Chapter 127: Statistically Jealous
Miller
When we returned to the VIP box, I continuously groaned where I sat, and the box that was supposed to be a place of luxury felt like a pressure cooker.
Rhys sat on the edge of his leather seat, his eyes locked on Nico Park’s navy car as it lined up on the grid.
Kayden was practically vibrating with excitement next to him, which only made Rhys look more like he wanted to jump down and sabotage the Red Bull engine with his bare hands.
Then there was Leo. He hadn’t spoken since our little moment in the hallway. He was focused on the monitor, his fingers tapping a rhythmic, logical pattern on the armrest, and every time the camera panned to Alaric’s red Ferrari, Leo’s posture straightened just a millimeter.
"The race is about to start," Kayden whispered, leaning over to me. "You okay, Miller? You look like you are about to swallow your tongue."
"I’m fine," I lied, gripping the arms of my chair. "I just didn’t realize how loud these things were."
That was far from the truth. I still couldn’t stop thinking about what Leo had said and how he was acting toward it.
He called Alaric his fantasy, yet he wouldn’t stop staring at him with so much intensity on the monitors.
I turned back to the screens as the five red lights at the top of the gantry started to glow.
One.
Two.
Three.
Leo leaned forward and pointed toward the screen. "This is the most critical variable," he muttered. "The launch determines the entire strategic trajectory of the first stint."
Four.
Five.
The lights went out, and the roar that followed was enough to shake my teeth.
The cars screamed off the line, showing a blur of red and navy blue fighting for the first corner.
"GO NICO!" Kayden yelled, standing up.
"Sit down, Kayden," Rhys grumbled, though he immediately stood up too, just to make sure he was taller than anyone else.
I frowned as both of them started whispering among themselves, and then Kayden leaned in and smiled at Rhys.
My eyes immediately left the screen and landed on Leo. I had expected him to yell, to be the loud, flag-waving fanatic I had seen just minutes ago, but he wasn’t. Instead, he was eerily still.
He was watching Alaric’s car as the second lap began, his eyes tracking the telemetry data on the side monitor with a focus so intense it felt like he was trying to merge his consciousness with the machine.
But my mind wasn’t focused on any of that anymore. I couldn’t breathe.
The air in the suite felt recycled and thin, heavy with the suffocating realization of what had happened between us during the moment when he had called me a reality he had to deal with.
I hated that he saw me as such, and unable to take it anymore, I became desperate to speak to someone, to get out of the line of sight of those sharp eyes behind the glasses.
I stood up abruptly, my chair scraping harshly against the floor, and turned toward Rhys and Kayden. "Rhys, can I speak with you?"
Rhys looked up, furrowing his brows until he saw the look on my face.
The look of confusion.
Without a word, he nodded and stood up, smoothing out his jacket. "Alright, let’s go," he replied.
"The race just started, Miller," Leo said, his voice cutting through the noise with that maddeningly calm tone. He didn’t even turn his head when he spoke again. "Alaric is currently within the DRS window. If you leave now, you will miss the most statistically significant portion of the opening stint."
I looked at the back of his head, at the perfectly groomed charcoal suit, and felt the jealousy bubbling inside me, about to explode.
"I don’t care about the stupid race, Leo," I snapped, my voice cracking slightly. "And I definitely do not want to see Filler on my screen for one more second."
"It’s Viller," Leo began, his hand twitching as if to reach for his bag and probably lecture me, but I didn’t give him the chance to correct me.
I was already heading toward the back of the suite, my sneakers squeaking on the polished floor as I pushed through the heavy doors toward the restrooms.
Rhys followed me, his footsteps trailing behind me.
Neither of us said a word until we reached the marble-tiled bathroom and closed the door, blocking the noise away.
I headed straight for the sinks, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on my face, trying to wash off the smell of Alaric’s expensive cologne and the feeling of Leo’s gaze on me.
I leaned heavily against the counter, staring at my reflection once I was done.
My face was, as Leo had pointed out, a very unattractive shade of magenta.
"Alright," Rhys said, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe, his arms folded.
He looked at me through the mirror, his expression confused. "What happened? You look like you’re about to have a stroke, and I know it’s not just because of some guy in a red jumpsuit. Tell me, Miller, did anything happen between you and Leo?"
I nodded. "Yes, something did happen between us, and I hate every moment of it." I let out a groan and rubbed my forehead gently.
I grabbed a paper towel and crushed it in my fist. "He’s such a prick, Rhys. He stands there acting like he’s a robot, like everything is just a ’variable’ or a ’statistical probability.’ And then he sees that blonde Ken doll, and suddenly he’s a human being again. Did you see how quickly he switches at the sight of that..." I groaned, throwing my hands up angrily.
Rhys didn’t laugh. He just walked over and stood beside me. "You are talking about Leo and Viller?" he asked.
"I’m talking about the fact that I think I like him," I confessed.