"We definitely don't need to break noses and give black eyes."

~•~

"I'm the one who lost the bet, so why did you agree to go diving?" George asked the blonde sitting next to him. They were currently on a boat with four other people in the waters of Monaco. It was Tuesday, meaning the pair had been in Monaco for one day, counting the day they arrived, which was around five in the evening because Alex made a wrong turn, extending the trip by another hour.

Lily and Vica didn't mind the delay as they sat in the back, chatting about everything and anything or napping. For Alex and George, it was tougher-they decided to drive, even though Vica had a driver's license and offered to take the wheel. They were still tired from the previous day but didn't want to let the girls drive. They let them tire themselves out while they took a nap.

Vica was even staying at George's place, which luckily had a guest room, so she didn't have to share a room with him. Seeing him so often was enough; she didn't need to see how he looked while sleeping-she was sure he must be unbearably cute. She felt that his cuteness and attractiveness while sleeping would be too much to handle, and she'd have to contact Alex to explain the strange feeling she always had around him.

"I've never gone diving," Vica shrugged. "As long as I have the opportunity, I'd be foolish not to take it," she smiled.

"I just want to say that even if I had won the bet, I wanted to ask if I could read your book," George said.

"Everything is already prepared for you," she stuck out her tongue at him. "I'll give you the book, and within a week, I want at least two A4 pages about how the book is and what impression it made on you."

"I'm looking forward to it," George smiled. "When you told me what it was about, it sounded like a very interesting and well-crafted story."

"The book has over 550 pages," Vica said seriously. George almost choked on his breath. He expected a longer book but certainly not this long. Given it was her first book, he expected something around 400 pages, certainly not over 500.

"Then I better get to work."

"If you can't finish it in time, I'll give you an extension," Vica smiled. "I'm not heartless."

She knew that for people who don't normally read, it's hard to get through so many pages quickly. She could read 500 pages in two days, maybe even one if she dedicated the whole day to it, but she didn't have that luxury. She had work and other responsibilities besides reading. She understood George might not be able to keep up, so she was already prepared to extend the time for him. There was no rush. Her beta readers were already reviewing the book, correcting errors, and providing feedback on each chapter, so she was continuously revising and fine-tuning it. George was just another beta reader to give his opinion on the book.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it," George thanked her. "Maybe I won't throw you into the water like I initially planned."

"What did you plan? If you try that once, you'll never see me again," the blonde threatened.

"Then I won't throw you in," George hugged her around the shoulders. "What would I do without such an amazing girl by my side? I'll never find anyone as great."

"Jess would jump at the chance to take my place by your side," Vica chuckled. Jess wouldn't hesitate for a minute. If anything happened between her and George, Jess would be first in line, waiting for the perfect moment to pull him into bed.

Vica knew she'd have to be careful with her best friend. She wasn't dating George, but there was definitely something forming between them that wasn't just friendship, and she was determined to fight for it, whatever it was. Jess wouldn't take George from her. She took Josh, but she wouldn't let another great guy in her life be taken away.

"Some Jess doesn't interest me," George shook his head. "I'm interested in you," he smiled and pulled her closer.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're too kind, George Russell?" Vica asked.

"Is this going to be your new favorite question?" George laughed, his hair starting to dampen from the spray of water as the boat moved towards their diving spot.

"I just want to remind you constantly that you're a kind person," Vica smiled. "There are very few kind people on Earth, so it's a huge compliment."

"If it's a huge compliment, then thank you very much, Vica," George said, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

The pair ignored everyone else around them. They completely disregarded the boat driver and the other men there to ensure the Formula 1 driver's safety underwater, as well as the diving instructor, since this was Vica's first time diving and she needed someone experienced with her. Not that she didn't trust George, but she wasn't confident he could save her underwater if something went wrong.

Rumors began circulating on social media about whether George and Vica were dating because they were seen together at the Imola Grand Prix and then seen getting into Albon's car, heading to Monaco. George and Vica decided to ignore these rumors, believing it was nobody's business what was happening between them. They might not have been dating, but they didn't want to deny anything, as it would be embarrassing if they said they weren't together and then appeared as a couple a few weeks later.

George was also protecting Vica's privacy as much as he could. Her Instagram was already publicly known, and every day she received thousands of follow requests, which she deleted every evening because she didn't want strangers on her private Instagram. She considered creating a book Instagram to communicate with fans who wanted to get to know her, but she was certain her private profile would remain private.

George understood this. He might have wanted to post an Instagram story from Vica's graduation, but if she didn't want that, he wouldn't do it. Instead, he just sent a photo to his parents to show them the smart and beautiful girl he was trying to win over. On his Instagram, he shared a photo from the F1 Instagram account, which showed Vica turning to look at him when George stopped for a mechanic. Vica's face wasn't visible as she was turned away, but you could still tell that the main star in the photo was the blonde in the brown dress, not George, who was looking at her as if he had fallen in love for the first time-that's what the fans were saying. Fans joked that George looked at her like she was the last pancake he had saved all day and could finally eat after a long day. George just hoped Vica hadn't read those comments.

~•~

"Do you need a ride?" George asked as he noticed Vica getting ready to leave. She was wearing a white printed T-shirt with a black blazer over it, which George recognized as his from Miami that he had lent her to cover up her bare skin, and black shorts. She also had a cap on that said "Daddy," which made George chuckle a bit because he found it funny, but who was he to tell her to take it off and put on a different one?

"You don't have to; the gallery is about a ten-minute walk from here, and I like to take a stroll and look around Monaco a bit," she replied with a smile while putting on her black sneakers. The sneakers were worn, but she loved them because they carried a charm. They held several years' worth of stories that couldn't be easily replaced, so she liked to reminisce through these shoes.

"Okay, but if anything happens, call me, and I'll pick you up," he said, standing up from the couch to at least walk her to the door.

"Yes, Captain," she saluted him and tied the lace on her left shoe. George noticed something drawn on the side of her left shoe in white paint. He made a mental note to ask her about it later when she returned from her afternoon with Alex.

"The blazer looks good on you," George smiled as he opened the door for her.

"You noticed," her face turned red with the wave of embarrassment she felt. She knew the blazer wasn't hers and she should have asked if she could borrow it, but when she pulled it out of her suitcase to return it to him, she noticed it matched her outfit perfectly, so she just put it on. The outfit indeed looked even better with the blazer, and she was proud of herself for creating such a great outfit from her wardrobe-even Jess would be amazed at how good she looked.

"Of course I noticed, I notice everything about you," George said, making her blush even more. George knew how to flirt with girls, and he was really good at it. Vica blushed more in his presence than she had in her entire life, and she had only known him for a short time. In such a short period, she had gotten to know him better than Jess and trusted him more than her longtime best friend. George was the complete opposite of Jess in every way, and Vica didn't know how to feel about it.

"I'll give it back to you when I return, okay?" she said.

"You don't have to return it," George smiled. "I've had it for a while, and it looks much better on you than on me."

"Thank you," she hugged him. "You're the best," she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back before dinner," she shouted and disappeared down the hallway.

At that moment, she had no idea that George had become a completely useless person for a good few minutes. He just stood in the open doorway, staring down the hallway where the girl had disappeared. One hug and one kiss on the cheek, and she could evoke so many feelings in him. George knew he couldn't hold out much longer and would soon have to ask her that fateful question, despite being afraid of her reaction.

"You still have that bracelet," was the first thing Alex said when she saw Vica approaching. Her blonde hair shone from miles away-Vica was a natural blonde, but in high school, at Jess's urging, she dyed it brown once, which damaged her natural blonde a bit. Now she dyes it blonde, so her blonde is very blonde, and you wouldn't say she is a natural blonde. This annoyed Vica because she really liked her natural color. Every day, she regrets letting her friend persuade her to go brown, as it didn't suit her at all and only made her the target of even more teasing than before.

"Good to see you too, Alex," Vica said with a laugh. "I'm doing really well, thanks for asking. And how are you?"

"Sorry," Alex chuckled and trapped her new friend in a tight hug. "It's good to see you again, and thanks for accepting my invitation."

"Coming to your work and getting a private tour with you? That's an offer you can't refuse," Vica said, hugging the brunette around the shoulders.

"I know, right?" Alex laughed and led Vica inside the gallery where she had been working as a PR worker for a few months. "Now, tell me something about what I mentioned when I saw you."

"What am I supposed to say?" Vica glanced at her wrist, where the sleeve of the blazer had ridden up, revealing a simple brown bracelet made of two intertwined strings. Simple as it was, Vica liked it and kept it on.

"Lily told me you got it from George when you were nervous about meeting them for the first time," Alex nudged her with her hips. Vica suddenly realized that Alex was a few years younger than her-it was also clear now as she was acting more like a teenager than Vica. On Instagram and in the paddock, Alex tried to look mysterious and mature, but in private, she was just an ordinary twenty-year-old girl who wanted to have fun in life.

"I have trouble meeting new people, and he was just trying to help me feel less out of place," Vica replied but didn't take her eyes off the bracelet. She remembered the moment George took it off and handed it to her. She remembered how her skin tingled at his touch when their fingers brushed. She remembered his sad smile when she looked at him gratefully. She remembered wanting to hug him then, but the car seat prevented her.

"You like him, don't you?" Alex suddenly asked.

"What?" Vica yelped, quickly putting her hand over her mouth as she realized where they were.

"I see the way you look at that bracelet," Alex chuckled. "I used to look at the first bouquet Charles gave me like that when we started getting to know each other."

"I get this weird feeling whenever I look at it, and I don't know what it is," Vica admitted.

"Have you ever been in love, Vica?" Alex asked.

"I've had two boyfriends, but it always ended before I got the chance to fall in love," she replied. "So, the answer is no. No, I've never loved anyone. I've never fallen in love with anyone."

"Do you feel like your stomach is swimming?" Alex asked, and Vica nodded. "Do you feel like there's something fluttering in your belly and throat?" Another nod. "Are you thinking about him even now?" Vica hesitated a bit but eventually nodded again.

"I don't know if it's love; only you can know that, but you definitely like him," Alex smiled. "Try talking to him. I saw that photo he shared on his Instagram. The one where you're turned away, and he's watching you. A friend doesn't look at a friend like that. He likes you too."

"What if he doesn't?" Vica sighed.

"Then Charles and I will gladly offer you a safe haven, and I volunteer to punch George in the face because only an idiot would turn down someone like you," Alex told her.

"Definitely don't punch anyone for me," Vica shook her head.

"Then how else am I supposed to tell him he's a complete idiot and that he should get his act together because he'll never find a more perfect girl than you?" she asked.

"With words," Vica laughed. "We definitely don't need to break noses and give black eyes."

"Alright, if you say so," Alex crossed her arms. "But believe me, I know that look and those feelings. You like him, and he likes you. Tell him before it's too late because he is a Formula One driver, and there's a lot of demand for them from models and other famous people."

Famous people.

Why did Vica immediately picture Jess hugging George?

~•~

F1wags_

◾️▪️

▪️◾️

❤ 2 154

F1wags_ Update from Monaco. We still don't know if mysterious Vica Pascall is George Russell's girlfriend but she was seen in Monaco Gallery with Alex (Charles' girlfriend)

💬 127

👤 Both are pretty and now friends? I want it too

👤 Vica is even prettier without make-up

👤 I hope Vica date with George because she looks like perfect fit for him

👤 Two sluts

👤 I never saw two pretty friends...open your eyes because they are here

👤 How to be pretty like them? I know we never get info if George and Vica date but please God make them couple because she looks like amazing person

👤 I know Vica and I can say that she is boring nerd who don't care about anything just herself

~•~