Chapter 4

“NATE!” Amelia screamed and frantically waved her arms. “I made it!”

She ran towards him and wrapped him in a tight hug.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Nate growled. He wanted to push her off immediately, but something inside of him made him hesitate. Her hair smelled like Lilies, and he could feel her warmth spreading through his body, which felt comforting. He found himself placing his hand on her back and gently stroking it.

“You can let go now, you crazy woman,” he said after few seconds.

She let go of him right away, and he suddenly missed her warmth. “Oh my god, look at you! You look so sexy with your tracksuit,” she grinned and gave him the flirty eyes.

“Yeah, thanks, whatever,” he said, trying to hide that he was flattered by her compliment.

“Where can I sit to watch?” Amelia asked.

“Over there where the chairs are, by the track. You can move farther up if it is too close and loud,” he replied, pointing at the seats that were reserved for the friends and families of the drivers.

“Great! I will be cheering you on. I know you can win,” she said quietly.

“Thanks,” Nate said. He couldn’t help but feel a little happy that she came. Even though he convinced himself that he couldn’t stand her, he was still comforted by the fact that she was here to support him. No one other than his nanny ever cared enough to support him at anything, not even his parents.

“I guess I’ll go now. It’s almost time,” he said.

“Wait!” she grabbed his arm, so he stopped. She stood on her tiptoes, then planted a soft kiss on his cheek, which sent a shiver down his spine. His eyes widened in shock.

“For good luck,” she whispered.

He couldn’t say anything and just walked away. Her lips felt soft and warm. His insides twisted in knots, and his heart started to beat faster. What the hell is happening to him? It was only a peck on the cheek. He tried to shake it off of his head. He needed to focus.

The race began. Nate tightly gripped the steering wheel, ready to go. The engine purred, then revving. The track girl dropped the flag, and he flew. There were still three cars in front of him, but that didn’t discourage him. He was determined to win this no matter what. His car hugged every turn, and pretty soon, he passed the two cars in front of him, putting him in second place. It was getting close, so he pressed the accelerator hard, which made his skin feel like it was tugged backward by the g-force. He kept going, not looking back, and pretty soon, he left the last car behind. He went past the finish line and exhaled. He won, he actually won! The adrenaline started to wear off, and he felt exhausted.

After everyone was done, people at the track started to congratulate him and cheered for his victory. He felt great. He scanned the crowd to see where Amelia was and spotted her running towards him.

“You won! Oh my god, that was so much fun!” she chirped. She hugged him again, and this time he didn’t mind so much.

“You were so great. I am so proud of you,” she said.

Nate smiled at her. “Of course, I won. You are looking at the best driver in town.”

Amelia stared at him with wide eyes. Her expression was unreadable.

“What is it?” he asked.

“You smiled at me. I never knew you had such a great smile,” she said quietly.

Nate rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well…don’t get used to it,” he said and smiled again.

“We should celebrate!” Amelia said excitedly.

“Um…no, I am exhausted. I am going home,” Nate said, dismissing her.

“Who said we would have to go anywhere else? We can go to your house and celebrate maybe?” she suggested.

Nate thought about it for a minute. That didn’t sound like such a bad idea. He was starting to tolerate her a little more, and she seemed less annoying, so he didn’t mind her company for a little longer.

“Yeah, okay, that’s fine, I guess,” he said.

***

Her jaw dropped as she saw the size of the house. “Whew! This house looks like something out of a movie screen. It’s so big! What do your parents do again?” Amelia asked.

“Business,” was all he said.

“It must be a hell of a business to afford something like this,” she commented. Nate didn’t say anything. He didn’t like bringing people into his home because it made them uncomfortable. His house was cold and lifeless, not like everyone else’s home.

He led her to the kitchen, and she sat on the high stool by the breakfast table. He took out a bottle of wine and set it on the table.

“We can celebrate with this,” he declared.

Amelia gave the bottle a questioning look. “Are you sure that’s okay? We are not legally supposed to drink, and wouldn’t your parents realize there is a missing bottle?” she asked.

“Nope, my mom…she isn’t here. And my dad doesn’t keep track of his alcohol,” he said and started to open the bottle.

“Oh, okay then…” Amelia decided not to argue with him more. She was just glad that Nate agreed to spend more time with her. Maybe he will finally open up to her more and accept her as a friend, if nothing more.

He poured some wine in two glasses and sat down in front of her.

“To winning races,” Amelia held up the glass and said.

“To winning races,” Nate repeated and took a sip of his wine.

Amelia did the same and spit it out immediately. Her face twisted in disgust. “Ugh….this tastes like shit! Why do people like this?” she yelled and gulped down some water.

Nate looked at her for a second then burst into laughter. He stopped laughing when he saw her watch him intently.

“Look at us laughing together. See? I told you we would be great friends!” she squealed.

“I was laughing at you, not with you.” he pointed out.

“Eh…it doesn’t matter. The point is, you like me now.” Amelia smirked.

“I definitely do not. This was just temporary. I am mainly tolerating you now because I am in a good mood for winning the race,” Nate said.

“Why are you so standoffish with me? Hell, with people in general? Who hurt you? You can tell me.” Amelia asked. Her eyes bored into his. As if she was trying to read his mind.

“No one, stop trying to act like my therapist. I don’t have to tell you anything,” Nate said.

“Okay, I need to pee. Where is your restroom?” she asked.

“Upstairs to your right,” he said.

She went upstairs and turned right. She passed a couple of rooms but stopped when she saw the ‘keep out’ signs on one of the doors. This must be Nate’s room, she thought. Her desire to go in and take a peek was overwhelming. She knew it was wrong and it was too dangerous as he was downstairs, but she couldn’t stop herself. Pretty soon, she was inside.

His room was huge. It had posters of cars all over the wall. He sure loves cars, she thought. A picture on his desk caught her eyes, and she picked it up. His arms were wrapped around a girl’s shoulder. She had a head full of dark curly hair, and her eyes were strikingly green. She was gorgeous. A girlfriend? Amelia thought to herself.

“What the fuck are you doing?” A voice spoke behind her, and she almost dropped the frame.