Work Text:
The first successful season of APXGP was over.
Abu Dhabi, the Grand Prix, the big win, all in the past.
So was the man who drove their car across the finished line that night.
In the past.
Kate has been back in England for two weeks now.
And it was lonely.
Without her brain being occupied with cars, she had no idea what to do with herself. And it was only the first day.
What was she supposed to do?
She knew what he was supposed to do.
Drive.
Everything, everywhere and all the time.
That was his passion, his dream.
His reality.
And while he was out there, somewhere in the United States, she was here, in England.
All by herself. With no plans whatsoever for the next two and a half weeks.
So, she decided to call him.
They haven’t heard from each other in those past two weeks.
He had said goodbye to her in Abu Dhabi with one single question:
“Can I see you down the road?”
While she had thought, she had known what he had meant by that, she wasn’t so sure anymore.
Because what did it mean? One month, two months or even one year?
So, she decided to call him. Take faith in her own two hands.
Sitting on the windowsill in her small cottage, she stared out the window before finally deciding to dial his number.
While the phone rang, she watched the snow outside fall from the sky. It was already the end of December. Christmas only two days away. And the English weather certainly let everyone feel it.
He never picked up.
Kate put down her phone in disappointment.
Maybe it really had been an illusion?
The love she felt for him.
The comfort she felt in his arms.
Or the fun she had, laughing at his jokes.
Or perhaps she felt that way and he didn’t?
Not letting her mind slip into an endless circle of thoughts, she decided to go to Apex headquarters instead.
Today was the first day of the winter break, but she had intended to go to the office anyway. There were still some things she wanted to sort out before enjoying the spare time, she didn’t know how to enjoy.
Stepping through the snow, Kate walked to the Apex headquarters.
The bike was no option and while she did have a car, she had no desire in driving it.
It also reminded her of a certain someone. The reason for her leaving the house was to forget him, though.
So, walking it was.
After an hour or so, she arrived at the white building that was hidden by the light fog and thick snowflakes.
The whole world was painted in grey and white, and for some reason it had a calming effect on her.
Entering, she was welcomed by a few familiar faces who probably had the same idea as her. Cleaning up before finally enjoying their two and a half weeks off work.
While the ideas were similar, the reasons weren’t.
“What are you doing here?” Ruben asked, as he walked down the hall towards Kate.
“Getting everything done before relaxing,” she lied, shrugging.
Ruben could only shake his head. While he was technically her boss, they were closer to being friends.
From the moment, Ruben had seen Kate’s work, he had wanted her as part of his team. Some people called him crazy for choosing a woman as a technical director. He had not regretted it a day since hiring her.
“You?” she reversed the question.
“Basically doing the same,” he answered with a small smile.
After chatting some more, Kate decided it was time to actually get to the office. It was already the middle of the afternoon and if she wanted to get back home before dark, she needed to leave in two hours tops.
Taking off her jacket, she sat down in the chair behind her desk, looking out the massive windows. The view from up her was remarkable.
With the office being on the second floor to the backside of the building, she could see England’s countryside for miles and miles. Endless meadows and forests, as far as her eyes allowed her to see.
Not today, however.
Stuck in her daydream for a moment, she didn’t hear the door being opened behind her.
“Not sure if I can still see the road,” a rough voice behind her said.
Kate almost jumped from her chair, turning around instantly.
And she couldn’t believe who was standing in the doorway to her office.
The tall, well-built F1 driver with an arrogant but charming smile, blue really good fitting jeans, a simple blue sweater and sunglasses on, who stood there, in the doorframe like he never left.
Sonny Hayes.
The guy who had turned her world upside down.
“You’re here?” she asked, almost too stunned to speak.
“Yeah, sorry about the call. I was on a plane a few miles above the ground in the air,” Sonny replied with a smirk, taking off his sunglasses.
Despite the utter shock of his sudden appearance and the annoyance earlier, she couldn’t help but smile.
He was here.
In England.
In her office.
Breathing the same air as her.
For a moment, they just stared at each other, allowing themselves to really look at the other one. They had been apart for roughly two weeks, but it had felt like an eternity.
Suddenly, Kate couldn’t hold herself back, and she stood up and almost ran to the other side of the room into his arms.
His arms around her hips, her chin in the crotch of his neck and Kate standing on her tiptoes, so she could reach him.
Exactly the way she remembered.
His scent was heaven.
The light perfume, mixed with the scent of his soft skin and the aftershave he always used, created the perfect version of a comforting, yet strong scent.
And she loved and missed.
So much, she drowned in it and never wanted to get back up to the surface.
Leaning back, her eyes found his instantly.
The cold mysterious blue eyes, with a slight sting of green, that followed her everywhere she went.
The eyes that said more than a thousand words ever could.
The eyes she found comfort in.
“Hey,” she said, this time, her voice soft and welcoming.
“Hey, Gorgeous.”
With the biggest grin on her face, Kate leaned into his body, pressing her soft lips against his.
And just like that, the world stopped.
He pulled her closer, giving her hips a gentle squeeze and returning her initial kiss passionately.
How he had missed the feeling of her skin beneath his fingertips, her soft lips on his, or her long blonde hair tangled between his fingers.
Breaking their kiss, Kate couldn’t hide the ever lasting grin still playing on her face.
“I thought I’ll spend Christmas alone,” she stated.
“You’ll never be alone again, Kate,” Sonny replied with a soft smile, the back of his hand resting on her cheek.
She leaned into his touch, enjoying the simple feeling of his skin against hers.
“You must be tired,” Kate said, more as a fact than a question.
“Just a tiny little bit,” he replied ironically.
Kate could only chuckle at his comment.
“Let me grab my bag and jacket, and we can head back to my cottage,” she said, walking back to her desk and doing just that.
“Please tell me you’re here with a car?” Kate added the question hopefully, putting her jacket on.
The weather had changed dramatically since she had arrived at the office.
Snowflakes were coming down the sky like rain, and together with the thick layer of fog, the streets weren’t quite visible anymore.
“Should I have walked in this weather?”
“I did,” Kate replied with a serious expression.
“Of course you did,” Sonny said. “You do know that you build cars for a living. Doesn’t hurt to drive one once in a while.”
Kate could only roll her eyes. Even if he was right.
But she didn’t like to drive. She loved cars. Sitting in them and driving herself, not so much, though.
“The car is outside,” Sonny said, grinning at her annoyance.
Putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his body, they walked out of her office together.
Their bodies fitting perfectly together.
Two days later, Christmas was around the corner.
Sonny had stayed with Kate in her beautiful cottage somewhere in the English countryside.
From the outside, the house looked old, but inside it had been beautifully renovated with plenty of wood, giving it a cozy feel.
Perfect in the grey winter season.
Sonny woke up a little before nine.
Slowly opening his eyes, the first sight of the day was the beautiful blonde next to him.
Her head on his chest and her legs tangled in his, she lay comfortably in his arms, still sleeping peacefully.
For a while, he didn’t move. He simply took her in.
Every feature of her face, every strand of long blonde hair, every beat of her heart.
Her steady breathing grounding him. Comforting him.
“Good morning, Gorgeous,” he greeted her half an hour later. His morning voice, soft and deep.
Kate opened her eyes, yawning tiredly.
“Good morning,” she replied with a soft smile.
Turning her head towards the window, she observed the weather outside.
The snowstorm outside, not looking like it was going to disappear.
“Luckily, we don’t have to go outside today,” Sonny remarked, letting his fingers draw soft circles on her back.
“Luckily not. Because I’m not sure if I want to leave this bed,” Kate replied, turning back to him.
When their eyes met, it felt like coming home to both of them.
Traveling the world for a living and never really staying somewhere long enough to call home, you start to find comfort and peace in people.
And while Kate had her cottage here in England, Sonny never truly had a place to call home.
Staying at one place had always felt wrong to him. Sitting still, not an option.
He had always thought, home had to be a place you can find on a map.
But what if that wasn’t the case after all?
What if home was supposed to be a person?
If so, he was pretty damn sure, Kate was his to call home.
“I have a question,” Sonny said, looking down at her.
She nodded, an encouraging look in her eyes.
“How is this real?”
The swift look of confusion crossed her face, so Sonny elaborated further.
“You and me.”
“I never stayed at the same place long enough to get attached. I never met someone that I would’ve stayed somewhere for. And for the past two decades, I didn’t think it’ll ever happen. I found peace in my freedom. Traveling the world. Alone and undisturbed.”
He took a moment, thinking about what to say next. Kate waited patiently for him to continue.
“And then you happened.”
“I was back in the US after Abu Dhabi and it didn’t feel the same.
The freedom didn’t feel the same. And for the first time in a long while, I felt the feeling of missing something.”
“Missing you.”
Kate had tears in her eyes. She didn’t know what to say.
The day she had met the F1 driver, she had known he would get through to her. It was inevitable.
But she had also known he wouldn’t stay.
Or, at least, she had thought so.
The wild spirit.
The storm looking for the untamed wind.
That was him.
And now, he was here.
With her.
Because she was the reason for him to feel entirely different. To feel like he wanted to stay.
He came back to her.
“There’s something Richard Bach one said,” Kate whispered, holding Sonny’s gaze.
“If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they’re yours; if they don’t, they never were.
I believe that describes what we have pretty well.”
“It does,” Sonny replied, an honest smile on his lips.
Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his.
Drowning into a passionate kiss, it felt like their body and minds melted into each other, becoming one.
It felt right.
Hours later, they sat in Kate’s living room, drinking a hot chocolate and watching the snowstorm outside.
His arm around her back, she leaned her head against his shoulder and let her knees rest on his thighs.
“I never thought we would end up here,” she told him, breaking the comfortable silence between them.
“I’m happy we did.”
“Me too.”
Later that night, the couple decided to cook.
Well, Sonny cooked and Kate sat on the kitchen island, watching him chop veggies and cook the steaks they had bought at the farmers market yesterday.
“You’re distracting me,” Sonny told her with a grin.
Letting her naked legs dangle down from the counter, wasn’t really helping his concentration.
“I can go,” Kate laughed, ready to jump off the counter and leave.
“You’re staying exactly where you are, Gorgeous.”
Sonny pressed both her hands back on the counter, standing between her legs and kissing her.
“Okay,” Kate whispered when they broke apart, her hands still resting around his neck.
Eating the amazing meal, Sonny had cooked for them, in the light of soft candles on the dining table, was perfect.
Soft smiles, light laughter and conversation, hands or legs brushing against each other and silent glances across the table.
It was peaceful and romantic.
After bringing the dishes to the sink, they made their way into the living room.
The Christmas tree lightning up the room.
Kate had already purchased one, days before Sonny had arrived.
But the green fir had been standing in her living room untouched for almost two weeks.
Together, they decorated it yesterday and had far too much fun doing so.
Now, they sat back in their comfort spot on the couch, looking at the result of their work.
Beige and white baubles matched with soft string lights created the perfect minimalistic decoration.
“Let’s watch a movie,” Kate suggested.
She loved Christmas movies.
When she and her younger sister were little, cuddling up on the comfortable couch with thick blankets and their parents next to them, watching the Grinch had been the highlight of their night.
“Sure, you have an idea?” Sonny asked.
“How about *Love actually*?”
“Sounds good.”
While Kate loved romantic movies, Sonny was more the type of guy who watched thrilling action movies.
For her, he would watch everything, though.
Because how could he say no to those warm green, golden-flacked eyes and beaming smile?
“Before we start, I do have a surprise for you, though,” Sonny stated, getting off the couch and grabbing the letter beneath the tree.
Kate took the letter, looking curious about its contents, while Sonny sat back down next to her.
Taking the paper out of the envelope, she started reading, the curious look in her eyes replaced with pure happiness.
“Are you serious?” she asked, seeing his signature on the bottom.
“I am, Gorgeous. Merry Christmas,” Sonny replied, putting a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
“This is the best Christmas gift ever.”
Hugging him tightly, she let the signed contract fall on the couch next to her.
They would travel the world together for the next two years.
Side by side.