Since your father's death and before it, it seemed that no one saw you as anything other than Aryton Senna's daughter and if one thing was for certain it was that you hated it. You were more than just a name. Even though you were only 7 when he died, you had a close bond with him as he was your sole parental figure after your mother died during childbirth and thus you always attended the Brazilian Grand Prix as anyone and everyone who was passionate about Aryton Senna was there and it provided you with a form of nostalgia or homeliness or ... something. It was just a nice feeling. You could sit in the paddock and just appreciate the sport like your father once did. Usually it was just you who attended the race, or you'd bring a friend but this time one of the drivers from your father's era invited you to come with him; Alain Prost. The long-time rivalry had long healed and he kept up to date with you and your wellbeing, but you figured that was more for his benefit than yours.
When the two of you arrived at the Paddock entrance it caused quite the commotion and fans began to flock towards Alain which resulted in security arriving from the paddock to help you escape the crowds – something you were very thankful for. As the two of you walked along the Pit lane, you noticed that a few drivers had come out from the garages and some even approached, namely Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, which immediately drafted Alain into a conversation that you knew wouldn't end until the Alfa Romeo and Ferrari driver had to leave. Thus, you took this as your time to glance up and down the pit lane to see if you could spot anyone you recognised as you were friendly with some of the Interlagos staff who worked the race each year but as you scanned up and down, you noticed one driver in particular staring at you; Lewis Hamilton. You locked eyes with him and the intense gaze between the two of you continued until you felt someone tap you shoulder, spinning around you found Lucia, one of the hospitality staff at Interlagos and one of your friends. Quickly giving Alain a hug and a kiss on the cheek you followed Lucia to watch the race from the hospitality.
Qualifying had been good with Max Verstappen getting pole position but the guy you were interested in was starting in 3rd, you knew this would be an interesting race as there would be some fights out on the track. "Lucia, I'm going to find Alain. Goodness knows where he's ended up." You said standing up from the seat you had occupied for quali, you lifted your bag and walked out of the hospitality, but you didn't make it far before you bumped into someone. They grabbed your elbows to stabilise you. With a deep breath you glanced up and saw that it was Lewis. "Thanks." You said letting out a sigh.
"Welcome. Come sit." He said and practically dragged you to one of the tables outside the Mercedes hospitality. You guessed that Alain would have to wait. "You remind me of someone?" You breath got caught in your throat for a few seconds before you feigned a look of surprise, "Really? Who?" He stared at you for a moment or two as if trying to put his finger on it but shrugged his shoulders, "Can't put my finger on it, oh well." You saw his eyes zero in on your chest and you were about to scold him and tell him where to go when he looked up with a smile, "That's a beautiful necklace." You smile widened and you began to fiddle with it, a nervous habit of yours, "Thank you. My father got it for me."
"I didn't know Alain Prost had two daughters, thought it was just Victoria?"
With a laugh you replied, "Alain is just a family friend, my father died when I was young as did my mother, but Alain looks out for me the odd time." The Mercedes hospitality area began to get busier as people came and went and through the midst of it all, you kept your cool, confident and calm persona as you didn't want Lewis or anyone to see you get anxious and nervous as the crowds began to grow and out of habit you fingers drifted to the cross necklace that had been the focus of the conversation just minutes earlier.
As if he could tell you were becoming more and more agitated by the seconds Lewis abruptly began speaking. It was utter rubbish as far as you could tell but you appreciated the effort he went to, to distract you and you let out a giggle as he began to talk about his favourite food.
"I'll keep that in mind, will I?" You teased as he finished his spew on why porridge was an underrated food. "Why? You planning on making me breakfast some day?" He smirked with a quirked eyebrow which in your opinion just made him look hotter than ever. All you did was reply with a wink before swiftly moving the conversation forward.
The rest of the afternoon seemed to blur into a single minute as it felt as if no time had passed while you with Lewis but in actual fact it was nearly 17:00. You couldn't believe it ... how had that much time passed? It was bliss. The conversation seemed to flow between the two of you and you were severely disappointed when Angela came and summoned him to go over the data one last time ahead of the race tomorrow but that was soon rectified when Lewis requested your phone number which you gladly dictated to him.
"See you tomorrow?" He asked with a hopeful smile.
"We'll see." His smile dropped briefly, "I'm joking. I'll be here. Specifically, your garage to watch the race." His smile brightened and morphed into a half smirk before dropping slightly as Angela called his name again. He let out a laugh, "I'd better go. They're getting impatient."
"Ok, bye now." You turned on your heal and began your mission to find Alain among the masses. Not an easy task.
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