Whenever she leaves for work, I grow agitated. A discomfort builds inside of me in her absence and I become desperate to fill the time. Enough so, I spend the better part of my morning working out in the gym. But not even that is enough to satisfy the edge inside of me. I use it as an excuse to buy something stupid while Chloe is away at work.
It takes two days for my latest purchase to arrive. The shipping company sets up my new system in an empty room on the first floor of my house, far away from anyone else.
With hesitant steps, I walk toward the room, clutching onto the package Noah sent me after the Monza weekend. Taking a deep breath, I walk into the room. The F1 simulation system sits in front of massive monitors. My hands tremble as I walk up to the machine and rip off the brand-new plastic wrap.
The pedals mock me and remind me of the way I used to race. I ignore the urge to run out of the room, instead choosing to remove the standard steering wheel and replace it with Noah’s custom-made one. Pieces click into place as the new wheel dominates the front of the machine.
“If you don’t practice, you’ll never get back out there.” I hold on to the back of the leather chair and take a steady breath.
I press the power button, and the machine whirs to life. Tension sizzles beneath my skin at practicing with the new wheel.
This could be a disaster. A total and utter failure of epic proportions.
But it could also be the best thing to happen to you in years. Imagine getting back out there.
My dilemma is cut off by sneakers squeaking behind me.
I turn to find Chloe gaping at the machine.
She steps into the room. “Look at this setup! I can hear the nerds all over the world crying tears of joy.”
“This isn’t for nerds,” I mumble under my breath.
“Okay, sure. Whatever you say. But real talk: Can you play Mario Kart on it?”
My jaw drops open. “Mario Kart?”
She looks at the monitors with longing. “What I’d give to throw turtle shells and banana peels at other racers with this setup.”
The ridiculousness of her idea has me throwing my head back and laughing. “I honestly don’t know if this newer machine is compatible with it.”
“Then what is it for?”
“F1 racing.”
Her lips form an O. “Got it. Okay, well sorry to interrupt you. I’ll leave you to it then.” She walks backward before bumping into a wall.
“Wait.”
She halts.
“Do you want to test it out? If I can download Mario Kart, that is?”
Her eyes narrow. “Why do I have a feeling you’re trying to distract yourself so you don’t have to do whatever it is that you wanted to do in here?”
I grin. “Because that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Her smile drops. “Then no thank you. I’ll pass.”
The last thing I want is to be left alone in this room. “Okay, fine. How about we compete in a Mario Kart match? Whoever has the highest score wins whatever they want.”
“Are you sure about that?”
I nod.
“All right, if that’s what you want. But just so you know ahead of time, I’m not betting on giving you a blowjob this time.”
My skin heats. “Why not?”
“Because if I win, I’m going to ask you to try out the F1 simulation with that fancy wheel you have there.” She points to the one Noah shipped.
“I better not lose then.”
I’m able to download the most recent version of Mario Kart without any issues.
Chloe cracks her knuckles one by one. “Step aside, sir. Bowser is here to rock and roll.”
“Bowser?”
“Did you expect me to pick Princess Peach? And here I thought you knew me better than that.” She sticks out her tongue.
My skin prickles with memories of that tongue on my skin. I cough as I load the screen, trying to rein in my hormones.
Chloe and I take turns competing in a championship against one another. She’s a natural, and I find it hard to keep up with her high scores. And worse, I barely put any effort into beating her.
I don’t mind losing the bet. As long as Chloe stays by my side, I can attempt the simulation afterward. Honestly, playing with her wasn’t about avoiding what I came in here to do. I just wanted to spend time together since she was gone the whole morning, and it seemed like a good idea.
She doesn’t leave once as I situate myself in the fake cockpit and start up the latest simulation game. My hands tremble as I get a feel for the throttle paddle. The fake F1 cars line up on the grid, one by one, reminding me of old race days.