyes open. His energy is almost endless and it shows, he's almost never finished after cumming once. Sure, maybe for a quickie in the back of his car somewhere you absolutely shouldn't be having a quickie, but never when he's got you to himself and time to treat you right.

When he cums the first time, he only falters for a second. Hips stuttering against yours and his fingers digging into your hips so hard it bruises just to ground himself. His orgasm steals the air from his lungs and draws the filthiest sounds from his lips but he just can't stop there. It takes no time for him to pick the pace up again, thrusting against you through the shocks of overstimulation just chasing that burning high in his belly over and over again.

He's not done till its pouring out of you, dripping down into a massive puddle on the sheets and making a mess of you from your thighs to your navel. Even when he thinks he can't possibly keep going, its like his subconscious drives him further.

"She'd look so pretty pregnant in a sundress, that bikini she had on in Monaco sure would show off her tits when they got bigger if you knock her up, dont you want a baby with her pretty smile? Nobody else can ever have her like that, you gotta stake your claim now." Thoughts on repeat, over and over, punctuated every thrust. They're right, the thought of someone else pinning you down in bed and taking whats his makes him so jealous he gets sick to his stomach.

His hips would slam into yours so hard it hurt, tip knocking against your cervix and making your insides ache in the best way. He'd sink his little fangs into your neck to ground himself, groaning and whimpering breathlessly till he finally came again. God the way he'd grind himself against you would be straight SINFUL, holding you close and making sure you dont lose a drop. You could feel every twitch of his cock as be filled you up, but he'd make absolutely 0 effort to move off of you when he finished. Youre trapped indefinitely, partially for him to catch his breath but moreso till he feels like it really took yk?

That infamous friendship of theirs had started in the most ridiculous way: both of them were waiting over an hour for the single driver-only bathroom at a track while every other person with sense simply used the public ones outside the paddock. By the time the poor kid inside emerged, looking like he’d barely survived the ordeal, your brother and Kimi were already quickly bonded over shared impatience, bad jokes, and their favorite video game.

Since then, they’d been practically inseparable. First, in person until Kimi got the call up to Formula 1, then through FaceTime calls and endless texts. If you caught your brother grinning at his phone, eight times out of ten, it was because of Kimi. The other two times, it was because of something he’d thought of to send to Kimi.

As far as you were concerned, they were soulmates of a sort.

Unfortunately, your brother thought the same thing about you and Kimi. And he hated it.

Which was laughable, really. You could count on one hand the number of times you and Kimi had ever actually spoken, and most of those interactions barely qualified as small talk. You weren’t even sure he remembered your name. The only reason you were here today, squeezed in your brother’s car on the way to the marina, was because your visit had overlapped with this little yacht excursion, and apparently, your ticket was non-refundable.

You felt the moment your brother’s stare landed on you. You heard the telltale inhale that meant he was about to say it again.

“Kimi—”

Your head snapped toward him, sunglasses sliding down your nose as you cut him off. “I know,” you said flatly. “Is off limits.”

He groaned, hands tightening on the steering wheel. “Listen, I saw it in his ey—”

His ringtone blared through the speakers, cutting him off. A tiny picture of Kimi’s face lit up the car screen, smiling with his arm draped around your brother.

Your brother answered without tearing his glare away from you, muttering something about patience and parking. You only half-listened, too busy staring at that little picture of Kimi, trying to decipher what exactly your brother kept claiming he saw in his eyes.

You tuned back into the conversation just in time to hear your brother laugh at something Kimi had said. His expression softened, the way it always did when Kimi was on the other end of the line.

When the call ended, your brother tossed his phone into the cupholder and turned his focus to navigating through the crowded marina parking. The air smelled like salt and sunscreen and summertime. You could already see the tops of masts swaying lazily against the blue sky.

And then you spotted it.

Or, rather, you spotted him.

Kimi stood at the end of the dock, leaning against the railing of what could only be described as a floating palace. His yacht gleamed white under the sun, sleek lines and polished chrome catching the light like something out of a magazine spread. He wore a pair of dark shorts and a simple white linen shirt, the top few buttons undone, revealing his signature necklaces, sunglasses perched low on his nose. He looked like he belonged there, like he fit in perfectly amongst the old money men and women walking around on the walkways. 

And despite the scene in front of you, your brother honked the horn loudly, professing to everyone that you two had arrived. Kimi’s head turned, and his grin was instant, wide and boyish as he raised a hand in greeting.

“God, he looks like an idiot,” your brother muttered under his breath as he pulled into a parking spot.

“Yeah, he looks like the idiot,” you say as you watch everyone’s heads turn towards the car as if they were greatly offended. 

By the time you and your brother reached the dock, Kimi was already walking over to meet you. “Finally,” he said, voice warm, accented, and just a little dramatic. “I thought I’d have to find a new best friend.”

Your brother clapped him on the shoulder, immediately pulled into some joke you didn’t quite catch, but you did catch Kimi’s gaze flicker briefly to you. It was quick, almost too quick, like he didn’t want anyone to see the act. 

You felt the sun instantly on your skin as Kimi led you both down the dock, his hand casually gesturing toward the yacht like he’d been waiting years to say the words: “Welcome aboard.”

With a high five, your brother was already hopping up the short steps onto the deck, but Kimi slowed his pace beside you.

“Careful,” he said as you reached the edge, his hand hovering just above your lower back as you stepped across the small gap. He didn’t touch you, and he didn’t have to for you to feel the heat of his palm. 

“Thanks,” you murmured, sliding your sunglasses higher on your nose to hide the way your eyes lingered on him a beat too long.

The yacht itself was stunning. White cushions lined the deck, an ice bucket already glimmering with condensation, music thrumming low from hidden speakers. Your brother was already inspecting every corner like a kid in a candy store, leaving you and Kimi trailing behind in a quieter pocket of the boat.

“So,” Kimi said, leaning casually against the railing, his gaze on the horizon before flicking back to you. “He dragged you along?”

“Pretty much,” you said, smiling faintly. “I’m only here because the ticket was non-refundable, apparently.”

Kimi’s lips quirked at that, but his eyes softened. “Well, I’m glad he did. No reason for you to be left alone in his hellhole of an apartment”.

The words were simple, tossed out like they didn’t matter, but you felt the weight of them settle in your chest. You didn’t get the chance to respond, though, your brother appeared between you both, tossing a rolled-up towel onto one of the seats.

“Come on, let’s get moving! We have jet skis to test out!” he said, already making his way toward the controls like he’d been crowned captain.

Kimi chuckled, brushing past you to follow him, and for a second, you caught yourself trying to keep a smile from creeping up on your face. 

Hours passed in a blur of sun and saltwater. You swam, laughed, sprawled out on the deck while Kimi steered farther from shore. Your brother dominated most of the conversation, as he always did, but there were these fleeting little moments—like when Kimi handed you a glass of lemonade and his fingers brushed yours, or when he tugged you back onto the deck after a swim, his hand firm around yours, eyes lingering a fraction too long.

By the time the sun dipped lower, painting the sea in shades of gold, your brother had dozed off inside, sprawled across one of the cabins in total exhaustion.

That left you and Kimi alone on deck.

You sat at the bow, legs curled beneath you, hair still damp from the saltwater. He joined you silently, lowering himself beside you, his arm resting along the railing, close enough that the space between you hummed.

“You know,” he said after a moment, voice low, “your brother keeps warning me.”

Your head snapped toward him. “About what?”

Kimi’s smile was small, knowing. “About you.”

Heat rushed to your cheeks before you could stop it. “Of course he did,” you muttered, rolling your eyes.

Kimi laughed softly, turning his gaze back to the horizon. The sound was warm, but when it faded, he didn’t look away from the water. “He’s not wrong to worry.”

Your chest tightened. “What do you mean?”

This time, when his eyes found yours, there was no mistaking the shift in them, the softness, the intent your brother swore he saw. Kimi let the silence stretch, the only sound the gentle lap of waves against the hull. 

“Meaning,” he said finally, his voice softer now, “he’s good at noticing things.”

The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, thicker than the saltwater breeze itself. You looked at him as your brother’s voice echoed in your head.

Kimi is off limits.

Your fingers twitched against the railing you were now also holding onto, inching closer and closer to his as the boat hit more waves. The small gap between your hands was almost magnetic, until finally, his pinky brushed yours; it was more than enough to make your breath catch.

He shifted closer, the sunlight highlighting the curve of his jaw and his brown eyes, “I’ve tried not to,” he admitted, his voice rougher now. “, but I can’t help it.”

Your heart pounded. “Tried not to what?”

His lips curved, a soft, almost helpless smile, and before you could lose your nerve, he closed the distance between the two of you.

The kiss was hesitant at first, testing the waters like the boat beneath you. His hand slid from the railing to your jaw, steadying you as the boat rocked through the water. And then he deepened it, all restraint from you dissolving within a millisecond.

“You know he’ll kill us both, right?” you whispered, though your voice carried a smile you couldn’t hide.

Kimi chuckled, low and warm, thumb brushing your cheek. “Then we don’t tell him yet.”

And just as his lips brushed yours again, a muffled voice called from inside the cabin.

“Are you two seriously leaving me to nap while you’re out here making out on my best friend’s boat?”

You froze, heat rushing to your face as your brother’s head popped up through the cabin door, his glare very much annoyed and awake now.

Kimi sighed, his hand still against your cheek, unbothered. “You said no rules about kissing,” he called back, a grin tugging at his lips.

Your brother groaned dramatically, disappearing back into the cabin, and Kimi leaned in, stealing another kiss before you could even think of stopping him.

This one was quicker, lighter, but it left no room for doubt.