#Hotel and Office in Dubai

[sidrahc]

The Homestay Treatment: Doctor at Home, Hotel, and Office in Dubai!

In a bustling city like Dubai, where life races at a fast pace luxury is a hallmark of everyday living. The idea of personalized healthcare benefits is becoming highly popular. Besides the high-rise towers and luxury hotels, there's a growing need for comfort and ease in healthcare. This need has offered rise to clever solutions like the "Doctor at Home" service. Offering a remarkable approach to medical care across different locations including homes, hotels, and offices. This blog examines the rise of this service, its advantages, and why it’s becoming an important part of life in Dubai.

24/7 Availability

Acknowledging that medical needs can appear at any time, Sidra Healthcare delivers 24/7 availability for home healthcare services. This round-the-clock help in ensuring that patients have access to medical services whenever required. Delivering peace of mind and dedicated care at all hours. With 24/7 home doctor services, patients can obtain medical engagement without leaving their homes. This is especially useful for those who are bedridden, have mobility issues, or simply choose the comfort of their own space. Quick access to care can subdue stress and control nominal issues from escalating into more severe infections.

Conclusion

The homestay treatment model, which encloses "Doctor at Home," "Doctor at Hotel," and "Doctor at Office" benefits, mirrors a growing tendency towards personalized and suitable healthcare in Dubai. As the city persists in flourishing as a nucleus of luxury and efficiency. These services cater to the demands of busy experts, travellers, and citizens who value convenience and ease in their healthcare experience.

In conclusion, the availability of 24/7 doctor services at home, hotels, and offices in Dubai conveys a substantial improvement in healthcare delivery. It offers unmatched comfort, personalized care, and instant support, assuring that medical needs are met promptly and effectively.

[scribblesoul-20]

Store and Receiving Officer at Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina - Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts

Job title: Store and Receiving Officer at Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina – Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts Company: Talent Pal Job description: travelers. Located in the cosmopolitan Dubai Marina area, the 3,037 square-meter hotel is next to Dubai Marina Mall…What’s your passion? Whether you’re into dancing, diving, or dominoes at IHG we’re interested in YOU. We love people… Expected salary: Location:…

[carpetsindubaiae]

Stairs Carpets in Dubai

Bring safety and elegance into your home with our stairs carpets in Dubai. At Carpets Dubai, you have the option to choose from a myriad of durable and elegant carpets that are specially made for staircases. These products provide a non-slip surface that enhances safety while adding elegance to the interior of your property. Available in different colors and patterns, our stair carpets make the steps not only functional but fashionable also.

[nazihauniforms]

Uniform Supplier in Dubai: What Sets Us Apart?

Uniforms play a crucial role in shaping a business's brand identity and projecting a professional image, especially in a dynamic market like Dubai. Whether it's in hospitality, healthcare, or corporate settings, uniforms help employees feel unified and instill a sense of belonging. However, finding the right uniform supplier in Dubai can be challenging. In this blog, we’ll discuss what sets us apart as the go-to uniform supplier and why businesses trust our services.

Understanding the Need for Quality Uniforms in Dubai

In a fast-paced business environment like Dubai, quality uniforms do more than just create a professional look. They help enhance your brand image, boost employee morale, and improve customer perceptions. When employees wear well-made, thoughtfully designed uniforms, they are more likely to feel confident and connected to their workplace. For businesses in Dubai, selecting a uniform supplier in Dubai that understands the high standards expected is critical to staying ahead in a competitive market.

What Sets Us Apart as a Uniform Supplier

High-Quality Materials

One of the key reasons businesses choose us as their preferred uniform supplier is our commitment to using top-quality materials. Our fabrics are durable, breathable, and designed for maximum comfort, making them ideal for any work environment. Whether your business requires formal attire or more functional uniforms, we provide high-quality uniforms that not only last longer but also maintain a professional appearance, ensuring that your employees always represent your brand in the best possible light.

Customization and Design Flexibility

We understand that no two businesses are the same, and that's why we offer full customization options. As a leading uniform supplier in Dubai, we provide a wide range of colors, styles, and branding options, allowing you to design uniforms that reflect your company’s unique identity. Whether you need embroidered logos, custom color schemes, or specialized designs, we have the flexibility to bring your vision to life. Customization helps your brand stand out, making a memorable impression on both employees and customers alike.

Expertise and Experience

With years of experience in the uniform industry, we have developed expertise in catering to a variety of sectors, including hospitality, healthcare, and corporate environments. As a trusted uniform supplier in Dubai, our experience enables us to understand the specific needs of different industries and deliver uniforms that not only look great but are also highly functional. 

Timely Delivery and Efficient Service

Timeliness is essential when it comes to supplying uniforms, especially for large-scale operations or urgent orders. As a leading uniform supplier, we pride ourselves on our commitment to delivering uniforms on time, every time. Whether you’re placing a small order or need a quick turnaround on a bulk purchase, we ensure that our service remains efficient and reliable. 

Affordable Pricing with No Compromise on Quality

One of the things that sets us apart as a top uniform supplier in Dubai is our ability to offer competitive pricing without compromising on quality. We understand that businesses need to manage costs, but we also believe that affordability should never come at the expense of durability or design. Our pricing structure is designed to give you the best value for your money, making it easier for you to invest in uniforms that your employees will be proud to wear.

Customer Testimonials 

Our reputation as a trusted uniform supplier is built on the satisfaction of our clients. From large corporations to small businesses, we have successfully partnered with numerous companies to deliver high-quality, customized uniforms. Their testimonials underscore our commitment to providing exceptional service and quality.

Final Reflections

In conclusion, what sets us apart as a uniform supplier in Dubai is our focus on delivering high-quality materials, customized designs, industry expertise, timely service, and competitive pricing—all while maintaining a commitment to sustainability. 

If you're looking for a reliable uniform provider, consider working with Naziha Uniforms, a leading name in Dubai for quality and innovative uniform solutions. Contact us today to learn how we can help your business stand out with professional uniforms tailored to your needs.

[uaecurtains]

Balcony curtains are a versatile and stylish addition to any outdoor space, providing privacy, shade, and protection from the elements. In Dubai, where outdoor living is a way of life, finding the best balcony curtains shop is essential for creating a comfortable and inviting balcony retreat. This guide will help you navigate the options and choose the perfect curtains for your balcony in Dubai.

Contact Information Address: 39 3B St - Al Quoz Dubai - United Arab Emirates Phone: +971 56 584 7696 Email: carpetscurtains@gmail.com Website: https://www.uaecurtain.com/

[rigidind1]

Forging Elegance and Durability: Unveiling the Finest Steel Furniture Manufacturers in UAE

Step into a world where artistry meets durability, where elegance intertwines with robustness. Welcome to the realm of steel furniture manufacturers in UAE, where master craftsmen turn steel into exquisite pieces of functional art. With meticulous attention to detail and a passion for excellence, these manufacturers create furniture that stands the test of time.

From sleek and modern designs to timeless classics, the steel furniture manufacturers in UAE offer a wide range of options to suit every style and preference. Whether you're furnishing your home, office, or commercial space, their expertly crafted pieces will elevate your space with their impeccable craftsmanship and unparalleled quality.

Embrace the perfect blend of aesthetics and functionality as you explore the diverse collection of steel furniture created by these talented manufacturers. Each piece is meticulously designed and engineered to enhance your living or working environment while showcasing the strength and beauty of steel. With their commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction, these manufacturers are setting new standards in the world of steel furniture. Transform your space into a statement of sophistication and durability with the exceptional creations from the steel furniture manufacturers in UAE.

[die4girl]

Little girl ❤️‍🔥

Summary: You have loved Lewis ever since you were a little girl. Lewis was the perfect gentleman, and you swore you would work your way up to be with him one day. But when you do, something about him makes you nervous. And something about you that he wants to ruin.

When your parents bought you tickets for the Abu Dabi grand prix on your 16th birthday you couldn’t sleep for days, excitement and anticipation for being in the same vicinity as Lewis. When you found your seats amongst the crowd, you immedielty searched for Lewis’s Mercedes car which you spotted it in line up. The signature electric blue a stark contrast against the backdrop of Dubai’s city scape. When he won, miles infront of the others, it was as if all of Dubai cheered for his victory.

“LEWIS LEWIS” you yelled desperately as he walked out of his car to wave at his fans. You were shorter than other girls your age and you fought to not get pushed and shoved by other fans. You felt yourself drowning in the crowd when someone firmly yet gently grabbed your hand and you regained your balance. “Cant have you getting lost can we” Lewis said as he pulled the Mercedes hat you were wearing off your head, and scribbled his name across it. He placed it back in your head with a gentle pat, “thanks for your support love” he said in his British accent, voice soft as he smiled down at you. You swear you stopped breathing as the girls around you shot you dirty looks, but you diddnt care. All you cared about was Lewis.

You clutched your signed Mercedes hat close to your chest when you arrived at your hotel room that night, replaying how it felt have Lewis’s eyes on you- if only for a second.

5 years later

You were seated in Toto Wolf's office as you fixed your hair and reapplied your lip gloss for the 5th time that morning. Your whole morning was done under autopilot; you let your dark hair down and popped in your signature gold hoops, which paired nicely with your brown skin. After intense contemplation, you decided to wear a pair of low-rise jeans (okay, y2K baddie) and a fitted shirt - opting for a Bratz doll, I guess??

You yawned, suddenly regretting staying up late last night. You couldn’t help but fantasize about Lewis. How it would feel to have his finger buried in you and hear him groan and moan in your ear- your thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Toto pushed open the door to the room, “Y/n, are you ready?” He asked with an excited smile. You flushed, pushing those thoughts out of your mind as you got up.

As Toto led the way to the conference room, he was going on about how beautiful the Monaco weather is and how much you will love it here. After a few minutes of walking, you and Toto finally arrived at a set of double doors, which you assumed belonged to the conference room. “They’re all excited to meet you, y/n,” Toto whispers as he dramatically opens the doors.

Excited chatter traveled around the room as you stood next to Toto. But all you could focus on was one person. You surveyed the room, management members, engineers, trainers… your eyes locked on Lewis.

Besides the sparkly studs adorning his ears, Lewis was dressed plainly today. A white shirt and loose black pants. But god, he looked good; he always looked good. You could feel your face heating as he met your gaze.

You were pulled from your thoughts when Toto cleared his throat, and the room quieted, “so, as you know, we have been looking for another driver, and I admit I kept my contenders a secret from you. Only a few members knew we were broadening our horizon to a female driver for the first time.” Anticipating faces switched between you and Toto as they began piecing two and two together.

“Y/n has been showing exceptional talent in F2, and what better way to bring Mercedes back in headlines, after Chris keeps stealing my thunder ( he added under his breath), is to hire the first ever woman in F1 who not only competes at the level of men, but I would say better! So, if you haven’t figured it out already, Y/n L/n will be the newest addition to the Mercedes team.”

A beat of silence fell, and you held your breath at the possibility of being rejected by the team. Claps erupted from around the room as people got up to greet you and shake your hand. Your shoulders shagged in relief, and you thanked Toto for being so kind in your introduction. When you spotted Lewis again, you were taken aback. He had a slight smirk, and his eyes simmered with something dark. As quickly as it came, it was gone in a flash, replaced by the usual soft and gentlemanly demeanor everyone knew.

You focused your attention back on the lady who was shaking your hand repeatedly, “Y/n, how lovely for you to join us; I’ll be doing your fittings for your racing suit” - she was suddenly interrupted by a smiling Lewis, “Sorry to interrupt Lisa,” he flashed a sweet smile, and Lisa walked off after blushing and stuttering an apology.

“Tell her to make it tight.”

“What?”

“Your suit. Especially around your chest.”

Your jaw dropped.

He looked down at you and suddenly started to laugh. “ I’m just joking. Sorry, sweetheart, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Your heart squeezed at the pet name. Despite your initial shock your eyes quickly filled with adoration as you looked at him, “Y-yes I mean I can do that.” You sounded like a fucking idiot, but Lewis just smiled, his eyes crinkling at the sides. He was always so sweet.

“I’ve been a huge fan of you since I was a little girl. It’s been my dream to compete alongside you.” You left out how you had a lot of other ‘dreams’ about him.

Lewis looked amused as he bent down to your ear, his hand on your waist, and whispered, “You’re still a little girl, Y/n.” With that, he turned and left the room, leaving behind the faint scent of pine and mint and the warmth of his hand resting on your waist.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Toto came to introduce you to more team members, but all you could think about were Lewis’s words. Was he trying to demean you? No, he wouldn’t do that; he's a gentleman- he's Lewis Hamilton.

You will find out soon enough, and after all, you’ll be together for the rest of the year.

AN: surely smut for part 2?? :)

[jaegeraether]

Unknown Territory (Alexia and Ridley)

(*5k*)

Masterlist (other parts here)

RIDLEY POV

Ridley was in unknown territory. Never before had she needed to communicate her personal decisions, especially knowing that Alexia wouldn’t exactly be happy with what had happened.

She wasn’t meant to have been on the front line, directly in the line of fire. Unfortunately though, it had happened. She knew Alexia had been stressed lately with the two of them being apart for over a month, along with her being hard on herself for missing a penalty in the Olympics and subsequently pushing herself five times harder following it. Ridley had wished she could have come home for it, but she’d been far too deep into an operation. Only at this moment did she finally have a spare second to worry about something other than trying to keep her and her team alive.

Not wanting to give her anymore stress, and almost completely out of her area of expertise, she called the one person she knew would understand and give the best advice.

“Riddles!” YFN answered enthusiastically, even though she was most likely doing ten different things at once.

“Hey baby Blue.” Ridley murmured.

She heard whatever she was shuffling around pause. “Something’s wrong. What is it, Riddles?”

There she went – already knowing her far too well.

Ridley opened up about as much as she was willing to regarding her current state of mind. Knowing that the last thing she needed was to be teased, she immediately went into the part of the conversation that Ridley needed.

“Oh, Riddles. You’re okay physically?”

Ridley looked at the scrape across her arm from her wrist down and around to the outside of her elbow.

“For the most part.”

There was a pause, followed by some rustling and then her camera came on. She’d clearly moved into her office and was sporting a cute pout with her dimples on full display.

“Show me.”

Ridley rolled her eyes and turned on her camera. She let her assess her facial expression and then briefly showed her arm, assuring it was just a scrape.

“Still have all of your limbs and phalanges then?”

Ridley wiggled her fingers. “Still a platinum bisexual.”

“Riddles, you need to talk to her. I know she’s been really stressed at the moment, and missing you like crazy. Much more than she’d ever care to admit.”

“You’ve been talking to her?”

“Of course! She’s my friend.”

Ridley knew that of course, but not the extent of it. Alexia had always been a private person.

“We’ve been talking a lot at the minute,” she admitted. “I think a lot of it is because she feels closer to you when talking to me.”

She knew it was a slight hint. She didn’t even defend herself because she knew that Blue was aware of what happened when the operation was that deep into it. Instead, she brought up another concern of hers.

“I can’t leave right now. I can’t spare even the time to fly there and see her for five minutes, or I would.”

“Where are you right now?”

“Saudi.”

She grimaced. “That’s difficult. I know she needs you though, Riddles. You know you two can talk through anything, even you having to put your life on the line again. It’s completely justifiable with Wombat being hurt..”

“I can’t leave, and I don’t want her coming to Saudi in this political state. I feel like she will be more upset if I facetime her. You’ve been speaking to her lately…”

“Oh Riddles, never did I ever think you’d be calling me with relationship issues.” She chuckled softly. “I have no doubt she’ll travel to you though. She has a few days free. Where’s the farthest you can get away?”

Barely anything. “Dubai.”

Blue nodded. “How about you get a hotel in Dubai and she can meet you there?”

“I can do that.”

“You can find the time?”

“I’ll make the time.”

After her call with Blue, she felt slightly better. Her next call was to Alexia. She video called her and felt herself almost ache at the sight of a frustrated Alexia answering far too quickly.

God, that woman. She was beautiful, even as she was so obviously trying to keep her emotions in check.

They didn’t speak for a few seconds, just taking each other in. Ridley assessing Alexia’s emotions and Alexia assessing her for injuries.

“Hola,” Alexia eventually said, softly.

“Hi, love.” Ridley responded in Catalan.

The sound of her voice made Alexia smile the slightest.

“Lex, there was an incident-”

“Is everyone okay?”  Those eyes betrayed just how worried she was about Ridley being off on operation.

“Everyone is alive. Wombat… he was injured. Pinned down. I had to intercede.”

Realisation. “You went into combat?”

“I had to.” She murmured. “Or we would have lost him.”

A pause before her face softened a little. “He’s okay now?”

Ridley sucked in a breath. “He’s still in critical care. They got him pretty good. I managed to extract him.”

Alexia nodded, her brain working overtime.

“Lex, this is why I need to be here. If I wasn’t there-”

“I know.” She whispered, her voice getting husky. “I know.”

“I can work second line. I get it. I have you now, I have something to come home to. But there will be operations that I need to come to.”

Alexia cleared her throat. “I knew what I was getting into.”

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for your Olympics.” She said guiltily, for what seemed like the fifth time.

Alexia was not the type of person who wanted sympathy. So instead of making her feel guilty, she simply gave a small, encouraging smile. “I’m sorry I’m not there to comfort you while your brother is in hospital.”

Her heart softened. Alexia. “But could you be..?”

“I… where are you?”

“I’m in Saudi, but I can get to Dubai. Blue said you have a few days off. I don’t want to make you travel unnecessarily, though.”

Emotions flickered across her face and she tried to cover it. “I can come.”

“I’ll find a flight and send details.”

“How long can I stay?”

“However long you can be away from Barca.”

“Lee-”

“I’ll find the time, Lex. Just… come.”

“Okay.”

ALEXIA POV

The private jet Ridley had organised landed in Dubai in the afternoon when the sun had just started to set. As soon as the engines were turned off and the door was opened, customs agents came on board to check passports and visas. She had hitched a ride with a well-off family, most of who couldn’t speak a word of English or Spanish besides the father who had been lovely and offered her everything he had.

She knew by his hospitality that he knew Ridley and they had some form of a professional relationship there. There was a lot of respect.

The first customs agent to approach Alexia also couldn’t speak English, nor Spanish. It was surprising to her at first as English was so widely spoken in Dubai, though this was a smaller, private airport.

Seeing that the owner of the jet was busy with the other agent, she was slightly flustered as Ridley had organised her paperwork. She showed her passport and when the agent gestured for more, her heart sunk.

She was finally in Dubai, where Ridley was, and she had to leave again.

Fuck.

Before it became a problem, a voice sounded from the front of the aircraft. She didn’t understand the language, but she did know the voice. Alexia peered past the agent to see Ridley in an all-black suit looking so attractive her breath caught. She handed the agent some paperwork and barely looking at it, he nodded and gave Alexia a smile before leaving.

Ridley said her hellos to the man and his family before getting to her.

She filled her presence with immediate warmth and calm and that nostalgic smell of her perfume washed over her. Woody, spicy, with a sweet hint of musk. She looked up at the slightly taller woman, into those dark eyes with playful gold flecks dancing.

She wanted to touch her, kiss her, anything. But this was Dubai. And in Dubai, homosexuality was illegal. She’d need to take Ridley’s lead.

Surprisingly, the Australian leant into her in a way much more than two female friends. The side of her forehead touched Alexia’s, her body leaning into her own. God, she missed her.

She felt Ridley’s body relax against hers.

“Alexia,” she murmured quietly, as if all of her problems had faded away with her arrival. “You came.”

Alexia pressed into her, nodding. Of course she did.

Ridley pressed an impassioned kiss to her forehead before pulling away and pausing to look at her necklace. “No happy sun?” She asked in Catalan.

The stars.

She had turned it around, like she usually did when she was without her.

When she didn’t respond, Ridley reach out and touched it gently before grabbing her bag. “Is this all you had?”

“I have a small suitcase..”

“Already in the car, Lex.”

She secretly loved how organised she was. Always taking the pressure off of her. Ridley was her escape from all of that.

“Then yes.”

“Good. Come.”

They drove in silence though it was anything but uncomfortable. Alexia held Ridley’s thigh as she drove, the Australian gently stroking her hand as she did so. It felt… right.

As Ridley turned the steering wheel, she caught a glimpse of a bandage well-hidden and felt her worry rise. To distract herself, she looked at Ridley as she drove; her sharp, dark features illuminated under the city lights, and reminded herself that she was in fact, very real.

Fuck, I missed you, she thought.

Ridley took interest in a police car flying past and smirked.

Alexia’s heart melted. I missed you.

Eyes back in front of her, Ridley continued to stroke those gentle patterns into the back of her hand, sending shivers throughout her body.

Wait, why am I so stubbornly keeping this to myself? She thought. She’s my partner.

“I missed you.” Alexia said quietly and watched Ridley’s jaw flex and her eyes flutter closed for just a second.

“I could say the same but it would be the understatement of the year.”

Fuck.

Alexia moved her hand up her muscled thigh further, gliding over the fabric of her pants until her pinky was resting against her core. Ridley shifted her hips to press into her ever so slightly and the part Alexia loved most, was that it seemed like an unconscious thing.

“Keep going, Lex, and I’ll pull this car over and fuck you right here.” She turned to look at her, those gold flecks now still and serious. “Until your body fucking gives out.”

Alexia shivered with lust, but she didn’t move. She kept her hand there, pressed up against her, the car now feeling so tense with need.

They arrived at the hotel and pulled up at the front door valet. Ridley removed Alexia’s hand from her thigh and kissed it before she opened the door. It was her way of apologising, but her eyes said she wanted to tear the clothes from her body.

Ridley took her bag and Alexia followed her lead inside and to the elevators. They were granted their privacy and Alexia was pleasantly surprised at that, given they were two women sharing accommodation. As the elevator doors closed, Ridley pressed herself up against the wall opposite Alexia and tilted her head, looking her up and down. She saw her hands flexing as if to try and keep them to herself and the Spaniard smiled to herself, turning away to try and stop herself moving towards her.

Fuck, she missed this.

“You’re not making this easy.”

“You existing doesn’t make this easy.” Ridley quipped back, her gaze not moving.

Alexia watched the levels move past far too slowly for her liking and rolled her neck, closing her eyes, in an attempt to get through. Just a few more levels.

Eventually the elevator stopped and just when she thought she wasn’t going to move, Ridley swept deliberately into her space, and out the doors, brushing her arm as she went by.

Fuck.

She followed her to their accommodation and stepped through the door Ridley was holding open for her, gesturing her in while she stayed at the door.

“Go. Explore.”

It was just as spectacular as she’d imagined it to be, and more. Very Ridley-style. Sleek, modern, minimalistic with a refined culture about it. The view over to the Burj Khalifa was spectacular, and visible from not only their bed, but the shower and bath too. She ran her hand over the marble of the bathroom counter, smiling at Ridley’s things all set out how she liked. Curious, she opened the drawer at the bottom to reveal what she knew she’d find, and yet was still surprised by. Toys.

That was Ridley, always prepared. Biting her lip, she closed it.

“Thank you.” She heard Ridley say at the door.

Ah – her suitcase.

Moving back into the bedroom, she tried to ignore how tantalising the bed looked after her flight, and instead opened the wardrobe to find the few things Ridley had brought with her all neatly arranged on her side, and Alexia’s side free besides a black garment bag and a pair of heels. Zipping it down slightly, she found a stunning black satin dress in her own size. For her?

Hearing Ridley walk in and lay the suitcase on the table, she turned with a question in her eyes.

“I have a dinner reservation for us. We can go now, later or not at all. I didn’t know what you’d prefer.”

“Ah, that explains it.” Alexia replied, gesturing to her clothes. “I love your suit.”

Ridley smiled, always proud of her sense of fashion. Something they shared. “Thank-”

“Take it off.”

Ridley’s lips parted, caught off guard. Alexia loved doing that. She took one step forwards and sat on the end of the bed.

“Now.”

She smartly closed her mouth and began undressing, starting with her rings and cufflinks while Alexia watched every single piece of clothing being removed and laid out carefully on the back of the chair. She was turned around, so Alexia could only see her from behind, but that was more than enough.

She admired those back muscles of hers, her naked ass and thighs, the cropped shaggy hair at the back of her neck, and sneakily, she wanted to see how injured she was.

There were a few scrapes and bruises here and there, though as she turned around to face her, there were less on her front which was good. Her arm, though. The bandage spread from her wrist up and around to the inside of her elbow. Alexia studied it, and then the rest of her naked body with a patience she didn’t have in the elevator.

She loved the way her hair hung around her sharp jaw, the way the arteries in her neck were visible whenever she turned her head, her well-earned biceps, veiny hands, strong abs extending down into a sharp V that cut away at her hips. Thigh muscles that showed even when standing still, right down to her bare feet standing gently on the soft carpet, and back up.

Perfectly neat, manicured and clean. Perfectly… Ridley.

Mine. The voice in her head claimed fiercely.

Her eyes found the bandage again. Before she could speak, Ridley stepped forwards and knelt in front of her, her hand on Alexia’s thighs.

“Just a scratch, Lex. It’s nothing big, I promise.”

Alexia ran her hand down the bandage, feeling that there were only a few stitches along the line. “Would you have told me if I weren’t coming to Dubai?”

Only honestly reflected in those eyes. “Yes.”

Her hands moved across Ridley’s strong, naked shoulders and up into her shaggy, dark hair where they found purchase. She gripped on, pulling her head back.

“Care to explain to me why there are sex toys in the bathroom?”

Ridley chuckled, enjoying her hair being tugged on. “I wanted to be prepared. I didn’t know what you’d want from me…”

It was an honest statement. Ridley admitting she wasn’t too great at relationships. Alexia’s hands eased a bit as she softened for her.

“You want to abuse me about my arm? Go ahead. You want to tell me how awful I am for missing out on your Olympics campaign? I’ll take it. You just want to sit apart in a room in silence for 2 days? Sure. I don’t care. As long as I’m in the same fucking room as you.”

“Lee..” she whispered, every ounce of la Reina disappearing from her.

“You missed me, Lex? I fucking mourn you every day we’re apart. Just ask the team. I’m a fucking grump.”

God, if she wasn’t practically dripping already, that would certainly do it. She leant forwards and pressed her forehead against Ridley’s.

“So what do you want from me..?” She asked softly.

Unable to stop herself any longer, Alexia’s mouth found Ridley’s desperately. Passionately. And more than willing under her own. As their lips parted and their tongues brushed, Ridley groaned, her arms sliding up Alexia’s thighs, around to her lower back and under her pants to her ass.

“Being prepared is always good.” Alexia admitted breathily against her mouth.

“Answer the question before I go mad,” she responded in a desperate tone that Alexia loved.

Her hand closed around her throat to stop her mouth on hers for a second, but Ridley was strong and liked the feeling, pushing against it so she could find her neck.

God, her mouth on her neck.

Fuck.

“What do I want from you?” She gasped as Ridley pushed harder against her hand, her mouth finding that sensitive spot just below her ear. “Everything. Always. I want you.. fuck.. inside me. I want to be inside you. I want you over me. Under me. I want everything. I want all of you. Always.”

Alexia had to grip Ridley’s throat with both hands just to push her back and fuck, was it a sight. Her eyes were dark, hooded and lustful. When Alexia squeezed, they rolled back slightly.

She loved that.

Her thumb stroked across the scar on her cheek, her lips finding the one closer to her hairline.

“All of you.”

Ridley moaned.

“Fuck me, Ridley.”

She let go on her throat suddenly, the blood rushing back into her cheeks as Ridley pulled the pants off from under her. She slid them down her legs, along with the shoes and socks, working her way back up the insides of her thighs with her mouth and fingers until she was at Alexia’s obvious arousal.

Gently lowering herself and lifting her legs over her shoulders, Ridley’s mouth found her core and tasted the excitement that had built up over the past hour.

She groaned into her, as if starved from it for too long and slid her tongue inside to taste what she could. Alexia gripped into her hair for dear life.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Ridley groaned again, her tongue moving up through her to her clit where she worked her exactly how she liked. Not too fast, not too slow, flat tongue dragging across her clit from bottom to top like a fucking icecream.

Alexia wanted to scream. To cry out. She whimpered, her body tensing as she tried to keep it together.

Fuck she’d missed this.

She’d missed her.

Not just the sex, her fucking partner.

Ridley adjusted a little and then Alexia felt her hand sliding up the inside of her thigh, her fingers stroking through her wet mess just under her mouth to her entrance. As her mouth kept harassing her clit, she slid just the very tip of her fingers in and out, working her up.

How had she gone so long without her?

Home.

She was her fucking home.

Ridley slid her fingers in slowly, as if enjoying feeling her around them, her fingers curling around into that perfect g-spot where the large group of nerves under her clit sat. Her curled fingers pressed down hard, circling there.

And just like that, there was no hope for her. Her clit being stimulated from both directions, Ridley’s groaning, her sure tongue, strong shoulders where her legs were hung over, the pads of her fingers expertly fucking her just right.

She felt her body tightening up, being taken so fucking high so quickly. And after a month apart? After the Olympics? After missing Ridley? She needed this.

She tried to bite back her cries into whimpers as she came, but could barely manage it. Alexia was a mess.

Ridley rode her through it, her tongue being replaced by the pressure of her thumb, and her fingers still working inside her.

Somehow Ridley was moving, Alexia felt shifted backwards as she clenched, her back touching the bed and Ridley’s body above her, fingers holding pressure now.

When she could finally breathe, she did just so, though she had barely sucked in air when Ridley’s fingers started pumping in and out of her.

Oh, fuck.

She clawed at her back, trying to do anything to stop herself from coming too quickly when that’s all her body wanted. She’d never felt so comfortable in her body as when she was with Ridley. There was never any judgement for anything she wanted or felt. She encouraged it all out of her, like she never believed was possible.

“You’re my life.” Ridley grunted against her neck, her bicep flexing as she fucked her.

Alexia arched her back and held on.

She curled her fingers hard, fucking her until Alexia was frustrated at her clothing. She needed to be closer. Skin on skin. She dragged her shirt and bra up over her head, Ridley grunting, unimpressed at being interrupted from her sucking of her throat.

Better.

“Spread.”

She did as she was told, spreading her legs apart and rocking into the strong, steady thrusts of her Australian.

Fuck.

“Use your words, Lex. Be a good girl.” She encouraged as she fucked deeper, harder. “I want to hear it all.”

Up until then, she’d been trying too hard to keep it all inside. Ridley was right.

“Fuck…” she whimpered. “Fuck.. fuck. Argh.”

I love you.

“All of it,” Ridley growled, biting her neck.

“I.. I love you. I… fuck. I m..iss you. I love you. Fuck me.”

“That’s it, my girl. I want to hear every thought in your head.”

“I’m y…yours. Please don’t stop.” She cried, letting herself fall into a state of submission that only Ridley could draw out of her.

“Not if the fucking building collapsed.”

“You’re my home. I love you. I love you, Ridley.”

She felt the shiver run down Ridley’s back under her hands. Ridley’s mouth found her ear, and if she wasn’t wet enough from her fucking, the sweet sounds of squeezing, fucking wetness, then Ridley’s gasps in her ear would have done it.

“I’m yours, Alexia. All of me. Always. I love you.”

Ridley wasn’t the type to say something for the sake of it, or because it was what she wanted to hear. She only said it when she felt it so deeply that she couldn’t last a second more without letting it out.

And at that knowledge, Alexia came hard around her fingers.

“Jesus,” Ridley complimented as her fingers were sucked into her and clenched around. “Fuuuck Lex.”

A twitching, sweaty, wet mess was exactly what Alexia was. But she hadn’t felt so relaxed and at ease in a long time. She closed her eyes and felt her body release that tension it had been holding onto for a month, the anxiety and pressure it had clung onto since she’d missed her penalty at the Olympics.

It was just her, and Ridley.

No amount of sex or masturbation could give her that. It was just… them. Her. The person she fell asleep dreaming about every night. The one she often fell into a daydream about. The person who could sense her emotions better than she could.

She breathed out her tension audibly, noticing that Ridley was no longer inside her, but her body was still warm against her own, softly stroking her skin and giving her the time she needed.

She remembered back to Blau’s official launching of Lumos, and to the party that had followed. Somewhere along the way, Alexia had lost Ridley as she’d been dragged away by people wanting to talk to “La Reina.”

She’d lost everyone she knew at that point and had felt her anxiety creeping up around so many unknown people. When it threatened to take over, she’d looked up and caught Ridley’s eyes.

Somehow, she’d known before Alexia even had, and was already making her way through the crowd to her.

She’d come up close, her arm weaving around her waist, Alexia's over her shoulder and holding each other close. Just like that, her anxiety had disappeared just as fast as it had arrived.

She felt fingertips gently stroking her cheek, around her ear, down to her jaw and along it.

“Daydreaming about me, are we?”

Without opening her eyes, Alexia smiled. “Cocky.”

“Mmn, I’ll take that as a yes. You need to teach your facial expressions how to use their inside voice.”

Alexia chuckled and turned to kiss the palm of her hand now stroking through her blonde hair. She opened her eyes to see Ridley calmly studying her. “It’s only because you know me so annoyingly well.”

“Mmnhmn.” She watched her for a little longer, her fingers stroking through her hair so gently that Alexia could have fallen asleep happy right then and there. “What would you like now, Lex?”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

Those gold flecks danced. “Try me.”

Alexia shifted, pushed Ridley onto her back and hovering low over her. So low her tits were brushing against Ridley’s own, her blonde hair curtaining around her face. Her leg came up Ridley’s and pressed her thigh against her own obvious arousal. The feeling of her wet against her thigh almost had her changing her mind. Ridley grabbed her ass, one of her favourite things along with her thighs, and squeezed, her eyes rolling back slightly as Alexia worked her mouth up her neck slowly, ending on her lips which she brushed over with a gentleness.

“I want to get you so frustrated that later tonight, you’ll be begging for la Reina.”

Ridley groaned in protest as Alexia stood suddenly, leaving her naked and needy on the bed.

“Now come fuck me in the shower and take me to dinner.”

RIDLEY POV

Ridley had thought she’d been prepared for everything. An angry Alexia, pissed off at her for the Olympics. A worried one, seeing her bandage. A heartbroken one, wanting to rethink them as the distance was hurting her.

Not once did she imagine Alexia to be so… fucking perfect. Frustratingly so. So needy and excited and loving and understanding of everything in its entirely.

After their rather exasperating shower in which Ridley was even more worked up by her, they got dressed. Ridley, into her tailored black suit and Alexia, into the dress she had made for her specially. She had no idea if she’d be getting Alexia or la Reina, whether she’d be feeling feminine or more androgynous, but she had taken a guess. And fuck, was she right.

Alexia walked in front of her at the restaurant, her independent side coming out more now that she’d had some stress relief and clothes to help her feel beautiful. Which was the understatement of the century.

The black dress, made to suit Ridley’s suit fit her perfectly, hugging her hips and ass. God, was she obsessed with that. The control it took to not reach out and lay her hand on it, making sure everyone knew that she was hers.

Her hair fell wavy down around her shoulders, and she was even Ridley’s height with the heels on.

She wore a few accessories that she’d chosen herself. Rings, a bracelet, earring and the sunshine necklace, though now it was turned around to show the happy sun.

They sat down to eat, trying their best to not touch each other in public. Ridley eventually gave up and leant her leg against her own under the table which sufficed her for the time being. After their starters and a few glasses of wine, they ordered their mains and while they were waiting, Alexia ducked off to the bathroom. Ridley watched her go, curious if she was being sneaky and trying to give them her credit card to pay before she could.

But she didn’t. She headed straight to the bathroom, and straight back.

As she arrived back, she sat just as the mains arrived. They would do their typical thing of sharing half a meal each, as delicious as they both looked.

Alexia smiled and thanked the server as he left. Watching him go, she turned back to Ridley.

“Shall we eat?”

Alexia gave her a look. “As long as you’re not too full to eat tonight.”

Christ.

“I will never be too full for that. And I will never be fully fucking satiated by tasting you either.” She murmured low enough that others couldn’t hear.

“Good.” She smiled and then reached her hand across the table. “You dropped this.”

Please don’t be my fucking credit card the sneaky-

As soon as she took hold of it, she froze, jaw locking and eyes closing while she tried to control herself.

Alexia crossed her legs and began to eat her meal while Ridley slipped her underwear into her pocket.

[callmewrinkles3]

Peace - DR3 x Fem!OC

Summary: After their whistle stop trip to Perth it’s time for the next race in Baku. A photo causes issues, and Em sees something she shouldn’t have spotted.

Word Count: 9.6k

Warnings: Zak Brown, mentions of food issues (lack of appetite, not eating, what could be considered picky eating), media being assholes, panic attacks, mentions of mental health issues.

A/N: We’re baaaaaaccccckkkk! Sorry for the delay, we’ve been ridiculously busy. But in our defence, this is a monster chapter. We’re sticking with 2022 for the next while.

June 2022

“I have a couple of apartments.”

Em half woke to Dan’s words. She hadn’t really been asleep on the shorter flight from Dubai to Baku. Instead she’d been half dozing with her Beats playing music. London was clutched in her hand while she curled against Dan’s side. There’d been a plane swap and something else but their fancy seats were swapped into a row of three economy ones. Honestly if she was asked she preferred being able to curl up like this on a plane. His arm was around her and she got to chill out with him beside her.

“What do you mean?”

“For London. The city, not the bear I mean. If you still want to move in together?” He turned the tablet towards her to show an option. Three bedrooms, a view, in one of the parts of London they’d shortlisted. It looked nearly too good to be true.

“Talk when we get to the hotel? But yeah. I want to move in with you properly.”

They were two of the first into Baku for the race which meant that instead of going immediately into a bright orange race world Em got to unwind for a night. Dan brought her to an Italian restaurant for dinner and they held hands in public. They went back to the hotel room and curled up in bed before Dan asked her a question.

“So with the apartment thing. I’m looking at places for us to buy, not rent.”

“Danny…” She trailed off and looked at him, at the way he smiled at her.

“I didn’t tell you this. It was supposed to be a surprise. But I got the email the day before you arrived in Melbourne and it didn’t feel right to say it then. I dunno if you remember but do you remember when we were in Austin in 2019? We were in bed and you were talking about how much you like the city and you just trailed off and said it’d be a nice place to show kids.”

The vague memory hit her, the night after the race. When Dan had been jealous of her talking to Charles and Pierre and they went to the hotel. It had been emotional and she was still luxuriating that they’d said I love you a few weeks before.

“Yeah. Kind of?”

“I found a place. I was looking on and off since then but it had to be in delivery radius of that barbecue place we like. Your name’s on it too. I didn’t know if you were coming back or not but it’s our place. Bought, not rented. And if we don’t spend loads of time in Austin but we’ve got a place then we should buy somewhere in London. You don’t like Monaco that much. We just need to be there a bit for taxes and stuff. But we should buy somewhere. A home. Our home.”

“You bought us a place?” She couldn’t get over it. She couldn’t stop thinking about it. He bought them a home when she wasn’t even around.

“Yeah. It’s ours.”

“I love you so much. So, so much. And yeah. I want our home. A real home.”

“I’m getting you your lavender office. I promised you that I was going to get you a lavender office. It’s happening.”

She couldn’t stop grinning, holding onto Dan and sleeping well for the first time in weeks. It was restful at last.

Wednesday meant most people were arriving into the city and that included Blake and Michael. They hugged her tightly as soon as they saw her, both checking in through the day. There was still a divide between them and Dan. She could see the way they were with him. But that needed to wait, she couldn’t deal with all of it. Not now.

Most of the day was spent sitting with Blake and coming up with how she was coming back to work. She wanted to get back as quickly as she could, but Blake didn’t want to risk it for her. Which she understood. But she wanted to feel normal even when she felt like she was barely holding together. The other part of the day with Blake was having a conversation she never thought she’d need to have.

She had to make a plan about how her relationship was going to be made public.

Somehow she hadn’t been spotted much in Monaco, just a few gossip blogs which made life easier and harder. It was easier because at least it wasn’t a complete surprise that she was around. But it was harder because she hated having to do this. The fact that her and Dan were finally admitting that they love each other meant a PR response had to happen felt stupid. They were just two people in love. Why did the world care?

But it was clear that the world did care, the blog posts and TikToks and instagram posts about her were proof of that. The #WheresEm posts on TikTok from fans analysing photos of Dan, Michael, and Blake to see if she was in the background. The slideshows of her and other women who worked in F1. It was kind of surreal now that Blake was showing her.

“You’re in the paddock every week. You work in the sport. Netflix interviews you and every February people wonder if DTS is going to call you “Daniel’s girlfriend”. It happens.” Blake was apologetic as he opened a folder on his laptop called Tax Files.

“You told me that was taxes and that’s why it’s password protected.”

“Yeah, sorry. If you knew you’d have killed me.” She looked at the four PDFs held in the file. Dan_Em_dating, Dan_Em_engaged, Dan_Em_married, Dan_Em_baby. The last one cut like a knife.

“Seriously? Engaged and married? Statements for all of it?”

“It’s the two of you. I wrote them after you were in Vegas, there were rumours online for two months after that the two of you got secretly married. I thought it was better to be safe than sorry. For both of you. But this is the reactive ones in case someone posted photos or something. Right now I think you doing an insta post is enough, it’ll confirm but you don’t need to do details. Do you have any PG photos?”

Twenty minutes later a photo of her in Dan’s lap as he held her and gave her a kiss that was chosen to be the photo. Dan used his grid mostly for work related stuff so it was her account that would post it. The caption at least was her own decision. Thirty seconds of thought and she tapped it out. I know you know, but I love you to the moon and to Saturn. Once the draft was saved the schedule was set. Post it during FP1. It would be fine.

The plan mostly worked for Thursday. Her makeup was thick and Blake refused to let her work for longer than an hour of checking emails, but she walked into the paddock with her head held high. Friends nodded and gave her a smile, Carmen’s eyes widening slightly when she saw her and Em forced a grin. She was part of a team. She belonged her. She knew what she was doing. It would be fine and it was worth it.

Sitting in hospitality for the day Em refreshed one of the gossip instagram accounts she still followed, a photo of her talking to Blake appearing at the top of the grid. The caption made her huff.

She’s baaaaaaccccckkkkkk! Daniel Ricciardo’s assistant Em was seen back in the paddock. The rumour was that she was in Monaco but hiding in hospitality. She hasn’t been seen at a race since the Australian GP at the beginning of April, where she was seen with his parents and extended family. The duo were spotted in Perth for the weekend off last week, but they’ve never confirmed a relationship. Reminder: Em falls under our WAG rules because we don’t have confirmation if they are or aren’t in a relationship. No criticism of how she looks or what she’s wearing.

“What’s so funny?” Blake asked and she turned the screen to him.

“I’m kind of surprised how quickly people started sharing photos of me again. Am I really that impressive?”

“I think it’s more that you’ve been around for so long. Tomorrows probably going to be chaos with the post. You know that, right? You’ll get through it but there will definitely be questions.”

“I know. If we did this years ago it’d have been easier.”

Instead of a third iced latte that she’d asked for, Michael handed her an orange juice as lunch was brought over. He received a glare in its place.

“I thought I asked for a coffee?”

“And you’re vibrating in place. Eat something, Wriggle.”

The chopped salad in front of her was pretty but the idea of even touching it made her feel awful. Encouraging looks made her spear a couple of pieces of chicken that she could just about separate and eat them. At least playing with her food meant that it wasn’t noticed that she wasn’t really eating.

Dan was able to run in and grab food before going back to more team meetings. He pushed a kiss to the top of her head before raising an eyebrow at her bowl, but Em shook her head before he could speak. It was two or three minutes before he had to leave with Michael. Before he did he ran across to the coffee bar and plucked a lemon muffin from the stand to place in front of her. It was a smile and a squeeze of her hand before he had to go again.

She picked at the muffin and at her dinner that night before they were back in the hotel room together. Dan kept giving her looks to eat more but she was too worn out to eat. It was like her body was constantly waiting for the next crisis, coiled and ready to release adrenaline while she was begging it to relax. She needed to curl up with her boyfriend and be held by him. The day went well. People could tell they were truly in a relationship. Everything was public tomorrow. She could do it.

For the first time in years Em stressed about what to wear to the paddock the next morning. None of her clothes fit right and her usual style felt awkward. Normally she tried to blend in but this was the one day she shouldn’t have to. She wasn’t just Dan’s assistant anymore. People would keep caring about what she wore, working out what labels she had on and how much her outfit cost. It was so much stress that she didn’t want to deal with but Dan put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

“Wear what makes you smile. You’ll be beautiful no matter what.”

“You’re a charmer.”

“And you need to eat something. I know it’s not your favourite but I got you a bacon sandwich with my breakfast. Try to eat some of it?”

“Just for you.”

The nerves thrummed through her body as she pulled on straight leg jeans and tightened her belt. Her outfit was finished with a Paramore tee that was at least a size too big and one of the merch hats Dan always had around, but she was clothed and felt good. She could do this. She could do it. Em even ate half of the sandwich Dan gave her despite the butterflies in her stomach trying to rebel.

Their plan for getting to the race was simple. The four of them were driving to the track together, Blake taking her usual role as driver. Dan and Michael were walking in five minutes before she and Blake did so they could take most of the attention away. Once he was in the car for FP1 she’d post the Instagram draft and hopefully someone would fuck up in practice so the “Daniel Ricciardo has a girlfriend” story would die down. It was a good plan that they could do.

When they arrived at the drivers car park they all stepped out of the car before Dan pulled her into a giant hug. It was nearly deserted in the early morning and she fell into him before sharing a kiss and a smile.

“That’s the last secret kiss we ever have to do. How does that feel?” Dan asked to make her grin.

“So no more hidden corners in dive bars?”

“I mean that’s a tradition so we have to have some more there, right? I love you. I’ll see you after practice.”

“I love you too. I think Blake is actually letting me work today so I’ll see you then.” They had one final kiss before Dan and Michael walked away while she and Blake stayed behind

“Just for the record, if you and Dan split up again I’m choosing you. You’re my little sister. I don’t want you to go anywhere else.”

“I learned my lesson, Blakey. I’ve no intention of going anywhere. I promise.”

Five minutes later they were walking through the paddock and Em ignored the eyes that were on her. It was a statement to be publicly there in the paddock, to be beside Blake while she wore a 3 hat. She wasn’t ashamed of herself or her love for Dan. She couldn’t be. They were in love and that was what mattered to her.

They sat in Dan’s driver room while Em went through yet more emails that she’d missed while she was gone. The practice stayed on tv and she let the familiar voices roll over her. With ten minutes left on the clock Blake gave her a nudge to post the photo with a smile.

“Ready to be a WAG?”

“Will I ever be? But I’ve basically been one for the last four years without the benefits.”

When she opened Instagram her notifications were already going insane. There were people mentioning her in comments and tagging her and she had to scroll back to see where it all stemmed from. But when she found one of the paddock photographers accounts and started to read the caption her blood ran cold.

Arriving into the paddock this morning ahead of Day One of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix I got to see possibly the rarest sight in Formula One - Daniel Ricciardo and his presumed girlfriend @callmewrinkles3 canoodling and revealing their romance. We don’t know a lot about Emma except that she’s English and has worked with Ricciardo since at least the summer break in 2019. Her first appearance at a race was Barcelona in 2018 where she hid in the back of the Red Bull garage. Most people have assumed that they’re together but they’ve never publicised anything. It’s clear from the photos how in love they are, but why have they never admitted anything before? She’s missed every race since the Australian GP and the rumour around the paddock was that they had split up. I think that can be safely ignored now.

“Blake. Fuck.” She held her phone out to Blake so he could see the post and watched as his face changed while reading. “One hour. One fucking hour.”

The comments began to fill her screen and she couldn’t help but read them.

They’re actually together? I thought that was a joke.

Why did she just disappear like that?

Dan deserves better than an assistant.

Who is she? Just appeared one day like she was always there.

Friends with bennies. There’s no way they’re dating. They’d have admitted it by now. Has to be some PR thing.

“Timmy? Em? Can you hear me?” The panic was rising through her chest as all her deepest fears were on screen. Dan deserved better. He deserved more than her. She’d ruined everything when she left she never should have come back. Why did she come back when she’d ruined things for him?

Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her tight, Em’s desperation filling her as Blake held on.

“I’ve got you. I’ve got you. Deep breaths in and out.” Tears streamed down her face as she tried to copy his breathing. They were just one hour late to do it. One hour. But the one thing that they’d protected for so long and had been so careful with had been revealed to the world before either of them had the chance to do it. Outside the paddock they were supposed to be private citizens. That area was off limits, it wasn’t supposed to be where they could be photographed. Especially not by accredited ones.

“Why us? Why the fuck does this always happen to us?” It was all she could get out as she kept crying, Blake holding onto her tightly and rubbing her back. It wasn’t the same as when Dan or Grace did it but it helped as she tried to stop herself from spiralling. But Dan had his stupid briefing and then had to get ready for FP2 and she was barely going to see him. All she wanted was for him to tell her it was going to be ok. It wasn’t much to ask. Em lost track of time as she tried to pull all of her broken pieces together. She needed to get it together.

“I can get him out of his meeting. Want me to grab him now?”

“Please?” She felt pitiful with the tiny sound coming out of her mouth, but Blake left a kiss on her forehead before sitting her on the massage table and leaving the room.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can, ok? Just remember. You and him love each other so much somehow. A photo and internet trolls are never going to change what the two of you have. I promise you that TimTam.”

She didn’t know how long it took until Blake returned with Dan but she could feel the fragile parts of herself begin to move and crack again. Why would Dan want her to be there with him? She’d left once before and she should just leave again. Let everyone else be happy. She could make herself be happy without them eventually she thought. The world was acting like loving Dan was some awful thing, that she didn’t deserve to love him and she didn’t know how she could keep going with it. It wasn’t fair.

Her sobs started again and Em’s arms went around her knees to hold them against her chest. It was going to be ok. It was going to be fine. It had to be fine. She couldn’t be too loud or people would hear and that would be worse for Dan if his girlfriend was having a breakdown in his room. She shoved her hand against her mouth to muffle her sobs. She could be quiet. She had to be quiet.

“Emmy? I’m right here Wrinkles.”

“Danny.”

It felt so stupid. So fucking stupid. It was a photo that revealed news that they were about to share anyway, but they wanted to get to do it. It wasn’t up to anyone else to share it. Why did they think they could?

“I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry Baby. You don’t deserve that and you never deserved have comments made about you like that. If you want to go home just tell me and you can, I’ll book the flights for you.”

The words hit her gut and she wanted to get sick. He wanted her to leave. Wanted her to go home.

She didn’t have a home anymore.

She destroyed their home and she was homeless and she had nothing left. It was all gone.

“I…I…We…We don’t have one. I don’t. I’m homeless. I got rid of it and Danny it’s gone and it’s my fault please don’t make me leave.” Her sobs began again as the reality of what she’d done hit her. She’d destroyed their home in a weekend. She was homeless. Michael had offered his spare room but she couldn’t. What had she done?

“No. Oh no, Emmy, no, I promise. I promise you’re not going anywhere if you don’t want to. I want you to stay here. I want to be here with you all the time. I’m right here and you’re staying with me I promise. I promise.”

She didn’t know how long he held onto her for but as her sobs subsided the embarrassment at how she acted filled her. It was all over a photo. This shouldn’t have happened because of a photo. But Dan held onto her and wiped her eyes while she stopped crying, emotionally and physically exhausted with red and puffy eyes. Her foundation was entirely gone but Dan smiled at her like she lit up the universe.

“For the record I hate saying this but we have thirty minutes until Dan needs to be in the car. And I might have a solution. Maybe.” Em twisted in Dan’s lap to look at Blake as he began to explain. Nat from Sky was willing to be outside to ‘run into’ Dan and do a softball interview for him to explain everything.

“Do it.” He hadn’t even finished speaking when Em cut across, making herself stand up on shaky legs and stretching while still holding his hand.

“Emmy…”

“Danny, do it. You get to get ahead of it and say something about how everyone knew. Act like it’s just stupid gossip. And then you can drive and ignore it, yeah?”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

She wiped her face on one of the towels that was supposed to be for after Dan’s practice before nodding at him. Dan stood up and pulled her close, holding his lips against her forehead in silence. They were desperate to stay as close as possible for as long as they could until Blake tapped her shoulder.

“She’ll be downstairs in thirty seconds, it’s live.”

“Go.” It was a kiss to make Dan leave and Em sat down to get her makeup out of her bag.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m watching from the garage. So I’m making myself look vaguely presentable.”

Her fingers were shaking as she started pulling concealer and foundation out. The tv was already tuned to the Sky feed and when she heard Natalie’s voice her attention went straight to it.

“And look who we have here! Daniel Ricciardo was heading over to his garage but agreed to talk to me for a moment. You’ve had all of the attention on you thanks to that Instagram post everyone’s seen about your relationship.” It was open and warm and Em bit her lip while she watched.

“Yeah. It’s funny, we never thought we needed to announce that we were together because everyone knew. You were talking to Em at the AusGP opening yourself. It didn’t make sense to do some big thing when everyone already knew. But now here we are, I guess. At least that’s better news than my driving in that practice. We’ve got a couple of upgrades that we’re trying to learn how they work with this car, so we’ll see how they perform in this practice.”

The way he was so casual about it made Em smile while she finished her concealer and patted it down. It wasn’t anywhere near good but it’d do, and her sunglasses would hide the worst of it.

“Ready?” She asked Blake. He nodded once and followed her across. It was the first time she’d stood in the garage to watch him drive since she and Dan had their fight in Jeddah and he sent her away, but she walked out with her head held high. Dan was standing at the bottom of the stairs to wait for her and held out his hand, Em smiling at him.

“You look beautiful. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He did better in that practice than the morning one but Em stood there silently. Blake had a hand at her back to keep her steady on her feet, orange headphones glued to her head. She hated the colour. Hated this garage. She wished it felt like home the way Renault had by the end. But she could do this. It was just an hour, and she could see when the cameras caught her and she waved. A small smile stayed on her face as she stared at Dan’s little orange dot on the screen.

She waited for him to get out and they held hands walking to hospitality for food before Dan had to go to more meetings. It was a luxury to hold his and and get to see him as her boyfriend. People stopped to ask for his autograph and take photos and she stepped back to let the photo be taken. One of the girls came up to her after getting the photo.

“I’m sorry about that photo for you. You deserved better than that for how your relationship was made public.”

“Thanks a lot.” It meant more than she could say that a stranger was being nice to her.

That night after yet more picking at food and trying to decide what she could stomach she curled up in Dan’s arms while he pressed kisses to her head. She didn’t know what to do or how exactly she was feeling, but that background anxiety was still there.

“Can I ask you something?” Dan whispered in the dark. It wasn’t too late so she nodded against his chest. “I know you probably don’t want to. But maybe we should find you someone to talk to? You’re not ok, Baby. It’s ok to need some help for a little while.”

“My dad always said that it was weak to need it. That if I couldn’t get through things then I needed to try harder.” The words slipped out before she meant to say it.

“You know I talked to someone last year after Monaco. I think it’s strong to admit that you need some help. It’s such a brave thing to do. It’s up to you but I think it could help.”

It was silent between them for a few minutes before Em could speak. “I think I need some help. Can you help me find someone who does it online?”

“I’ll be right beside you for all of it. I promise.”

“I know.”

Even admitting that she needed to talk to someone took some of the weight off her shoulders. There was something deep inside her that just felt broken and unable to put itself back together. She was freaking out about tiny things. That photo shouldn’t have made her feel this way. The entire Monaco weekend shouldn’t have affected her like that. She’d seen Dan crash before - she’d been in the garage when he crashed in Austria two years before - and the Monaco one wasn’t a big one. But it hurt her in ways she didn’t realise.

Em had never put herself first in her life. It was always everyone else. But this time she needed to put herself at the top of the list or she’d lose herself forever.

The trip to the track was quiet before practice and qualifying. Blake had made the decision that she wasn’t working until at least Austria. And it felt right if she was really honest. The fact that she didn’t want to fight about working proved to her just how necessary it was. Instead she sat in hospitality trading between cups of coffee and juices or water. Michael kept putting big bowls of food in front of her and she couldn’t bear to eat any of it. It was all mixed together and weird textures and the fish curry he tried to get her to eat made her feel disgusting. It was sweet that he tried but no. She could pick out bites when she needed to.

Over what was officially the lunch break but everyone was spending working she flicked through a crappy romance novel on her kindle when movement caught her eye. The teams had all come in and grabbed food before going back to the garage to get the cars ready for setup or do whatever they had to do. Blake was with Dan and Michael before Dan went to a fanzine event. She promised she’d be ok sitting there by herself. Em was convinced that they’d gotten people to keep an eye on her too, but she’d be fine. She could do this.

It was the two men walking through the barely quarter full room that caught her eye but the accent was what really hit her. Zak Brown talking to an Australian wasn’t unusual. What was unusual was that it was Mark Webber and not her boyfriend. Webber. Who managed last years F2 champion who didn’t have a seat. And Brown had been making comments about Dan’s performances needing to improve.

Oh no.

She always trusted her gut. Always. Her gut had yelled at her to not walk away in Melbourne, that it felt wrong, but she ignored it and look how things ended up? Her gut is what made her talk to Dan at Blake’s party nearly five years before. It made her kiss him and fall for him. Helped him make the decision to go to Renault. It was the right thing to do.

And she didn’t trust Brown. Not after the rumours and innuendo and the way her reputation took coordinated hit after hit last year. He had no reason to talk to Webber. Mark had never been in McLaren before, it was just wrong. She knew. Her gut was screaming at her, she knew. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Before she could start freaking out and worrying she saw Dan arrive in with the boys, a girl in her late teens with them. Em smiled as they came over, Dan kissing her cheek.

“Em, this is Rebecca. She flew out here for the race from England. I met her at the fanzone. She wanted me to give you something but I thought she could do it herself.”

“Hey, it’s nice to meet you.” Em looked at the girl who had a sheepish smile on her face before holding out a small bracelet.

“Hi, it’s really nice to meet you too. I saw all the media stuff yesterday and it was awful. I’m sorry people made such a big deal about your relationship like that. I don’t get it. But I make bracelets when I’m anxious and I had beads with me so I made this for you. I hope you like it.”

Em stared at the multicoloured beads and grinned. It said FEA in the middle, patterns of blue, purple, and pink beats surrounding it. It was perfect.

“This is gorgeous. Thank you so much. And thanks for being so kind. Do you want me to take a photo of you and Dan in here?”

“Actually could I get one with you? Feel free to say no. I know it might be weird. But you and Britta and Angela make me think that maybe I could work in motorsport? I’m not good at engineering or anything like that. But maybe I could do something else.” She blushed but Em just smiled, moving her bag with London sticking out of the top so she could sit in.

“Sit in here and we can take one. Just don’t put it online? I haven’t been well, I don’t want people seeing it.”

“Oh no! No way. I just want proof this happened, you know? Thank you so much for this.”

Em watched her leave with Blake, a grin on her face and her new Paddock Club lanyard was wrapped around her neck so she could watch qualifying and the race tomorrow in style. Em slipped her FEA bracelet onto her wrist beside her enchante one, the two comforting on her wrist.

“Sorry for springing this on you. She went to give it to me, said “This is for Em, could you give it to her? There’s loads of people supporting her and she should know that.” I thought you’d want to know.”

“She’s lovely. And that means so much. But what do you mean supporting me?”

Dan opened twitter and she went to groan but instead he showed her a hashtag. #Demma4ever was trending under motorsport. She wanted to groan when she first saw it but the one thing she realised was everyone was so sweet. People unsurprised they were together. People defending them from trolls. People defending her specifically from trolls. A twitter thread from someone calling themselves @cowboydan3 who had traced their relationship since 2018 by pointing out all the times they seemed to be together. It warmed her heart.

“All these people? But they’ve never even met me.”

“Not all of them. But there’s people who did at different events and talked about how you were nice to them. Fans who you pointed out to me so I could say hi and take a photo. People who say I’m in a better mood when you’re around. Yeah there’s trolls and bullshit, but most people have gotten to know the real you. They like you, Baby.”

“Yeah. They do. When’s qualifying?” She needed to not talk about it or she’d cry in public again. She couldn’t cry again.

“Thirty minutes. You gonna watch from here or the garage?”

“The garage?”

She stood beside Blake and watched as Dan was knocked out in Q2. The only piece of justice was Lando also got eliminated, so it wasn’t a “Daniel isn’t performing” kind of day. He had two overtakes to make to get into the points. He could do that. That was definitely something that could happen.

Standing in the paddock she spotted Lance and knew she had an opportunity to get some information. When she waved he made a beeline for her, offering a hug that she gave lightly thanks to the sweaty nomex.

“Sorry about your quali, I know it’s not what you wanted. How are you?”

“We’ll get there. I’m doing ok, how’re you? Especially after everything.”

“I’ll be ok. Unexpected, but I’ll be fine. I had a question for you actually!” She kept her smile fixed and hoped her nerves weren’t showing. “Has Esteban said anything to you about what Oscar is doing while he’s looking for a seat? I know he’s Alpine’s reserve this year.”

“No, nothing. We don’t tend to talk about much work stuff. Unless Alonso’s annoyed him. Then he’ll go on a rant but I ignore it. Dan was the only teammate that Esteban really got on with. But no. Why?”

“You know Dan. Young Australian who came to Europe alone too young, plus we got to know Oscar as a Renault junior in 2020. He wanted to check in but Rossi won’t let him anywhere near Alpine so it’s hard to do it.” He laughed before Lance’s osteo, Henry, came to get him for something.

“If I hear anything I’ll tell you. The latest rumour I heard is possibly a Williams seat. Nicky doesn’t think he’ll keep his seat which sucks.”

“Yeah it does, he’s a good one. Thanks Lance, good luck for tomorrow.”

Everyone knew the rumours about the Williams seat being available. The main rumour Em had heard was that it was a Williams junior who’d get it, there were a couple of prospects in F2 depending on how the season went. Fuck. This was real. It was real and all Em wanted to do was curl up and sob but she couldn’t. She had to walk through the paddock and find Blake to talk to him, and then talk to Dan about it.

As she began to walk back to the meeting rooms Em spotted Ted Kravitz, giving him a wave and a nod as she walked past.

“And of course that’s Daniel Ricciardo’s girlfriend walking past. It’s so nice to get to call her his girlfriend, you know that? Everyone’s known for a long time, back when he was at Renault, which of course is now Alpine, she was known for getting a card for everyone for their birthday. It was probably the worst kept secret in this paddock.”

Getting Blake into Dan’s driver room was easy and she put Fearless on through speakers to muffle their voices. This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have anywhere near the rest of McLaren but she didn’t have a choice.

“What’s going on, Timmy? Please tell me you’re not leaving again.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” She fixed him with a glare. “But we need to talk and it needs to be private. Nobody can overhear. What do you know about Mark Webber and how his career ended?”

“He was fed up of F1. I was barely in Red Bull when he was leaving, but he was done and everyone knew about it. Dan was nearly pulled up mid season. Why?”

“He had a meeting with Brown today. I watched them leave Brown’s office just beside the cafeteria. Neither of them realised I was there, the cafeteria was basically empty. But they were there for a long time and we’ve both heard him talk about Dan’s performance.”

“Ems, no. No way. Dan has eighteen months left.” She shook her head and watched Blake’s face carefully as she spoke.

“Dan has a twenty five million dollar contract break clause. He’s working himself to the bone for this team and I’m pretty sure that Piastri is going to be in his car next year. I just…maybe I’m wrong. But when has my gut ever been wrong on this? I know this Blakey. I know it.”

“You’re sure?”

“I mean I wasn’t in the room but what other reason is there for the two of them to have a closed door meeting in between practice and qualifying on a Grand Prix weekend?”

“None. Fuck. But are you really, really sure? Seriously.”

“If my mental health wasn’t in the toilet you’d believe me immediately, right?” A sheepish nod. “I know you probably don’t trust me. I don’t trust me about me sometimes right now. I’m hanging on by a thread. But this is Dan’s career, and the one thing I have always done is put his career before anything else. You know that’s what I do. I wouldn’t say this based on anything else. You know that.”

“I know. I know.” I didn’t think they’d fucking do this. I didn’t think they’d do more to hurt him after last year.”

They agreed to keep it to themselves for now, that Em would tell Dan that night. She didn’t want to mention it before the race but he deserved to know. Part of her brain was blaming herself for it. If she hadn’t left then maybe Imola would have been better and the races wouldn’t have been a mess. But she couldn’t think like that. It wasn’t worth it. She couldn’t change the past.

There was a sponsor gala on that she hadn’t realised was even happening, but she was his official plus one to everything. At least she’d learned to always bring a dress to wear to any fancy event with her. It was the same one she’d worn in Melbourne to the race weekend opening but she didn’t care. The dress was looser than the last time she’d worn it, the corset top hanging rather than snug against her chest and waist. Instead of heels she put on ballet flats and did her makeup perfectly. She could get through this. For Dan.

Being on his arm as his girlfriend was a completely different experience to being there with him as his assistant. She smiled and made small talk with people who actually listened to her because of that title change instead of ignoring her. But finally they were face to face with Brown and his wife. Em kept the smile on her face and shook his hand.

“It’s good to see you back, Emma. We were worried about you. Dan didn’t tell us what was happening.”

“That’s because I asked him not to tell anyone. I was ill for a while, we wanted to make sure that I’d be ok before we let anyone know.” It was the same story they’d told everyone in the paddock who’d asked and he paled slightly at it. Worth every minute of not telling the full truth.

Finally they sat down for the dinner and Em stared at the plate placed in front of her. It was all traditional Azerbaijani food, but the worst part was that it was all baked together. There was nothing separate and she could tell from moving her fork through it that the textures were going to be impossible for her. Her stupid food thing and she was going to embarrass Dan if she didn’t eat anything and she couldn’t. She got some meat on her fork and lifted it to her lips, nibbling. It was tasty. But trying to swallow more than the tiniest bite felt impossible.

“You ok?” Dan whispered and Em nodded.

“I didn’t know this was the food.”

“Blake and Michael both checked there’d be food for you. We can just go back to the hotel. You need to eat something.”

“We can’t leave.”

“I’m not letting my girlfriend starve. Not with everything happening Em. You need food.”

“We can’t.” She took a breath and a sip of water, squeezing his thigh. “I’m not that hungry and I can get food when we’re back at the hotel. I’ll drink water. But listen to me. There’s something weird going on right now at McLaren and you can’t leave. You just can’t. I promise I’ll tell you everything when we get back. Just trust me?”

“I always trust you, Emmy. Promise you’ll tell me?” She could hear the worry in his voice but she just nodded, keeping her face smiling like he’d said something hilarious.

“I promise. Pinkie swear.”

A waiter came by about her full plate but Dan stepped in.

“She’s on a medical diet at the moment. We were told there’d be a special plate put aside.”

“Oh, we’re sorry. There’s none.”

She stayed by his side while they did the rounds to talk to people and sit through speeches. Dan’s hand stayed in the small of her back as she nodded and smiled and kept her mouth shut unless it was something she was confident about. Food was the last thing she wanted to deal with when they got back to the hotel. She wanted to go to bed and forget about the day, but that wasn’t going to happen. Instead they got in the same car as Lando to get back to the hotel.

“I mean I get why they didn’t give options but do they not realise picky eaters exist? It was kinda alright but I’d have liked a heads up! What about you, Em? Did you like the food?”

“Didn’t have much, medical diet.”

“Oh. I’m glad you’re back now. He was a mopey git while you weren’t travelling.”

Em knew it was just the younger man’s turn of phrase but she kept a tight hold of Dan’s hand to make sure he knew she was there. Thankfully it was a quiet drive back to the hotel. All the Hiltons in the world felt the same after a year of being sponsored by them. Walk in, hotel reception on the left, lifts around the corner and beside a vending machine. They shared the lift with Lando who waved as he stepped off on his floor. Em kept a hold of Dan’s arm until they were inside his room and he pulled her into a hug.

It wasn’t until she’d ordered room service and it was delivered that she was willing to speak. Once she had this conversation she knew she wouldn’t eat for the rest of the night. Then Dan would get annoyed and it would hurt more than it could ever help and that was the last thing she wanted to happen. So instead Em took a couple of bites of chicken teriyaki while mulling over how to say the words that she knew would devastate her boyfriend.

“When I was in hospitality between practice and qualifying I sat in the corner so nobody spotted me. I didn’t realise that I could see Zak’s office. Mark Webber came out of a long meeting in there shaking Zak’s hand and they left together about five minutes before you came in.”

It was silent in the room until Dan let out a long sigh. He slowly lay back on the bed, his head hitting the mattress. Em watched as he took deep breaths before undoing his bow tie and the top button of his shirt.

“On Saturday night in Monaco, just before I got you from Aston Martin, Andreas called me into his office. He told me that my seat is at risk if I don’t perform better. Fuck. Fuck!” He whisper yelled the last word and sat up while rubbing his face. “I didn’t want to worry you, that’s why I didn’t tell you what he said. You were so fucking fragile Baby. I couldn’t. You still are. I thought it was just a warning.”

“Is it because I left?” The words hung in the air for a moment and she wanted to get sick. Fuck. Fuck all of it. She left and Dan struggled and now he was going to lose his seat and it was all her fault how could she have done that to him?”

“No, no. No Baby. I promise you it’s not because you left.” He pulled his suit jacket off while coming over to pull her into his arms and push a kiss to her head. “I just can’t make the car work. It steers weird and the braking doesn’t work the same was as any other car I’ve ever driven. You being here makes it easier to clear my head when I’m not stuck in the car. But you made me promise in Spa that day to have a clear head before I get in the car. I swear, I clear my mind every single time.”

“Why didn’t you tell me then?”

“Because I couldn’t. You just came back and I was so scared you’d leave again. If I told you you’d blame yourself and leave. I couldn’t. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for not telling you.”

“Don’t be sorry.” She held his face with her fingers and looked up at him. “You were right not to say anything then. I was barely thinking then. I still barely am. I couldn’t hear it.”

“I’m still sorry.”

“And I still forgive you. I love you, you did the right thing, Danny. What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. If he said that on Wednesday I might have walked away. But I’m not finished. I think I have more left in me.”

She lay on the bed and pulled Dan into her. Getting changed out of her dress was too much work, he needed to be loved and held and cared for. Tears began rolling down his face as she clung to him, her fingers carding through his curls.

“Remember when we were in lockdown on the farm? I promised you when you were deciding if you were going to leave Renault then that I wasn’t going anywhere. The colour you wear on race week isn’t going to change my mind about that. I said it then and I’m saying it now and I mean every word of it. I love you so much and not being together nearly killed both of us. You can learn to be a mechanic and a househusband with our unicorns.” A wet laugh bubbled out of his chest as her words settled into him and she kept talking.

“We can have our barn with our horses and our kids like we talked about. I don’t care about going and working in some office. We can have breakfast for dinner and lunch and breakfast. Pancakes three times a day, yeah?”

“I thought you hate my cooking?”

“I like your breakfasts. And I love you. I don’t love the Honey Badger. I don’t love DannyRic. I love my Danny. You’re the man who taught me that love can be a good thing. Yeah it hurts sometimes but it’s worth it. I want my life with you, whether that’s F1 or endurance or Indycar or anything else. I want you, Baby. I’m going to follow you to the end of the world. Do you hear me? Whatever you want to do next. I’m going to be holding your hand and right there by your side. Wherever you want to go. I promise.” Her voice was low as he sobbed into her dress. He’d held her as she sobbed the week before and it was her turn now. He was her boy and she wasn’t leaving him.

“I love you, I love you, I love you.”

“I love you so much, Baby.” She stayed there holding him as he cried himself to sleep and then just stared at him for hours. Dan needed to get it all out. He’d been holding it in since she left and he needed to cry. Em held him and ran her fingers through his hair and watched as he finally fell into some kind of a restful sleep.

It was another disturbed night for her but she woke to banging on the hotel room door, Dan turning his head into her to get away from it.

“One minute, Baby. Lemme get it.” She squeezed his shoulder before answering the door. Michael was on the other side, his face changing when he saw her attire.

“Dan’s meant to be at breakfast, what’s going on? Why are you…?” He trailed off and indicated to her outfit.

“It was a bad night. Order something for Dan for breakfast, we’ll be down in fifteen. Order me some toast please? Just toast, and if they’ve got smooth peanut butter some of that too. Otherwise plain toast.”

“Can you make it ten?” If she was honest she didn’t think she could make it in fifteen, but ten was definitely out of the question.”

“Fifteen. We’ll be down.”

Getting Dan up and changed was hard but she did it, putting on yet another merch tee and carrying a bag he gave her. Everything screamed “I’m Daniel Ricciardo’s girlfriend” and she didn’t care that it did. She needed to be his to the world. Em was broken and battered and in pain, but her Danny needed her. So she was standing beside him and staring down the world while holding his hand and supporting him because that was what he needed. She could do this.

Walking into breakfast the mood at the table was quiet. They all ate something, Dan swapping the bowl of yogurt and granola at her place for his egg white omelette.

“Mate that was-“

“Em doesn’t eat mixed up food. And she doesn’t eat granola because of the texture. At least this way she’s eating something. When have you ever seen her eat granola?” Michael shushed at Dan’s words, at the clear tension in both of their shoulders. She picked at the omelette before passing more than half of it back to Dan. He was the one racing. He needed to eat. The fucking race.

Arriving to the paddock had her heart in her throat. This was race day. The big event. There were cameras about to be on her and as little as she wanted to see them she knew it had to happen. Sitting in the back of the car Dan looked across at her.

“You can wait for me to go through. I don’t mind.”

“I’m going inside holding your hand. I’m a wag now, i have to act the part. Right?” He grinned at her but the smile didn’t reach his eyes this time.

“Love you.”

“I love you too.”

Her pass scanned easily and let her through the turnstiles as the photographers at the entrance got a picture of Dan waiting for her while holding his hand out. She ignored the loud shouts and just focused on moving forward one step at a time. Dan’s hand was a comforting weight in hers as she kept one foot going in front of the other.

“Emma! Dan! Over here!” The calls were coming from each side but her sunglasses hid her worry. Instead they made it to the FIA building before someone else arrived and attention was taken away from them. It was a relief and she was able to relax a little bit. Race mornings were always hectic and she kissed Dan goodbye before sitting in front of McLaren with a coffee to watch the paddock go by.

“Is this seat taken?” She turned and saw Carmen asking, smiling and gesturing for the younger woman to sit down. They’d texted once or twice, given each other cafe recommendations for London and chatted when they saw each other in the paddock. “Welcome to the official ‘I’m dating a Formula One driver’ group. How’re you doing with the media attention?”

“It’s a lot.” Carmen knew what it was like, Em was able to be as honest as possible with her. “I mean I had it anyway because of work and all the speculation. But this is different. Plus I haven’t been around so yeah, it’s a lot. Hopefully it’ll die down.”

“It will. It’s bad the first couple of races but then it’ll relax because you’re there most weekends. You’ll be fine. I just wanted to check in because I know you were sick. Are you feeling better?”

The nerves and worry and fear from the night before were coming back in full force but she bit her tongue and nodded until she was ready to speak. “It’s gonna take time. But I’m getting there.”

“If you want to talk about it I’m here. I get the going from being in the normal world and then diving in here. Or if you want to get food or a coffee. Lily will be in Silverstone for Alex’s home race. We’re both going to get food the Thursday before. You’re welcome to come for dinner with us as just the girls.”

“Maybe? Dan’s parents are in Europe, they’ll be in England then. Plus we’re trying to find somewhere to live. It’s a whole thing.”

“The offer is there. Especially race weeks if you have time away from work. If I don’t see you later I’ll see you in Montreal? Susie asked if I knew if you were going. She said to say thanks about that restaurant in Melbourne, Jack loved it.”

“Tell her she’s welcome. And yeah, I’ll be in Montreal but it depends how I feel? I’m still doing a slow return to work so we’ll see how it goes.”

She watched Carmen walk away as her hair shone in the sun, effortlessly walking around the paddock like a model. Would she ever get to that stage? She could do it when Dan was at Renault, but most of that was because she blended into everyone when she wore the Renault shirts. It was different now.

Her spot outside hospitality meant that she could people watch while she did some googling. Searches for online therapy turned to hybrid therapy and finding someone she could see in person when she was in London. One therapist had open slots so she booked an initial appointment online. The time difference would suck while she was in Montreal but it was worth it. She needed this. She needed to work through the pain and the grief and the heartbreak she felt over the last few months because Dan needed her and she needed to keep him together.

She went to lunch with the boys and Dan before standing in the back of the garage and kissing the side of his helmet before he got into the car to bring it out to the grid.

“Go fast and be safe, ok?” She looked into his eyes, visor still up. “I love you no matter what happens. I promise.”

A squeeze of her hands was everything Dan needed to do to show his love and she stood in her spot in the garage just waiting. Her pass gave her grid access but she never went up there. Going on the grid felt like she’d be a distraction.

Watching Dan cross the line in P6 made her grin, hugging Blake close. She knew it wasn’t enough. Something in her knew that anything short of a race win wouldn’t be enough. But he beat Lando and that was what she really cared about. She would get to walk out of the paddock holding Dan’s hand, and the next morning they were flying straight to Montreal to have a couple of days together before the chaos of the next race began.

She could do this. She could do it. She wasn’t going to break. She was going to make sure that she kept going forward. For her, and for Dan.

Taglist: @dr3lover @sabrinaselina55 @majx00 @tall-tanned-tattoo @lovingdennishauger @lauehr @msolbesg @f1medlife @idkwtfimdoing2 @leclercsbae @hiphopdancer101universe @mehrmonga @lewispool @saintandrea-droidsmuggler @coldheartedmar @sugarbabygirlofdaddy @nonsensical-nonce @a-distantdreamer @tita010 @leslizzle @javden @mloyer @saintandrea-droidsmuggler @magical-imagination-kgp @danarysstormborn @kakorrhaphiphobia @g-l-o-b-e-w-h-o-r-e @elizanav @neiich @luckyladycreator2 @scotlynaurora @belledawnidk

[reality-detective]

BREAKING: Pilot Incapacitation - Delta Flight DL-291 (CDG-LAX) Paris to Los Angeles (Sep.22, 2023) Pilot became incapacitated, was taken to cabin for care, plane diverted to Minneapolis, pilot taken to hospital.

3rd Pilot Incident in 3 days

Sep.24, 2023 - Austrian Airlines Flight OS-188 (STR-VIE) Stuttgart to Vienna The captain became incapacitated, first officer took control.

Sep.23, 2023 - Alaska Airlines Pilot - 37 year old Captain Eric McRae died suddenly in his hotel room during layover, was to fly that morning.

Aug.27, 2023 - Air Canada Flight AC348 (YVR-YOW) Vancouver to Ottawa, one of the pilots felt ill and became incapacitated 50 min before landing in Ottawa.

Aug.18, 2023 - US Army Aviation Center (Alabama) student pilot went into cardiac arrest behind the controls midflight (Aug.18, 2023), Instructor landed plane - pilot was dead for 18 minutes.

Aug.17, 2023 - IndiGo Flight (NAG-PNQ) Nagpur to Pune, India, pilot 40 year old Manoj Subramanium died after collapsing at the boarding gate, about to board.

Aug.16, 2023 - Qatar Airways Flight QR579 (DEL-DOH) Delhi to Doha, Qatar, 51 year old pilot collapsed as a passenger inflight and died, plane diverted to Dubai.

Aug.14, 2023 - LATAM Flight LA505 (MIA-SCL) Miami to Santiago, Chile - 2 hours into 8hr flight, 56 year old Captain Ivan Andaur collapsed and died in the lavatory - plane diverted to Panama City.

Aug.9, 2023 - United Airlines UAL1309 (SRQ-EWR) Sarasota to Newark, pilot had a heart attack and lost consciousness in flight.

Aug.7, 2023 - TigerAIR Flight IT237 (CTS-TPE) Sapporo to Taipei, copilot had a medical emergency after landing plane in Taipei.

Do you think it's time to stay off planes? 🤔

[puzzlebeanficrecs]

I've been really into Ted Lasso recently and so about 75% of the fics I am currently reading are in this fandom. So I thought it was the perfect moment to share some of my favorite fics!

Roy/Jamie

wanna feel your heartlines by holtzmanns [General, No Archive Warnings Apply, 8,767 words]

The curtain around his bed is ripped back before Jamie has time to elaborate, and his words die on his tongue when the rather eyebrow-heavy man on the other side of the curtain grunts in his direction before looking down at his clipboard. Jamie’s eyes linger on the biceps poking out of his black scrubs, his muscled forearms that don’t appear to be solely from working in a hospital.

“Doctor Kent. I’ll be your physician today. Full name and date of birth, please?”

Jamie’s brow furrows at the question. This man really doesn’t know who he is?

The doctor rolls his eyes, as if he can read Jamie’s thoughts. “Procedure. Out with it.”

“Jamie Tartt, but you already know that.”

Once More, with Feeling by liesmyth [Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply, 7,841 words]

“Amsterdam’s our thing, innit? It’s tradition. It’s like—the anniversary of when you learned to ride a bike. Your bikeversary.”

One year on, and they're playing Ajax again, in the fucking Champions League. After, Jamie has plans.

i don't belong and my beloved neither do you by instantcaramel [Teen and Up, No Archive Warnings Apply, 5,855 words]

He drives until he gets to a village near Lake Windermere. He only has the money he has from his last year and from selling his house in Manchester, but it’s enough to rent a place from a nice old lady who just wants to make some extra money.

or, the one where Jamie quits football and moves to a little village near Lake Windermere.

Roy/Jamie/Keeley

Finding warmth in a cold hotel by CherryPie0 [Teen and Up, No Archive Warnings Apply, 1,500 words]

He knows the team's budget hasn't been the same since the whole Dubai Air situation, but come on, they could at least stay at hotels where they won't fucking freeze to death by morning!

--

Jamie has a problem. Then he finds a solution.

Heart Trouble by MoreThanSlightly (cadignan) [Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply, 6,844 words]

“I tore his shirt after he hit me,” Jamie says, fucking unbearably helpful. He shrugs and tucks his hands into the bottom of his light blue hoodie. “I’m not sure exactly how it went after that.”

“He pushed you against a wall,” Keeley says.

“Er… no?” Jamie says, puzzled. He twists his hands, stretching the fabric over them. His brows draw together like he’s thinking really hard about whether their stupid, embarrassing, ineffectual fight in the middle of an alley involved any walls.

It didn’t. Roy doesn’t know much but he knows that. What the fuck is Keeley doing?

“That’s where you went wrong, then,” Keeley says, and amends, “One of many places you went wrong, mind. Let’s get it right this time.”

I've Got A Rainbow, It's In My Mouth by inlovewithnight [Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply, 10,442 words]

Jamie wasn't even supposed to come to Iceland. But here he is, and here Roy and Keeley are, and it's really not a bad time at all.

the talking bit by mixtapestar [Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply, 4,531 words]

How is it that Jamie is always around? And now he wants to talk about something first thing in the morning without Keeley around? Roy isn't awake enough for this.

they say when it's right you know by inlovewithnight [Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply, 2,037 words]

There they sit, drinking champagne from specimen cups and laughing about the sheer absurdity of the last 24 hours.

Ted/Trent

in loco parentis by AuntieClimactic [Teen and Up, No Archive Warnings Apply, 9,954 words]

“Hello? Yes, this is Trent Crimm, The Independent. I’ve got a bit of an emergency and need Coach Lasso’s mobile.” Trent paused, brow furrowing in irritation. “Well, his son is currently standing in my office, in my newspaper building, which is filled with bloodthirsty journos. Could you make an exception for that?"

Lies, Damned Lies, and Lies to Journalists by gutterandthestars [Teen and Up, No Archive Warnings Apply, 6,307 words]

"It’s bad," says Rebecca, "because Trent Crimm is a very good journalist and knows you just bullshitted him right to his face. Which means..."

“He doesn’t believe I had food poisoning?”

“That’s highly likely,” agrees Rebecca. “And that means….”

“Means you’re fucked,” says Roy, appearing in the doorway. “Because now he’s not writing a story that reads ‘Richmond Coach Shits Himself’, he’s investigating a story he assumes is so embarrassing it’s worth your while to try and cover it up by pretending you shit yourself. And since that is already pretty fucking embarrassing, he’s thinks he’s onto something big.”

Colin/Isaac

i think we're supposed to be by manycoloureddays [Teen and Up, No Archive Warnings Apply, 1,715 words]

Isaac has been sitting on this revelation for a while now. Getting used to it, learning how to live with this feeling in his chest so huge it threatens to swallow him whole. And now he’s going to say it, declare it, claim it.

Keeley/Rebecca

A Revealing Poetry by ice_hot_13 [Teen and Up, No Archive Warnings, 7,963 words]

When Rebecca needs a date to her ex-husband’s wedding, Keeley volunteers because - because of course she does, Rebecca needs her.

Sam/Jamie

More wonderful by CherryPie0 [Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply, 3,794 words]

And it felt right, wearing Sam's number.

Only that now Jamie can't help worrying that maybe he overdid it a little? Because the more he thinks about it, the more it feels like the grand gesture at the end of a rom com; like he sang a love song in front of the whole school or something.

could you make me happy? by manycoloureddays [Teen and Up, No Archive Warnings Apply, 1,305 words]

It keeps happening and Sam doesn’t really know why. He hasn’t asked. A little because he doesn’t want to seem rude, and a lot because it’s been … nice. It’s nice to feel wanted, and it’s nice to be wanted by people you love and respect.

[scribblesoul-20]

Store and Receiving Officer at Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina - Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts

Job title: Store and Receiving Officer at Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina – Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts Company: Talent Pal Job description: travelers. Located in the cosmopolitan Dubai Marina area, the 3,037 square-meter hotel is next to Dubai Marina Mall…What’s your passion? Whether you’re into dancing, diving, or dominoes at IHG we’re interested in YOU. We love people… Expected salary: Location:…

[carpetsindubaiae]

Wall-to-Wall Carpets in Dubai

Be comfortable and stylish with our wall-to-wall carpets in Dubai. At Carpets in Dubai, we have various designs and colors to complement any interior. This provides the perfect plush look for the floors but is very hard-wearing and easy to maintain. These are appropriate not only for residences but also for many commercial applications, turning ordinary floors into beautiful ones.

[mercurygguk]

risqué summary; part 1-3

ok so someone requested a summary of risqué so far now that part 4 will drop soon, so here is a quick summary of every chapter posted so far !!

risqué; chapter 1

jungkook sees oc for the first time in a while and is instantly attracted to her. she’s had huge crush on jungkook for a long time. she’s a huge flirt and starts coming onto jungkook but he’s very set on not giving into her because he works for her father. there’s a lot of sexual tension between them because of the mutual attraction. they have their first kiss at the staff party that’s taking place at her parents’ house. however, jungkook stops it before it can escalate further. a few days later, oc shows up at the office once again and is openly teasing jungkook and pushing his buttons.

they have a very tense talk about oc not knowing what she’s asking for. she asks jungkook why they’re holding back when they both want it and eventually she succeeds in winning him over. they have sex in the bathroom at the office. once they’ve fucked, jungkook says it never should’ve happened and pretty much calls oc childish and immature. she storms out of there and jungkook regrets saying what he said.

risqué; chapter 2

oc is joining her father on a business trip to dubai. jungkook and his intern, jaemin, are going too which oc isn’t happy about. she still has a crush on him but she also lowkey hates him for how things ended between the last time. jungkook actually tries to apologize but oc won’t hear him out. on the plane after two hours in the air, jungkook spots jaemin trying to put his arm around oc so he gets up and tells jaemin to switch seats with him. jungkook tries to get things fixed between him and oc because he’s not looking to have more shit on his plate during the trip. oc gets even angrier at him and tells him to shut up, watch a movie with her or go back to his own seat. they end up falling asleep up against each other until the plane lands.

the tension is worse after the little incident on the plane. oc is back to flirting and getting on his nerves. they have a lot of back and forth, some arguing and some tense conversations. jungkook goes to her room one night and they do stuff on the couch but when oc wants to return the pleasure he says no and tells her once again that this shouldn’t have happened. he’s trying very hard to convince himself that he’s not attracted to her which is a lost cause because they end up fucking in the end of this chapter after oc went out with seunghun, a waiter she meets one day at the pool. 

seunghun is a few years older than oc, they go to the same college back home and he works at the hotel during the summer. he’s a nice guy, very handsome and very funny, he’s interested in oc but she’s not interested in him. jungkook is jealous as hell but still takes care of her when she returns to the hotel, drunk off her ass. she sleeps for an hour in his hotel room and then wakes up, more sober and very angry at him still. they argue, they fuck and come to terms with their feelings without saying it.

they wake up the next morning, not sure what to say but they know there’s something different between them now. they fuck again before going home later that day.

risqué; chapter 3

jungkook and oc have been seeing each other since coming back from the trip, keeping it sexual without discussing their feelings. however, one night after he returns from a short business trip, they’re having dinner and he’s eating her out on the kitchen island. jungkook ends up confessing how he feels about her, telling her that he’s crazy about her and that he’s terrified because he hasn’t felt like this for anyone before. oc confesses too and they become official but still in secret.

this whole chapter is basically just them being a cute couple; getting to know each other more, having a lot of sex, being cute and flirty with each other, vulnerable too. jungkook picks her up at a frat party one night and is feeling a little insecure about his age and how much younger she is. however, oc makes sure to tell him that she couldn’t care less about the age gap between them. she likes him for him, his age doesn’t really matter.

jungkook turns 30 years old at the end of this chapter. oc stops by the office to wish him happy birthday and to drag him home so she can take care of him and give him the best birthday he can think of. she gives him head in his office and convinces him to go home earlier so she can give him all the birthday blowjobs he wants. they’re in their own world when they wait for the elevator to arrive, too absorbed in each other to realize who stands in front of them until he clears his throat. her father appears and catches them in the act.