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Last minute, impromptu plans were somewhat thrilling if only they went well throughout, buy also depending on who you ask. If you ask George Russell, he’d say 50-50. He didn’t mind making the last minute plans himself and only involve just. He would very much mind if it went sideways, especially if other parties were involved. Still, all in all, the thrill of it was something he kind of enjoyed.
Today, he woke up with the urge to explore new things in the country. He admitted, as he was pushing 30 (he’s 27 and that’s far anymore), he hadn’t been lucky enough to have the opportunity to explore Asia. The only times he’d visit were strictly for races, Shanghai and Suzuka. He never had the time to stay back and explore because his flights would always be right after the race or only a few hours afterwards, so he didn’t stress himself about it much. Every time the thought came up, he’d excuse himself by saying, “There’s always next time.” Though, this morning, that impulsiveness left no room for him to decline.
Even though hours passed with the race preparations, the race itself, then post-race interviews, and team debriefings, that single impulsive thought had still latched on his brain with a vice grip. By the end of the day, after he cleaned himself and was leaving his motorhome at around 7 PM, he felt restless. He didn’t feel like heading back to his hotel room just yet. Coincidentally, his flight wasn’t until tomorrow afternoon. He was still pumped up after the race.
And hey, he wouldn’t mind self-rewarding himself this way. If this thing goes great, then bonus points for me.
George adjusted his earphones and zipped up his jacket halfway because of the chilly wind, and hummed at the background music he had put on. His phone was in hand with several tabs opened in Safari of tourists spots in Nagoya, the nearest city he was intrigued to check out. He was absolutely committed, he realised after looking up the places, so he figured he shouldn’t hesitate anymore.
He heard footsteps passing by him. He glanced up just in time to catch Lewis. “Safe flight, mate,” he said, lifting a hand.
Lewis flashed him a grin in return. “Don’t get into trouble.”
George hoped so, as he looked back down at his phone showing the train ride from Suzuka to Nagoya. “Two hours ride… hm.” He figured he could use the time to rest, then. He was just about to pocket his phone when he rounded the corner past the Ferrari motorhome and promptly collided with someone solid.
“Oh— shit, sorry—” He stumbled half a step back and pulled one earphone free as he looked up.
“George.” Carlos, who seemed just as freshly changed, broke into a small grin. “Sorry, I didn’t see you.“
George shook his head and lifted his hands. “It’s fine, we’re good. I was looking at my phone too and didn’t see where I was going.” He waved his phone at him and noticed Carlos looking at his screen with a raised eyebrow.
“Going somewhere after this?”
He glanced back at the train ride website he had on, “Uh, probably. I… don’t know yet.”
Carlos looked even more curious. “Oh?”
“It’s not planned well yet but I was thinking of going somewhere after this. Maybe see something in the city… For once. You know…” George explained, half-embarrassed at the lack of confidence in himself all of a sudden.
Carlos’s eyebrows lifted. “Sounds like fun. Where are you heading?”
“Um, Nagoya.”
“Oh, nice. What’s in Nagoya?”
“Uh… According to my impulse research…” George stumbled himself to go back to the seven opened tabs of tourist spots and foods he could maybe include in his list of things to try. He didn’t expect Carlos to want to know about it. Why is the guy looking like me like that, anyway? After skimming through his findings, he answered, “There is the Nagoya Castle, Higashiyama Sky Tower, historic Japanese pubs, and Atsuta-Jingu Shrine.” He hoped he didn’t botch that pronunciation (sorry, Yuki). He glanced up from his phone at Carlos’s face, who looked like an intrigued, adorable dog.
“That’s… a lot for a random Sunday evening.”
“Okay— I didn’t say I was going to do all of it. I just like having options.” He flicked his phone screen off, suddenly self-conscious about how earnest he sounded. “Honestly, I might just walk around and eat something.”
Carlos nodded while waving back at Charles who passed by with Max following too close beside him, “I see, I see.”
George waved at them as well. The paddock seemed even more empty at this point.
“And you’re going alone?”
“I—“ He dropped his hand and paused. Huh. He didn’t get to that part yet. Well, he totally skipped the most important part of this plan. Going alone didn’t sound half bad. It’s not like he could just ring up anyone for this last-minute impulsive plan to explore the city, he disliked troubling people, he established that. “Well… That was the idea. Unless I chicken out and go back to the hotel.” Maybe he should slow down and think more thoroughly before anything. Carlos was still looking at him in curiosity, head tilted to the side. Stop looking.
“Chicken out? You?”
He chuckled nervously, “Hey, I’m capable of it.” He realised too late that the thought of exploring a city as a foreigner was a bad idea… He could barely speak a word of Japanese besides ‘thank you’ and ‘hello’. That’s only two words.
“My flight’s not until tomorrow evening,” Carlos added casually like an afterthought. George blinked at the information.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Ferrari booked it late because of the off-week,” Carlos shrugged. “I was planning to get dinner somewhere near the hotel. There’s this fine-dining sushi restaurant nearby that I got recommended by a fan. But, eh, there’s always next year.”
There was a heavy silence following that. George was busy having second thoughts at the moment that he didn’t realise they stopped talking completely. Also, a new idea lit up in his head that he couldn’t shake it off because of the impulsiveness in him. And since Carlos mentioned about his flight… “This sounds a bit random but… do you wanna, maybe, tag along?”
Carlos’s face after being asked that question froze for exactly three seconds. Yes, George counted. It wasn’t the look he was expecting. He hoped for a quick ‘no’ would come out of the Spaniard’s mouth so he could gladly go on about his evening, return to his hotel and file away this impulsive plan for next month or year or forget about it entirely. They weren’t close enough to spend an evening together like this. “I mean— No pressure, mate. I just thought… well, I mentioned going, and you mentioned food, and—” He trailed off helplessly. “…It sounded less stupid in my head.”
Though, when a smile broke out of Carlos’s face, George kind of, sort of, regretted asking. “I’d love to.”
“I can still bail if you think I’m unbearable.”
“That remains to be seen.” Carlos said, deadpan, then smiled to take the edge off — which, an effort, George guessed.
So…
They ended up going with his car instead because public transportation in Japan was a bit complicated for both of them to figure out. There were high chances for them to take the wrong train, according to Yuki who was kind enough to give his suggestion. And being crowded by fans wasn’t impossible — everyone was still heading back from the circuit to home by train. George drove, with Carlos as the shotgun, for almost two hours because of the traffic. That was two hours of Carlos sitting in silence as a playlist of good old, classic Taylor Swift hits playing from the radio speaker.
“…Are we in a rush?” Carlos asked out of nowhere at some time after they entered the city. “I mean, you drive so fast.”
George pulled to a stop at the red light, then cringed inwardly. “Sorry… it’s— uh, habit.” Oh, my God…
Luckily, they both arrived at the first destination in one piece: a Japanese pub called izakaya.
“Looks promising to me,” Carlos murmured first, pointing toward the signboard.
“I’m glad you said that,” George unlocked the door after turning off the engine. “Yuki suggested the place. He said the… wait, I looked it up seconds ago— yakitori, here is good.”
The inside was very cozy and lovely with wooden beams overhead. It wasn’t crowded, fortunately for them. The staff greeted them politely as they led them to a small counter near the back. They got on the stools and were given the menu before being left alone. George looked down with his phone ready to translate the menu. “Alright, I think I’ve got it. We’ll get a mix of chicken, beef, vegetables, a few of the pickled stuff, and some rice balls maybe?”
Carlos nodded. “Fine by me. Should we try sake together?”
“Maybe only a little. I did drive here.” George raised his hand to gesture toward the staff, then. Ordering was a process including various hand gestures and nervous smiles, but he prevailed. He felt Carlos’s amused stare at him from the corner of his eyes. That embarrassed him only a little bit… He shook his head to get rid of the heat on his cheeks and diverted the moment with,
“Wow. We’re really committed now, huh?” He tugged lightly at the sleeve of his jacket, feeling a strange mix of nerves and excitement.
Carlos grinned, “I think tonight’s going to be great. I already looked at photos of the castle you mentioned and can’t wait to check it out.” He nudged his phone at him to show his Google search. George couldn’t help but smile back in equal excitement.
The staff returned with a small ceramic flask of sake and two delicate cups. They accepted their cup with a careful bow.“Here’s to impromptu plans like tonight.” Carlos said. They clinked the ceramics together.
The chicken yakitoris— skewers, arrived first. They were glazed and still only faintly sizzling on the plate. It smelled sweet and smoky at the same time, it was fascinating. “Oh, that smells—” George already reached for one at the exact same time Carlos did too, causing both of them to pull their hands away quickly in surprise. “Sorry, go ahead.”
“No, no. You go first.” Carlos nudged the plate closer to him, “Driver’s privilege.”
George snorted, before slipping out a laugh. “Don’t know why that matters when I nearly got you killed on the highway.” He took a bite and instantly, he widened his eyes and hummed in content. “It’s so good!” He didn’t realise later he was gushing for Carlos to try but he was glad he earned the same reaction as his.
When the rest of their food arrived, he felt giddy as hell like a kid. “Hold on, pictures,” Carlos angled his phone over, so George had to hold himself patiently. “There. I might post it on my story. Gonna tag you too if you don’t mind.”
“Yeah, go on,” George grinned, waving his hand as his eyes scanned the skewers in front of him. “As long as you don’t tag me with something embarrassing later on.” He glanced over to see a not-so-convincing look from the other driver. “Carlos.” He warned.
“I’m joking— mostly,” Carlos put away his phone and they began eating.
Overall, the skewers were amazing. They both mostly ate in silence, but thank goodness it wasn’t awkward. George had a good time despite not being used to Carlos’s company. The initial oh my God, I just invited Carlos Sainz to a last minute night out in a foreign city feeling was long gone now. In the middle of eating, he wanted to take a random candid picture just for him to look back in the future — good experiences deserved good pictures.
What came out looked way too soft than he expected… Carlos was leaning forward over the plates to pick which one to eat next and his dark hair fell loose around his face, plus the overhead lights caught in it: all this made it look aesthetically perfect. George internally scoffed. Damn him and his goddamn hair.
The next destination on George’s list was the Nagoya Castle.
He scrolled back to the tabs he’d opened earlier and showed it to Carlos as they exited the pub with a full stomach. “Apparently there’s a spring festival going on because it’s the cherry blossoms season.” His view of his phone screen disappeared when Carlos’s leaned in to look. Not that he minded… except that his earlier’s thought about the guy’s hair resurfaced and— oh, that’s a good cologne scent.
Where was he? “Let’s just hope it’s not as crowded as Google says, though…” He cleared his throat and plastered on a smile to mask his nervousness.
The sake didn’t kick in yet, so George trusted himself to drive the short distance toward the castle. It was colder out that made him glad he’d zipped his jacket up earlier. Upon arriving, the first thing he paid attention to was the lanterns strung along the pathways and the cherry trees from below. Few families were strolling slowly and too many couples taking pictures near the trees. Not that crowded, lucky for them.
Carlos let out a low whistle first. “This was a good call.”
George was pleased despite himself. They walked through the entrance together until the castle rose ahead of them. He stared up at the white walls in awe. “Yeah, definitely a good call.”
They wandered without much of a plan. Carlos kept stopping to point at the blossom petals falling around them when the wind blew and saying how everything’s so magical. And then he proceeded to point other things out, George lost track of it. At one point, a cluster of petals landed in George’s hair, and Carlos reached out to brush them away. “Hold still.”
George froze anyway. His heart was doing something unhelpful in his chest for a second. “Am I good?”
“Yep.” Carlos turned around, distracted at a kid who bumped his leg on accident.
The deeper they went into the castle grounds, the quieter it became. Until it was just them and a few people nearby. It was getting a bit late, hence the lack of crowd at this point. The privacy allowed George to focus on appreciating the place more. He lifted his phone and began taking pictures.
First it was the castle again, different angle this time, framed by a row of sakura trees. Then the lantern-lined path stretching ahead of them. Somewhere during his attempt to take one of the tree, he snapped right when Carlos unknowingly walked into frame.
“Oh, come on.” He muttered to himself as he eyed the result: Carlos’s head tilting up while the petals collect in his hair and on his shoulders. “He didn’t even have to try…”
He stared at the photo for a second too long. Absolutely not. He locked his phone and shoved it into his pocket.
They continued on, stopping whenever something caught their eye. Like a small bridge arching over the moat. George took a picture there too. The reflections look pretty with the petals floating on the surface. And, annoyingly, another one where Carlos leaned against the railing.
George groaned quietly to himself. “This is getting stupid.”
“What is?” Carlos asked, looking up.
“Nothing.” George waved it off, already walking ahead. “I accidentally took too many of your good pictures.”
Carlos grinned widely, teasing. “Is that my fault?”
George only rolled his eyes at him. Damn the guy.
They slowed near an open stretch of the path. Another spot where the castle stood high in the background. He stopped again, angling his phone upward for another picture. Before he could take the shot, Carlos moved beside him.
“Hey. Let me get one of you.”
The offer made him pause. “What?”
Carlos already had his phone out and angled at him. “Come on, just one.”
George sighed, then stood still. He felt awkward all of a sudden despite it being just a photo. “You’re going to make this weird.”
“There’s absolutely nothing weird about this, mate. I promise to make it extremely normal.”
He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. His shoulders tensed up. “This feels like prom,” he muttered aloud.
Carlos huffed. “Relax. You look good there.”
George looked away quickly with warmed cheeks. Was this the two cups of sake taking effect? “Thanks. That’s— very helpful.” Jesus… He tried to school his expression into something neutral, but he was acutely aware of Carlos watching him.
The shutter clicked. Then again.
“Hey,” he protested, turning back. “You said one.” Then, he walked over, immediately reaching for the screen. “Let me see.” But the phone was angled away and out of his reach.
“Nope.”
“Carlos.”
“You’ll survive,” Carlos sad with a quiet laugh. “They’re good, I promise!”
George narrowed his eyes down at him. “You’re not posting it.”
Carlos raised both hands in surrender. “It’s for me. Consider it memory keeping.”
“Thats even more suspicious!”
“What? I’m allowed to keep memories.”
“Of me?” George pressed, arching a brow as they started walking again, gravel crunching softly beneath their shoes.
“Of tonight,” Carlos corrected him easily. “You just happen to be in it.”
George huffed. Very smooth.
“I wasn’t trying to be smooth, George. Don’t overthink it.” Carlos bumped his shoulder lightly and added too casually, “We should do this more often, eh? Shanghai’s next. Maybe there’s something cool we can check out after the race.”
“Woah, okay, slow down there,“ George laughed at the idea. “Are you seriously planning our second night out already?” The words surprised him as soon as they left his mouth.
Fortunately, Carlos spared him from the tease. He just smiled and gestured ahead. “Why not? Come on. There’s supposed to be a view from the other side. You’d hate to miss it.”
George followed after with his heart beating a little faster than it had all evening. It’s the sake. It is.
After few more photos here and there, they got carried away without noticing it was just the two of them inside. The security had to urge them to leave, pointing at the exit few times. George and Carlos bowed politely before hurrying over as they were told. He reached into his pocket for his keys when a thought hit him all at once. He stopped mid-step.
“…Wait.”
Carlos glanced over, raising his brow in concern. “What is it?”
George frowned slightly, replaying the evening in his head. “I don’t think I’m allowed to drive.”
“…Ah.”
There was a beat of silence as they both did the same mental math. He let out a low groan and tipped his head back. “Shit.”
Carlos, on the other hand, looked almost amused. “How much did you have?”
“Like, two cups, I think…” George ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. “I completely forgot. What an idiot.”
“Oh, I only had a sip. Didn’t like it much.“ Carlos told him.
And the relief washed over him so strongly he nearly laughed again. He closed his eyes to offer a silent thank-you to whatever higher power was responsible for this outcome. “Good,” he said, opening his eyes and holding out his keys. “Guess you’re driving.”
Carlos was, arguably, a much safer driver than he was. It wasn’t a competition at all, George had to remind himself. He was more surprised how well he could handle driving a Mercedes. Hopefully, nobody saw and could report it on the tabloids. Imagine a Ferrari driver driving a Mercedes — Fred might be fuming, or laughing, or whatever that old man was feeling these days.
George, meanwhile, had his phone out again because curse himself, he couldn’t fall asleep after half an hour into the silent drive. He ended up opening Instagram, thinking of posting something. But he stopped after noticing the trend in his pictures he took earlier.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
He swiped through the photos. Lantern-lit paths. Cherry blossoms glowing pink under floodlights. Plates of yakitori. And then Carlos. Carlos under the trees. Carlos against the castle walls. Carlos at the bridge.
“Oh my God. Why are you in all of my photos?”
Carlos laughed out loud, clearly pleased. “Excuse me? You’re the one taking them.”
George groaned and let his head fall back against the seat. “This is ridiculous. I look like I came here with my boyfriend.”
“Do I get a say in this accusation?”
“No,” he said immediately, then reconsidered. “Actually— still no.”
“If you’re posting one, I doubt anyone would care, George. I won’t.” Carlos said gently.
“…I shouldn’t,” George replied after some time of thinking. “I don’t trust drunk-me with social media.”
“You’re barely drunk.”
“Tipsy-me, then. Even worse.”
“Right. Tipsy-you just called me your boyfriend. That’s enough indication, I think.”
He choked on absolutely nothing. Did he really said that? Heat was rushing straight up his neck. He turned his head toward the driver. “That’s— that’s not what I said..? I meant it in a hypothetical sense. Do you want to see what you look like in the photos?”
“Mhm, sure—“
“I can show you, but you’re driving my car.”
“You’re cute when you’re flustered.”
That did it. His brain short-circuited for a good three seconds.
“I am not—” He stopped, pressed his lips together, then tried again. “Jesus Christ. This is the sake’s fault. I knew I shouldn’t have had more than one cup.” Carlos’s soft laughters didn’t help his predicament at the moment.
“Relax, I’m just playing with you,” Carlos added, still amused. “You’re fine, George. You’re just looser than usual.”
“That’s even worse… I’m normally a little more composed.” George sunk a little deeper into the passenger seat and tried to convince himself. But all he could feel was embarrassment engulfing itself around him. He sighed. And… the need to explain himself. “For the record, I didn’t call you my boyfriend.”
“Alright.”
“I said it looked like I had one.“
“Mhm.” Carlos chuckled, “Look, mate. Everything aside, I’m glad you asked me to tag along. I really enjoyed the evening, honestly.”
George swallowed when the warmth in his chest faded a bit and stared out the windshield for a moment. He guessed it wasn’t that bad. Carlos’s company was… alright. “…Yeah, me too.” It felt oddly vulnerable to admit it out loud. He hadn’t realised how much he’d needed an evening that wasn’t dictated by schedules or cameras or performance reviews until he was already here, tipsy and tired and content, riding shotgun through a city he’d never properly seen before. “I was worried it’d be awkward, you know?”
Carlos snorted. “You walked into me, invited me out of nowhere, and then took candid photos of me. We passed awkward about three hours ago.”
George groaned at him. “I’m deleting those.”
“Please, don’t. I haven’t seen them yet. It would be unfair.”
“No promises…” After a long while of silence, George spoke again. “Thanks for driving, Carlos.”
“Anytime, George. Go to sleep if you want.”
“Can I trust you with my car?”
“Now you ask? You handed me your keys earlier.”
“I’m serious,” he added, fluttering his eyes close. “She’s precious.”
“Go to sleep, mate. I’ve got you.”