"I'll do my best to make sure she only smiles when she's with me."

~•~

"You don't have to stay here," Vica insisted as they drove through the streets of London. "You have a race in Hungary next week, and I know you need to be there by Wednesday, so I don't want to hold you up. You know I'll join you as soon as I can."

"And you know I'm not going without you, so we'll finish up here today and fly to Hungary tonight. That way, we can have some time to explore the city," George smiled but kept his eyes on the road. "And don't forget, I want to hear you speak Hungarian. Since you won't show me here, I'll just have to wait to hear you in your natural environment."

"I'll speak English," Vica playfully stuck out her tongue at him, even though he couldn't see because he was focused on the road.

It wasn't that she was embarrassed about speaking Hungarian. She didn't mind speaking another language in front of others, but she enjoyed teasing him this way. She loved his reactions when she refused to speak her second native language. It wasn't a secret, and if he ever heard her, it wouldn't be the end of the world—she just didn't want to make it too easy for him. He had to earn it somehow, as Hungarian is a rather unique language.

"You'll do anything just to avoid speaking Hungarian to me," George laughed.

"Don't worry, you'll hear it soon," she assured him, patting his shoulder. "I promise."

"And what about Hungary? Do you have any plans in your homeland?" George asked as he turned into the street where Vica's workplace was located.

Vica had planned to handle everything via phone or computer, answering emails and calls as needed, but they wanted to settle this matter in person. It was about choosing the cover for her book—the publisher had three options, and she needed to decide which one she wanted for her book, as they didn't want to make the decision without her.

"It's not my homeland," Vica countered. "I've never lived there; I only visited during holidays or long weekends. I haven't been there since my mom died. I told you that my mom's parents, my grandparents, can't stand me and never invite me over."

"You did say that, but I still think they're your family, so the resentment can't be that deep, right?" George remarked. "Why not try calling them and see what happens? Maybe they'd like to see you after all these years, but don't want to make the first move."

"I strongly doubt it," Vica chuckled. "Grandma made it clear that I shouldn't come near their house. She told me to text her only when I'm visiting my mom's grave; that's the only reason she gave me her number."

Sometimes she felt sad about how her own family treated her. It wasn't her fault she chose a university in the UK. She preferred attending a prestigious school in the UK, one of the best in the world, where people viewed you as an intellectual just for attending, rather than a free school in Hungary just to be close to family—a family she barely knew, as she didn't visit her mom's side often. Everything had its pros and cons, but right now, the cons outweighed the pros, which is why she hadn't gathered the courage to call her grandparents.

"Whatever you think," George shrugged. "I'm not going to push you, but I want you to know that I'm here for you and always will be. I won't leave you just because your grandparents hate you."

"You'd be a big idiot if you broke up with me just because I'm not in touch with part of my family," Vica laughed. "It would go viral on social media, labeling George Russell as a total jerk. You'd lose a lot of fans."

"So, are you ready to ruin my career if we ever break up?" George asked as he parked in front of the building.

"I'm not vindictive, but I do really like you, so if we broke up over some stupid thing you did, believe me, I'm prepared to ruin your career," she smiled innocently.

She was lying. She would never ruin someone's career just because they broke up with her. She couldn't do it, even if she found out George had cheated. It would just be something that happened, and she would move on. She didn't dwell on such things for long. The past is the past, the future is the future. Vica doesn't spend much time in her past because she can't change it. She tries to learn from mistakes, not hold onto them for revenge.

"Is it a good time to remind you that I don't plan on breaking up anytime soon? Once you're with me, you'll have to stick with me till the end," George smiled at her.

"Likewise, Thunder Russell."

~•~

"Yes, Grandma?" Vica asked, surprised as she answered the call. She would have been lying if she said she wasn't taken aback when she and George were sitting on the couch at her place, and her phone suddenly lit up with an incoming call. That alone wasn't so surprising, but what caught the couple off guard were the words on the screen that translated from Hungarian as "Grandmother."

George was probably going to hear her speak Hungarian sooner than she had planned, because she definitely hadn't planned on calling her family in Hungary. She had their phone number for years, but this was the first time they were calling her. They had never even texted—she was always the one sending messages, only because they wanted her to, and those were always just to inform them she was at her mother's grave. She would just notify them so they wouldn't go there at the same time.

"Am I speaking with Vica?" her grandmother asked from the other side. Vica rolled her eyes. Of course, her own grandmother didn't recognize her voice. The last time Vica had spoken to her, she had been around seventeen.

"Yes, Grandma, this is Vica," she replied. She tried not to sound annoyed or irritated. She was glad her grandmother called, but in the first moment of the conversation, she regretted pressing the green button. On top of that, George was watching her closely, hoping to see a smile or at least hear a relaxed tone in her voice. So far, he was just surprised by how his girlfriend sounded speaking Hungarian.

"Grandpa watches Formula 1, and we suddenly saw you there," her grandmother said. Vica had no idea what she meant by that. Where was this going? "Why didn't you tell us you're interested in that sport? You were always the quiet, shy little girl who read books in the corner."

"I'm still that quiet and shy girl who reads books in the corner," Vica said. "I finished university a few weeks ago, and now I'm about to publish my own book. I'm a writer, Grandma, just like I've always wanted," she smiled.

"Okay," was all her grandmother said in response. Vica's smile faded, replaced by an annoyed expression and an eye roll. "Would you like to come visit us?"

"You're lucky I'm going to Hungary with George for the race, so I don't have to fly over unnecessarily," she replied.

"Unnecessarily? It wouldn't be unnecessary if it were to visit us," her grandmother retorted.

"You mean to visit the part of the family that never calls and doesn't want to hear from me?" Vica asked.

"And what do you mean by 'with George'? You mean Russell?" her grandmother completely ignored what her granddaughter had said.

"Yes, that George," Vica nodded. "He's my boyfriend, that's why I'm going to Hungary with him."

"Boyfriend? You've finally got yourself a boyfriend, and it's someone like George Russell? I must have underestimated you, granddaughter," her grandmother laughed. "We'll be waiting for you with Grandpa, so just come over. Hopefully, you haven't forgotten where we live."

"I haven't."

With those words, the call ended.

"What happened? Was it good?" George asked immediately as his girlfriend pulled the phone away from her ear, staring at the now black screen. He couldn't read her emotions from her face, as she just sat there with a blank expression, not showing whether she felt sad or happy.

"Grandma and Grandpa saw me on TV during the Silverstone race," she explained, "and they want to meet when I'm in Hungary."

"That's good, right?" George exclaimed excitedly. "Doesn't that mean they care about you? It's a good sign, the first step towards reconnecting with your family that you haven't seen in years."

"They just want to criticize me for everything going on in my life," Vica told George. "It's definitely not a happy visit. They're just going to find fault with everything, because that's what my grandmother is good at."

"She won't do that," George hugged her around the shoulders. "I believe she wants to meet just to congratulate you on your achievements over the years."

"Believe whatever you want, and I'll believe what I want."

~•~

"You didn't have to come all the way here with me," Vica said, smiling at her boyfriend as she grabbed his hand. She was glad he was there with her. She always came to this place alone, and she didn't like it because it brought up all sorts of feelings—happy and sad. She always cried here and never had anyone to hug her. Today was different, and she knew that in a few seconds, George would hug her as tightly as he could.

"And I was supposed to just sit in the car while you visited your mom? I thought you knew me better, Vica," George chuckled, putting his arm around her shoulders.

They stood together in front of her mother's grave. This was the place she visited when she needed to calm down and talk things out. During school, she regularly came here once a month—it cost a lot of the money she earned on flights, but she couldn't help it. She loved her mother and compensated for the court's decision that she had to stay with her father in the UK.

"Are you going to introduce me?" George asked, as they both looked at the marble plaque bearing Vica's mother's name and the dates of her birth and death.

"Mom," Vica began, looking into George's blue eyes as she took his hand and interlaced her fingers with his, smiling. "Remember how you always told me to find a boyfriend who would love me for who I am? Someone I wouldn't have to pretend with? Someone who would be there for me through good and bad? Someone who might love me even more than himself? I think I found him, Mom. This is George. He's a Formula One driver, so he's an athlete. You always wanted me to find an athlete."

Both Vica and George chuckled.

"He's the kindest, most handsome, most talented, simply the best of all. But the most important thing is that I can proudly say he's my boyfriend. I hope you like him, Mom, because I sure do," she smiled at George, who was still holding her hand.

"Hello, Mrs. Pascall, nice to meet you," George smiled at the grave. "Vica has told me about you, but don't worry, it was always only the best things. From what she's said, I've formed a picture of you, and that picture is beautiful."

"Gentleman George," Vica laughed. "Trying to come across as a good guy, even in front of his girlfriend's deceased mother's grave."

"I'm not trying to come across as a good guy," George objected. "I am a good guy, and thanks to you, I'm even better," he kissed her hair and looked back at the grave. "Don't worry, Mrs. Pascall, I'll take care of Vica. I won't let anything happen to her. I won't let her feel sad. I'll do my best to make sure she only smiles when she's with me. I'll make sure she always has the best. I'll spoil her and tell her every day how much I love her."

"I didn't want to cry," Vica wiped away the tears welling up in her eyes. What George had just said to her deceased mother was the nicest thing anyone had ever said about her.

"I can tell you, Mrs. Pascall, that from the first moment I saw Vica, I knew I couldn't get over her beauty. I couldn't stop thinking about her and prayed I'd find her after the race because I was mad at myself for not even asking for her name. I could've gone crazy with joy when I saw her standing outside that bar because it felt like a sign that I couldn't let her go, that I had to ask for her name, her phone number, a date. At that moment, when she was standing there in those beautiful blue dresses of yours, I knew I would marry her one day."

"Isn't it a bit early for that?" Vica chuckled, trying to hide the tears George had brought out in her. She hoped she wouldn't cry when she came to her mother's grave, but after what George said, it was impossible not to. She knew he could be romantic. She knew he was the best and kindest person she had ever met, but she had no idea it went this deep. This was an even better George than she had known until now. She loved him. She loved George and loved telling him that, but what she felt now was more than just love. She felt emotions she had never felt with her previous boyfriends. George made her feel things she didn't know, and maybe she was a little scared of them deep down, but she decided to overcome that fear. She had George by her side, so there was nothing to be afraid of. He would protect her from everything. He would always be there for her. He would always hug her, kiss her, and tell her how amazing she was when she felt terrible. That's how great George Russell was.

"It's never too early for that, but don't worry, I'll do it when I know the time is right," he kissed her on the cheek.

"She would have liked you," Vica said to him. "You're exactly the kind of boyfriend she imagined for me. She always wanted only the best for me, and that's you. It's a shame she never got to meet you because you two would have gotten along."

"I love you, G."

"I love you too, V."

~•~