Jump Start

13. Thirteen

Thirteen

Harper

“ R eady, Allenwright?” Thomas asked as he monitored his reverse camera, backing out of the Echidna Racing parking lot.

I nodded. “Sure, why not? It’s every girl’s dream to go to a racing weekend, is it not?”

That earned me a scoff from the driver’s seat.

We were headed to Sydney Motorsport Park, for a sprint race that had the potential to earn Thomas significant points in the championship, should he find himself in the top five. Thomas and his team had been prepping for weeks leading up to it; testing the cars, reworking the engine, and strategising. I was always so impressed by the sheer professionalism and teamwork required for a race team. I know ‘team’ is in the word; however, seeing it in person was a whole other story. After a short drive from the Echidna headquarters, we arrived at the racing precinct. For the duration of the weekend, we would be staying in accommodation provided by the team. Thomas was slightly annoyed he couldn’t just drive home; however, Chris made a compelling point on why he would need to stay.

“Mate, you’ll be wrecked after quali and practise. You’re not going to want to drive home.”

** *

We arrived late Friday evening. Saturday would be filled with practice, qualifying, and race meetings, and, of course, the race on Sunday. Thomas had filled me in on what to expect for the weekend, but I was grateful that I had Holly to hang out with since Thomas would not be around much.

I sat down on the bed provided in the luxurious trailer we had been given.

“I’m exhausted already,” I said with a yawn.

Thomas stood next to the bed, placing our bags on the floor. “I don’t see how. You haven’t done a thing.”

I poked my tongue out at him, grabbed his hand and pulled him down onto the bed, pinning him underneath me.

“I’m glad you’re here, I’m just sorry that we won’t get to spend a lot of time together,” he said, rubbing his hands up and down my back while effectively releasing me from my bra, and then my top. I shook both off, the cool air conditioning raising goosebumps on my skin.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” I leant down and kissed him as his hands wandered slowly over my body.

“I know you’re fine. Just look at you, Harper.”

His voice vibrated against my neck as I struggled with the waistband of his pants.

“So impatient tonight,” he spoke low, looking down his body at me.

“Shhh,” I whispered as I bent down, taking him in my mouth.

** *

The next morning started with the abrupt and shrill sound of Thomas’s alarm.

“For the love of…” I grumbled as I tried to pry my eyes open. Turning the bedside lamp on, I noticed that he was already up and dressed well before his alarm.

“You’re ready?” I questioned as I sat up in the bed, aware that my hair would be poofy and sticking out in various directions.

He smirked and leant down to kiss me. “Yep, pre-race briefing and press to do. Come down to the garage when you can. Just remember, there’s film crews in and out all day so be prepared.”

I lay back down for a few moments, head-first into the pillows, and groaned. Even though I worked in the media world, having to contend with the other side was something I had yet to get used to. I heard a light thump on the bedside table next to my head and stretched my eyes open again.

“For when you get up.” Thomas smiled at me and pointed to a cup of coffee on the bedside table. “Made with high-quality instant beans. Should do until you get downstairs.” His smile and sweet little gesture warmed my heart.

“Thank you,” I replied as I sat up in bed to meet him for another kiss. I placed my hand on his bicep, his fire-resistant racing shirt felt smooth under my hand.

“Anytime.” He smiled as he reluctantly left the bed and headed towards the door.

“Alright, well good luck then, see you when I’m looking at you.” I blew another kiss his way as he nodded and left the room. I lay down again and contemplated going back to sleep but decided to sip my coffee and check in with the news instead.

I smiled to myself; I couldn’t quite believe I was here. With Thomas. I was feeling grateful for the change, something new and exciting.

***

A few hours later, I made my way down to the Echidna Racing garage, with my team pass lanyard dangling around my neck. I smiled to myself as I walked through the paddock. Never in a million years would I have considered myself a race fan but here I was after a few short months. My world had been turned upside down.

I reached the entry to find hordes of fans blocking the gate. I edged my way through but struggled to get where I needed, until Chris caught my eye and ushered me in. “Allenwright, wonderful to see you!” He kissed me on the cheek and led me to a table towards the back wall.

“Have a seat here if you like, I’ll get you a headset so you can hear Thomas on the radio.”

I sat down and rested my sunglasses on my head, aware of the gazes of a few younger female fans trying to work out why I had been let in by the team owner.

Holly was there, working her magic on social media, and I knew Will would be around somewhere. Thomas’s whereabouts were still up for debate. Perhaps he was in the briefing room. For someone with little to no experience or interest in motorsport, I was certainly beginning to find the whole experience quite thrilling. From the loud engine noises to the crowds of people yelling out at their favourite driver, wheel nuts being frantically taken off with a speed socket (yes, I knew what that was now), and the thumping background music of the garage next door. The cacophony of noises shook the walls of the Echidna Racing garage, making it all feel dramatic and exciting. I felt part of something much louder and larger than myself.

My sudden appreciation of motorsport was rudely interrupted by a man in a purple race suit holding a helmet on his hip.

“Don’t look so happy to be here, Harps.” Thomas’s dry voice snapped me out of my daydream, and I sat up straight on the stool and frowned at him.

“Who said I wasn’t happy to be here?”

“Your face did.” His retort was quick and sarcastic.

Outwardly, Thomas seemed calm, but I knew he would be nervous. This weekend’s race would be essential for keeping him in contention for top three in the championship, so the pressure was on. It was nothing he couldn’t handle, though.

I put my hand out for him to grab and jumped off the stool. “Aren’t you supposed to be driving a car or something?” I asked as he slid the helmet over his face.

“No, I just wear this shit for fun.” Lifting his visor so I could see only his eyes and eyebrows, he winked at me and leant to my level. I gave him a quick kiss on his helmet where I estimated his mouth to be.

Tony signalled for Thomas to get ready, and he went to stand by his car where a sports reporter was waiting for him. I’d hoped, since being with me, that his opinion on the media would soften slightly, but his body language towards the journalist suggested otherwise. I rolled my eyes and returned to the stool I was sitting on. As the drivers made their way to the grid, the hordes of people with VIP passes littered the rows of cars trying to get glimpses of their favourite driver. I hadn’t been a part of a grid lineup before, so I hovered behind Chris as he oversaw the Echidna team.

“Keep near me, Allenwright, or you’ll get a camera in your face.” Not doing as I was told, I spotted Thomas’s car a few metres away, snuck over to the driver’s side, and stuck my head in the cockpit.

“Got a moment for a few questions from your favourite journalist?”

He snorted as he took a sip of water through a straw in his helmet. “Jump in, honey. I’ll give you the ride of your life.”

I bit my lip. “You already did that last night.”

I could see his face going red under his helmet.

“Well good luck and all that, I suppose,” I muttered under my breath. He grabbed my hand and briefly placed it on his heart, which was beating steady. In these conditions? I had no idea how.

I planted another kiss on the side of his helmet, then stood back to let his engineers secure him properly into the car.

I was excited to be spending my first official outing with Thomas as his girlfriend and at such a beautiful racing precinct but about twenty-five minutes into the race, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach, sudden and unexpected. I stood up to stretch in case that would help. It certainly did not. With a quick intake of breath, accompanied by another sharp pain, I realised it was time for me to go back to the hotel room. I tried to discreetly exit the garage without being seen when Holly bailed me up almost immediately.

“Harps! Where are you going? We’re not done yet!”

I scanned behind her to make sure I had a clear run for it. “I have to go. I’m not feeling well at all,” I said, my eyes wide with impending terror.

Holly immediately stepped aside, and I rushed past her, towards the hotel. I felt her eyes on my back. I was grateful to her for giving me space straight away.

The closer I got to the accommodation, the more the nausea built. This was it. The plain, nondescript trailer on wheels at the apex of a racetrack would be my final resting place.

I burst through the door and headed straight for the bathroom, which was, as expected, grim. And that was putting it lightly.

Later as I lay curled around the base of the toilet with my hair stuck to the tiled ground, I heard the door to the accomodation open. Shit, how long had I been in there?

“Harps?” Thomas called from the other side of the door. I caught sight of his hands first as they curled around the doorknob in the bathroom. “Is it safe to come in?” His voice echoed off the bathroom walls.

“Define safe,” I moaned, hoping to go for sarcasm, but wasn’t sure it landed.

“Well, am I going to get any surprises if I come in?” He was not helping the tone of the situation, to say the least.

I smiled against the cold floor. “No surprises, but I am concerned that we’ve only had sex twice and that this may ruin it for you.”

He chuckled from the other side of the door, before slowly walking into the small room. I noticed he was still in his race suit, sans helmet.

“Oh, Harps.” The wide smile on his face dropped when he saw me. “I saw Holly after I finished the race and she said you looked a little green, so I ran here.”

Thomas knelt on the floor beside me and placed his hand on my cheek. “You’re hot,” he said.

I smiled. “Tell me something I don’t know, Jackson.”

My response caused a slight smirk. “You can’t be that sick, or you wouldn’t be giving me shit.” He took hold of my elbow and slowly peeled me off the floor, limb by limb.

As he propped me up against the wall, I felt another bout of nausea build. My body wanted to go straight back down onto the floor.

“Nope,” he said, holding my neck and cheek up straight with one hand while taking his phone from his pocket with the other. “Chris, mate, Harps is really sick. Can we get Rog down here now? Mmhmm, yep, great. Thanks.” Then he hung up and turned to me.

“Okay, the team doctor will be here soon, and we’ll work out what’s going on.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know what’s going on. I have an alien inside me,” my voice cracked as I spoke. I felt green.

“That would explain a few things,” Thomas replied as he placed a cold towel on my head. His race suit clung to his arms in a way that had always turned me on, even before I knew him well.

“You look so sexy,” I said closing my eyes .

“Great, now you’re hallucinating,” his voice trailed off as I drifted to sleep, somehow still sitting up straight.

***

“Shit!” I yelled as I shot up in bed like a rocket, causing Thomas to drop the book he was reading.

“Bloody hell. What is it?” he asked, sitting up straight and placing his hand on my shoulder.

“I don’t know. What happened?” I asked, surveying the room for clues and coming up empty-handed.

Thomas took a breath. “The team doctor came by and gave you some anti-nausea tablets and you passed out. Food poisoning, he thinks. You’ll be right.”

I scrunched my eyebrows together, still feeling dazed. “She’ll be right. I better thank Chris as well.” As I reached for my phone, Thomas snatched it out of my hands.

“Tomorrow. You need to rest,” he said softly as he gently lay me back down on the pillow.

I looked up at him and realised it was the first time I’d seen this expression on his face: concern . A few months ago, I wouldn’t have believed he could feel such a thing toward me. Now, after having him hold me, kiss me, and know me from the inside, I knew that he was capable of much more.

Sometimes, I wondered how life felt for a man, always being told to be strong, manly, brave, and to never show weakness. Just as for women, we needed to be good, quiet, thin, and accommodating. All ideals, of course, that were thrown out the window when you were unapologetically yourself.

“I can hear the wheels turning in your brain.” Thomas’s sarcastic voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I smiled and rolled over to nestle into the nook between his shoulder and chest, which was quickly becoming my favourite place to exist.

***

Thomas

Earlier that day

As I lined my car up for the apex of the first corner again, I knew I had this one in the bag. Twenty-four laps of this were done and dusted, and this would be my last.

I gripped the steering wheel tight. The sun was starting to set, and I knew it would be in my eyes the next time around. I punched the gear and flew down towards the apex, downshift, turn, concentrate . As I reached a straight again, I hopped on the radio.

“How are we going boys?” I asked my team.

“Great, Jacko, keep doing what you’re doing.”

“Tell Harps to hop on.” I liked hearing Harper’s voice over the radio, and knowing she was there to support me made me go that much harder.

“Guys?” They hadn’t responded, and I was about to get to the hairpin turn, which meant full concentration needed. Despite their silence, and the unease it caused, I got through it. The car felt heavy in the steering, but not untameable .

“Mate, she’s not here. She’s a bit unwell, but all is fine.” What the fuck?

“What do you mean unwell? Where is she?” I asked, coming around to the first corner. As predicted, the sun blared into my eyeballs, and I couldn’t see a thing.

“Just finish this last lap, mate. She’s fine.”

My eyebrows drew together as I tried to drive a 200km/h race car while wondering what the hell happened to my girlfriend in the last hour.

“I’m coming in,” I said as I approached the pit lane.

Chris appeared on the radio. “No, you’re fucking not! Finish this lap and then you can disappear.”

He was right. I flew around the track with more determination than ever. I didn’t even know what place I was in. I think it was fourth. Great, I could get out of the car and run.

The only time I’d be glad for a no-podium finish.

Crossing the finish line, I cursed the track as I drove around it one more time at a more modest pace.

“I’m coming straight in and I’m not doing shit with the media,” I announced on the radio. My engineer confirmed it.

Having to go slow through the pit lane was killing me. I pulled up outside of our garage and then slowly parked inside. As fast as I could, I got out, disconnected my helmet and HANS, shook Chris and my engineer’s hands and then bolted out of the team garage. Luckily, we weren’t staying far from the track. I rushed past a group of confused people who were heading to the pit lane. Someone yelled out to me, but I kept going until I finally reached our accommodation.

There was no sign of her. Where was she? Oh , the bathroom .

I knocked on the door softly. “Harps?” I called out as quietly as I could. I wrapped my hand around the door handle and edged my way in carefully.

***

Harper

The next day was the final of the race weekend, and Thomas, once again, was up and out of the room long before my eyes opened.

I leisurely watched TV in bed while I had a coffee and considered getting ready to visit the garage. I was by no means hungry yet and wasn’t sure how the coffee would go down. So far, so good.

On my way out of the room, I received a text.

Thomas: Getting ready to go, speak soon xx

I knew he wasn’t much of a texter, but he was making an effort for me.

I gathered my things and headed down to the Echidna Racing garage and was greeted with warm hugs from both Chris and Holly.

“Are you alright, Allenwright?” Chris asked with a look of concern. Holly came over to hear my answer. I nodded. “Yes, just food poisoning. Thank you for helping with the team doctor.”

A look passed between them and then they both looked back at me .

I narrowed my eyes. “What?”

Chris motioned for me to have a seat next to him. “So, Thomas didn’t tell you what actually happened?” I shook my head. Chris shifted in his seat before continuing. “When Thomas heard you were sick over the radio, he finished the race and ran up to your trailer with all his gear still attached. We had to talk him out of forfeiting.”

I stared blankly at them. He certainly hadn’t mentioned anything like that. “It wasn’t a big deal though. I’m fine.”

They looked unsure about how to respond, and to be honest, I was floored by Thomas’s reaction. That, combined with how he helped me recover in such a sweet and gentle way. I think a part of me believed this was all a game, that maybe he wasn’t serious. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

Holly read it all over my face. “Girl, that boy is in love with you, and he has been from the start.”

I laughed and covered my face with my hands, unsure how to respond to that. We had certainly been closer, but a small part of me still had doubts. This was obviously something I needed to work on.

I was sipping on a coffee when Thomas parked his car in the garage.

“Hey! How are you feeling?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around me gently. I leant my head on his chest and let my weight fall against him.

“I’m fine, you silly goose. Holly and Chris told me what happened yesterday. You didn’t need to worry.”

Thomas lifted the visor of his helmet to look me in the eyes. “Yes, I did. Completely necessary.” Then he put the visor down again, even though he didn’t need to wear his helmet anymore .

“Thomas?”

“Yeah, Harps?”

“I love you.”

He squeezed me tighter. “What took you so long?”

I could get used to the caring, protective version of Thomas Henry-Jackson.