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”George, George. Calm down. Let’s take it from the beginning.”
He has always liked their breakfast dates. Race weekends are intense, but they tend to steal these small bubbles of peace, having a breakfast or a morning jog together. With careful planning they can always find a little slot for each other and their friendship.
But today George had arrived looking like he wouldn’t have slept a wink, wearing yesterday’s shirt, and hair unwashed. Alex didn’t have to really poke before learning what had gone wrong, when his friend was nibbling his croissant.
Alex is so grateful that they are having their breakfast date in his room. This is dynamite, more than top class gossip material for the media, and shouldn’t be discussed in public.
”Last night Kimi was in your room. One thing led to another, and you had sex. You had sex with your virgin 19 year old teammate, who had just had his first win?” He lists the facts slowly, all of them making George flinch.
George is twisting his hands together, his normally pale face uncomfortably grey.
”It sounds so bad worded like that.”
”I didn’t mean it like that. Kimi makes his own decisions. I’m more interested in this morning. You just left. Didn’t leave a note or anything? Did I understand right?”
George had been good to him. Alex knows him and trusts him, but this morning he had woken up, and decided pure panic was the natural course of action next.
”Maybe.”
”George. You can’t. He has to be so anxious right now. You have to go back, apologize, and make it clear what you’d like to have with him. Even if it’s going to be a bad talk, it has to be done.”
”I’m… I have feelings. For him.” Likely the first time, when he has admitted that aloud. To George it probably feels like he would be doing something horribly wrong, already hurting Kimi even with these thoughts.
”Good. Good.”
”I don’t regret it, but maybe it shouldn’t have gone that far yet.” George has hopes in his shining eyes, and Kimi might just respond to those hopes. It wouldn’t be easy, but others have made it work too.
He had walked in on his teammate, and his partner dressed in Ferrari red, both of them giving awkward smiles like Alex would have surprised them burying a body. He keeps their secret.
”It’s not really me you should be talking to about any of this.”
”I know I’m being stupid. I just wanted a push from someone else, I think.”
”Good. You get up and talk to him. Everything else can wait a little.”
”I can’t even have a breakfast first?” He is definitely a little whiny, silly, but people like making George happy, and Alex isn’t really an exception.
”Take croissants, coffee, some fruit. Take them to him. We have plenty.”
”Alright.” George sips his coffee, and some healthier color has returned on his cheekbones.
The next time he sees them together, they are outside the Mercedes hospitality. Kimi is sitting, looking up at George with starry eyes. They seem comfortable, at peace with each other, and Alex is sure they would be okay.