monza, italy

Evita sat at her desk, reading through the media day schedule on her computer one more time. She elected to get to the track early so she could mentally prepare herself for Franco's arrival. He would be arriving sometime within the next hour, so she had plenty of time to get situated.

Getting situated involved pacing the entire length of the paddock twice over, brushing her hair and fixing her makeup in the bathroom at least five times, and using almost half a bottle of hand sanitizer. It was safe to say, Evita was nervous. What if Franco saw her and decided he hated her? Even worse, what if he didn't hate her?

"Jesus Christ, you're stressing me out," said Alex, the other driver for the Williams team. "What's gotten into you?"

Evita shrugged. "Just nervous, that's all."

"It'll be fine," said Alex. "You've done this all before, you're going to kill it. You're fantastic at your job, considering your experience."

"I know, but it's a lot of pressure," said Evita.

"You'll be great, Evita," said Alex. "Could you just please stop pacing?"

Evita didn't have the heart to tell him that she was not currently pacing, instead sitting at her desk, but she knew her habits were a bit neurotic. She placed her travel hand sanitizer in the top drawer of her desk. Out of sight, out of mind.

Evita checked the schedule one last time. Franco would arrive for a garage tour, then she would escort him to the media center for his first press conference as a Formula One driver. After that, there would be separate one-on-one interviews and team media activities.

Since this was the first day of working with Franco, Evita would take the day to scope things out. She would use her time to figure out what her driver's personality was like, in order to learn how best to manage him and his media presence. If there were any problem areas, she would be able to figure out how best to go about fixing them.

Evita's phone dinged, letting her know she had received a text. It was from Ezra, one of the Williams hospitality interns.

1. Septiembre 2024 10:28

Ezra McKinney
Franco's here. I'm giving him a tour right now, then you can take him to the media pen :)

Evita Desabato
text me when you're done, i can meet you outside the motorhome

Ezra McKinney
Perf!

About an hour later, Ezra texted Evita back, letting her know it was time to "meet" Franco. She slowly got up, checking her makeup once more in her phone camera, and squeezing a final drop of hand sanitizer into an open palm.

When she left the motorhome, Evita spotted the two young men immediately, both sporting Williams polo shirts and jeans.

"There she is," said Ezra when he laid eyes on the brunette girl. "Franco, this is-"

"Evita!" said Franco happily when he recognized her.

Evita crossed her arms, trying to hide her distaste for her former boyfriend. Franco opened his arms for a hug, stepping closer to Evita.

"Franco," she said shortly, holding out a hand for him to shake.

Franco's face fell, his arms dropping back to his sides. He took her hand, squeezing it gently. The two stared at each other, Evita's face a mask of ice, Franco's one of confusion and sadness.

"I'm, uh, I'm gonna go," said Ezra awkwardly. He disappeared into the motorhome, leaving Evita and Franco alone. There went Evita's safety net. Now there was nothing saving her from interacting with Franco.

"How are you here?" asked Franco. He spoke in Spanish, their native tongue. "I thought you wanted to study art."

"Things change, Franco. People change," said Evita. "Now come on."

She walked ahead of him, weaving through the crowds of workers and guests. Part of her hoped he would get lost behind her, but that would probably reflect poorly on her. So she looked over her shoulder every once in a while to make sure he was able to catch up.

"What happened to you?" asked Franco. "I thought you'd be excited to see me."

"You know, not everyone is obsessed with you, Franco," spat Evita, stopping for a brief moment to speak to him directly.

"Evita-"

The girl spun on her heel and kept walking, leaving Franco to hurry after her like a dog on a leash.

...

an: thank you so much for 1k reads already! you guys are so sexy and cool for that, much love! (also, you should check out my indycar fic, there are multiple ocs and it's a vibe) -willow <3