Chapter 18: Chapter 18

ROYCE

At precisely 3 pm, I was at Grand Villa residences to pick up Nelina. As soon as I parked the car, I dialed her number to notify her as she instructed. I didn't wait long before seeing her walking to my car, wearing a white polo shirt, faded ripped blue jeans, and paired with white rubber shoes. A small sling bag in her shoulder, swaying as she walked in haste. Before she reached the passenger's door, I had already opened it for her. "Hi, gorgeous," I said, smirking like usual.

She rolled her eyes at me like she always does. She's even prettier when she's annoyed, just what I like. I knew she wanted the compliment; it's just my evil smirk that she hates. I chuckled when she was finally inside the car.

When we were on our way to the racing track, I remember to ask a question that's been on my mind. "Nelly, I hope you don't mind me asking. Why do you prefer working out at the outside gym? A condo like yours has all the amenities, right?" I asked, glancing sideways.

She looked at me seconds before she pressed her lips and sighed. "I have my personal reasons; let's not talk about it," Nelly answered, looking straight ahead.

"I understand; I'm sorry I had to ask that."

"No, it's okay. Let's forget about it," Nelly said, nodding. "I'm happy with my current fitness coach. I made the right decision to ask help from my best friend," she continued and was in light mode this time. She plastered a smile on her face.

"So, Marica helped you find the right coach for you. I should thank Marie for bringing you to the FIT ME gym. It's where we get to meet more often," I said, turning to her as I winked.

She shook her head, but she lifted a corner of her lip. To which I could say she wasn't annoyed with what I've said. She has no idea how motivated I am to work out and hopes to see her each time I visit the gym. "So tell me, when did you start liking cars? The first time we met, you told me you love cars too."

"Yes, but not much like you and my brother. Mark was crazy about cars," she said, her eyes looking afar. "He had several luxury car collections before, but we had them auctioned. It was the hardest part for us. His cars were some of the things that remind us of his presence; sadly, our best option was to let go of them," she continued.

"I know it's hard, Nelly. We might not have the same situation, but I've been there too. The loss of someone dear to you. However, we could use the pain and longing to focus on what's in store for us. There's no turning back; we can only expect better things ahead of us. My grandpa told me that a better one will be replaced when someone leaves," I said, shifting to her and holding a gaze for a second.

I plastered a genuine smile when I saw her already looking at me, corners of her lips turned up. A smile reached her eyes.

"Now, let's loosen up and enjoy the race," I said as I curved to the racing field. Only then did I realize that we had a good conversation. I didn't even notice that we had already arrived at our destination.

"It's been a while since the last time I visited this place. It has changed," Nelly said, looking out of the window threading her eyes from the entrance to the field.

I parked in the racer's quarter, where we had to change clothes before proceeding to the racing field. I didn't want Nelly to open her own door, so I headed to the passenger's seat and opened the door for her. "Thank you," she said with a smile never leaving her lips since we arrived.

"You're welcome. I am so glad you are happy to be back here."

"Yes, thank you for bringing me here. I never really intended to be back here after I lost my brother. I just gave it a thought when you invited me. Weighing things, maybe it's about time for me to look back on how we used to be," she said, looking straight into my eyes. And her beautiful pair of black eyes has conveyed her sincerity. Her eyes don't lie.

This woman has no idea how much happiness it brought me to be able to please her.

"You don't know how I wanted to see you this happy. You should keep that smile on your face more often," I said as I locked stare at Nelly.

Right at that moment, something has passed between us, mutual understanding. Nelly must have perceived my sincerity, for she plastered a beautiful smile on her lips, showing a pair of her teeth. Her cheeks were a bit blushed. The thought that I was the one who made her face heats up made me fulfilled.

I invited her to my space, letting her walk beside me, gently touching her waist leading to my private place. Racers have their own room to prepare and rest for the event and even during practice. Even though I don't do the regular racing event anymore, I chose to keep mine to have my own space to stay when I am available to race.

Nelina roams her eyes around, scrutinizing the place. "Liked it?" I asked, leading her to the sofa. "Here, you can sit here; I have to get something," I said, motioning to the black leather sofa at the center.

"Thank you, this is nice. You were able to maximize the space," Nelly said as she sat on the single-seater leather sofa. This time her eyes landed on my closet at the rear left side of the room.

"Thank you." I walked to the wardrobe to retrieve two sets of racing suits, both in the color pink. Nelly followed her eyes on me when I drew nearer to where she was sitting. She must have guessed that the other suit was for her; her eyes widened, sticking to the smaller racer suit.

"Here, this is for you," I said as I handed it over to her. At first, she was hesitant to get her hands on the suit's fabric.

She raised her head, meeting my eyes. "Why are you giving me this suit?" she said as she finally touched the suit. She stood up and checked every detail of it.

"You should wear that, join me in the car, and race," I said as I winked at her.

Surprisingly she locked her stares at mine and was not annoyed. Nelly nodded as she pressed her lips.

"Take this as a baby step to overcome your fear. Would you?"

"Yes, I've already considered that. I'll do this," Nelly agreed, plastering her signature smile. Her genuine smile made me so satisfied achieving my goal to help her. And also the realization that I would be able to guide her in stepping out of her comfort zone. We literally smile at each other, and this time something has passed between us, attraction.

"I should go and fit this," she said, avoiding my eyes as her face flushed. Nelly stepped back, swiveled to the right, and paused as she must have forgotten or done something wrong, and then she shifted her gaze to me.

"Where is the fitting room?" she said, pressing her lips in a thin smile, blushing not leaving her cheeks. She must have been embarrassed. The fact that her cheeks blushed because of me made me celebrate in my thoughts.

"Well, you can just change in that suit here; I promise I won't sneak a look," I said with a naughty smirk. This time Nelly rolled her eyes at me. I know I did something wicked again; I made her annoyed. But I don't mind; she's still pretty. I chuckled a little bit.

"Seriously?" she said as she glared at me.

"You may use the walk-in closet. It has a space you can use," I said, pointing to the walk-in closet.

It took her five minutes to dress into her new racer suit. She walked out of the wardrobe, undeniably breathtaking.

"You look stunning in that suit; it fits you well; the color, the size, everything about you, and this suit is perfect," I said as I trailed my fingers on her arm to her long straight hair. I tucked her hair in her ear to give way to the beautiful view. Her cheeks flushed again.

"Thank you, you should change now," she said, stuttering as our eyes met.

Ten minutes had passed when we were both in our racing suits. We walked side by side all the way to where my car parked. I voluntarily put on the auto race helmet while she's putting the gloves on her hands. I fixed her seatbelt, giving me a chance to move closer to her, an inch closer, her breath fanning on my cheeks.

"Are you ready?" I said as I squeezed her hands. Upon looking at her beautiful eyes, I sense a feeling of gratitude. She locked her stare at me, and I saw a smile that reached her eyes even though I couldn't see her lips. Which is now covered with the auto helmet. My heart becomes erratic.

"Let's do this," she said in her soft voice.

"You got me here," I said and then pulled down the mirror of her helmet.

I started and heated the engine of my Hennessey Venom F5 2017 and then sneaked a look at Nelly. She is looking straight ahead, which made me confident about our ride; she seemed to have trusted me. I held down the mirror of my helmet, and then we started to hit the racing track.

I was so happy to do what I love and focus on it, not losing my sight on the road. Every maneuver to the next curve was entertainment. I glanced at Nelly; she remained steady. Since there was no rival in the racing field, I accelerated the speed.

I wasn't supposed to turn my head any other way except straight ahead and focus on reaching the finish line. But I feel the need to check on Nelina. A few minutes had passed before I shifted back my eyes on her. Nothing has changed, but I spotted her hands squeezing each other. After circling once more, I turned back to her, and now she wrapped her arms around herself. It took me thrice to notice that her arms were trembling.

I knew there was something off; therefore, I stomped on the brake immediately. The second the car stopped, I hastily removed my helmet and seatbelt, and so did hers. Her eyes were moist, screaming for help. I slowly pull her in my embrace without her permission. She was sobbing on my shoulder, so I started caressing her back.

"I'm sorry, baby, I thought you were enjoying it. I'm so sorry, I presumed it's gonna be okay for you," I apologized, still wrapping my arms around her. I could feel her body shivering. Nelly remained silent; however, she didn't resist submitting herself to me. She cried on my shoulder. She was vulnerable and didn't restrain herself from doing it.

A few minutes had passed when I loosened my arms around Nelly to check on her face. I lifted her chin, meeting her eyes, now swimming in tears. Hoping to send a sense of security. We stayed this way as if we could talk to each other without uttering a word. I kissed her forehead and then trailed my fingers on her soft cheek. "It's okay; I'm here."