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"This is so stupid." Kallie muttered, holding her helmet in her hands as she watched Lewis line up some traffic cones. They were at some abandoned track that Lewis and Nico used to practice at, from what she was told. She had no idea this place even existed. Still, her ego was far too big to accept that she needed to practice.

Austria had been a mess. She ended with P12. Lewis didn't do great either, ending with P8. Max dominated the whole race, which was expected as it was Red Bull's track. Tension was constantly stirring up everytime Kallie was even remotely close to Max during anything, like the parades, interviews, etc. She got a load of hate in Austria, unsurprisingly. They didn't like someone who was bringing their home team down. She did have some fans there, and they were sweetest people ever. She made sure to spend extra time talking with them.

She didn't know how to feel about Silverstone, which was approaching very soon, as in media day was 48 hours away. She had grandstands filled out in Formula E during her Silverstone races. But that was in Formula E where she was the face of the series. Formula 1 was an entirely different story. She was still in a championship fight with their hero Lewis Hamilton, so she wouldn't be surprised if she heard loads of boos. Lewis said she would get lots of love there, but she doubted that.

"When is the last time you've genuinely got into a car and just had some fun? This doesn't have to feel like a chore. There's no competition. Just loosen up a bit. Have some fun." Lewis spoke encouragingly before pulling on his helmet. "This is dumb. What if the cops come for trespassing or something?" She argued, searching for any excuse to get out of this. "They won't, and it's not like you've never been arrested before so you'll live." Lewis retorts.

Kallie groaned, begrudgingly pulling on her helmet and walking to the drivers side. She climbed in, Lewis getting into the passengers seat. They didn't exactly need the helmets, but better safe than sorry. They also made a promise to Kami that they wouldn't do anything stupid whilst she was gone. And by gone- that just meant Lewis's parents were babysitting the girl upon his request so he could get Kallie away from work. Kami gave him approval, wanting to see her mum smile again, and not one that was forced.

"What do I even do?" She deadpanned, her hands clenching around the steering wheel.

"Do whatever you want. I want you to remember why you started driving. I want you to remember how good it made you feel. How happy it made you feel. You need to feel it again. No matter what it takes. We can be here all day if that's what you need." Lewis responded, and in a quick second the force of the car pushed him back into the seat. She drove around the abandoned oval track at full speed, drifting at the corners rather than braking.

Lewis pulled out his phone to time the second lap. He continued timing each lap and each time they continued to get better. At 10 laps, she stopped the car and pulled off her helmet. She flipped on the AC, already growing hot. Lewis pulled his helmet off and tossed it in the back with hers, making note to leave this part out when he updated Kami later. "You feel any better?" He asked.

Kallie shook her head, "no." She pressed on the gas and sped around the track again.

She drifted again when he wasn't expecting it, his hand gripping her thigh as he jerked to the left. "Could've warned me," he groaned, falling back into his seat, not making an effort to move his hand. Kallie chuckled softly, and he perked up at the sound of it. A smile finding it's way to his lips to see her look naturally happy. She sped up again, the g-force keeping them pinned to their seats, a feeling they were very used to. "How's it going with Jennie? You been talking with her quite often," Kallie spoke, still focused on driving but she hated the silence.

"It's uh, it's going good actually. I feel a lot better." Lewis answered.

"That's good, I suppose. But, why did Jennie ask me to bring Nico to our next session?" Kallie questioned, her brows furrowed with confusion and curiosity. "Oh. I forgot about that. Uh, she wants us to...talk, about everything." He replied, shrugging it off, making it seem as though he was unbothered but she knew better. "Oh gosh. She wants to fix brocedes. That's going to be catastrophic. I have to see it," Kallie grinned.

"Obviously. Why do you think she told you? We're gonna need a translator. Unlike me, Nico didn't learn Korean for you, and he's supposed to be your friend." Lewis said, not so subtly throwing shade at Nico. He really never learned, did he? Kallie, on the other hand, found this very amusing. Mainly because she couldn't wait to see Nico and Lewis in the same room with a much needed therapist. For some, it might even be a dream come true.

"He does speak some Xhosa, actually," Kallie corrected with a soft giggle.

He wanted to argue, but he also didn't want to affect that smile she wore and her much brighter mood compared to when they first started. "Did you teach him some?" He asked. "Sort of. He just naturally picked up some words. Korean completely confuses him so he doesn't even try to speak it, and I'm glad because he have bad pronunciation." Kallie chuckled.

"How many laps has it been?" Lewis huffed, starting to feel quite dizzy because they were literally just driving in a big oval. It was nothing like an F1 track he was used to. He could adjust to it, but he didn't really like it. But she was used to it, having driven on these tracks plenty of times. She was far more versatile with her driving, having raced on hundreds of different tracks around the world. She was very sure he could do what she did, but not better than her. And right now, she was having the time of her as he suffered for her.

"I lose count." Kallie smiled, drifting around the corner, his hand holding onto her thigh for dear life.

"Should we get dinner or order in? I was thinking Indian food." Kallie pondered, completely unfazed by the amount of laps they were doing. Lewis was struggling not to throw up. Really starting to regret that lunch he had on the way to the track. "That sounds good, I think. Are you feeling any better? You look way better," he said, hoping he was right so she could stop the car before they ran out of fuel.

"I do. This is so much fun!" She giggled excitedly, turning to drift around the corner again.

She did a few more laps before slowing, and he sighed in relief, that was until the car was suddenly spinning as she did some donuts. She laughed, setting her hand over his that still held onto her thigh, his other one holding the handle above the door. "I was thinking. When I win the championship, I should do donuts with you and Kaylen." She said, smiling at the idea.

"What makes you think you're gonna win? What if I win?" Lewis scoffed, looking quite offended by her assumption.

"You won't. I will." Kallie stated, the car coming to a stop.

Lewis didn't argue, instead- he got the fuck out of that car. She snorts as she watched him stumble against the car, clearly dizzy. She climbed out, smiling in content, grateful that he made her come out here. "I know you're holding back every urge to throw up, but I'm very happy you make me do this. It helped a lot." She spoke, leaning against the car as he reached into the backseat to get a water bottle.

He held up a finger, gulping down the water as she chuckled to herself. Finally, he was done and the whole bottle was empty. "Sorry. Uh, I'm really glad this helped. I loved seeing you smile like that." He spoke, going around the car to be where she was standing. "I feel like I was a kid again. It's a good feeling. Ndlela-ntle." She spoke, bowing her head with a small smile pulled at the corners of her lips.

"You don't need to thank me. I'd do anything for you," he smiled, resting a hand on her side.

"You don't need to do that. You don't need to do anything for me," she replied, shaking her head softly.

"I know. But I want to." He shrugged, moving his hand up to brush her hair away from her face. Her eyes averted to the concrete before she managed to get lost in his brown eyes again. "So, uh, you mentioned Indian food? Do you have a specific place here because it's usually not very good here." Lewis spoke, moving onto another subject so she didn't overwhelm herself by overthinking.

"Oh, uh yeah. I know a spot. Me and Kaylen go all the time together. It's really good." Kallie informed, moving to pull open the car door.

"Can we take ten more minutes before I get back in that car so I don't lose all ability to ever drive it again?" Lewis requested, gaining a laugh from her. "Sure. But you might want to just rid of it because the gearshift is not good anymore." Kallie said in all seriousness because she knew her doing that many laps + drifting was not good for that type of car. It was better to get a new one rather than put loads of money in the current one just to fix it.

"Yeah, I figured that would happen. It's why I picked that one out. I was tired of it. Kept reminding me of my crazy ex." Lewis said, causing her to perk up with interest. She cleared her throat lowly, horribly pretending to not be interested as she feigned surpise. "Really? Uh, which one was it? Was she...pretty at all?" She asked with terrible subtlety.

"Yeah, she was very pretty," Lewis answered, smiling widely because he knew this was making her jealous.

Kallie frowned, feigning offense, "is she prettier than me?"

Lewis scoffed, moving over to her, setting his hands on her sides, lowering them down to her waist, just above her the band of her denim jeans. He tugged her closer until she was pressed against him. "Darling, nobody will ever be as pretty as you. Everytime I look you, the beat of my heart speeds up, and my breath is pulled from my lungs because you are so fucking beautiful. There's never a single second where you aren't. From the very first time I laid eyes on you, I knew nobody would ever compare to you."

Everything in her was screaming to just kiss him, or do something to tell him that she felt the exact same way. But she couldn't. It still didn't feel right. She wanted for it to feel right. He deserved to be loved and appreciated in the same way. He needed someone who would always be there without doubts or regrets. She wanted to be that for him. But it just wasn't the right time. She still didn't feel okay. Something just wasn't right. She was waiting for that moment where she could finally just get over it. Right now just wasn't that moment.

Her phone suddenly rings.

Saved by the bell.

He pulled away to give her space as she took the call, a small sigh of disappointment slipping past his lips. "Mholo?" She spoke into the phone, forgetting to check the caller ID. "What does that mean again? We haven't hung out in a while." She chuckled, Jann's voice coming through the phone. "It means hello. Did you need something? Kaylen is at the house with George so they can let you through the gates if you landed already."

"Oh, you didn't see my texts. I'm already at the house. I was wondering if you wanted to grab dinner? Are you busy?" Jann quiered, leaning against the couch, drowning out the yells from Kaylen and George as they played on the Xbox with Lando and Max. "Uh, no, but I'm actually with Lewis. We was going to get some Indian, so you could definitely come with. I can pick you up if you want." Kallie spoke, and Lewis furrowed his brows in confusion, wondering who she was speaking with.

"Sounds good. Call me when you're at the gate. Cheers." Jann spoke before hanging up, and then pausing when he recalled her words. He blinked in realization. "Lewis?! Did she say Lewis? What the fuck?" He quickly hit the button to call her again but it just went to voicemail. "You have gotta learn how to answer a phone, Kallie," he mumbled to himself in exasperation.

Half an hour later, they pulled up to the gate and she shot him quick text to avoid calling. Jann ran out and went through the side door rather than open the whole gate. He got into the backseat and leaned forward to dap up Lewis. "How you been mate?" He greeted, acting cool but he was kind of nervous. Obviously they've met before, but this was entirely different because there wasn't a crowd of cameras surrounding them.

"Pretty good. How's training camp?" He questioned, glancing over his shoulder to look at the other driver, Kallie focused on pulling out and managing to avoid the rubbish bin that Kaylen put in the wrong place because directions always ended up going backwards for him. That was the last time she was letting him take out the trash. "Uh, it's been alright. I'm adjusting well. I wish I could just skip it like Kallie did." Jann said, rubbing his neck tiredly.

"Not everyone is good enough to skip it," Kallie smirked smugly, receiving an annoyed look from her friend.

"Hey, I heard Nyck is being replaced. You know anything about that?" Jann quiered, rubbing the edge of his jawline. "Uh, no. I don't really talk with him outside of work," Kallie replied, shrugging her shoulder. "I know, you suddenly become best friends when you're around each other," Lewis adds, his voice filled with sarcasm and some spite. "I'm sensing jealousy. Are you guys back together?" Jann squints, looking in between the two parents.

"We were never together stupid," Kallie scowled.

"The stupid was unnecessary," Jann frowned, feigning offense.

"Oh look, we're here! Yay." Kallie said with faux enthusiasm, unlocking the doors for them. She pulled off her seat belt and Lewis was already out of the car and opening the door for her. She smiled, taking his hand and letting him help her out. "Enkosi," she murmured, letting go of his hand that felt so perfect in hers.

Jann pulled open the door to the small underground restaurant and they walked inside. It wasn't super packed, which they were definitely grateful for. "This is Kezie's favorite spot. She introduced me to it when I first moved to London." Kallie explained to Lewis, as Jann was already familiar with the place. They spent lots of late nights here talking about work and other random topics that came up.

"I've been like everywhere and I've never heard of this place," Lewis mumbled, wondering how he could've missed it.

"Yo, you brought the baby daddy!" They jumped at the loud voice, Javon jumping over the counter with a grin. He was one of the workers here as he was best friends with the owners son. "Do not call him that!" She scolds, accepting his hug that had turned into a small dance when he twirled her around. "What'd Pops say about dancing with the customers?!" His friend Karan spoke, moving over to the register.

"It don't count. It's Kallie," Javon corrected.

"Kallie?" Karan took a double look, his eyes widening when they finally noticed her presence. They grew wider at the sight of Lewis. "You brought Lewis Hamilton?!" He screeched, causing Lewis to chuckle lightly. He enjoyed places like this. They always felt more comforting and the food was always so much better. "Lewis, this is Karan and Javon. Karan, Javon, this is my friend Lewis, please don't be weird." Kallie spoke, walking over the booth in the corner she always sat at.

"What's up, mate! You leavin' Mercedes, right?" Javon spoke, shaking Lewis's hand with a grin. "I'm not answerin' that. But it's nice to meet you, man." Lewis chuckled, and moved to sit next to Kallie. Jann was at the counter reading the menu, completely focused on it. Karan walked over and set down some glasses of water. "No Kez this time?" He asked, still trying to keep his composure around one of his idols.

"Uh no, but I could ask her to come by. I'm sure she'd prefer this over making an entire meal for her family," Kallie said, turning on her phone to do what she suggested.

"Only if she's not busy. My mums been askin' about her. She knitted her another cardigan with the watermelon colors like she asked for." Karan comments, setting down the vegan menu for Lewis. Kallie always got the same thing so Javon was in the back informing the chef to prepare it. "Okay, she's on her way. She's bringing the kids. You got enough workers here?"

Karan nods in confirmation, "yeah, we got it covered."

"Oh shit, Kallie, you're a vegan now, aren't ya?" Javon questioned, coming out of the kitchen. "Yeah, I am," Kallie replied. "That's good. It's great for your health," Javon adds before heading back into the kitchen to inform the chef. "He wouldn't know. He ate two racks of ribs yesterday like it was a sample," Karan scoffed, gaining some laughs from them, and maybe he silently freaked out about the fact that he made Lewis Hamilton laugh.

After Lewis ordered, he got Jann's order next and went off to the kitchen. Jann returned to the table, sipping on his soda that he bought. "How's Kamiyah been?" He questioned. "She's been pretty good," Kallie smiled at the thought of her daughter. "She's currently obsessed with play dough. We had to replace her mattress because of it." Lewis added and Kallie snorts the memory. He had been freaking out whilst she was just laughing about it.

"The mattress she got flown in from Korea?" Jann asked in shock, and Kallie nods in confirmation. "Don't remind me. I have to wait two more weeks for it to come and she hates the mattress we bought, so she hasn't been in the best mood." Lewis spoke, still looking very stressed out about it. He hated when Kami was upset, and when she was upset at him.

"She keeps saying Kez would've gotten her the bed already," Kallie snorts, receiving an annoyed look from her daughter's father. "I mean..did she lie?" Jann smirked in amusement, getting a scoff from the other driver. Kallie patted Lewis's back with a comforting smile. "Don't worry. She'll get over it when she realizes it's her fault for smearing Playdough all over her bed."

Javon and Karan both returned with the food and drinks, and obviously it all looked amazing. They chatted about work mostly, Jann going on about training camp, and Kallie showing him some pictures she took of Kami and Roscoe like the proud mum she was. After ten minutes, the door was being pushed open and Kamari walked through the door, Kez right behind her with Kaidyn in her arms.

"Where's your ma at?" Kez asked towards Karan.

"She's in the back. You want the usual?" Karan asked. "Yeah, and chicken nuggets please," she added for her son. She handed Kaidyn to Kamari, "watch him please. I'll be right back. Get whatever you want." She spoke and handed her card to Karan before heading to the back to his mother. Kamari ordered and walked over to the table, "move over," she said to Jann, hitting his arm. "Ow!" Jann winced, scooting down to make some room as the couple across chuckled.

"Here, let me take him." Lewis offered, leaning over to take Kaidyn into his arms.

"Can he speak yet?" Jann asked, squinting his eyes at the child who was wearing some noise canceling headphones. "No," Mari answered, taking some food from Lewis's plate. He didn't mind, far too focused on his phone as he searched for a good race for Kaidyn to watch. He ended up choosing one of Kallie's old races that he knew the boy would really enjoy.

Kez returned soon with a cardigan draped around her shoulders. She sat down next to her daughter and the food came. She cut the chicken nuggets into smaller pieces before setting the bowl in front of Kaidyn. He signed a thank you to her before taking a piece into his hand, his eyes focused on the race Lewis put on for him.

"How's Will doing?" Jann asked towards the singer.

"Uh, he's good, I think. I don't really keep tabs on his life," Kez mumbled. Kallie shot Jann a glare for even bringing it up. But he honestly had no idea there any hostility or awkwardness. Kez was the type to shrug off a relationship, no matter how long it may have lasted. Clearly Will was a different story. "Are you coming to Silverstone, too?" Kamari asked him in hopes to switch the subject so her mum didn't feel uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I'm invited to the Jag garage," Jann grinned, very excited to see his close friend driving an F1 car in real time. Her dream had always been Formula 1 so he was very happy to witness her dreams coming true. All the work she put in wasn't all for nothing. She was going to be a Formula 1 World Champion no matter what it took.

"I can't wait to see Aunt Kallie beat Max so I can rub it in Kayla's dumb face," Kamari said.

"Who's Kayla?" Lewis asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

"This slag on my basketball team," Mari scowled, only for her mum to nudge her for the foul language. "Watch your mouth," Kez scolded.

"What? She's so rude to me. All because I wouldn't do her stupid chemistry homework," Kamari rambled incredulously. "Just kick her ass," Kallie muttered, her eyes widening when she realized she didn't just say that in her head. "Sorry- I didn't mean to say that out loud. Fighting is bad. Don't listen to me." She rushed out.

"She's got a point mum. You should let me beat her up. She needs to be taught a lesson. She's making me look like a bitch." Kamari said, turning to her mum who was watching Kaidyn, making sure he didn't feel overwhelmed or anything. He wouldn't tell her, but she could always tell by his body language. Thankfully, he was pretty content sitting with Lewis and watching his Auntie's old race.

"Eish, you sound like Kallie," Kez input with a look of exasperation.

"That's not a good thing," Jann snickered, receiving a glare from Kallie. "What I meant was, if she starts something, then you should beat her up. But, you should just listen to your mum because I'm not best example." Kallie chuckled awkwardly, leaning into Lewis who snaked an arm around her to pull her closer, so close their legs pressed against each other. He didn't even think much into it, he just did it, only thinking of her comfort.

"If you fight her, don't go for punches. Just hit her body and don't let her grab your hair. Knock her out with one punch if she does grab your hair. Don't say anything to anyone until me or one of your dad's is there." Keziyah said, patting her back before returning to her food. Kamari nods with a smile, keeping that in mind. She pulled out her phone, quickly texting her group chat with her friends/teammates on the basketball team.

"Why are we encouraging her to fight someone?" Jann quiered, surprised to see that Lewis had no problems with it. "I don't see an issue with it. If this girl is bullying her, then she should stand up for herself. Don't let her punk you." Lewia shrugged and Kamari grinned at her encouraging words. "Enkosi, Uncle Lew," Kamari said, bowing her head. "Why do I even try?" Jann mumbled to himself, causing Kez to chuckle under her breath.

"Mama, can my friends have a sleepover at our house tonight? Please?" Kamari pleaded.

"Tonight? Mamas, you know I'm having someone over. I can't." Kez said apologetically, and before Mari could get upset, Kallie spoke, "you can have a sleepover at my house. But we do have to pick up Kami from her grandparents, so I hope you don't mind a baby being around." She offered, and Lewis nodded in agreement, not bothered by it at all. It would help to see what she likes because he still had to get her something for her birthday in a few months.

"That's totally fine! Mum, can I?" Kamari asked.

"As long as you don't miss your appointment tomorrow morning," Kez shrugged, licking the sauce off her fingers. "What appointment?" Lewis questioned, wiping Kaidyn's hand because he touched some ketchup and looked to be distressed about it. But he remembered Kez saying Kaidyn hated ketchup, so he was very quick to clean it off. "Just a health check up. She's been complaining about a pain in her knee." Kez informed.

"My friends are here. I'm gonna go sit with them," Kamari said, jumping out of the booth as her friends walked in, all holding an overnight bag in one hand. "Mum, do I have a limit?" Mari asked as she and her friends stood at the counter to order. "Buy whatever you want," Kez shrugged carelessly, hearing the cheers of her daughter's friends. "Thank you, Ms. Kumalo," her friends all said, and Kezie blew them an air kiss.

"More like thank you mommy," Hazel, Mari's best friend, had said with a smirk, causing Mari to hit her arm.

Jann took notice of Kezie's drifted off state. "What are you thinking about?" He asked. "About the person I'm having over tonight," she shrugged, putting the food into a leftover tray to eat later. "Who are you having over tonight?" Kallie questioned, squinting her eyes in suspicion. That was the last thing she needed. She still wasn't over what happened in Canada. Kallie may have forgotten it, but she hadn't.

"None of your business," Kez smiled mockingly.

"Ya know, if you sit down and focused, you would realize that you need therapy. You are severely fucked up, and I say as someone who is also a bit fucked up herself." Kallie spoke, only receiving a blank stare in return. Kez shook her head, her eyes rolling back in annoyance, "I don't need therapy." Kallie scoffed, "that's what I said, but you don't exactly give me a choice, do you? So suck it up, and call Jennie to schedule something. Think of the kids. They need to feel comfortable with expressing their concern about their mental health."

"If I do, will you win a race?" Kez shot back, and Jann almost spit out his drink hearing that.

"When I win in Silverstone, you have to call Jennie. Understand?" Kez groaned, her head falling back, "fine." Kallie smiled in content, resting her head on Lewis's shoulder. Jann squinted his eyes at the two, "your guy's relationship is so confusing, man." Kez chuckled, nodding in agreement. As they sat there, waiting for the kids to finish up, Lewis and Jann were in a conversation, Kallie's head slumped on his shoulder as Kez was just chatting to Karan after getting her card back, she ended up paying for the other three as well.

"Mum, we're done! Can we go now?" Kamari asked, she and her friends all standing at the table.

"Sure, but one of you has to ride with Kallie and Lewis," Kez said, standing up and brushing herself off. "I will!" Jackie offered immediately, shooting a warning look to her other friends who went to offer. "Jann, you're riding with me. I wanna talk to you about something." Kez added before pulling the door open and exiting, the girls all following her. Lewis and Kallie headed out, Kaidyn still with them because Kez had to get the girls in the car.

"Is this your car? It's so cool!" Jackie exclaimed, examining the purple car with wide eyes. Lewis chuckled, walking over to Kezie's car and putting Kaidyn into the car-seat. "Seat belt mama," Kez climbed out of the drivers seat and got into the back, leaning over Mari so she could hook in Hazel's seat belt. "You totally could've done that yourself," Kamari said, leaning over to hit her best friend's knee. "Yeah, but I wanted your mum to do it," Hazel smirked, causing Mari to grimace.

"She's so dreamy," Sandy sighed, slumping into her seat.

"Who is?" Lewis questioned, leaning into the car to buckle in Kaidyn.

"She's talkin' 'bout your baby mama mate," Hazel input with a toothy grin.

"In that case, I don't blame you. But, she's off limits, I had her first, sorry." Lewis smiled, giving Kaidyn a little fistbump before shutting the car just as Jann got into the passengers seat. Kallie honked the horn impatiently and he rolled his eyes, walking around to the other side. He got into the passengers seat, Jackie already sitting in the back. "Tell them we're coming to pick Kamiyah up," Kallie spoke, handing him her phone where she pulled up the contact.

Lewis nods, taking the phone and calling his dad to let them know they were on their way over. Jackie leaned forward, eyeing the two in suspicion, "are you guys married? My friends think your married but your hiding it." She questioned. "We're not even together," Kallie corrected, using her hand to push Jackie's head back. "Why not? You look great together. OMG, I know what it is." Jackie spoke dramatically, receiving a confused look from Lewis. "What are you getting at?"

Jackie leaned closer to Kallie, squinting her eyes at Lewis, "he's gay isn't he?"

"What?! No. No. That is the case. Not that there's anything wrong with being gay! But I am not gay. I like women." Lewis expressed in some alarm. Kallie snickered, "he's not gay, as much as Kaylen wished he was. We're just not together like that. I wouldn't date him." Lewis furrowed his brows in slight confusion, "excuse me? You could've said that with less disgust..?" He says, feigning offense.

"She's gay dude. Did you not see her smoking hot girlfriends?" Jackie scoffed, glaring at him.

"Hey, hey, she can be gay if she wants. As long as she's still feelin' me." Lewis scoffed, gaining a small laugh from Kallie.

"I'm not sure how Sandy would feel about that," Jackie mumbled, sitting back in her seat as the car soon stopped. They both got out and came back with Kami who was hugging onto Lewis like a koala. Kallie put in the car-seat and Lewis set the girl down and buckled her up. Kami frowned at the new girl, holding onto her dad's hand with a death grip. "Hey, don't worry. It's just one of Mari's friends." He reassures.

Kami nods, slowly releasing her hold on his hand. He moved away to shut the door and got back into the passenger seat. Soon, they were at Kallie's house. Lewis took Kami and they went into the house, Kez was sitting in the kitchen waiting. Lewis set Kami down and she immediately ran over to Roscoe and Sargeant, giggling as she hugged onto them. "Hey, I gotta go. This one needs to be in bed," Kez spoke, referring to the sleeping child in her arm.

"All right, that's fine. Have a good night." Kallie smiled, pressing a kiss to her nephew's head.

"Make sure she puts her bonnet on. She always falls asleep without it." Kez said, standing up from the stool, careful not to disrupt her baby. "I'll make sure she wear it. Don't worry. It's all covered. They're gonna have so much fun." Kallie assured. "Alright. See ya tomorrow." Kez smiled, passing by Lewis and patting his shoulder as a goodbye so she didn't wake up Kai if she had hugged him.

As the front door shut, cries filled the living room, and they were coming from Kami. Let's just say Kallie and Lewis could've made the Olympics with how fast they ran. Kamari was attempting to soothe her but was failing miserably. "What happen?" Kallie questioned, taking Kami into her arms and passing her to Lewis because he tended to be better at comforting.

"We were watching It and she came in right when Pennywise popped up," Kamari explained with an apologetic look.

"It wasn't my fault this time," Kaylen added with a proud grin, laying on the couch wrapped up in a burrito blanket. Kamari scowled, reaching up to smack him in the forehead. "Shut up forehead!" Her friends laughed with her, and Kami stopped her crying to have a little giggle. Lewis smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek, "it's your bedtime anyways. So, let's get you in a bath."

"No, no! Can she stay up with us? We wanna dress her up!" Kamari pleaded, and Kami smiled, loving that she was wanted. Kallie glanced at Lewis who just shrugged, "it's up to you, love." She sighed, nodding her head, "sure. Only for a little bit, and no horror movies." He set Kami down and she giggled, running into her cousin's arms. "I'll be in my room. Call me if you need me," Kallie added before walking down the hall to her bedroom that was right next to the kitchen.

Lewis followed her, shutting the door behind him. "I like when you're nice," he comments with a smile.

"Why are you in here?" Kallie scoffed, pulling off her jacket. "Because I can, and I don't feel like babysitting a group of girls who will definitely tease me about you." Lewis shrugged, watching as she pulled her shirt over her head to change. "Should I wait outside?" He mumbled in question. "Okay. Do what you want. I don't care." She shrugged carelessly, tugging her pants down.

He tilted his head, eyeing her movements with not a lick of shame. "I love how you just casually get naked in front of me," he comments, smirking slightly as she walked around to the closet. "Still doesn't mean I'm going to fuck you," she winked playfully before shutting the closet door. He sighed, running a hand down his face in exasperation, "you're so cruel, for no reason at all."

She soon stepped out of the closet, he was already lounging on the bed, a movie playing on the TV that he wasn't paying much attention to. He looked up from his phone, eyes widening at her as she went into the restroom. He sat up better, waiting for her to come back out. As she did, he took notice of her clothing. She wore an over-sized hoodie that she may have stolen from Nico, but he didn't need to know that. He didn't care about that, what he was looking at was much different. She wore a matching lingerie set in his favorite colour. Purple.

"Uh, Kallie, what are you wearing?" He didn't even care about what he previously doing on his phone, more focused on her.

"A hoodie, and lingerie. Why?" She shrugged nonchalantly, sitting down on the bed and turning off the movie to put some music on.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, "I'm gonna take a shower." She nodded, glancing over her shoulder to see him getting out of bed. "Don't use up all hot water. The girls still need to take showers." She added, moving her attention back to the TV. "Trust me, no hot water is needed," he murmured, taking one last glance at her before entering the bathroom.

The door was pushed open and Kami walked in with Roscoe and Sargeant, a smile on her lips. She was dressed up like Princess Tiana and she wanted to show her parents. "Mama! Baba!" She giggled, running over to the bed and climbing up on it, the two dogs guarding her to make sure she wouldn't fall in her attempts.

Kallie grinned, "hi babygirl! You look so pretty!" She expressed, scooping her up and hugging onto her, peppering her adorable face in kisses.

"Where Baba?" She frowned, looking around with concerned eyes.

"He's in the shower, pretty. He'll be out soon." She smiled, pressing another kiss to her cheek. Kami giggled, hugging onto her mum as the two dogs went and got comfortable on Roscoe's bed. Sargeant knew not to jump on the furniture of other people's houses. It was only allowed at places his mum lived at, and Kamari became he stayed in her dorms with her when Kez had to travel for work and couldn't/ or didn't want to bring him. She didn't like to make him travel excessively because of his fear of planes.

"Are you ready for bed?" She asked, choosing a slow and sensual R&B song to play.

"No." Kami answered, shaking her head firmly.

Kallie chuckled, nodding her head, "that's okay."

The door to the bathroom finally opened, Lewis walked out, towel wrapped around his waist. Kami cheered, "Baba!" He smiled and went over, immediately taking her into his arms. "Well aren't you just the cutest princess I have ever seen! You look so pretty, sweetheart." He chuckled, peppering her face with more kisses like Kallie had done. She giggled, setting her hands on his face, "you cold."

"It's because I just had a shower. Just like how you need a bath because you're really starting to pick up an odor." He joked, causing her face to fall. She frowned, hitting his shoulder, "I no smell!" She argued. He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her head, "you're right. It's probably Kaylen. He's got the worst BO. Wouldn't surprise me if it was contagious." She giggled, nodding in agreement and Kallie snorts at that.

"Can we have her back now?" They looked up to see Kamari waiting at the door with her best friend's Hazel and Sandy. Although Sandy was more so just gazing at Kallie and Hazel doing the same at Lewis. "We were having a moment here," he scoffed, and Kami giggled again, finding this all so funny because nobody wanted to share her.

"Yeah, well, we had her first!" Kamari scoffed, storming over to take Kami back.

"Excuse me? Kallie, are you seeing this? These little kid-snatchers!" Lewis scowled as Mari took Kami into her arms with a smug smirk. "We technically are kids," Hazel input. "I don't associate myself with them!" Sandy objected, moving a step away from her friend as she smiled at Kallie. "Read the room, Sandy. She's taken. See? They share a room just like our parents do." Hazel said, causing Sandy to sigh sadly.

"Say bye-bye," Mari smirked, walking over to the door where her friends were silently bickering as they left off to the living room. "Hey, make sure your bonnet on," Kallie added, and Mari nodded in understanding.

"Bye-bye!" Kami giggled, and Mari smiled, walking out. The two dogs were quick to follow after the princess.

"I can't believe they just stole my child." Lewis mumbled, getting up to shut the door. Kallie snickered, "yeah, I can't imagine what that feels like." He rolled her eyes at her sarcasm, plopping down on the bed tiredly. He wasn't even gonna entertain it. An argument with her is really not what he needed or wanted. As fun as it was to see her get all mad and frustrated, he didn't want to go to bed on rough terms.

"You could at least put on some boxers or something," she muttered, her eyes subtly scanning over his body as he laid out on his back, the white towel still wrapped around him.

"What if I don't feel like it?" He spoke, staring up at the ceiling, propping his head up with his arms. "I don't really care. It's my bed. Clothes aren't optional for you." She shot back, reaching for her book to read. "If I put on some, could you put on some shorts? Unless you want me to wake up turned on." He replied, mumbling the last part but she still heard it.

She sighed, looking over to him as he was already looking at her. "I can't."

"Why not? What's wrong?" He frowned, sitting up more upon realizing her defeated expression.

"I have a bruise on the inside of my thigh, and shorts make it uncomfortable to sleep." She explained, looking very annoyed with herself. "How'd you get a bruise?" He questioned, furrowing his brows in confusion. "When I was at the factory driving the simulator, a part came loose and hit me right on the inside of my thigh. It's not the best thing to look at." She explained, her legs pushed together but not too hard, she had relax her muscles so she wouldn't clench them and make it hurt more.

"Can I see it?" He requested.

"I guess so. There's not anything you can do though. It has to heal on it's own." She shrugged laying back as he moved in between her legs. She tensed slightly as he pushed her legs apart gently. He winced at the large bruise, "that's really bad looking. Did you get this checked out?" She nodded with a sigh, "yeah, they said it would go away on it's own. They prescribed me some pain medication but my mum said I shouldn't take it because it could do more harm than good."

"Are you going to be able to drive?" He pondered, his fingers rubbing soft circles on her knees.

"Yes. It'll hurt but I can do it." She answered, sitting up against her elbows.

"I'm gonna get you some ice for it." He mumbled, getting out of bed. He went into the closet and changed into some shorts and a tank top before leaving out to the kitchen. She waited patiently as he returned, a bag of ice wrapped in a small towel sitting in his hand. He handed it to her so she was comfortable doing it herself as much as he would've liked to hold it there. "Thanks," she smiled softly.

"No problem, love." Lewis smiled, laying back down on the bed.

"I think it'll fade in time for Silverstone," she mumbled, holding the ice between her thighs.

"Hopefully, because I really want you to win it. I would not be okay if Max won again." Lewis breathed out, running a hand down his braids. She glanced over at it, "why don't you think you'll win? Why just assume it's me?" Lewis just shrugged, not really giving her an answer. "I don't- I don't get it. You win in Spain. Did that not help your confidence? You should be fighting for wins right now. You shouldn't be settling for second place."

"I only won that race because you made a bad decision," he shrugged.

"What? That's ridiculous." She scoffed, turning her body to face him, wincing at the pain between her legs. The ice was slowly starting to numb it though. "Is it though? If you had just pitted like I did, you absolutely would have beat me." Her eyes rolled at his words, sick of hearing the excuses. She hated seeing him like this. "Do you know who you are? You're Lewis Hamilton. You're the reason I came to F1. I could've retired where I was, but I didn't, but I saw how much F1 needed competition again. You didn't see me, but I was there in Abu Dhabi."

He perked up hearing that, brows scrunched up slightly, "no, dad said you were in Africa filming a music video."

"He lied to you. I told him to. I was in the stands. I planned to come to F1 in 2019 when Kez buy the team, but when I have Kami, I was considering retirement. Then, I saw Abu Dhabi, and I knew I had to come back and finish our story. I can't do that if you're not giving me your absolute all." She spoke.

His eyes fell onto her, "what's our story?"

"All these years...since I left karting, I was dodging you. I didn't want to race you ever again. First, I lost the Merc seat to you, and then when I started getting noticed on my own, I was only ever compared to you. It was always you. I was so sick of it. But everyone wanted it. I saw all those retirement rumors after Abu Dhabi, and I couldn't just let our story go unfinished. I had to race you again. I had to beat. That's what it was always about. Proving I was better than you."

"Do you still feel that way?" He questioned quietly.

"I'm not sure. I still want to beat you. But I don't want to be the reason you leave without an 8th." She shrugged, glancing down at her fingers as she fiddled with her rings she still wore. He sighed, running a hand down his face, "I renewed my contract for another year, but after that I don't think I can do it anymore."

"What do you mean? You're going to retire?" She questioned, her face etched with confusion.

"No. I think, I'm done with Mercedes. I'm going to leave." Lewis answered, biting his lip as he searched her expression that seemed practically unreadable. "I'm sorry- what?" He nods, "they're not gonna give me what I want. There's no respect. They want to leave me high and dry in 2026. I've been thinking about what you said about Ferrari. I think that's really my last option at this point, and it'll be fulfilling another one of my dreams. Driving in Ferrari red."

"I think...that's great. You make the right decision. It's hard, but sometimes things don't always work out." Kallie smiled sadly, leaning forward to set her hands in his. "This doesn't mean I'm done fighting for wins. I'm gonna fight for that 8th. I'm not giving up now." Lewis assured, placing a kiss to her hand. She smiled, nodding softly, "that's good. I don't want you to ever forget who you are."

"Same goes for you, love." Lewis smiled, subconsciously leaning closer to her. She leaned in, her eyes fluttering shut as he placed his hand on her cheek.

And then the door fucking opened.

"Uh, apologies for interrupting but we have a big problem." Jackie said.

Lewis tossed Kallie a pair of loose sweats and she quickly pulled them on, wincing slightly. They quickly followed Jackie, heading upstairs. She walked into the large bathroom and began to hear Kami's soft cries as she sat in the tub. The dogs whimpered, not liking to see Kami so distressed. Kallie gasped, noticing the blob of slime stuck in her daughter's curls, "oh my God. What happened?"

"We were making slime and but we weren't paying attention and she got her hands on some," Kamari explained, still freaking out because the soap she used was not working on Kami's hair. "Okay, okay, just calm down. We'll handle this. You girls just get ready for bed. Use the other bathroom." Kallie said, and Lewis directed them out, Mari mumbled small apologies on her way out.

Lewis kneeled down, smiling at Kami in hopes to cheer her up some as Kallie rushed to find the proper products to get the slime out. "Your mum was totally about to kiss me," he whispered to her so Kallie wouldn't hear. Kami's eyes brightened and she smiled, forgetting all about why she was sad. "Okay, I've got everything we need." Kallie mumbled, pulling up a stool to sit down on.

"Mum to the rescue," Lewis comments, making Kami giggle as she played with the toy duck floating around in the water.

She started with shampoo first, only getting a little bit out like she expected. She went onto conditioner next and gently combed out her curls to remove the slime. She got most of it but not all of it. Then she went onto the baby oil next and combed it out, managing to remove all the slime. Kami was extremely relieved at that. She washed her hair two more times just to be sure before finally getting her out of the tub before she turned into a prune.

They put her down to bed before going to Kamari's room to check up on the girls. Kamari and Hazel were sharing the bed, and Sandy was passed out on Kaidyn's bed. The other girls were sprawled out on the floor that was covered by a fluffy purple carpet. "Put your bonnet on, now," Kallie said, making Mari groan and grab her bonnet on the bedside table.

"Told ya she would notice," Hazel muttered, adjusting her own bonnet.

"Everyone is getting picked up by their parents tomorrow, right?" Lewis questioned, leaning against the doorframe as Kallie was cleaning up the wrappers on the floor. "Yeah, all except for Jackie because she's staying with me and mum," Mari answered, her Aunt laying a blanket over Sandy. It was a good thing she was asleep or she'd probably pass out if Kallie was that close to her.

"Is Kami okay?" Hazel asked.

"She's perfectly fine. You girls get some sleep. No staying up too late." Kallie spoke, leaning down to kiss her niece's head. "I'm too old for goodnight kisses," Mari cringed. "You're eight," Lewis scoffed in disbelief. "No, no, my government age doesn't count," Mari scowled, shooting him a glare that he rolled his eyes at.

"If you don't want a kiss, I'll take one!" Hazel scoffed, sitting up to welcome it.

Kallie chuckled softly and leaned over to kiss the girl's head, "goodnight, Hazel."

"I'm so using that in my book," Hazel mumbled as she tucked herself back into the bed, her best friend giving her a nudge for the comment. "They don't need to know about your obsession with fanfiction," she scolded. Hazel rolled her eyes, mocking her friend under her breath, "as if you don't have Wattpad and Tumblr on your secret phone." Mari quickly shushed her friend before her Aunt and Uncle heard them.

"Goodnight." Kallie smiled, closing the door behind her.

"I wonder what Kez is doing," Lewis mumbled in thought, following his girl back downstairs.

"I hope she's having more fun than we are," Kallie added, yawning as she rubbed her tired eyes.

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a/n: turns out silverstone will be the next chapter bc this got longer than i expected

i have issues bc why do i wanna write a book abt vic & lewis irl- deadass already made a cover 💀 (plot is basically, kez & lew are like the most iconic besties ever and vic dislikes both of them bc of their cocky ass personalities) it would also be set in 2024...AND ITS SINGER/RAPPER LEWIS 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️

literally all i can think abt is lewis' win in silverstone 😭 i am still recovering 😩

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