( ACT I. ── Fading Imprints )
chapter two / Experimental Mishaps

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INSTAGRAM.

giselamariaibanez posted a photo !

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giselamariaibanez Semifinalist of the Australian Open my beloved ❤️

tagged: judahpalla03

comments

judahpalla03 Top 22 driver in worldwide single-seater motorsports my beloved ❤️
liked by creator

amnalqubaisi_official Semifinalist and still carrying your bags. A true man.
── giselamariaibanez Don't I know it

user1 My deluluness was truly believing that her and Oscar were going to reconcile 🥲
── user2 In my heart I feel like they will find their way back to each other someday
── user3 You guys are so gd dramatic 😭

user4 Thrilled right down to my toes that we have the first HAB in history

user5 Someone called for the most obvious PR couple of all time and they answered

user6 Girl please just tell us if the Maserati is fast please tell us PLEASE

user7 The age gap is so yikes
─ user8 It's 2 years...?
─ user7 Two and a half. Plus they started dating when he was 19 and she was 22. Y I K E S.
─ user8 This is a bit of a reach pookie

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On the opposite side of the world from the heart of her career, Gisela was preparing for her flight, on her way to finally return. Pre-season testing was set to begin in mere days, and she had done everything she possibly could to prepare herself and the team at the factory. She had been at the Maserati headquarters in Modena for the better part of winter break. Some brief pre-season vacation time gave her an opportunity to visit family in Mexico, and now she was in New York City, preparing to head back across the pond, except not towards her home in London this time, but to Bahrain.

The contract was signed, all the I's dotted and T's crossed, and Gisela was having an unexpectedly easy time dealing with the knowledge that she was about to be subjected to some of the most grueling social drama known to humankind. Everyone had opinions. Gisela wasn't expecting anything less than the worst of them. But it was greeting her with a lot less turbulence than she expected. Maybe brushing things off and getting her head in the game had always been a particular talent of hers.

Suitcase packed, backpack packed, checklist torturously scrutinized, phone charged, et cetera. Gisela was lacing her shoes and nearly through the door when the sound of the shower in the hotel bathroom suddenly cut off, and she winced slightly.

By the time she had put on her jacket, Judah was inclined to make himself known, and appeared in the dimly-lit room half-dressed with a towel thrown around his bare shoulders. Gisela awkwardly pulled the straps of her backpack over her shoulders and watched him pull the thick curtain away from the window, illuminating the room with gray morning light.

"Leaving?" was all he said, with the casual curiosity of an acquaintance.

"Yeah."

"How long will the trip be?"

"Like 20 hours or something."

"Jeez."

Gisela wished she could have had the mind to leave while he was still in the shower. "Yeah, um... so, Judah, I want you to know that this won't happen again."

"Yeah," he agreed simply.

"Like, as far as contractual obligations go, we got a bit ahead of ourselves."

He laughed a little. "I get it, Sela."

When he used her nickname it seemed to make everything so much worse, as if he was actively digging both of them into an even deeper hole without realizing it. Gisela was still trying to figure out where exactly her sensibility ran off to when she decided that it wouldn't be so bad to kiss Judah just the once, just for fun, and why on earth it had adamantly decided to stay away when they were taking each others clothes off in her hotel room. It wasn't as if she was drunk or intoxicated in any way ─ by all means she should have been capable of making the reasonable decision to put a stop to this situation before it even started. Nevertheless, this was where they ended up. Two people who barely even knew each other, ─ who, as far as the world was concerned, were very much in love, ─ ending up in bed together like things weren't already complicated enough.

She reasoned with herself that she was just stressed. After all, the biggest moment in her life was looming ahead of her like a great shadow full of uncertainty.

"I'll talk to you later." Judah came up and cupped her cheek in his gentle calloused hand and kissed her brow in a way that made her feel like he definitely didn't get it. "Or if not, I'll see you at the race."

"Yeah." Gisela stepped back and nodded, not meeting his eyes.

A problem to address at a later date.

"Do you need help with your bags?"

"No, I have them. Thanks." She grabbed the handle of her suitcase. The burning awkwardness made every word feel hot and uncomfortable. "Do you want me to leave the key card?"

"Nah. I'll get out of here as soon as I get dressed and, uh, figure out how to cover the bite mark." Judah said it with a completely straight face. Gisela stared up at him painfully, and he was unable to hold back his grin. "It's fine. Go on, don't miss your flight."

She didn't need to be told twice. "Bye."

"See you at the race."

She was out of that room as soon as she was able, dragging her suitcase on its tiny wheels behind her, down the endless hallway.

The ordeal with Judah Palladino had all started because her manager thought it might be good for her image. Apparently, the constant reminiscing from fans about her former relationship had started getting out of hand, and he put the bright idea into her head that she should get a contractual relationship if she was, quote unquote, "struggling to get a real one." Which, first of all: rude. Second of all: he was mostly right, at least about the fact that it would do positive things for her reception. For every other aspect of her life, however... things were just getting more and more complicated.

Her former relationship was, as the title implied, a thing of the past. It had been her first relationship, it had been serious, it lasted years, but, ultimately, it had ended. Gisela chose not to dwell on it.

The fact that she would more than likely be face to face with the boy himself in less than 48 hours... well, it was something that she had decided to ignore. Maybe it had built up over time and she hadn't realized it. Maybe that's why she slept with Judah, to convince herself that she wasn't trapped by the memory of Oscar Piastri. Maybe she was in denial.

Either way, she still had several hours until she had to face it.

So she chose not to look.

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( note )
what am i even out here being messy for idk