My Book of Fics

The Internship (3) - Daniel Ricciardo

You tighten your ponytail one last time before leaving your room. Slinging your bag over your shoulder in the process ready to get back to the track. A smile coming to your face when you step through the turnstiles that welcome you to the venue once more. "Mum you're back!" You spin around at the shout to see one of your colleagues jogging to catch up, "yeah, did I miss anything?" He shakes his head before slinging an arm across your shoulders, "nah, same old" you nod as the two of you walk into McLaren hospitality. Your gaze immediately goes to Daniel, who is busy talking to Michael and Zak. He lets out a laugh which makes your heart flutter while your smile gets bigger. "Y/N!" you blink and look away at the sound of your name, your colleague is watching you with a knowing look on his face, "don't say it" you exclaim while pointing a finger at him, he shrugs, "didn't say anything" you squint, "you were thinking it" he sighs, "you're the one that's looking at him like that Y/N" he mumbles and walks away. His statement makes your stomach flip, not realizing that you looked at the Aussie in a different way, at least not noticeably.

••••

You're speed walking away from the garage after the race, heading towards the McLaren building to finish up some comms things before Lando and Dan go do post race interviews. You keep your eyes on your phone as you walk, brows furrowed as you type something into the comms team group chat to update them on your whereabouts. Suddenly arms come around you from behind, making you gasp and drop the device in surprise. "Did you watch Y/N?" you smile at the familiar voice, relaxing as you turn around in the Aussie's arms, "I did, you drove great out there". He grins as your hands slide up to his shoulders while his rest on your lower back to tug you closer, "you should go, media duties and all" he shrugs which makes you roll your eyes, "go or you'll get in trouble" he sighs but let's go, dropping a gentle kiss on your cheek before jogging towards the media pen.

You shake your head and pick up your phone, glad that it still works, biting your lip to prevent the huge lovesick smile from coming to your face as you focus back on what you were doing. Continuing your path towards McLaren to finish up the comms from the race, Daniel at the back of your mind the whole time, unaware that the Aussie is thinking about you as well as he gets asked question after question by the media.

••••

Later that evening you're wearing your go to party dress because the comms team decided to have a small night out. You're with some of the girls sipping at drinks only focusing on the stories they're telling you, not having seen the drivers walk into the club. "More shots!" one of your colleagues shouts before tugging you to the bar, he flags down the bartender quickly and orders more shots for the team. You follow him back to the team, a wave of uncertainty going through you at the aspect of drinking more, knowing that everyone flies out tomorrow morning. The worry disappears when one of the girls kisses your cheek, a giggle leaving your lips as she shoves a shot into your hand, "I can see you worrying Y/N, just let it go for tonight" she shouts over the music, you huff but don't object, feeling like you deserve the break after so much hard work. Throwing back the shot with a scrunched up expression, everyone cheers around you, and you're dragged further into the crowd.

Your shoulders lose their tension, the lights seem brighter while laughter falls from your lips easier after a couple of minutes. Your colleagues pulling you to dance to the room shaking music, missing the way Daniel's eyes follow your movements from across the room. "Mum you've caught someone's eye" a work friend says into your ear while wiggling her eyebrows, you hum in response not bothered by the comment. When she spins you around, you stumble slightly while giggling, the sound coming to a halt when you see the Aussie through the crowd. "He's been looking at you all night" she says before gently shoving you towards him, "put us out of our misery and go to Dan" she murmurs making you blush. You turn your head to tell her something but notice that she has disappeared so you bite your lip while looking over at Dan again. The alcohol must deprive you of fear because before your mind can catch up you're walking through the crowd with determination.

As you step up to the Aussie your heart flutters. His eyebrow cocked while you look into his dark eyes. "Fancy seeing you here Y/N" he says over the music, you shrug while a small smile comes to your lips, "shouldn't you be resting Ricciardo" you reply, he shrugs too which makes you laugh, his own laughter joining in seconds later. Someone bumps into you, pushing you into Dan's chest, you gasp slightly your hand latching onto his shoulder as his arm hooks around your waist to prevent you from losing your balance. "Can't have you falling for me like this Y/N" he murmurs and you can't help but notice how his eyes flick down to your lips before looking into your eyes again, "I think you're the one falling for the intern Dan" you say while moving your free hand to his chest to play with the collar of his shirt.

He lowers his head slightly to brush his lips against your cheek, "so what if I am", your fingers stop their movement on his shirt, your heart flutters again as your stomachs somersaults, "you shouldn't, she doesn't have her life together yet" he snorts in response, "does anyone actually have their life together at any point" you shrug and he moves his free hand up to the side of your face, stroking your cheek gently. "The right answer is no" you bite your lip as your intoxicated mind starts to overthink, "but I don't have any permanent position and what if-" Dan doesn't let you finish as he presses a firm kiss to your lips, making you forget your argument. He tugs you impossibly closer and your arm curls around his neck, lips moving with his like a dance you've known your entire life. The rest of the night becoming a happy blur of activity with the Aussie and your McLaren team.

••••

An alarm wakes you the next morning, making you groan as a headache sets in. Then you remember never having set an alarm on your phone, knowing that you didn't have anywhere to be early in the morning. You hear the sheets move so you open your eyes slowly to investigate. That's when you notice that you aren't in your own hotel room. You peer over your shoulder and smile when you see Dan sitting up while holding his phone to his ear. The sight feels domestic in a way, but as you rub the sleep from your eyes the reality comes back to you, he's a driver and you're an intern.

With quick movements you slide out of the huge bed, noticing your lack of clothes for the first time, you blush but carry on with getting dressed. "Where are you going?" you spin around at the question seeing Dan's confused expression, "I gotta go, bags don't pack themselves" a look of realization comes to his face making you smile slightly as you grab your phone and belongings. "Get someone else to do it, stay a little longer" he says making you sigh, "I can't" you reply while looking into his dark eyes sadly, "why not?" you bite your lip and drop your gaze, not wanting to tell him about your insecurity or the reason why you finally let loose for a night. "Y/N" he murmurs before you feel his finger under your chin, moving it up so that he can see your sad expression, "Dan, let it go" you plead softly, hoping that your expression conveys how much you don't want to talk about it. He lets out a sigh, "alright darling, just know that I'm here if you need me" you smile and nod at the driver who makes your heart race and palms sweat, "I know" he kisses your head gently before letting you leave the room, wondering how you're going to tell him that you've gotten a paying job elsewhere.