Nico

I heaved a deep sigh after asking the question and kept my eyes fixed on Alaric while waiting for his answer.

I needed to know.

The entire world knew about him and Sophia. They had been childhood sweethearts for years before everything fell apart after the accident, and no matter how much Alaric pretended not to care whenever her name came up, I still could not stop wondering if some part of him still loved her.

Or worse.

Maybe whatever was happening between us meant absolutely nothing to him.

Maybe this was all just curiosity for him. An experiment. Something temporary he entertained because he was lonely after returning to Formula One.

The thought alone irritated me far more than it should have.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Alaric asked suddenly instead of answering my question.

I blinked once before lifting my wine glass toward my lips.

"How am I staring at you?" I asked casually.

Alaric narrowed his eyes slightly while leaning farther back into his chair.

"It feels like you are waiting to judge me the moment I answer."

I took another slow sip of wine before setting the glass back onto the table.

"It is a simple question, Alaric," I replied calmly. "Do not start diverting the conversation if you are not going to answer it."

Alaric sighed quietly before lifting his own wine glass.

"I..." He paused briefly before looking down at the dark red wine inside the glass. "I do not."

My chest loosened slightly at the answer, but before I could fully relax, he continued speaking.

"I think the accident changed too much," he admitted quietly. "At that time, I cut off almost everyone in my life."

That was not exactly the answer I wanted.

Cutting someone off was not the same thing as falling out of love with them.

People reconnected all the time.

People got back together all the time.

And suddenly I hated the thought of Sophia returning to his life more than I probably should have.

"So you plan on getting back together with her one day?" I asked carefully. "You were together for years."

Alaric shifted awkwardly in his chair afterward before reaching immediately for more wine instead of answering me properly.

That alone made something unpleasant twist inside my chest.

"I..." He hesitated before grimacing softly. "Can I skip that question?"

My heart ached painfully for absolutely no logical reason.

So he still cared about her.

Of course he did. Why wouldn’t he? They were together for so long.

I crossed my arms tightly against my chest afterward while studying him carefully, waiting to see if he would change his mind and answer properly anyway.

But he stayed quiet.

And honestly, the silence told me enough already.

"So you still like her," I muttered quietly. "And you probably think about getting back together with her eventually."

Alaric suddenly hiccuped in response.

I stared at him for one second before laughing softly beneath my breath.

His entire face had turned completely red at some point during the conversation, probably from the wine, and now he sat there glaring weakly at me between hiccups while clutching the wine glass like it personally offended him.

Honestly, he looked ridiculously cute.

Far too cute.

"Let me get you water," I muttered while standing from my chair. "You look completely wasted."

Before I could properly walk away toward the kitchen, Alaric suddenly grabbed my wrist.

I looked down immediately at the feeling of his fingers wrapped loosely around my hand.

"Alaric," I said softly, "I am literally trying to get water for you."

His grip tightened slightly before he finally looked up at me.

"I do not love Sophia anymore," he said quietly.

My heartbeat stumbled immediately.

"And I never plan on getting back together with her."

The moment those words left his mouth, relief spread so violently through my chest that I almost laughed from how ridiculous it felt.

A slow smile immediately spread across my face before I sat back down in my chair again.

"So no plans to get back together?" I asked carefully.

Alaric groaned dramatically before releasing my wrist.

"One question at a time," he complained while rubbing his face tiredly. "Do not start adding bonus questions."

I chuckled softly before motioning lazily toward him.

"Fine," I said. "Go ahead then. Your turn."

Alaric stayed quiet for several seconds afterward while absently rotating the wine glass between his fingers.

Then he sighed heavily.

"What do you do about a friend who has not contacted you in days?" he asked quietly.

I frowned slightly.

"That depends," I replied carefully. "Did something happen between both of you?"

Alaric shrugged weakly.

"I do not know anymore," he admitted drunkenly. "My best friend stopped talking to me after Bahrain."

I blinked once in surprise.

"Stopped talking to you completely?"

He nodded before taking another sip of wine.

"I tried calling him," he muttered. "Several times actually. But he never answers anymore."

There was something genuinely sad in his voice now.

I leaned slightly back in my chair while studying him carefully.

"Then go see him," I said simply.

Alaric looked up at me.

"What?"

"If calling is not working, then visit him," I replied calmly. "Some conversations are too important to leave sitting inside a phone."

Alaric stayed quiet afterward.

"He is probably angry with me," he admitted eventually.

"Then let him be angry to your face instead of from a distance."

A quiet laugh escaped him after that.

"You make terrible motivational speeches."

"And yet my advice is still good."

Alaric rolled his eyes weakly before pointing toward me with his wine glass.

"You sound annoyingly wise right now."

"I usually am."

"That sounds narcissistic."

"It sounds accurate."

Alaric snorted softly beneath his breath before relaxing farther into his chair again.

Then I lifted my own wine glass slightly toward him.

"My turn again," I announced.

Alaric groaned dramatically.

"I regret agreeing to this game."

"That is unfortunate for you."

He narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously.

"What now?"

I hesitated briefly before finally asking the question anyway.

"How did you cope after the accident?"

The moment the words left my mouth, the atmosphere around us shifted immediately.

Alaric’s expression changed almost instantly.

The softness from earlier disappeared from his face while his shoulders stiffened slightly beneath the warm lighting of the penthouse.

For several seconds, he stayed completely silent.

Then he looked away from me.

"I did not," he admitted quietly.

Something painful tightened inside my chest at the answer.

Alaric slowly lowered his wine glass onto the table afterward before dragging a tired hand through his blond hair.

"That is not something I like revisiting," he continued softly. "And honestly, I still do not think I healed from it completely."

The city lights from Monaco reflected faintly against the massive windows behind him while silence settled heavily between us.

Then Alaric laughed quietly beneath his breath.

It was a broken sound.

"I still miss my father," he admitted.

My chest tightened painfully.

The vulnerability in his voice caught me completely off guard.

Suddenly, he no longer looked like the arrogant Ferrari driver constantly fighting me on track.

He just looked tired.

Human.

And heartbreakingly lonely.

I noticed the way his fingers tightened slightly around the stem of the wine glass afterward, and immediately I knew he was dangerously close to becoming too emotional. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

So I leaned slightly forward before speaking softly.

"Ask me another question instead."

Alaric blinked once before slowly looking back toward me.

For several long seconds, he simply stared.

Then, unexpectedly, he lifted one hand and pointed directly toward me.

"Why do you hate me so much?" he asked drunkenly.

I frowned immediately.

"I do not hate you."

Alaric tapped his fingers lazily against the table afterward while staring at me with flushed cheeks and slightly unfocused eyes.

"Then why," he continued softly, "won’t you fuck me?"