#last day of pre-orders fir the calendar

[coolnonsenseworld]

Want to spend with you all seasons + infinity

[car-lozsigns]

A few minutes more (pt6)

Synopsis: You and Carlos had crossed paths more than you thought was possible over a short weekend but time was not on your side. A love story that’s about the slow burn and emotional connection, and how sometimes right place wrong time is the best of the available options

So this story will be split between POV telling chapter by chapter from each perspective as they are my favourite to read. The plan is for this to be very slow paced, so if you’re reading this, considered yourself warned.

Length:~3.6k

Warning: none, unless you don’t like inquisitive parents

Link to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 7

Part 6

Carlos’ trip was only two weeks whilst you were away for a month. However, given where you were both holidaying, it meant that neither of you were able to talk much unless one stayed up late or the other woke up early. You both resorted to voice notes where you could as the opportunities to facetime were slim with you both staying with your families who were are curious as they came. All the while, you both worked to maintain a steady thread of conversation. Carlos’ responses to you landing in Australia had helped keep the conversation going, albeit it quite slow with mostly trip photos, selftimer pictures taken on hikes, cool places to eat and the general, ‘what did you get up to todays?”. Your chats now held more photos of your trip that both of your instagrams combined, only really wanting share what you’ve done with each other not your other friends.

These limited interactions alone were enough to get the attention of both your respective families, well both of your sisters at least. Your parents were a little out of the loop but your sister was not, and Carlos’ family picked it up in a heartbeat. Neither of you were the people to spend your time away from work sitting on your phones with Carlos spending his time outside where possible, phone often left forgotten in another room or charging before he left, and you had your phone perpetually on do not disturb. It started slowly, you both sharing what you did each day at the end of your days being the last thing you did before calling it a night. It slowly changed to checking your phone in the morning to see if the other had responded, which moved to checking mid-way through the day if the other had a later night which changed to bringing your phone with you, switching it from do not disturb to silent to vibration only. Carlos started to leave his phone near his keys or by the front door so that he wouldn’t forget to carry it on runs to wearing clothes that could allow him to have his phone in his pocket at all times just in case you had replied. 

Your families had started to notice that changes too beyond phone usage habits. Carlos had started to workout to the same intensity as he did during the F1 calendar, not unheard of come late January in order to get ready for pre-season but he typically revelled in his time away in December, making use of the laziness that the month could afford him. He told himself that if he continued training during his break it will give him the edge come next year, not lingering on the fact that when he sent the pictures of him at the beach and by the pool that he wanted to make sure he looked his best for you. You had started to wear slight amounts of makeup, during the day, not just when you were going out. Again, this was not uncommon when you went to see friends, but when you were on holiday you were known for going into full hermit lifestyle, relishing that you could not worry about what you looked like or wore around your family, knowing they’d love you just the same. You told yourself it was to help you be active and leave the house and a face of makeup helped you fight the urge to faceplate on the couch, not the fact that there was the slightest chance that if Carlos facetimed you, you wanted to give the impression you were put together.

It was both of your sisters who respectively began putting the pieces together first. Both of them reflecting on how they were with their boyfriends when they started dating. They both took different approaches, your sister began taking candid shots of you whenever she caught you smiling at your phone, content at seeing you come out of your shell and blossom slowly with whoever was keeping you preoccupied on the phone. Blanca on the other hand had started to hover in the chance of overhearing Carlos answer his phone, to figure out who was making him happier by the day. Her attempts were less fruitful, and she roped in her younger sister as well as mum to try and work out who it was and if they knew them; but now that Carlos never left his phone unattended and the calls were few and far between, they couldn’t learn much more than what Carlos was willing to tell them, which at this stage was nothing.

Carlos’s dad had noticed his daughters following Carlos around more than Carlos’ changed behaviour. He caught them one morning lingering outside his bedroom which was the opposite end of the villa to where both of their respective rooms were. Both were so engrossed with their ears pressed against the door, they didn’t hear their dad come up from the other end of the corridor. At the sight of their dad, and the sheepish looks across both their faces from both being caught in the act of spying, they scattered like children, knowing that if they didn’t get caught they wouldn’t have to deal with their father’s scolding. It was at this point where Carlos Sr mentioned to his wife Carlos’ behaviour a few nights before they were due to return home.

“You have been blind” Reyes said to him. “Carlos has spent every moment he can on this trip on his phone.” Carlos Sr had noticed this but thought it was just common with people his son’s age considering his youngest was glued to her phone whenever he saw her. “Looking beyond that, he is obviously happy, happier than he has been in a long time, at least outside of racing. I think he has found someone he cares about as much as that ridiculous car. Let him enjoy it, young love is always sweet, leave him be” she warned. Carlos Sr took in his wife’s words and went to mention what he caught his daughters doing this earlier.

“Blanc…” he started

“I will have a word with Blanca and Ana. They both should know better. Imagine if Carlos caught them, he will never feel comfortable that they have been following him” she interrupted

“If they were as obvious as they were today I’m surprised he hasn’t caught them sooner” Carlos Sr reflected upon how his son could miss the town girls following around considering he was typically hyperaware of who was near him.

“Oh honey, don’t you remember when we started dating, you only had eyes for me” Carlos Sr still only had eyes for his wife , and like father like son, Carlos now only had eyes for you.

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Carlos like yourself was a family person, opting to spend time with his siblings where he could. It was always a point in the year he looked forward to and helped to keep his family close now him and his sisters have grown into adults, all of you making the effort was difficult but important for each of you to reconnect and recharge just like it was when you were kids. It is different now though with both his sisters bringing their partners on these trips, but it was as close to childhood as they could recreate. Carlos though this year, was actually looking forward to Mexico finishing. Normally he wasn’t too thrilled to go back to Europe in the middle of winter. He loved the sun and would try to find a way to escape to the warmth at every opportunity he could. However he wanted to go home. Being home meant instead of the 15 hours or so time gap it would only be 8 to talk to you while you were still in Australia. Carlos was less than tactful in hiding that he was excited for once to go home and his father saw this as the opportunity to talk from the recent info he had gathered from the women around him.

It was the final evening before they flew out, with both Carlos’ preparing dinner with Reyes, Ana and Blanca getting ready inside. They had barely started to prepare the food when Carlos’ dad opened a sore spot that usually ended up in an argument or Carlos becoming silent for the next few hours, refusing to engage. Partners and relationships was never a topic Carlos wanted to be a part of when with his friends and family brought it up. Both of his sisters were in happy long-term relationships, with one a little more serious and greater longevity than the other but they both had people with them to provide company and companionship. Carlos had always used racing as his company, his career choice taking up so much of his life then that when he wasn’t in the car or with his family, he wanted to spend time alone to prepare for the next race and recharge. Racing for the majority of his life was always the most important thing to him so he had never really pursued a relationship nor considered it important enough to try and find somebody to share his life with. 

Most of his friends were in relationships, getting into them when they were 22 or 23, now he was 25 he seemed to have missed the boat at least with those he spent time with outside of racing.

On friend trips he was always the only single one there, his friends had tried to set him up with some of their female friends of their own however Carlos hadn’t gotten along with them enough where he was able to string more than a few sentences together without others present. He dreaded to think what it would be like when it was only the two of them without the friends and without alcohol to soothe the nerves and to filter out the awkwardness.

It had gotten to the point where his friends had stopped setting him up. After multiple failed attempts they had had enough. Carlos, realised though it wasn’t from his friends strictly giving up but more as an influence from their own respective partners being tired of dealing with their sobbing friends coming to them why Carlos didn’t see in them what they did.

Carlos understood, after rejecting so many and just having general poor luck and minimal effort from his part the dates were bound to fail. He would have drawn the line too and stopped pushing girls towards him if the roles were reversed and he was setting up his friends. 

The last ditch attempt for his friends to find him someone was through online dating profiles. Carlos was adamant that he could sign onto hinge and bumble and be treated like his friends. He knew he was good looking , hell, he was the spitting image of his old man who he thought was the definition of handsome in the eighties. Carlos however underestimated or maybe was just naïve, by just how popular he would be. Each of his profiles both blew up , to the point where he couldn’t open the apps without them crashing . So before he even started to talk to someone he deleted both profiles. He thought that would be the best option given the overwhelming response, which his friends vehemently disagreed with. They pushed him to use the apps tailored to those who are within a more influential circle but Carlos had no interest in dating someone who had an ego large enough to only want to be associated with the rich and famous. 

His friends thought that his profiles blowing up would be an ego boost but what it had done instead of boosting his egos like his friends kept saying, was the actual opposite. That reaction alone could have only been generated from people trying to date the F1 driver not him. He toyed with the idea of a fake profile but then what was the point? Is being catfished by a celebrity to being normal just as bad as those American reality shows? So he was stuck, the option of using online dating profiles for now in the too hard basket and as a result he hadn’t attempted or entertained any notion of a girlfriend since 2018, at least from the help of his mates.

His parents decided to take a different route, instead of finding dates through friends , they had started to invite him along to their dinner parties where the guests always conveniently had daughters of their own who tagged along. Carlos at first didn’t mind these, at the comfort of talking over food it was always more relaxed, that was before the end of the night where his and the unlucky girl’s parents would disappear to the patio for coffee and biscuits and he would be left to entertain them. This was the opposite response to the online profile, most of these girls were NOT interested in him because he was so well known, repeatedly citing that the lifestyle didn’t suit them. That all apart from one girl his parents tried to set him up with, she turned out to be the last of these dinner functions as she had stormed out in the middle of the night , apparently picked up by her real boyfriend who she had been dating for years but her parents had refused to acknowledge his existence let alone accept that their daughter was taken.

So that was the end of those. They were more recent than his friends with the last dinner at the end of the 2019 summer break. After that dinner his parents hadn’t brought it up again, the season was ramping up and he was performing the best he had in his whole career , his dad understood the drive and why Carlos was working so much harder now than in March so his parents left him to his own devices.

Carlos had accepted that dating might not just be for him. He had chosen to go the old fashion route, get to know them as a person first and then if he can be their friend let’s see what happens. He was a romantic at heart and amongst his family a not so secret fan of rom coms. If it worked for him as well as it did in the movies, why can’t he meet the girl ‘organically’. In Carlos’ mind worst case scenario nothing changes , he still has his career which will keep him busy and happy enough for the time being (at least until his friends start getting married), best case scenario he gains a best friend and a girlfriend.

Carlos, upon deciding to go the old fashioned route, decided to research how to do this. He had tab upon tab open on his phone while he was tanning under a cabana during the summer break reading intently about how to make friends , he had never struggled with meeting new people but his parents and friends failed attempts had left him feeling cynical about the process and doubtful on whether he actually knew how to do this.

The article that seemed the most helpful was one aimed at people finding friends after their spouse had died in old age. Carlos was far from retiring but the page stated that he should start going to a place regularly outside of his work and make that a routine as then his face will be familiar and that will help him feel comfortable to strike up a conversation with a stranger.

He had applied this through his social and sponsor engagement , not necessarily a location be frequented often , but it was a happy medium between a hobby and his workplace. Yes, all of the sponsor events were technically work, but he wasn’t paid to go so he thought it ticked the box just fine.

And that’s how he met you, the first event he signed up to was on a whim. That weekend in October was his first one free since Singapore and it had worked like a charm, you were the first face he saw that morning. He had also physically ran into you afterwards so he had to take the chance seeing as it presented itself twice in the span of 12 hours.

He didn’t quite believe that after all the previous failed attempts , he let the opportunity to get to know you further slip through his fingertips, missing his chance when he left that night , but seeing you in an airport of all places confirmed that the article for retirees was right . He just wished that neither of you had to get on a plane that day, but he had learned his lesson, making sure that you had his number this time. Him keeping the effort to still talk to you not letting you go again if he could help it.

The warmth from the barbecue being turned on to Carlos’ left pulled him out of his revery, turning to look at his dad who has began to place the meat down to cook.

“Have you enjoyed your time away? You are glowing more than you usually are at the end of the holiday” his dad stated

“Yeah, the sun has really helped” Carlos diverted knowing where his dad was going to try and lead the conversation

“Yes your skin is also glowing“ his dad said , not looking at Carlos but focusing on the fish over the grill. “Has the team been talking to you much ? You’ve been on your phone more than you normally are on break”

“No, no, no one has been bothering me which is welcome” Carlos was not falling into his dad’s trap, if he wanted information he’d have to get to the point  and asking him directly.

“Ok well, whoever is keeping you busy in the phone is doing you good , you’re much happier” Carlos Sr left it at that with only the sound of Carlos chopping up ingredients for the salad and the low sizzling of the grill filling the absence of conversation .

“Her name is Y/N” Carlos said opening up to his dad . His dad always did this, leave a silence that was more compelling than him pulling his ear when he was little to get him to tell the truth.

“We met a couple of months ago, she’s not in Formula 1” Carlos paused. “She doesn’t know I’m in Formula 1, well she knows I work with McLaren but what he thinks is that I’m just there working with the company not their driver, she thinks I’m just Carlos” Carlos said quietly hoping his dad heard how his toned had softened

Carlos Sr just looked at Carlos, his sons eyes trained on chopping the tomatoes very carefully.

“You know you can’t keep that part of you hidden forever, I tried before I met your mother and it was hard when it finally aired each time.”

“I know , but I want her to like me for me and not the world I’m in.” he paused , “I will tell her but when the time is right “ Carlos responded.

“What if she finds out before you tell her?” His dad posed.

“Then we see what happens, if it is meant to be it will be, if not and she doesn’t want part of your world and my world then I’ve had a friend that is worthwhile of stories to tell in the future “

“The right one will love you regardless, she wouldn’t care if you’re and driver , had 3 arms or was old and grey like me … and she’s stuck around this much , maybe it won’t be a problem for her , all you can do is give it a try” his dad always had a way with words and hearing that helped to placate the thoughts that had been floating around his head late at night when thinking about what to do when he got home and how to see if this can work.

“Maybe don’t mention it to your mother or sisters though, you know how they love to gossip, so let’s get her in your world first then we can deal with them” and Carlos Sr winked , closing the conversation .

Carlos was glad that his dad had brought it up and confirmed the doubt that had been sitting in the back of his mind the trip so far . He knew last seeing you in Amsterdam that everything could be fine , but what if your friends or family had worked it out? Oh well you hadn’t changed the way or frequency you were talking to him so maybe it didn’t matter to you. Or at least if you had found out you hadn’t made it obvious

Y/N in fact had not worked out that Carlos was a driver still. Her family couldn’t have been less involved in sports if they tried , her friends too only had eyes for fishing or Australian football, cars served no interest to them other than to get them to and from work. So Carlos was unknowingly granted more time to try and plan how to tell you and if it worked to plan you’d still want to be around him and if he executed it expertly, he’d end up with his own partner in crime at the end of it.

Link to Part 7