Chapter 51
With his gym session behind him, Luca stepped out of the facility and into the fresh air of the premises. His bag and water bottle were clutched in one hand, while the other struggled to fit the earpiece securely into his ears, an awkward battle of balance.
A stroke of luck awaited him: one of the senior staff members at the facility was about to board a white van. The man mentioned he needed to pick up some supplies and offered Luca a ride back to his hotel.
Luca didn’t hesitate and climbed into the passenger seat. Out of respect, he decided to unplug his earpiece, opting instead to engage in conversation with the man who had kindly offered him a lift. He still found it surreal, the way life had changed—talking to strangers from different corners of the world. Funny how this man could’ve driven off on any other day, blissfully unaware of his existence.
“Thanks so much for this,” Luca said as they neared the hotel after a long route that allowed the man to handle some job-related errands. The man responded with a warm wave, his Australian accent lacing his polite reply.
Luca, who was standing on the pavement, glanced up at the towering hotel before shuffling himself inside. I will enjoy myself today, he said internally.
He entered his room, tossing his bag onto the neatly laid rug. First order of business—shower. The water felt wonderful, and Luca sighed as the cold stream washed away the tension built up from the morning workout. Midway through his shower, his phone rang, forcing him to step out, still soapy and dripping, to answer.
It was Sara, checking in and asking if she could send up his breakfast now. He greeted her warmly and assured her it was indeed a perfect time for that.
Luca resumed his shower, humming deeply as the cold water cascaded over him, relaxing every muscle that had tensed up during his early morning workout. When he was done, he stepped out, water still beading down his skin, and grabbed a warm, white towel to dry off. Just as he was finishing, a knock sounded at the door. Luca tightened the towel around his waist and walked over, opening the door to let the steward in.
The humble man moved swiftly, placing the breakfast tray on the empty side table with practiced efficiency before giving a respectful bow and stepping back to leave.
As the door clicked shut, Luca’s senses were instantly teased by the rich aroma coming from the plates. His best guess was grilled salmon and sweet potatoes, maybe with some chicken breast too, a combination he had specifically mentioned in the list to Sara.
Feeling free as a bird for the first time in weeks, Luca slipped into a comfortable set of homewear and pulled on some socks. He sat down at the table and enjoyed his breakfast, drinking water in long gulps, like a camel quenching its thirst after a trek through the desert.
Once he’d polished off the last bite, Luca flopped onto the bed—not to sleep, but to unwind. He reached for the new laptop Sara had surprised him with just yesterday, sitting on the nightstand to his right. She’d mentioned she’d uploaded a few movies for him, and Luca couldn’t wait to indulge. I wonder how long it’s been since I last watched a movie, he thought with a smile.
The laptop screen lit up, flickering through a loading sequence that felt oddly satisfying. Luca picked up his phone from the bed, deciding it was finally time to go through his messages. The screen buzzed with notifications related to F1—odds, predictions, and statistics flooding the top of his display. The main division was set to take on Australia today, racing through the challenging and scarred George Park Circuit.
But Luca had no intention of tuning in to watch the professionals, he wanted to relax as Mallow advised.
Though curiosity got the better of him, prompting him to check on the F2 standings and table. After the setback he’d faced yesterday, he was pretty certain he’d slipped from the top three in the individual standings. Swiping and scrolling through the updates, he saw a headline photo featuring Ansel pumping his fist triumphantly, with Max Addams in the background, shaking his head in frustration.
PROVISIONAL TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (TOP5) Scroll for more.
Position | Team | Points
————————————————-
1. | Trampos Racing | 68
2. | Bueseno Velocità Jnr. | 53 Explore new worlds at empire
3. | Hatcherk Motorsport | 28
4. | Squadra Corse Jnr | 25
5. | Nevada HanSama Jnr | 12
Luca’s eyes skimmed down the table, noting that Squadra Corse Jnr. had moved up to fourth, displacing Nevada’s junior team to fifth place. The sight of Trampos Racing leading the standings brought a sense of satisfaction; he knew he’d played a major role in that success. Without hesitation, he swiped to the driver standings.
PROVISIONAL DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (TOP5) Scroll for more.
Position | Team | Points
————————————————–
1. | Max Addams | 43
2. | Ansel Hahn | 43
3. | Luca Rennick | 25
4. | Miles Bellingham | 25
5. | Sean Aaronson | 24
“Very tight,” Luca muttered, studying the numbers closely.
He noted that Aaronson, despite never making it to the podium, had managed two consecutive fourth-place finishes, bringing him tantalizingly close to the leaders. Meanwhile, Miles shared the same points total as Luca, thanks to an extra two points for securing the fastest lap, leveling their positions.
Luca licked his lips with determination, silently vowing to climb higher in the standings and keep Trampos Racing firmly at the top. He swiped over to his messages.
Responding to each message felt effortless. One even caught him off guard—a brief check-in from Mr. Fisher that made Luca smile. Harry had also sent a suggestion to hang out in Melbourne before they all headed back to their respective team bases around the world. Luca’s reply was quick: That’s exactly what I had in mind.
Just as he was about to turn off his phone and focus on the laptop in front of him, his eyes fell on an unread contact: Isabella. He winced, noticing he’d accidentally spelled her name with two S—Issabella. After all the effort he put into getting her number, he had yet to message or call her.
Luca cussed himself as his thumbs hovered uncertainly over the keyboard on the empty chat screen. What should I even text…?
The only thing that came to mind was a simple ‘Good Morning’, so he reluctantly typed it out and lazily hit send. The message sent successfully and marked as delivered, and then, to his surprise, the chat showed that she had read it.
Luca’s heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened once the text was read. He whispered, “Oof,” pressing the power button hard to turn off the screen and putting his phone down swiftly.
Glancing around the empty hotel room as if to reassure himself, he took a deep breath and focused on the laptop on his lap. He knew little about navigating the device, but he could at least locate the movie player where Sara had loaded some blockbuster films from last year.
Settling deeper into the bed, Luca sank into the soft embrace of the mattress and pillows as the “Transformers” movie came to life on the screen. The dramatic music boomed from the speakers, stirring excitement in him.