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

Evie found herself running to the paddock once again.

Her flight had arrived at the last possible minute, leaving her barely any time to check in her hotel room and dispose of her luggage, then get an Uber and beg the driver to speed up to the circuit.

So, when she finally, after sweat and tears dropped, made it, she ran to the familiar blue garage where she caught a glimpse of Alex getting in his car.

She sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to talk to him at all, but hoping that maybe she'd see Franco.

Evie greeted some engineers she was familiar with, slithering her way to the front of the garage, where Franco's car stood vacant, causing a relieved sigh to escape out of Evie's lips.

She stood close, waiting for the car's driver to show up. There were only a few minutes left till the session started, and Evie felt nervous on his behalf.

With crossed arms, she attempted to have a look around, but, before her body turned, two strong arms wrapped around her own, entrapping her in their embrace.

Evie couldn't help the slight gasp, immediately recognizing Franco's natural scent, as well as her bracelet on his wrist. With a giggle, she leaned her head back, looking at Franco upside down.

He looked as gorgeous as always, even if she wasn't looking at him upright. His lips upturned into a smile at the sight of her own upside down face, and he pressed a quick kiss on her forehead, before letting go.

Evie straightened and spun around to get a good look at him. His hair was still relatively tamed, free from his wandering hands so far, and his familiar white race suit had been zipped all the way up, hiding what his fireproofs would accentuate.

"Hi," she said, smiling like a total idiot. He would always have that effect on her, she thought.

"Hi," he repeated, slightly more enthusiastic. "I'm so glad you made it."

"I wouldn't miss it. Even though I almost did. Planes are annoying, y'know, and-"

Her rambling was quickly cut off by Franco's lips smashing on hers, effectively shushing her. Butterflies flew in her stomach as she leaned her palm on Franco's chest, steadying herself.

The kiss was short lived, brought to an end by Franco pulling away eventually.

"Good luck," Evie said, completely forgetting about what she had previously been on about.

"I won't need it with you here."

ᯓᡣ𐭩

"Have you been here before?" Franco asked.

Evie turned to glance at him, her hand in his as she led them on. His hair was tousled from the evening wind, his shirt resisting the urge to stick to his skin, while his smile remained unwiped off his face.

"Once," she replied, slowing down to walk next to Franco. "A couple years ago with my friends."

"Ollie and Kimi?"

"No. I didn't know them yet. No, it was some school friends," Evie explained, avoiding going into detail.

"You don't talk about them," Franco remarked, his gaze steady on her features, while hers remained fixed on the road ahead.

She shrugged. "Not much to talk about. We're just not friends anymore." She didn't give him any time to respond, dreading the awkardness that might ensue. Instead, she changed the subject. "Look around, it's so pretty."

The Gardens by the Bay looked magical at night, especially from the skyway where the two of them stood. No matter where you looked, you could see tall, colourful Supertree structures, radiating light to the entire park, while the bottom was adorned with all sorts of green plants and flowers, mixing together to create a unique array of flora.

Franco finally let his eyes roam around and he stood dazed at the scene before him. Evie did the same, not letting go of his hand as they stood on the edge of the skyway.

"Beautiful, right?" she asked, sparing him a glance before turning her gaze back to the garden.

"Yeah," he agreed, his voice barely above a whisper, but his eyes remained on her.

ᯓᡣ𐭩

Making it just in time for the light show, Evie had started to sweat and was glad when they finally got to sit down on the ground, amongst hundreds of people, all waiting for the same moment.

"Man, I forgot how huge this place is," she said, her words coming out muffled through her gasps for air.

Franco laughed, before scooting closer to her, a reassuring hand on her back. "I just remembered of when you made fun of the way I talk."

"What?" Evie's head whipped around so fast she thought her neck would get dislocated. "I did what?"

He laughed harder. "You don't remember?"

"No! When did I do that?"

"When you were drunk at the dinner. I was literally only offerring you a drive home and you laughed at me. Said I talk funny."

Evie's jaw dropped. Her cheeks flushed, her hands shooting up to cover her face from embarassment. "Oh, God, I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"It's okay," Franco said through fits of laughter. "You said it was cute."

"I am never getting drunk again."

Franco, still rudely laughing, reached his free hand out to push Evie's own hands down, revealing her face again. She spared him a look, then let her head drop on his shoulder. His hand remained on her back, keeping her grounded.

The lights all around the garden started to flicker, indicating the start of the light show.

Evie watched with the same curiosity she had a while ago, her eyes roaming around, trying to catch every change in the scenery. The Supertrees lit up with a wild array of colours, changing patterns every few seconds, while their green trunks flashed, contrasting the bright colours of the top of the trees.

With wide eyes, Evie turned to face Franco, only to find him already staring at her. Her breath hitched, watching him look otherworldly in that light. To her, he was the most uniquely beautiful thing in the whole garden.

She leaned in, eager to merge the bright colours reflected on him with her own, and connected their lips, losing herself in his embrace.

───────

dear reader!

the light show is innaccurate timing considering the sessions in the gp too so just ignore that

also i tried my best to describe the lights and the gardens but ive never been so pls dont judge me

akiaoya hi thanks for that one paragraph