It was never official between us. No titles. No expectations. No promises. But somehow, I always ended up here.

We had this thing - whatever you want to call it. A situationship, I guess. We weren’t together, but we weren’t apart either. She had a drawer at my place. I had a toothbrush at hers. We both had spare keys.

And most nights, that was enough.

After a race weekend, my body always felt like it had been wrung out. Mentally, physically - even when things went well. So I did what I always did. I came home, let myself into my apartment, stood under the shower until the hot water started to lose its heat, then changed into something soft and easy. Grey joggers. White t-shirt. Nothing tight. Nothing complicated.

Then I walked.

The night air in Monaco was still warm, even this late. The streets were quiet, and my footsteps echoed just a little too loudly. But I wasn’t sneaking around. She knew I was coming. I’d texted her earlier, like I always did.

“Don’t freak out, it’s just me tonight.” Her reply was simple. “Door’s unlocked.”

It wasn’t, actually - she must’ve locked it out of habit - but I had my key. I slid it into the lock, turned it gently, and stepped inside. The apartment was dark, lit only by the faint blue light from the charger on the kitchen counter. Same candle smell. Same oversized hoodie on the arm of the couch.

I closed the door quietly behind me and headed straight for her bedroom.

The hallway was short - I didn’t need to turn on the light. Her door was cracked open just enough for me to slip through.

She was already in bed, blanket pulled up to her waist, eyes closed. I knew she wasn’t asleep. She always waited up when she knew I was coming over.

I walked in and didn’t say anything at first. Just peeled back the blanket and slid into bed beside her. She shifted instantly, turning toward me, her voice low and scratchy with sleep.

“You came to sleep off another race weekend at mine, didn’t you?”

I gave a quiet laugh through my nose, pressing my face into the pillow. “Yeah.”

She opened one eye, a lazy smile playing at the corner of her lips. “Don’t you have your own place for that?”

“I do,” I said, reaching out to pull her close. My hand found her waist, and I guided her over me, until half of her body was resting on top of mine. My other arm wrapped around her back. “But mine doesn’t have you in it.”