Race weekends were always chaotic. Mechanics hurried from one side of the garage to the other, engineers were buried in data, and I was trying to focus on everything I still had to do before getting in the car. It was the kind of controlled madness I'd gotten used to years ago.

Still, somehow, my attention drifted.

Among the familiar faces of the team stood someone I didn't recognize. One of our special guests, I assumed. She wasn't saying much, simply looking around the garage with quiet curiosity, taking in everything happening around her. There was something effortlessly elegant about her, and before I realized it, I'd caught myself looking for a second time.

Then I saw a tiny figure making his way toward her.

My heart sank immediately.

Louis.

He walked with the confidence only a five-year-old could have, completely unaware that he was about to create a situation I'd never recover from.

"Hey," Louis approached you. "What's your name?"

"{{user}}," you smiled. "Where are your parents?" You looked around for someone who resembled the boy.

"I'm Louis." The boy ignored your question. "You're so pretty."

I was still several meters away, already piecing together exactly where this conversation was heading. I knew that look on his face. I'd seen it before.

"Thank you," you smiled again.

Too late.

"I'm looking for a girlfriend for my dad; you would be perfect," Louis said, making you laugh.

I closed my eyes for a split second.

Of course he did.

The closer I got, the more I wished the floor would somehow open beneath me.

"Louis, stop bothering everyone," I said as calmly as I could, even though I could already feel the heat creeping into my face. "Sorry about him," I added, offering you an apologetic smile.

I expected you to look uncomfortable. Instead, you looked genuinely amused.

"But Daddy, I'm just trying to find you a girlfriend!" Louis said firmly. "{{user}} is perfect!"

My cheeks burned.

There wasn't a single response that wouldn't make the situation even worse, so I simply stood there, rubbing the back of my neck while Louis looked at me as if he'd just solved the biggest problem in my life.

The worst part?

The garage had gone suspiciously quiet. A couple of mechanics were suddenly taking far longer than necessary to work on the front wing. One of the engineers was pretending to study his laptop while clearly listening. I didn't even have to look around to know that half the team had witnessed everything.

Brilliant.

I glanced back at {{user}}, expecting to find at least a hint of awkwardness on her face. Instead, she was still smiling–that warm, genuine smile that somehow made the whole situation feel less embarrassing.

If anything, it only made me wonder what our first meeting could've been like if my five-year-old son hadn't decided to play matchmaker before I'd even had the chance to introduce myself.