Before Olivia knew what was happening, Ryan was wrapping her in a hug.

Her heart was beating out of her chest. She  had had the biggest crush on him in high school. They shared several classes together and he was always nice to her. He was one of the few she could even call a friend, probably her closest friend. He was shy and quiet, but then she was too. Because of her shyness, she never made her interest in him known. Even back then, he lived for racing. He never hung out on weekends because he was always racing. She knew that unless she had four wheels and an engine, he wouldn't look twice at her. No one ever looked twice at her anyway. She was the brain. The future valedictorian. She had never gone on a date and she didn't have a whole lot of friends because she was always studying.

When he released her and pulled away from her, she stepped back and got a good look at him. Holy shit! He had been cute back in school, but the man standing before her was gorgeous. He was still a little bit on the small side, standing only an inch or two taller than her. He was still lean, but she could make out the hard muscles of his chest and abdomen under his tight T-shirt, revealed by the top half of his firesuit, which had been unzipped and the sleeves knotted around his waist. His hair was much longer than it was back then, curling along the back of his neck. It looked so soft. She wanted to touch it so bad. The stubble on his cheeks and jawline was sexy and gave him a bit of an edgy look. She also couldn't help but sneak a peek at his cute backside, well defined by the firesuit.

"How have you been? It's been a long time. Are you close to finding a cure for cancer yet?" He laughed.

His comment caught her off guard. He must have seen the look of confusion on her face.

"Back in school, when they asked us our goals for the future, yours was to become a doctor and find a cure for cancer." He reminded her with a grin.

"Oh yeah. Well uh...That didn't work out. I'm glad to see that you've achieved your goal though, Mr. Racecar driver." She hoped that comment would keep him from asking questions about her.

He smiled again, and she swore her heart fluttered. Ugh that smile. How many times had she seen that smile across the classroom and felt her knees go weak and her insides get all warm and tingly.

"Are you here visiting?" He asked.

"No. I moved back a couple of months ago. I'm actually on the hunt for a job. Which reminds me, have you seen Dean anywhere?" She scanned the garage area.

"Dean? My tire carrier Dean?" He asked.

She laughed. "I guess that's what he does. I never knew. I just know he's on your team."

"Yeah. He's my tire carrier. How do you know Dean?" He couldn't ignore the twinge of jealousy he felt.

"We're friends. I came here with him today. He's trying to help me find a job, so he wanted to introduce me to a few people." Olivia explained.

"What kind of job are you looking for." He asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe something in the office of one of the race teams. I have basic office skills, I've studied a little graphic design, and I'm a quick learner." She said hopefully.

"Have you ever done PR? My PR guy is leaving me soon."

She shook her head. "No. I've never done PR."

"But you have a college degree, right?"

"Yes. I have a bachelor degree, but it's in biology. I was premed."

"But you do have a degree. I'm sure we can find something. Give me your number."

He reached into his pocket for his phone, only now remembering his earlier fit of rage causing him to chuck his phone against the wall. He then followed her gaze to her phone lying on the ground from when he bumped into her earlier. He reached down and picked it up, wincing when he saw the shattered screen.

"I'm so sorry Livvy. I've had horrible luck with phones today. Mine actually fared worse than yours. Let me get it fixed for you, or I'll just replace it." He offered.

"Nonsense Ry. It was an accident. I'm due for an upgrade anyway. Don't worry about it."

He still felt bad. He grabbed one of his hero cards from a nearby stack, and a sharpie from his pocket and handed them to her. "Guess we'll do this the old fashioned way. Give me your number, and I'll see if I can find something for you." He gave her his best smile.

Ugh! That smile.

She took the card and sharpie from him and wrote her number down and handed it back to him.

She looked up and saw Dean approaching.

"Ahhh! There you are Liv. I was worried I had lost you." Dean wrapped an arm around her waist.  He spoke to Ryan. "I understand you and Olivia know each other. Small world huh." Dean laughed, pulling her closer to him. This was crazy Olivia thought. Dean almost seemed jealous.

********

Ryan could not believe his fortune over running into Livvy. Maybe fate was finally smiling down on him.

He had a major crush on her in high school. She was one of the nicest people he knew. She was also the smartest, and he always thought she was cute, in a quiet, understated way.

He almost didn't recognize her today. He remembered the stick thin girl with glasses and braces. Who knew the beautiful hazel eyes that had been hiding behind those thick glasses? Her smile was dazzling, perfect, now free of the braces. She had always wore her hair pulled back in a ponytail and no makeup. Now, her light brown hair hung in glossy waves around her shoulders, highlighting her flawless skin. The once thin frame had now given way to luscious curves. Livvy James had transformed into a beautiful woman.

Ryan was certain his luck was changing. He thought about the text messages he had received earlier from Lauren. She broke his heart. She cheated on him, with Denny Hamlin of all people. Well, Denny could keep her. He was done with her.

********

Olivia watched from the 12 teams pit box dejected, as with a handful of laps remaining, Ryan's red and white #12 Mustang dropped from third place to make what his team called "an unscheduled pit stop" to fix a loose wheel. She could hear Ryan over the scanner she had been given unleash a profanity laced tirade.

She had really been enjoying the race. Dean was right about her getting caught up in the excitement. The roar of the engines, the smell of fuel and burnt rubber, the excitement of the crowd, the pounding of her heart. She could definitely get addicted to this.

Ryan had run great all night long. She may not have known anything about racing, but it didn't take much to see just how talented he was. He was also very popular and well liked. She couldn't contain the pride she felt for him. He was living his dream.

After quick work by Ryan's pit crew, he was back on the track, still on the lead lap, but the untimely pit stop had cost him several positions on the track. He had a fast car, but with so few laps remaining, he was only able to salvage a thirteenth place finish.

Ryan's crew chief Jeremy told her she could follow him back to the garage to wait for Dean and they would head back home.

When Olivia got to the garage, she saw Ryan pull into the garage stall. She watched him angrily pull the steering wheel off, then climb out of the car. He removed his gloves and helmet, then threw them into the car. His head was down, and he looked devastated.

Her heart aching for him, she approached him. His back was to her, so she placed her hand on his shoulder. He whipped around and glared at her, anger darkening his normally calm blue eyes. "Get the fuck out of here Livvy. Just leave me the hell alone." He snapped, before storming away.