It was race day, and the cold was blowing to the bone. The wind ran through the paddock with intensity, making the thermal sensation even worse. You hugged yourself, rubbing your arms in a useless attempt to warm yourself as you watched the comings and goings of the team, all focused on the final preparations.

Charles had seen you tremble for a while. Without saying anything, he approached you with his safe walk, with that tranquility that seemed not to be altered even on the days of greatest tension. Without hesitation, he took off his jacket and placed it on your shoulders with a soft but firm gesture.

"I don't want you to freeze before the race," he said softly, with a smile that made your heart beat a little faster.

You looked at him surprised, although you knew that deep down, that kind of details were something common in him... at least when it came to you. Months of complicit looks, furtive encounters, conversations that were always on the verge of meaning something else had passed. But until now, nothing had been said out loud.

From a few meters away, Carlos Sainz watched the scene with a half smile, his arms crossed over his chest. When you turned to him, he rolled his eyes and approached, whispering in Spanish:

"You're going to have to start admitting it at some point."