My Book of Fics

The Internship (4) - Daniel Ricciardo

You decide that the best step forward is to act as if nothing is changing at the end of the season. Putting your acting skills to the test for the weeks leading up to the last race in Abu Dhabi, pretending that everything is normal when it very much is not. All you can hope is that no one notices that you're faking your excitement whenever McLaren gets a good result on the track. You made Zak and your boss promise not to say anything to the others, knowing that your news will put a damper on the rest of the season, but you had no idea what they had planned as a goodbye at Yas Marina in a couple of weeks.

••••

It feels like no time passes and it's suddenly the last race of the season. You've managed to keep quiet, while acting like nothing is going to change when the race is over. The chaos that the last round conveys distracts you from the thoughts that have been going through your mind the past few days, coming up with a way to tell Daniel your news. The stolen kisses around the paddocks meaning way more to you than he knew. You're focused on your phone while walking towards Dan's garage, a squeal leaving your lips when a hand catches yours, tugging you out of view. The sight of the Aussie that you've grown to like, maybe even started to love has you relaxing, "Dan" you say pointedly, he cradles your jaw gently, "Y/N" he murmurs in the same tone while lifting an eyebrow. You place a hand on his chest, swirling a finger along the fabric of his McLaren shirt, "what is it with you and pulling me to dark corners" he shrugs and drops a kiss to your lips, his free hand pushing you closer to his chest, making you lift a hand to his shoulder. After a couple more seconds you pull away even though you don't want to, he continues to press kisses to your neck making you giggle as you bring a hand to his chest to push him away. He obliges seconds later, pouting at you adorably, "don't give me that look, we both have jobs to do" he sighs so you kiss his cheek before sliding out of his arms, continuing towards the garage to get content for the social media channels. A small smile gracing you're face as you do so.

What you don't expect when you step out to the pit lane is the whole McLaren crew standing there. Cheers ringing out as you spot the good luck cake positioned in the middle of the crowd. Your phone drops out of your hands, eyes wide as your mouth opens and closes unsure what to make of the surprise. The only thing you can think about is Daniel and if he's seen the commotion yet. "Hey Y/N I got a question about the-" you curse silently at the Aussie's voice, spinning around as his words fade away, his eyes taking in the goodbye celebration. "I know that it's been short term, but we can't thank you enough for your work Y/N and we wanted to wish you good luck at your new job" Zak says happily over the cheers, but all you can focus on is the way Dan's expression drops. "I was going to tell you" he holds up a hand to stop your explanation, "don't" you bite your lip to silence yourself and feel a lone tear trickle down your cheek as he turns around to walk away from you.

The action gives you the feeling that you might've lost the best thing that has ever happened to you, making the tears increase, your colleague's hand coming to your shoulder, "Mum, you okay?" She asks so you turn your head to her, "no I don't think he'll forgive me for this" you reply as a sob leaves your lips. She swears and pulls you into a hug, you don't see the way that she waves away the crowd of people to give you some privacy, but you focus on wrapping your arms around her tightly. Eventually your tears stop and her arms loosen, "we have work to do" you say while drying your cheeks, "y/n it's the last race you don't need to" she replies. You shake your head before taking a deep breath to shove your emotions away, "it's okay I want to" she nods and you smile as best you can, while turning back towards the team garages, groaning when you see your phone still in the same place you dropped it earlier. "I'm such a klutz" you mutter as you grab it, thankful that it still seems to work as you punch in your passcode.

When the last cars pass the finish line a couple of hours later you let out a relived sigh. Moving your gaze down to your phone to check fan reactions of McLaren's finish to the season. Suddenly arms are around you, "we did it Y/N, we made it through the chaos" you laugh and look up at your colleague who is grinning, "I can't believe this season was real" you reply making him kiss your cheek dramatically, you giggle and he lets go to jump on the next comms team member he spots. You watch with a smile, realizing that this is it, you won't be seeing any of these people in a weeks time. The thought makes your eyes well up with unshed tears, "no crying y/n, we still have a couple of hours if not days" Lando exclaims appearing out of nowhere, throwing an arm across your shoulders."I'm just gonna miss this" you mumble with a shrug, "I know right, I do that you people" you laugh at the Brit and he kisses your head, like he usually does after a race weekend. "Turn that frown upside down, we have celebrating to do" he adds and jogs away, you smile slightly at his energetic behaviour but it only last a few seconds when you spot Dan laughing nearby with some of his mechanics. Before you can act impulsively you look down and turn back towards hospitality to get your things in order for the trip back to the hotel. Wondering if there will be a time that Dan can forgive you for something that you did for yourself and your career.