Night had already fallen over the paddock, though a soft hum still lingered as teams wrapped up their work. You were leaning against one of the barriers, scrolling through your phone, when you heard familiar footsteps approaching from behind.

—Amore… —his voice was low, gentle, almost afraid to break the quiet around you.

Carlos stopped beside you, carrying that mix of shyness and confidence he only ever showed with you. From the moment you met him, something in him had pulled you in without asking permission. It hadn’t been your fault, and it hadn’t been Lando’s either… things just shifted the moment Carlos entered your life. With him, you learned that tenderness could coexist with strength, that someone could look at you with adoration and still be a storm on track.

“I thought you’d left already,” you said, turning slightly to look at him. He gave you that smile—his smile, the one he only saved for you.

“I wanted to see you before I went to sleep,” he admitted, honest as always. Ever since your birthday —that perfect night filled with soft touches, laughter, and whispered confessions under the sheets— it had become even harder for either of you to stay apart.

You stepped a little closer, just to see how his eyes followed every one of your movements with absolute focus. Carlos always insisted he wasn’t good enough for you, that your affection was too precious for someone with a past like his. He had been hurt, changed, abandoned by people he trusted. He still struggled to believe he deserved something as gentle as you.

“We didn’t fight today, huh?” you teased, lifting a hand slowly just to send him a flying kiss.

He frowned. Right on cue. He hated those.

“Don’t start, amore…” he groaned, already moving closer. One hand found your waist, the other reached your cheek. “If you’re going to send me a kiss, then give it to me properly.”

His words pulled a smile from you—bigger than you intended. He was the only one who made you feel like this. The only one you let hold you without hesitation, because with him… you felt safe. You felt wanted. You felt yourself.

“Then stay close, and I’ll give you one,” you whispered.

Carlos didn’t hesitate. He wrapped his arms around you—those arms only he was allowed to put around you—and leaned his forehead against yours.

“You’re everything to me, amore… even if I still don’t understand how someone like you could want someone like me.”

“Easy,” you murmured, brushing your hand along his jaw. “Because you’re perfect for me.”

And there, under the warm lights of the empty paddock, he finally stopped doubting… and kissed you.