˚　 ⋆⁺₊✦⁺₊ 　 ˚　.˚  .　 ☁.　　. 　 ˚　⁺⋆₊　.˚  .　. ✦⋆⁺₊  　 ˚　. ☁ ˚　.˚　 ✩₊˚.   ☾      ⋆      ⁺₊✧  　　˚　⁺₊ . 　 ˚　.　　⁺₊✦₊　　 ☁  　˚　　 . 　⁺₊✧˚　　 . 　 ˚　⁺₊˚  .

Being back in England was relieving.

Evie was excited to be back to sleeping in her own bed, her own room and embracing the familiarity of the city she knew.

London was cold and humid in comparison to the Italian heat, which was quite the adjustment.

Evie only had a couple days to relax before the dinner she was going to attend alongside Alex.

During her break, she spent her time alternating between texting Franco and catching up on her schoolwork, which, surprisingly, hadn't been a lot.

The day of the dinner came, and Evie's nerves were back on. There was no Ollie or Kimi to help her get ready this time, only herself. Alex too, but she didn't feel like bothering him.

The dinner was for Williams, of course, so Evie thought wearing something blue might be smart. She rummaged through her closet, cursing herself for not having washed her best pieces before she left for Italy.

Nevertheless, after making yet another mess and creating a growing pile of clothes on her bed, she settled on a pair of black loose pants and a thin navy blue V-neck. She paired that with Docs and a casual black purse.

Evie kept her makeup simple, her hair down, and sprayed a lot of perfume, enough to make her suffocate in her room with the windows closed. She was ready twenty whole minutes before Alex was supposed to pick her up, so she mentally patted herself on the back.

She killed time by charging her phone some more, reapplying lipstick and checking herself out in her full body mirror. Finally, the bell rang, and Evie ran to the door, eager to get out of there. She almost crashed into her mum, who was also making her way to the door.

"Oops," she said, before opening the door to reveal a dapper looking Alex.

He crinkled his eyebrows the moment he saw their mother's confused look.

"What's she done again?" he asked, gesturing to Evie with his eyes.

"Hey!" Evie complained. "I just want to leave. Please save it."

"Eager to see Franco, huh?" Alex raised his eyebrows with a teasing grin on his face, as he invited himself in, closing the door behind him.

"Franco?" their mum asked. "Isn't that your teammate, Alex?"

"Yep," Alex replied casually, aimlessly wandering to the kitchen, not caring at all that he'd just embarassed his sister.

"And why would you be eager to see him?" she asked Evie, raising an eyebrow, not in a scolding manner, more curious.

"No reason. I'm not eager at all. We should go," Evie rambled, moving to where her brother was standing to pull him back toward the door. "Come on, I'm starving," she lied, making up an excuse for wanting to leave quickly.

"Okay, damn," Alex said, but followed her.

"Bye, mum!" Evie shouted as she rushed out the door, not looking back to see her reaction.

Only once the door was closed, she let out a sigh.

"You're the worst," she said, earning a shove from Alex, followed by a laugh. Evie couldn't help but laugh too. "Shut up."

ᯓᡣ𐭩

Evie and Alex arrived at the restaurant the dinner was being held at, thankfully not late. Most of the team was already there, chatting and sipping away at their drinks. Evie spotted Franco instantly.

He was sat in the middle of the one side of the long table, reserved for the event. He spotted her too and his eyes met hers, before they travelled down her body. A blush crept up Evie's cheeks, and she looked him over too. He was wearing a white button up again, similar to the one he'd worn on their date, the top button unbuttoned, leaving him air to breathe. His hair was tamed, which probably wouldn't last long, considering how much he usually ran his hands through it.

In other words, he looked gorgeous.

Evie felt a slight push on her back, turning around to find Alex urging her on.

"Go on, there's an empty seat next to him," he whispered, then went to sit on the other side, next to some other members of his team.

With a sudden burst of confidence, Evie made her way to Franco, sitting down on the chair next to him.

"Hi, gorgeous," she said, making him raise his eyebrows.

"Wow, hi. You are gorgeous," Franco replied, looking her up and down again.

"Thank you. Had to dress well, I heard my favourite driver was gonna be here."

"Favourite, huh?" Franco tilted his head, a grin now adorning his face, matching Evie's, who hummed affirmatively.

"Do you want some champagne?" he asked, reaching out for the half empty bottle.

"Sure," she agreed, and he poured a glass for her.

"So, what have you been up to?" Franco asked, taking a sip from his own glass. Evie set her own down after taking a sip, her lipstick leaving a light stain on the rim.

"Catching up with school, mostly. I was really excited for today, though," she admitted, bringing a smirk to his lips.

"Excited to see me, hm?"

"Well, yeah. I can't deny it anymore."

Before Franco had a chance to respond, a loud clinking was heard. Evie turned to see James Vowles hitting his glass with a fork, silencing everyone. He went on to say some words about Franco that Evie mostly tuned out, until everyone clapped.

The dinner continued, back to a normal rhythm, as chatter and soft laughter bounced off the walls. Evie talked with Franco for the entire time, his attention not shifting from her, apart from when someone else addressed him.

Evie was too many glasses in to count, and she was starting to feel dizzy.

"Are you okay?" Franco asked her, noticing the shift in her demeanor.

"Yeah, yeah. Bit dizzy."

"Maybe you should go home. Do you want me to drive you?" he offered, his eyebrows pulling together slightly.

Evie let out a giggle, absentmindedly. "You talk funny."

Franco was taken aback, but didn't take it to heart. "Do I?"

"Yes. But it's cute."

Franco's lips pulled into a smile. He quickly glanced over at Alex, getting his attention. Alex noticed, his eyes shifting to Evie. He excused himself from his side of the table and made his way around.

"You okay?" he asked his sister when he reached her.

"Yes, Alex," she sighed. "Just need more champagne."

"No, you don't," Alex said, snatching the bottle before she could reach it.

"Hey," she complained for the second time that day, this time less energetic.

"Come on, get up." He placed his hands on her shoulders, guiding her out of her chair.

"Oh. Fine. Bye, Fran." She waved, slightly pouting.

Franco sent her a bright smile, silently promising he'd text her in the morning. And his smile got even bigger after she left, tailing Alex, because he realized she'd called him Fran.

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dear reader!

"you should take it as a compliment that i got drunk and made fun of the way you talk"

☺️☺️☺️