by J. Lea
At the press conference, around twenty minutes later, we’re waiting for the reporters to start asking questions, so we’re chatting casually in the meantime. When we hear the first question, we turn to the crowd of people and focus on the conference.
“Jake, congratulations on another fine win today. It was an intense race and you deservedly won. Tell us your thoughts on the race, and what your plans are for the future?”
“Thank you,” I respond and fix my baseball cap. “Well, I’m satisfied with the way I raced today. There were a few tiny mistakes, but they didn’t jeopardize my finishing first. The race was quite difficult with Gonzales breathing down my neck the whole time, but I still managed to keep the lead. I’m happy. I still have some training sessions and then I can finally take a well-deserved rest.” I wait for Gonzales and Barta to take some more questions, and then we return to our teams.
Chapter Four
Ella
Sophie and I decide to take a stroll down the beach our last night in Valencia. It’s only a few minutes away from the center of the city and our hotel. We’re slowly walking down the beach, just taking in the scenery. It’s breathtaking. The lights of the city at night are reflected in the sea surface; it looks so magical. Soon, we hear loud voices and laughter in the distance. As we approach, the silhouettes become more visible. We see it’s a few racers from today’s race alongside some of their friends and fans. Caroline immediately recognizes us, and waves for us to come closer.
“Hey, girls, come, there’s plenty of booze for all of us,” she points to her beer bottle and drags us closer to the others. “Everybody, this is Sophie and Ella.” I smile awkwardly and give a little wave. Sophie has already joined them, and when I scoot closer and sit next to her, I whisper in her ear.
“Don’t you think we don’t quite belong here? They’re celebrating, it feels like we’re crashing their private party.”
“Don’t be silly. Caroline invited us to join them,” she whispers back. I look around the circle, and I suddenly see blue eyes with specks of gray openly staring at me with interest; Jake’s blue eyes with specks of gray, to be specific. Eyes that are hard to forget. I wave at him shyly, and focus my attention on the conversation. I find out Ross David, racer for Ducati, is actually Caroline’s cousin. She is proudly sitting next to him, and sharing interesting anecdotes from all the races she’s seen.
I’m also told Mike is married, and I immediately take a liking to his lovely wife Debbie. She’s down to earth and doesn’t play a diva just because she’s married to a world famous racer. Sophie excitedly shares with everybody what a big fan of theirs she is, how she owns a bunch of T-shirts and baseball caps with their logos on them and how she taped each and every race of theirs. We’re sitting on the beach, drinking and talking for a couple of hours. The subject of conversation is mostly motorcycling, which is not something I know much about, but I’m still enjoying myself. After a while, I get drowsy and I glance at my watch. I nudge Sophie.
“It’s late, shall we go?” I hug my arms around my middle as it has gotten a bit chilly. The midnight breeze blowing from the ocean doesn’t help either. Since I didn’t expect to be out so long, I didn’t think of taking a jacket with me.
“Yes, I’ll just finish up this drink and then we can go,” Sophie nods and I get up, brushing the sand off my jeans. I walk to the water and stand there for a while, enjoying the view, my arms around my waist. Josh invades my mind again. The thought of him makes me smile. He would be over the moon if he got the chance to be here, at the race, hanging out with the racers. He loved their world. What would it be like, being here on vacation with him? I sigh. Why was he so crazy about motorcycles? Suddenly, I feel a weight on my shoulders, and I turn toward the person that draped their jacket around me.
Jake.
“Is that better?” he points to the jacket and I wrap myself in it. I nod.
“Thank you.”
“No problem,” he waves his hand. “Are they boring you?”
“Who?”
He looks over his shoulder to the others. “My friends.”
“Oh, no, no,” My mood has nothing to do with them. “They’re actually very nice. I just wanted to take a few minutes to take in everything before I leave. I like it here.”
“So,” we say simultaneously. We grin at each other and Jake nods for me to continue.
“Have you been racing long?” He looks at me sideways.
“For about ten years, the last five more professionally.”
I nod. “Ugh, I can’t imagine being in the center of attention all the time—the cameras, the press, the girls,” I curiously raise an eyebrow at him.
“You eventually get used to it. I don’t even notice the cameras anymore.” His hands are in his pocket, and he’s rocking back and forth on his heels. “And you, where are you from?”
“Indianapolis,” I answer. He nods and rubs his chin with his hand, eyes fixed on the sea.
“Me t—” he starts just as a slightly intoxicated Sophie approaches us, and interrupts him.
“Ella, we better go, otherwise I’ll soon be too drunk to stand up straight. Oh, Jake, I didn’t see you there.” Jake greets her and I shrug out of his jacket. I hand it back to him, and thank him again. Sophie hooks her elbow with mine and we say goodbye to everybody.
“I’ll see you around,” Jake calls after me. See me around? I doubt that, but I still nod. I wave him goodbye, and then Sophie and I head back to our old lives.
Jake
I’m standing on the beach, watching Ella as she walks away. I finally found out her name. It’s as beautiful as she is. She does seem different than the rest of the girls I’ve slept with, but she’s definitely going to show her true colors once I get her in my bed. I’m holding the jacket that has been draped around her shoulders until a minute ago. She told me she comes from the same city as me. Too bad I haven’t met her before. I join my group of friends, and we spend an hour or so more on the beach before returning back to our trailers. Tomorrow, I have an interview scheduled with one of the Spanish radios, and then I’m finally going home. We’re finished with races for a few months, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be training like crazy, preparing for next season.
“Good morning, Mr. Burns, Mr. Jones,” Jose Ruiz, one of the radio presenters, greets us on the air.
“Hello,” Mike and I say at the same time.
“How are you two doing? What are you going to do now that the season is over? Do you have any special plans?” Mike is the first one to respond.
“Yes, I plan on taking a month’s vacation so my wife and I can go home to Australia. Our families miss us very much and we miss them, too. And we’re going on a trip, just the two of us.” Jose nods.
“Sounds interesting. Can you reveal where you two are going?”
“Let it be a secret,” Mike responds, and Jose smiles.
“What about you, Jake? Do you have anything special planned? Will you be able to escape from all the fans that are following your every step?”
“Vacation will have to wait for a while. I’m going home to see my family first, and of course, I have to train. If I want to continue my success in the next season, I need to work hard. There’s a younger generation of racers coming, and they have motivation and want fame, so it won’t be easy to remain on top.”
“How do you feel as the world champion? Feel any different this time around?”
Scratching my scalp, I shake my head. “Each year is special in its own way. It cannot be described. I’m very pleased with this year’s results. Otherwise, I don’t feel any differently. I’m still the same old Jake Burns.”
“Mike has a wife, but what about you? Is there a special girl who has won your heart?”
Looking at each other, Mike and I laugh out loud.
“Nope, I’m still happily single.” And it will remain that way for a long time. Why would I search for something special if I can try out a different flavor every day? And at the moment, Ella is
‘my flavor of the day.’ I have never chased after a woman, they always run to me, but I think that’s the reason Ella intrigues me so much.
After an hour, our interview is over, so Mike and I head out to our rental car where our two bodyguards are waiting along with a group of fans and reporters. We have bodyguards for special occasions like this one—interviews and prearranged appointments—when the public knows our location. All we can hear is:
“Mike, are you still married?”
“Jake, I want to have your babies.”
“Can I get an autograph?”
“Can I take a picture with you?” It goes on and on. Finally, we push our way through the crowd to the car and drive to our trailers.
“Fuck, it gets worse every time,” Mike shakes his head. “Thank God I’m getting away from this madhouse soon. Mate, if it gets too hard, you know you’re always welcome in Australia.”
I wave my hand. “I’ll be alright. I’ll be spending some time with my folks anyway, so I won’t be bored.”
“How are Mary and Jeff? Is your dad still trying to fix that old-timer that your grandpa used to drive?” Mary and Jeff are my parents. My grandfather owned an old Ford Mustang that hasn’t worked for a while now. My dad is trying his hardest to find the car parts necessary to fix it and get it on the road again.
“As far as I remember, yeah. But I think he’s almost done. I’ll find out soon enough.”
We pack our suitcases, and leave for the airport in our rental car. Mike and Debbie are headed directly to Australia, so we say our goodbyes, and then the rest of us wait for our flight to the United States. Head down and baseball cap on my head, I head to the coffee shop. I try to be as inconspicuous as possible because I don’t want to raise attention with fans squealing and following me. Coffee in hand, I turn around, about to join my team, when I crash into a petite girl.
“Sorry,” I say, with my head bowed.
“Jake?” a gentle voice says and when I raise my head, I’m met with Ella’s chocolate brown eyes.
“Hey,” we say at the same time. Ella’s mouth curves into a timid smile, and I’m rendered speechless.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were at that interview.”
I nod. “That was at seven. Where’s your friend?” I look around to search for the fiery redhead.
“Oh,” she waves her hand, “she went to the bathroom. She said she’s going to phone Matt, so I don’t expect her to be back at least for half an hour.”
Here is my chance.
“Can I buy your coffee?” I signal to the counter where a barista is tapping her fingers impatiently on the surface of the counter. A line of people has formed behind us, giving us the stink eye. I wait as Ella orders for herself and Sophie, and before she has the chance to pull her wallet out of her bag, I jump in. “Here you go,” I say to the cashier, handing her money. Ella looks at me with wide eyes.
“No, no, no, put your money away,” she protests.
“It’s okay. Let’s go find a place to sit down,” I drag her to an empty table before she can refuse.
“Thank you,” she says gently. “You didn’t have to.”
“I know, but I wanted to.” I didn’t want to let the opportunity to speak to her again slip through my fingers, and hopefully, I’ll get her to agree to a date in Indianapolis. Of course, I go on dates! I’m not an asshole that just calls girls to hook up and then throws them out of the bed after. My parents raised me better, but I never say no to a sexy woman. There’s something about Ella that attracts me to her, I want to get to the bottom of it. There’s a good hour until boarding, so we have plenty of time.
“What do you do?” I ask, before taking a sip of the scalding hot coffee. Ella has just opened a packet of sugar, and pours it into her coffee.
“I’m a masseuse,” she says, looking me in the eyes. I’m sure she notices the longing in mine. “I work at one of the private massage therapy salons called Ace.” I nod. “I haven’t worked there for long, but I really like it. It’s my passion,” she adds. It’s difficult for me to picture her tiny, fragile-looking hands massaging professional athletes, which I know the salon is famous for. I also cannot help but to imagine what it would feel like if her hands were sliding all over my body. I’d probably have to exercise major control over my urges not to screw her right on the massage table. I shake my head a few times to rid myself of the inappropriate thoughts.
“I bet your boyfriend is very lucky for having a masseuse at home.” I don’t want to be too direct and ask her right away if she has a boyfriend since we’ve just met. But I still want to know if she’s single. The moment I finish the sentence her eyes turn sad. She quickly shakes her head.
“I don’t have a boyfriend,” she says with a sour smile. I don’t exactly know what just happened, but I’m glad she’s not taken. Ella’s phone starts ringing in her bag. She apologizes before answering. I gather from what she’s saying that it’s Sophie on the phone, asking where she is. I take this time to look at her closely. She has long, completely straight dark brown hair, gently falling down her back. I bet it’s soft as silk. It takes a lot of effort not to reach over and wrap a strand of her hair around my hand. Her long, elegant fingers tuck a stray lock of hair behind the ear. She glances at me shyly, confirms something to the person on the other side of the line, and drops her gaze back to the table. Her every move, every gesture and smile only entice me more. I don’t know why I have this burning desire to see her. I have to have her; perhaps then she won’t be so alluring. Ella puts the cell phone back on the table. “I’m sorry, that was Sophie, confused as ever. She got a little lost, and wanted to know where I was.”
Chapter Five
Ella
“I think it’s time for me to find my own apartment, don’t you think? Before we left for our vacation, I went to see one and I really liked it,” I tell Sophie. After Josh’s death, I simply couldn’t live in our house anymore. Too many memories of him were in that house, so I put it on market and moved to the city. Sophie and Matt invited me to stay with them. My parents also said I could come back home, but I couldn’t return there. I didn’t want them to see me cry all the time. That’s why I gladly accepted Sophie’s offer. I don’t know if I could have survived the first few months after Josh died without her. She was the biggest help and support I could’ve wished for, I’ll never forget that. Matt was a great help as well. Sophie is a really lucky girl to have such an amazing boyfriend. They totally deserve each other.
“Why, you don’t like it here anymore?” she asks, her mouth full, just taking a bite of the sandwich she made for herself. It’s been one week since we’ve returned from Valencia, and during this time I went apartment hunting. None has attracted my interest more as the one I told Sophie about. “We don’t want you to leave. You know you’re always welcome in our home. You can stay as long as you wish.”
“I know, but you and Matt also need your privacy.” Besides, the walls in their apartment are thin. I’m getting tired of hearing everything they are doing in the bedroom. Two years was too long of a period. It’s time for me to start living on my own. “Do you want to go see the apartment with me? It’s still on the market, but it’s only a matter of time.”
“Of course I want to come. Tell me when and we’ll go. I hope it’s not too far away from our apartment because I’d still like to come visit you.”
“Actually, it’s only a 15 minute drive away from here, so you can come for coffee anytime. Besides, it’s very close to Ace, so I can walk to work,” I assure her.
“I see you’ve worked everything out.” A tinge of disappointment runs through her eyes, but I know she supports my decision.
“Thank you,” I wrap my arms around her and then walk to the fridge. I pack some yogurt and a bagel in a bag to snack on at work. I take my car keys off the shelf in the hall and head to the front door. “I’m going to work. See you this afternoon,” I wave at Sophie right before I leave to Ace. It’s Saturday. Matt and Sophie don’t
work during the weekend, and I usually take weekend shifts so they can have some more time to themselves. When the traffic light changes to red, I fix my make up in my mirror, and then when it turns green, I turn right toward the salon. My cellphone in my purse beeps, announcing a text message. When I park in my usual spot, I fish the phone out of my bag and check who the text is from.
Unknown number: Babe, you thinkin’ about me?
I look at the phone, surprised, and write back.
Me: Who is this?
Unknown number: Jake.
Holding my breath, I stare at his text. Jake.
Me: Where the hell did you get my number?
Unknown number: You don’t know how easily I can get something when I truly want it. And I want to see YOU again.
Mouth wide open, I shake my head, studying his text.
Me: Why?
Unknown number: Because.
Me: That’s not an answer.
Unknown number: Have coffee with me.
I blink three times to check if I saw it correctly. Jake Burns wants to have coffee with me. How the hell did he manage to get my number? I didn’t think I left any lasting impressions, so what the hell does he want from me?