One Last Fling - Chapter 20
Lily
Three months later, Bahrain was a new beginning. The start of Lily’s first season in Formula One.
The desert air shimmered with heat and possibility, the paddock buzzing with new liveries, new hopes, fresh narratives everyone told themselves before the season started. Lily adjusted her gloves and took it all in—the sound of engines, the smell of fuel, the weight of the moment. It all felt right. She belonged here.
The last three months had been a blur in the best possible way. She accompanied Cam for the final two F1 races of the season, in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. She fulfilled a few media requests during that time but otherwise kept the focus on Cam finishing his season with the team he’d been with for four years. Then American Thanksgiving followed, in San Francisco with Cam’s family, where his mother insisted on feeding her constantly and his dad watched her with a quiet pride that still caught her off guard. They then spent Christmas in England with her nan, who had taken Cam’s hands in hers and declared him “sensible-looking,” which Lily knew was the highest praise imaginable.
New Year’s had been just the two of them, standing on a Paris balcony at midnight, city lights stretching out below, promises unspoken because they didn’t need to be said.
Now, they stood in Bahrain as rivals.
Cam talked to one of the engineers on the pit wall a few garages down, looking very sharp in Green Dragon colors, infuriatingly confident and at home in his own skin. He caught her eye and smiled, slow and knowing.
She walked over.
“So,” he said, eyes flicking to her new suit. “You ready to lose?”
Lily laughed. “Cam. It’s preseason testing. Don’t get too excited. I’m just happy to be here so I can watch you try to keep up.”
“Bold words,” he said. “From someone who hasn’t even run her first F1 race.”
She leaned in, voice dropping. “Bold words from someone who is a bit slow in Sector Two.”
“You’ve been stalking my telemetry?” His eyes narrowed in confusion. “Or are we talking about sex? Because I wouldn’t say I’m slow, I would say I’m taking my time so that you reach your destination. If you know what I’m saying…”
Lily laughed. “I love that your mind goes there.”
He snorted. “I will not apologize. You do that to me.”
They kissed—quick, warm, familiar. Not hidden. Not careful. Just them. Then they stepped back, the moment naturally coming to an end, like it always did now. Like it would have to, again and again, all season long. One minute they were a couple, and the next, opponents. It was a pendulum swing they’d happily get used to.
“Now, try not to cry when I beat you,” Cam said.
“Try not to fall in love with me again.”
“Lily, I fall in love with you every time I look at you.” Cam reached for her hand and squeezed once. “See you out there.”
Lily nodded, heart steady, future bright. “I’ll see you on track, Fowler. Preferably in my rearview mirrors.”
He smiled.
“I look forward to it, Atkinson.”
THE END