summary: Fernando never expected to cross paths with his first love again. Yet, twenty years later, he finds Sofia at the side of the track, cheering for a fearless young driver who looks at him the same way he once looked at his dreams. Mateo is talented, his twin brother Diego is sharp, and Sofia has built a life out of strength and survival. What happens when the past collides with the future, and Fernando realizes he might become part of something he never knew he needed?
author's note: Here we are, with the epilogue of this story. It feels impossible that I actually managed to finish it, considering I usually leave everything unfinished, and yet…
A thank you is definitely owed to everyone who supported me, read it, commented, and listened along the way. This story was beautiful to write, full, sometimes difficult, but I truly enjoyed it. And I’m happy that it managed to win over even a small part of you as well.
Here is the ending of the Martinez-Alonso story, exactly as I imagined it.
genre: Romance, slow burn, second chances, family drama, hurt/comfort
word count : 1373
November 2028
“Is the suitcase ready?” Fernando asked Mateo, who nodded with his mouth full before going back to talking animatedly with his brother, who was pouring coffee for everyone.
“Amor, I took your charger, mine has mysteriously disappeared,” the driver said, walking over to Sofia, who was finishing cooking the pancakes.
“Mysteriously?” the woman laughed, shaking her head.
“Mysteries of this house, right?” he laughed.
“Excuse me…” Diego said at one point, interrupting every conversation. “…don’t you think it’s a little too quiet over there?” he asked, and all four of them simultaneously turned toward the door that opened into the hallway of the sleeping area.
“It really is very quiet…” Fernando commented, tilting his head.
“I’ll go,” Diego said, finishing his coffee and disappearing beyond the doorway.
“I’m curious,” Mateo said, laughing and grabbing another pancake.
“Should we be worried?” Sofia asked with a smile.
“Yes, I think maybe we should…” Fernando joked.
Five minutes passed before Diego returned, wearing an expression that was far too amused.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the audience, to celebrate the imminent signing of our brother with McLaren and the contract he will sign this morning…” he began to say, “…and to celebrate the everlasting career of Fernando Alonso…” he continued, trying not to laugh. “I present to you the youngest generation of drivers in the world!!!!”
After those words Diego was forced to jump out of the way quickly so he wouldn’t be run over by two drivers who burst into the kitchen at full speed on two electric Formula 1 cars: an emerald green Aston Martin and a papaya orange McLaren.
At the wheel, complete with racing suits and fake helmets, obviously official ones, were Anna and Luìs Alonso, two and a half years of pure madness, speed, and screams that were already beginning to echo through the kitchen.
“Vamoooooooos!” Anna shouted, circling the table while Luìs got distracted by the pancakes and crashed into Mateo’s chair.
“Pacake?” he asked, taking off his helmet and revealing two incredible hazel eyes, identical to Fernando’s and to those of the twin who was still racing around the room, nearly running over everyone’s feet.
Fernando laughed.
That house had become total chaos since the twins were born.
A chaos he had dreamed of, desired and wanted more than anything in the world.
And that he finally had.
“Anna… mi amor…” Fernando began, trying to stop his daughter, who suddenly braked in front of him.
“Win papi?” she asked.
“Yes, you won, mi amor. Luìs surrendered very quickly in front of the pancakes,” he laughed, helping her remove the helmet and lifting her into his arms.
“Winneeeeeeeer!” the little girl shouted, raising her arms to the sky. “Ciocolata?” she asked then, tilting her head, and Fernando burst out laughing.
“Mom, chocolate?” he asked, looking toward Sofia, who nodded, amused.
“Everyone sit at the table,” the woman said while sitting down with the children as Fernando poured more coffee.
By now it was no longer so common for all six of them to be at home together.
Diego studied in Milan, Mateo was about to begin his Formula One career after winning every previous category and was now about to sign a dream contract that Fernando had fought tooth and nail for with McLaren.
Fernando had become his full-time manager after retiring at the end of 2027. After an excellent season he had decided it was time to make space for the younger generation.
He had certainly not stopped driving.
He was planning another Dakar, taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Vettel and Verstappen… he had a thousand projects to fit around his main occupation: being a father.
He was about to take a plane to Woking with Mateo for the official signing of the contract, a quick trip there and back in a day, to secure for his top driver, his favorite, the future he deserved.
The kitchen was full of chatter, laughter and noise, exactly how Sofia loved it.
Full of her family.
In the end, that late period she had noticed on the day of the wedding hadn’t been just a false alarm.
She was pregnant, to Fernando’s immense joy.
They had taken the test during their honeymoon, realizing that their wish to grow the family was already about to come true.
And then the unexpected news.
Twins.
Again.
Just like Sofia’s grandmother, who had passed those genes on to her.
Again two heterozygous twins but finally a little pink quota to keep Sofia company.
Two small, incredible wonders with their father’s hazel eyes.
At that moment Anna was covering a pancake with Nutella, Diego and Luis had built a tower of six pancakes alternating layers of cream and chocolate, Mateo was eating what had to be the twelfth pancake of the morning and Sofia was trying to scrape the last drops of chocolate from the jar after her daughter’s attack.
“Guys, you’re all eating way too much sugar, you know that right?” Fernando exclaimed, holding a fruit and vegetable smoothie.
Five pairs of eyes immediately turned toward him, glaring.
“I’m saying it for your own good.” Fernando added.
“Eat your celery, Alonso, and leave us the Nutella,” Diego commented with a smirk.
“Yes Alonso, me Nutella…” Luìs chimed in happily. “Bleah celery…” he added quietly.
“Daddy…” Fernando corrected him, looking at his son.
“Daddy Alonso,” the child replied before stuffing half a pancake into his mouth.
Sofia laughed before standing up and wrapping her arms around her husband.
“You’re completely outnumbered, Alonso,” she joked.
“You’re terrible,” he smiled, pulling her against him.
“You’ll be back by seven, right? I booked Cipriani to celebrate Mateo’s contract,” she said and the driver nodded.
“We’ll go sign and come back, then we have to go back next week,” Fernando replied.
“I have to go, Alexandra is coming to pick me up,” Diego said, getting to his feet.
“Alexandra?” Sofia asked, surprised. “But weren’t you going out with Vivian?”
“Yes, last week,” the boy smiled, leaning down to kiss his mother on the cheek. “See you tonight, Mom.”
“We have to go too,” Fernando said, checking the time. His eyes fell on Mateo, who was being fed by his little brother, and he laughed before getting up and walking toward the entrance.
“Let’s run,” Mateo said with his mouth full before kissing his mother and heading out.
“Talk later, okay amor?” Fernando said, leaning down to kiss her and Sofia nodded with a smile.
Within five minutes the house had become fairly quiet again.
The older ones had left and the twins had finished breakfast.
“Ready for school?” Sofia asked as the two nodded, jumping down from their chairs and running to the entrance to try to put their shoes on by themselves, an operation that would take at least ten minutes.
Sofia laughed as she looked at the dining table, which was a disaster.
She had an appointment downtown and fortunately Giulia would arrive shortly to tidy everything.
She picked up her phone and walked toward the entrance, passing through the living room.
Her gaze fell on the large bookshelf filled with photographs and she stopped, smiling.
Enrique was looking at her from the second shelf in a photograph taken more than ten years earlier in Barcelona.
“Everything is alright…” she said softly, smiling.
And it was true.
Everything had fallen into place.
The enormous and tangled knot of her life had finally unraveled.
The pieces of the puzzle that had seemed impossible to fit together were now all in their place.
Mateo was on the road to glory.
Diego was surrounded by a thousand girls, too busy writing and chasing his dreams.
And she…
She had everything.
Beside the man who had known how to wait for her and love her like no one else ever had.
“Mummy, ready!” Anna said, bouncing excitedly, her shoes perfectly on… while Luis was still struggling with his.
Sofia laughed, helping him and then taking both of them by the hand.
“Ready?” she asked.
The children nodded.
“Let’s go!” she exclaimed, stepping out the front door, ready to face another day of that wonderful life she had searched for, chosen and built.
Taglist - Fernando Alonso Masterlist - F1 Masterlist
featuring: Fernando Alonso x ofc
summary: Fernando never expected to cross paths with his first love again. Yet, twenty years later, he finds Sofia at the side of the track, cheering for a fearless young driver who looks at him the same way he once looked at his dreams. Mateo is talented, his twin brother Diego is sharp, and Sofia has built a life out of strength and survival. What happens when the past collides with the future, and Fernando realizes he might become part of something he never knew he needed?
genre: Romance, slow burn, second chances, family drama, hurt/comfort
author's note: Apparently, I just can’t stay away from long and complicated stories. So here I am again, ready to dive into a brand-new adventure. And for the idea, I can only thank @solunaames. Not just for the idea but also for the support, for the suggestion, and because she’s always willing to brainstorm with me.
I don’t know how long this story will end up being, but I do know it won’t be just a few chapters like the latest ones I’ve written. I’d love for this to have a bit more room to breathe, to become something longer that, hopefully, some of you will like!
Crossroads Masterlist - Taglist
Fernando Alonso Masterlist - F1 Masterlist
featuring: Fernando Alonso x ofc
summary: Fernando never expected to cross paths with his first love again. Yet, twenty years later, he finds Sofia at the side of the track, cheering for a fearless young driver who looks at him the same way he once looked at his dreams. Mateo is talented, his twin brother Diego is sharp, and Sofia has built a life out of strength and survival. What happens when the past collides with the future, and Fernando realizes he might become part of something he never knew he needed?
genre: Romance, slow burn, second chances, family drama, hurt/comfort
word count : 2937
April 2023
Fernando had taken advantage of a weekend away from the racetrack to go with his A14 Management partners to watch a boy they had been talking about for weeks, a boy who, barely fourteen years old, was already being watched closely by several teams that wanted to take him under their wing after the junior category.
It was a sunny day, warm but not too much, and Fernando was talking with Alberto while keeping one eye fixed on the track.
“For me he’s exactly the right kind of driver, and like I told you, he has one more quality: he is Spanish,” his friend laughed, adjusting his sunglasses.
“That is definitely a bonus,” Fernando joked, “We are always too few in this sport.”
“Look, number 19,” Alberto interrupted, pointing at the track.
The kart shot past confidently, gleaming in the sunlight. The lines were precise, right on the limit. Fernando noticed it immediately: he was cutting too much, risking too much, and he already liked that about him.
After two laps, the boy made a flawless overtake that brought him to the front of the race, and twelve laps later he was the first one to cross the finish line.
“Holy shit,” Fernando laughed, hands in his pockets as he turned to his friend, “That kid pushes like a maniac,” he added, making Alberto laugh.
“I told you! Come on, let’s go meet him, there are quite a few people already after him,” Alberto replied as the two began to walk, discussing the race they had just witnessed with the carefree excitement that always followed such a beautiful victory.
They made their way through the chaos until they reached the winner’s pit box: Mateo Ruìz Martínez, a boy with a contagious smile, messy blond hair, and ice-blue eyes that made him look not very Spanish at all, except for that slightly olive skin that betrayed his origins.
The boy was laughing, greeting everyone with an overwhelming energy that Fernando immediately noticed. Then, just a moment later, he turned around and recognized the two-time world champion instantly, one of his idols.
“Oh fuck!” Mateo exclaimed, overwhelmed by emotion, with a spontaneity that won Fernando over at once and made him burst out laughing, “I can’t believe this… Shit… Diego… Diego… Diego!!!” he began shouting, pulling the sleeve of the boy next to him, who turned and revealed an undeniable resemblance to Mateo.
“Alonso…!” the other boy exclaimed, and both brothers moved closer with wide smiles.
“This is crazy, I can’t believe it, Fernando Alonso,” Mateo laughed.
“In the flesh,” the world champion replied, shaking the boy’s hand, “and you are today’s winner, congratulations.”
“Thank you, the race was so much fun,” the boy answered.
And that answer meant everything to Fernando. Mateo was having fun, and it showed.
Racing wasn’t a burden, it was a passion, an endless love.
“I am the champion’s brother and I am still a fan of yours,” joked the boy beside him, with darker, straight hair and equally light eyes.
“Nice to meet you,” Fernando laughed, shaking his hand.
“What is someone like you doing here?” Mateo asked.
“Me? I am here for you,” the Asturian answered with a smile, and Mateo’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What?” he asked.
“You know you are good, and you also know a lot of people are talking about you,” Fernando continued.
“Yeah, okay… But it’s one thing if just anyone talks about me, and a whole different thing if it’s you…” Mateo replied with the same blunt honesty.
“This boy doesn’t beat around the bush,” Alberto muttered to Fernando, amused.
“I don’t, no,” Mateo said, having heard him, “When am I going to get another chance to talk to Alonso who says he’s heard about me?” he laughed, just as his brother gave him a playful slap to the back of the head.
“You really are an idiot,” Diego laughed.
“Come on, superstar, let’s go, tell me about the race you just ran,” Fernando smiled, walking with Mateo to a small table, and the boy instantly began talking non-stop, telling him everything.
Fernando was impressed, and that didn’t happen so often.
He knew how to recognize talent, and Mateo had it, everyone had told him so and the facts were right there: the boy clearly had a promising career ahead of him. But there was something else he cared about even more: the hunger, the passion.
And Mateo had passion written all over him. He was raw, a kid who needed to learn how to plan and manage risk properly, but at that age it was right to push a hundred percent, without ever being afraid of anything.
Fernando had been just like that, and he admired, perhaps even envied, the boldness of that talkative boy and his contagious drive.
After a long conversation joined also by Alberto, Fernando looked at Mateo. “So, who do we talk to about your career?” he asked with amusement, needing to understand who was currently managing the boy.
“Well, my mom,” Mateo laughed, “She is my boss even in racing,” he continued, “She told me she knew you when you were young, that you went to school together!” he added, and Fernando stared at him in surprise.
“Really? Your mother is from Oviedo?” he asked, curious, and Mateo nodded.
“Born and raised there, Sofia Martínez Montero,” he replied with a smile.
Fernando remembered that name very well. Anyone who had gone to high school in those years remembered Sofia. Any boy, at least.
And he, especially.
“Sofia Martínez… Oh, I remember her,” Fernando laughed, shaking his head.
Sofia had been the most beautiful girl in school, but not in the pretentious way, she didn’t need to flaunt anything. It was the kind of beauty that made anyone’s head turn and left you staring like an idiot.
Sofia had been his first girlfriend at sixteen, seventeen… But he hadn’t heard that name in over twenty years.
“Hey… There’s Mom!” Mateo exclaimed, interrupting Fernando’s thoughts as he turned his head, following the direction of the boy’s pointed finger until his eyes found her: Sofia.
-
Mateo’s victory had been incredible, and in less than ten minutes Sofia had found herself swept up in the celebrations.
There was no denying that Mateo already had a future written in motorsport: he was a force of nature, spontaneous, passionate, focused when it mattered.
After hugs and toasts, she had stepped away from him to take care of a few things for the next race, talk to a couple of small sponsors interested in him, and discuss upcoming trips with his athletic trainer.
Mateo was not even fourteen yet, but he already had almost an entourage taking care of him.
They were a family devoted to sport, and it could hardly have been otherwise, considering his father Enrique Ruìz Desilva, sports commentator for DAZN Spain, one of the most influential names in Spanish sports journalism.
And the father’s passion had been passed down to both their children, even if in different ways: one as an athlete, the other more from the outside.
They had been a happy family, before everything collapsed on that grey November day.
But three years had passed, and now here they were, in the French countryside for one of the races of the championship Mateo was dominating. She followed him often, partly as a mother, partly as an informal and not very professional manager.
Many had told her more than once that it was time to find a real manager for Mateo, and she knew they were right. After the last three wins, many management teams had reached out: he had caught everyone’s attention.
She was walking back toward Mateo’s team garage after finishing her round of conversations when she noticed that both her sons were sitting at a table with two men, and the closer she got, the more obvious it became that she already knew one of them, and not just because she had seen him on TV.
Fernando Alonso himself.
The two-time world champion, Asturian and Spanish hero…
That champion.
That was how the world remembered him. She remembered him mostly as her first boyfriend.
They had been sixteen, maybe seventeen, in high school. He was a year older and not yet the sex symbol he had eventually become.
He was just Fernando, the slightly awkward boy who only talked about engines and who, for some reason, she had liked so much.
Maybe it was the passion in his voice when he talked about his dreams, maybe the eyes, the way he looked at her, the contagious laugh.
They had been together for almost three years, until his career really took off and Oviedo became, for him, only a place to pass through between one race and the next.
It had been a young love, a sweet one, her first time, a story that still made her smile when she thought about it, and a breakup that, yes, at nineteen had broken her heart, as always happens at that age when everything feels bigger than it is.
Mateo had pointed her out, Fernando had turned, and from his expression she understood instantly that he remembered exactly who she was.
Mateo stood up and rushed over to her. “Mom did you see who I’m talking to?? It’s Alonso, he came to see me,” he said, overflowing with excitement.
She had smiled, completely caught off guard, and walked closer, amused. “Fernando Alonso…” she laughed as she reached him, and he stood up with an equally amused expression.
“Sofia Martínez…” he replied, shaking his head, “This is a surprise,” he laughed, leaning in to greet her with two kisses on the cheeks.
“See? I told you she knew him!” Mateo exclaimed with a grin, “Alonso came to see me,” he added proudly, turning toward her with a look she had never seen on his face.
“You?” she laughed, looking at her eldest.
“He is not lying,” Fernando said, “We like this boy… And five minutes ago I didn’t know he was your son,” he added.
“He is good, I know!” Sofia joked before say hi to Alberto too, another friend lost in the past, and the conversation resumed, all about Mateo, while the boy himself chatted with his brother.
Half an hour later, they moved to the circuit bar. Alberto stepped away for a phone call and her children were too absorbed in their phones to pay attention to her.
“I admit I’m surprised to find you here…!” Fernando said, taking a sip of water.
Sofia burst out laughing. “I didn’t expect to find the champion at a kids’ race either,” she joked.
“Well… We choose talents when they’re young, your boy is strong…” he replied.
“He is hot-headed but he’s good,” she admitted, “But tell me about you, you never let go of Formula 1, mh?” she asked, and he laughed.
“Not yet, I still want to race,” he admitted, “I can’t stay away from it. What about you?”
“I write, mostly novels, and I try to take care of those two somehow,” she replied, “Mostly Mateo, at first he was manageable, but now…”
“…now you clearly need someone to do it professionally…” he cut in, bold as ever.
“Someone like you, right?” she smiled, following his lead.
“Exactly,” Fernando laughed, “Jokes aside, we have more than one kid like him, future talents, right? You need to know the environment you’re dealing with… Not that you don’t, but…”
“…but you know it better,” she interrupted, perfectly aware that it was true, “Believe me, I know it is time to get help, contracts are too complicated for me, and sponsors are coming… I’ve been thinking about it for a while…” she reassured him.
“Have you talked to other management teams?” he asked, that same sharp look he had always had: the look of someone hungry for anything he did.
“Yes… But none of them had Fernando Alonso’s face,” she replied, making him laugh, “I mean, none that I’ve known since I was thirteen,” she added with a chuckle.
“You are making me feel old,” he joked, shaking his head, “Were high school years really that long ago?” he laughed, incredulous.
“Unfortunately for us, yes…” she said, smiling, “It’s been at least twenty years since we last saw each other…”
“At least… And really, seeing you here…” he shook his head again, “…you are still beautiful,” he said sincerely, with no malice, no hidden intentions, just a simple statement.
“Thank you,” she smiled, “You are looking good too, you haven’t changed that much,” she admitted.
“A little more grey hair, I’d say…” he smiled.
“I dye mine,” she joked, playing along, “I get it,” she smiled, surprised by how everything suddenly felt so simple, after twenty years.
Meeting at her son’s kart race, it felt unexpectedly nice to dig up a piece of her past that, after all, she always remembered with a smile.
“Do you still live in Oviedo?” Fernando asked.
“No, for now still in Barcelona… but we need a change and we are moving to Monte-Carlo soon, my sister has lived there for years and I was thinking of going closer to her, but I’m waiting for the boys to finish this school year,” Sofia continued, and Fernando watched her, catching something in her voice that he couldn’t quite define, something behind that necessary change.
“So, tell me, did you set your eyes on Mateo?” she asked suddenly, changing the subject as if she desperately wanted to avoid whatever they were touching on.
Fernando noticed the abrupt shift, but he of course let it slide. There was clearly something Sofia didn’t want to face, something she wasn’t ready to talk about, and he was not the right person to ask questions, not in that moment.
“Alberto has told me a lot about him and I have to say… We are very interested in taking care of him, if both of you agree…” he replied, following her lead.
“All three of us, I’d say, you need Diego’s approval too, those two live in symbiosis,” she joked, “As for me… knowing that he would be followed by someone… familiar would mean a lot,” she admitted sincerely, looking at him.
“I’m leaving for a race in two days, but then we could arrange to come to Barcelona and talk about an agreement. Do you have a lawyer?” he asked, and she nodded.
“My sister,” she replied, “If you could come there… it would be great, when we are not racing the boys have to focus on school and I try to avoid more trips.”
“Of course, I’ll talk to Alberto, I don’t think it will be a problem,” Fernando said, studying her.
Sofia was different, very different from the nineteen-year-old girl he had left behind. Time had marked her, but it wasn’t just time… it was something else, something he still couldn’t quite understand.
Fernando glanced at the boys laughing at a video on the phone, wondering what was behind that family, behind that shadow he had heard in Sofia’s voice.
It was already late when Sofia told him they had to go, and Fernando nodded, asking for her number and telling her they would be in touch to make arrangements.
“See you in Barcelona?” Mateo asked, excited.
“Looks like this world champion is very interested in you,” Sofia smiled.
“I’m interested in anything he’s interested in,” the boy joked.
“Hey, do you invite us to a race?” Diego chimed in, bold as ever.
“Diego!” Sofia scolded him with a glare.
“Hey, when am I going to get a chance like this again?” he defended himself.
“I think I can do that, we’ll talk when we meet in Barcelona, okay?” Fernando laughed.
They said goodbye, and Sofia and the boys got into the car to drive back to the hotel.
“What a day!” Mateo exclaimed, satisfied.
“Full of surprises,” his mother replied, then let the boys talk about the thousand things they always talked about.
It had truly been a strange day, one of those you don’t expect but that happens and leaves you with something you can’t explain.
Part of her felt relieved that Fernando was interested in Mateo, entrusting him to a manager was something that worried her a bit, it wasn’t her field, but she had learned, little by little, even if some things still scared her, despite everything.
It was true that she hadn’t seen Fernando in twenty years, but in some way she still knew him, and something inside her hoped he wouldn’t take advantage of her son, that he would do what was best for him and that reassured her.
The life ahead of Mateo was not going to be simple, but it was the life he wanted. The two brothers, though twins, were so different in a way that amazed even Sofia.
Mateo lived for the races and Diego’s ideas were different but clear too: he wanted to become a journalist like his father, write about his brother, write about sport.
Determination and stubbornness had come from Enrique, and Sofia admired that quality deeply.
When she finally found herself back in the hotel room, after a well-deserved shower, Sofia felt, for a moment, a little lighter. The encounter of the day had given her some confidence, she felt like she was stumbling less in the dark.
Fernando Alonso.
A ghost from the past, returning in the most unexpected moment.
Sofia smiled. She had learned to face things one day at a time and now she wanted to think about the good things the future might hold for her family.
summary: Fernando never expected to cross paths with his first love again. Yet, twenty years later, he finds Sofia at the side of the track, cheering for a fearless young driver who looks at him the same way he once looked at his dreams. Mateo is talented, his twin brother Diego is sharp, and Sofia has built a life out of strength and survival. What happens when the past collides with the future, and Fernando realizes he might become part of something he never knew he needed?
genre: Romance, slow burn, second chances, family drama, hurt/comfort
word count : 3960
Sofia was checking the mail when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Alicia, who had just stepped out of the elevator.
“Hi…” they greeted each other, and Alicia kept walking, then slowed down for a moment before turning back.
“Sofia, hi… Listen, can I… can I have a word with you?” the brunette asked, and Sofia turned toward her, nodding.
“You know, Fernando and I have had a bit of ups and downs lately, but… we’re trying,” she began. Sofia looked at her, a little caught off guard. “And we need… to be alone, I guess. I mean, you know, your boys are very present in Fernando’s life, maybe a bit too much. Basically, I think Fer feels a little too involved with you all… He manages Mateo and that’s it, right?” the woman went on.
“Yes, he… sure, he’s just Mateo’s manager,” Sofia echoed.
“I know you’re friends, you’ve been for a lifetime, but… we need fewer intrusions and more intimacy. He’s not very good at setting boundaries or saying no, so I have to be the one to speak up,” Alicia continued. “I don’t think he’d have the courage to do it himself, if you know what I mean.”
Sofia looked at her and nodded. “Yes, I understand perfectly,” she said quietly, suddenly feeling too small for that conversation, like a child watching her huge house of cards collapse.
“I figured you’d understand. Fernando is a complicated man, but he needs me… and we really are trying. We just believe we need some quiet time,” she said with a polite smile, maybe polite only on the surface.
“Don’t worry, Alicia, we don’t want to invade your life,” Sofia replied, hiding how much those words had struck her, or maybe hurt her.
Alicia smiled, said goodbye and went on her way, while Sofia stayed there, still shaken by what she had been told: in so many words, to stay away from Fernando, because he felt too involved.
She sighed. It was true.
They had overdone it, taken up too much space in his life, and it was clear that it wasn’t ok for that wonderful couple living two floors above her.
She grabbed the last envelopes and walked toward the elevator. She needed to take some distance and tell the boys to do the same. Luckily Fernando would be away for several races, but she had to start not texting him, not making excuses to hear from him or see him, like she had been doing lately, without even asking herself whether that behavior might bother him.
She had to understand that Fernando already had a life, and that meeting him again didn’t necessarily mean having a place in it.
-
Three weeks later
“I don’t want to sound like the usual guy, but I think you’re doing something really stupid,” Diego’s voice echoed in the garage, followed by some noise.
“You’re the one sitting there giving instructions while I’m destroying my hands…” Mateo shot back.
“You’re the practical expert, I’m the theorist,” the first one smiled, taking a sip of Coke. “I wouldn’t even know where to start…”
“…me neither, apparently…” the other sighed.
Fernando had gone down to the garage and immediately recognized their voices. He walked over to their parking space and saw them there: Diego sitting on a chair, sipping from a can, Mateo on the ground in front of a gorgeous vintage fire-red Alfa Romeo Giulia.
“Wow…” Fernando said, seeing the car.
“Hi, Fer,” Mateo said with a smile.
“And what’s this beauty?” the driver asked, nodding toward the car.
“It was Dad’s…” Diego replied. “…he bought it to restore it, but then…” he trailed off, gesturing.
“You’re trying to fix it yourselves?” Fernando asked, looking at them.
“He is, I supervise,” Diego smiled.
“He judges things he knows nothing about,” Mateo corrected.
“Need a hand?” Fernando asked, and the two looked at each other.
“Leave it, we don’t want to always be a pain in the ass,” Mateo said, running a hand through his hair, and Fernando looked at him, surprised.
“Mum says we should leave you alone a bit… or your girlfriend will kill us,” Diego explained, amused.
Fernando looked at them, not really understanding why Sofia would say something like that. He didn’t remember ever giving the impression that he didn’t want to be bothered by them, and as far as he knew, neither had Alicia.
“I’ll be the one to tell you when I want to be left alone. I’m happy to help, on one condition: when it’s fixed, you let me drive it,” Fernando said with a smile.
The boys hesitated for a moment, but neither of them managed to hide a grin.
“We don’t know where to start,” Mateo laughed.
“First thing, we take the engine apart, piece by piece,” Fernando said, moving closer to the car with the hood open.
“As long as you remember how to put it back together,” Diego commented.
“Get used to it, he’ll just stand there judging,” Mateo muttered to the driver, who burst out laughing.
“Just number everything and take pictures as we go. Come on, Diego, get your ass up and give us a hand,” Fernando said, tossing him a rag as the boy stood up grumbling.
And so it began.
Piece by piece, between laughter and bickering.
Fernando completely lost track of time. Manual work, no thoughts, no one to answer to, was exactly what he needed.
He felt calm, with those two boys following him like a real guide, making him laugh, treating him with a normality that was often missing from his life.
There were no fake smiles, no flashes, no statements. There was a car, and a strange friendship between a man and two boys he was getting too attached to.
The past few weeks had been strange. He had started seeing Alicia again, but not as much as she would have liked, as usual full of plans and initiatives. He had realized that something was changing for him, that being with her no longer gave him the serenity he once felt. At best, it gave him a bit of peace, because he didn’t feel alone.
But that wasn’t what he wanted for himself. He didn’t want someone beside him who merely made him feel calm. He wanted someone who truly made him happy, someone he genuinely wanted to be with, always.
Maybe he was a forty-two-year-old still too in love with the idea of love, even if from the outside no one would ever have said it.
Even intimacy had changed. Alicia was beautiful, provocative, sexy, but in the end everything had become just sex, something that, when it was over, left him feeling emptier than before.
Fernando felt increasingly confused, lost about the direction to give his life, torn between the fear of being alone and the desire for something more.
“You’ve been down here all afternoon?” Sofia’s voice sounded behind them. She must have just parked in the next garage, and they hadn’t even noticed.
“He offered to help us!” Mateo said immediately, pointing at Fernando.
“We didn’t threaten, kidnap or blackmail him, just to be clear,” Diego added as she laughed.
“I confirm, they just offered me a drink and promised me a drive once it’s fixed,” Fernando said, amused, standing up.
“It’s almost dinner time, you know that, right?” she laughed, and the three of them looked at each other, surprised.
“I did feel hungry…” Diego commented.
“I tried calling you, but down here the phone never gets signal,” Sofia continued.
“Can we get pizza, mum?” Mateo asked, moving closer to her, and she nodded.
“Go take a shower first, I don’t want you sitting at the table like this,” she teased them.
“Thanks, Fer. We’ll finish it, right?” Mateo asked the driver.
“There’s still a lot to do. We’ll plan another afternoon, and then another, and another…” Fernando laughed, saying goodbye as the boys went upstairs.
“Can we leave everything this messy?” he asked Sofia, gesturing to the half-dismantled car.
“Yes, I rented this garage just for this car,” she admitted. “We just have to lock it.” Then she added, “I can’t believe you started fixing it.”
Fernando looked at her for a moment. They hadn’t talked since the evening she’d come up to his place. He’d been away for several days, he’d been with Alicia, there just hadn’t been a chance to talk, or maybe neither of them had tried.
“Is it okay with you,” he asked at one point, “if we work on the car?”
“Yes,” she answered immediately. “I didn’t have the heart to sell it even though I know it’s worth a fortune. It’s the last thing Enrique bought, and I thought I’d keep it for them,” she explained. “I just… I don’t want them dragging you into yet another commitment, okay?” she added, recalling what Alicia had told her days earlier. “I’ve lost count of how many things I need to thank you for, or how many things they’ve involved you in…”
“I think this time I’m the one who should thank those two. They gave me exactly the afternoon I needed,” Fernando replied.
“Always super busy?” she asked.
“Yeah. Races in the East, a thousand hours of flying,” he said, closing the garage and handing her the keys. “We haven’t seen each other much,” he added.
“Commitments…” she said. “…and then I guess, well… you and Alicia, right? I’m happy things worked out between you,” she added, looking at him.
She wanted to sound sincere. She really did.
Fernando sighed. “Yeah, sure…” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Worked out is a big word. I don’t even really know… where we stand,” he said, starting to walk beside her toward the exit of the garages.
“We’re still very different… and I don’t know…” he added, not even knowing why he was telling her those things.
“Listen, I told the boys not to crowd you too much, okay? I’m sorry about everything that happened, I know they can be intrusive…” Sofia began, interrupting him.
“They’re not, Sof… why would they be?” he asked, not understanding why that subject was coming up again.
“Fer, listen…” she stopped for a moment. “…I don’t want to get in between you and her, neither me nor the boys. I understand what you wanted to tell us, and you’re right…” she continued.
“Sofy, what are you talking about?” he stopped her, genuinely confused. He and Sofia hadn’t really spoken for weeks.
“I know the boys are… too intrusive, and that I also leaned on you too much…” Sofia said. “…I’m sorry, I should have known how to set boundaries better. I overdid it, and I understand it bothered you. I was clear with the boys, they’re grown and they understood,” she went on, while he stared at her in disbelief.
“Sof, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Fernando said honestly, completely lost.
“I ran into Alicia the other day,” she explained. “She told me you need less intrusion, and I think she’s right. I know you felt too involved, and I imagine it became too much for you. I understand that you felt obligated to…”
“No,” Fernando cut her off sharply. “I have no idea what she told you. I didn’t know she talked to you, and she definitely wasn’t speaking for me. I don’t want you or the boys to stay away from me. You’re not a burden, not a disturbance. Clear?” he went on, too harsh, too upset. How dare Alicia?
“Fer, listen, she cares about you and wants to protect what you have. She’s right to tell me I was intrusive…”
“…why would you be a problem in my relationship with her?” he asked, looking at her.
“Because we’re in the way,” she replied. “And maybe a bit too needy for attention. It’s not right, and I realize that too…”
“Listen to me carefully, Sofia,” Fernando interrupted again. “…I decide if and when I spend time with you, if I want to or not. You and your kids…” he stopped. “…I feel so good with you, okay? Being with you is… easy. Not… not obvious, but I feel good because you don’t ask me to be something I’m not. You’re not in the way.”
“I don’t want to interfere, okay? I want you to be happy with her…” Sofia said, looking at him. He stood in front of her, staring.
“I don’t know if I’m happy with her, but I know I am when I’m with you,” Fernando blurted out, without thinking for a second. “If I want to go for a run with your kids, fix a car with them or have a glass of wine with you, I don’t need anyone’s permission,” he added, stepping closer to her.
Sofia didn’t know what to say. The idea of ignoring him, of losing the friendship they’d rebuilt, had hurt her deeply, but she had realized she couldn’t impose herself in his life.
But maybe what Alicia had told her wasn’t what he actually thought.
“Okay…” she said simply. “I… I’m happy we found each other again, Fer. It was unexpected, but… it was good for me, and I wouldn’t want to lose you. At the same time, I don’t want you to feel obligated to be there for… everything I told you, okay? You have a life with her, and we should stay out of it…”
“…you don’t have to stay out of anything. Do you have any idea how good it makes me feel to see you? I don’t want to distance myself from you, I don’t feel the need to. And… you can come up to my place whenever you want, without feeling guilty for any reason in the world,” he said, looking at her.
“Is that why you didn’t reach out for three weeks?” he asked then.
“After what she said, it didn’t seem right to text you or…” Sofia lowered her gaze, gesturing vaguely.
“I thought I’d been the intrusive one,” he said, smiling at her. Sofia returned the smile softly.
“You weren’t,” she admitted. “Everything is new here, and I feel less alone when you’re around,” she added shortly after, without daring to look him in the eyes.
“You know me, or you used to, and now you’re getting to know me again. If I hadn’t wanted you around, I would’ve told you myself. I wouldn’t have sent someone else to do it for me. I’ll talk to her, because I really don’t understand what went through her head…” Fernando continued.
“She cares about you, Fer,” Sofia commented.
“She has a strange way of showing it,” he sighed, starting to walk again.
When they reached the elevator lobby, Fernando felt his phone start vibrating with all the messages that had piled up while he had no signal.
He looked at it for the first time in hours and saw that Alicia had sent five messages and made three calls that hadn’t gone through.
He opened the last message, which had arrived almost an hour earlier.
Alicia: Where did you disappear to? Call me! Come over when you read this, maybe we can go for a drink at the port.
He sighed. He could go upstairs, take a shower, and be with her within twenty minutes. He could go ask her what the hell she’d been thinking, why she’d said those things to Sofia.
Was she jealous?
Or did it simply bother her not to be the only center of his life?
They reached Sofia’s floor. She stepped out and turned to look at him. “Listen, we’re ordering pizza, if you want,” she said simply. For some reason, it was clear she’d hesitated before saying it. “I mean, you probably have better plans, but it’s almost eight and…”
“I’d love to,” Fernando interrupted without hesitation. “I’ll take a shower and come down, okay?” he added. For a moment, he stopped to look at the way she smiled at his answer.
There was something in that smile that brought him back to all those moments from too long ago, when she had still been his Sofia…
“Okay, we’ll wait for you,” she said just before the elevator doors closed.
Fernando grabbed his phone and typed a message.
Fernando: I can’t tonight. I have something on, I’ve been working until now and still have things to finish. We’ll talk in the next few days.
He sent it without even thinking, as if it were the easiest decision he’d made in quite some time.
-
Half an hour later, Fernando rang the doorbell at the Martínez’ place. They let him in and immediately put the huge pizza menu in front of him, from a place the boys had discovered and that he’d never tried, despite having lived in Monte Carlo for years…
Mateo called the pizzeria, ordering two giant pizzas loaded with practically everything for himself and his brother, and something more reasonable for Sofia and Fernando.
“Beer?” Sofia asked, handing him a bottle while the boys had already flopped onto the couch.
“Thanks,” he smiled, gladly taking it. It was incredible how comfortable he felt in that kitchen. It was such a real home: the boys’ voices, Sofia always having fresh flowers everywhere, a candle lit, that vanilla-scented diffuser.
“What are you doing without plans on a Friday night?” she asked, leaning against the kitchen counter.
He took a sip, weighing his answer, not sure how honest he could be about the fact that he’d had other plans but turned them down to be with her… with them.
Sofia noticed his hesitation. “Sorry, it’s none of my business,” she hurried to say.
“I would have had some,” he interrupted her. “But then I was offered a better one,” he added, lowering his gaze and taking another sip.
Sofia laughed. “You’re a sad world champion if this is your best plan,” she joked.
“Why wouldn’t you be a good plan?” he shot back, looking up at her, letting silence fall for a moment. “Maybe I’m a world champion who’s tired of bullshit,” he replied. “And prefers this to… a lot of nonsense,” he laughed. “And I meant it earlier. I feel good here, with you and those two over there. Better than with a lot of other people,” he admitted, smiling.
When the doorbell rang, Sofia realized just how deeply peaceful it felt to be with him. The boys went to open, and within minutes they were all in the living room, sitting on the floor around the table.
“It’s not very glamorous… but it’s a tradition,” Sofia laughed, looking at Fernando.
“It’s perfect,” he said.
“And the second tradition is that tonight I pick the movie,” Mateo said, clapping his hands. “One Friday each. Today’s mine, and consider yourself lucky it’s not one of the other two,” he continued, addressing Fernando.
Diego rolled his eyes. “Let’s see what masterpiece you choose this time…”
“The new Insidious…” Mat grinned. “So Mum won’t sleep tonight,” he laughed, as Sofia threw a cushion at him.
“Traitor,” she muttered.
“Mum and possession horror movies really don’t get along,” Diego laughed.
Sofia snorted as Mat started the movie.
“Scared?” Fernando teased her.
“These movies are creepy, and I sleep alone…” she protested, laughing.
Silence fell and the movie started as they all began to eat. Half an hour later, it was in full swing. Mateo was stretched out in an armchair, Diego in the other, while Fernando and Sofia were still sitting on the floor, backs against the couch.
“You’ve always been scared of horror movies, remember The Blair Witch Project?” Fernando whispered. “You were terrified…”
“Idiot…” she laughed, elbowing him. “…yes, I was.”
“This is worse,” he commented with an ironic smile.
“I think so too… and stop it, or when I can’t sleep I’ll call you and keep you awake too,” she replied, pointing at him threateningly before turning back to the screen.
Fernando kept his eyes on her a little longer. Sofia looked calm that evening, relaxed and happy, and those were all adjectives that applied perfectly to him as well.
And he found himself thinking about how much he had missed that infinite sweetness she put into everything she did. Sofia wasn’t someone who stood out, or caught your eye in a crowd. Her shyness made her blend in, but her kindness and her way of being were impossible to miss. She had an elegance in everything she did, when she was sad, when she suffered, and even when she was happy or at peace.
He realized he was sitting on the floor, an empty pizza box in front of him, two beers, a movie he’d never have chosen on his own but wasn’t bad, Sofia and the boys dressed comfortably, at home, and him too.
No fancy places on the port, no elegant clothes, cocktails or elaborate dishes.
Fernando had had so much fun in his life, an enormous amount of it. For years he would never have given up parties and chaos, so much that maybe he’d overdosed on it. And now, it was time to look for something else.
Something like this.
He looked around and thought he had to be clear with Alicia. He wanted a family, children, something calm that could fit with his career, with Formula 1.
He had to tell her. And in any case, he had to understand whether he would want all of that with her or not, because he wasn’t sure at all.
-
2:00 a.m.
Fernando: Are you asleep?
Sofia: No…
Sofia: It’s not that I’m scared…
Fernando: Not even a little, right?
Sofia: Idiot. It was creepy. The boys are already snoring, I can’t turn the light off.
Her phone rang. Fernando was calling.
Fernando: “Are you serious, Sof?” he laughed.
Sofia: “I am serious…” she laughed.
Fernando: “You scared?” he laughed.
Sofia: “It’s not fear… it’s… okay yes, that movie scared me…” she laughed.
Fernando: “I’m not sleepy, I don’t know why.”
Sofia: “Thoughts?”
Fernando: “A lot…”
Sofia: “Good or bad?”
Fernando: “Confused… but good, I think. I felt good tonight.”
Sofia: “Me too… it was an ordinary evening… but…”
Fernando: “Maybe for you. I don’t have many like that,” he interrupted.
Sofia: “Whenever you want, my place is right below yours…”
Fernando: “I’ll remember that…”
Sofia: “I’ll try to sleep, I guess…”
Fernando: “Okay… text me if…”
Sofia: “Don’t say anything that’ll terrify me,” she laughed, threatening.
Fernando: laughing. “Night, Sofy.”
Sofia: “Night…”
-
January 9th, 2000 – The Blair Witch Project
“You’ll manage to sleep alone?” Fernando laughed as they walked out of the cinema, slipping an arm around her shoulders.
“No, this movie was a fucking terrible idea…” she said, pressing closer to him as he kissed the top of her head.
“How dangerous would it be if I snuck into your room?” Fernando asked with a grin.
“You’re joking, right?” Sofia laughed.
“No, I’m serious. My parents are away for the weekend, but I’m at home with my grandma, so you can’t come to my place. She wouldn’t notice a thing anyway. I just need to be back for breakfast…” he smiled, kissing her lips. “Come on…”
“If my dad catches us, we’re dead…” she laughed, even though the idea didn’t displease her at all.
“As long as you’re quiet…” he muttered ironically.
“Stop it, idiot,” she said, blushing.
“I’ll behave, I promise. I’ll just sleep with you… so you won’t be scared,” he smiled.
“I like that plan,” Sofia laughed, stealing a kiss. “I’ll go in first, then I’ll open the back door for you…”
“At your command, boss,” Fernando laughed, pulling her close as they walked away down the street.
♡ Hold my hand - #holdmyhandfa - ongoing
Read it on: Ao3 - Wattpad - Tumblr: Masterlist
♡ Crossroads - #crossroadsfa - 31 chapters - completed
Read it on: Ao3 - Wattpad - Tumblr: Masterlist
♡ Legacy - #legacyfa - 35 chapters - completed
Read it on: Ao3 - Wattpad - Tumblr: Masterlist
Oneshots
Legacy oneshots - #legacyfa
♡ Daddy's girls
♡ Bunny's ears
♡ Princess
♡ Falling
♡ Distraction
♡ What about us
♡ Dawn
♡ Can't take my eyes off you
♡ Gone
♡ Mi pequeña
Fernando x reader
♡ For you
♡ Little one
♡ Sere Nere - Dark nights
♡ Match Point
♡ Ti ho voluto bene veramente - I truly loved you
♡ Amelia
♡ Hollow
♡ Ever After
♡ Dragon Fire
♡ Dad - (sequel to Dragon Fire)
♡ Front row girl
♡ I'm just Ken
♡ Mighty little man
♡ Everything but us
♡ The world with you (sequel to Everythin but us)
Fernando x ofc
♡ Save me
♡ Hunger
♡ The bet
♡ What you want - (sequel to The bet)
Fernando Alonso x Francesca Michielin
♡ Magnifico - Magnificent
♡ Fango in paradiso - Mud in paradise
♡ 14
Mini series
Fernando x reader
♡ Closer: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3
♡ The Call: Part 1 - Part 2
Fernando x ofc
♡ Drive: Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4
♡ Adrift: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
summary: Fernando never expected to cross paths with his first love again. Yet, twenty years later, he finds Sofia at the side of the track, cheering for a fearless young driver who looks at him the same way he once looked at his dreams. Mateo is talented, his twin brother Diego is sharp, and Sofia has built a life out of strength and survival. What happens when the past collides with the future, and Fernando realizes he might become part of something he never knew he needed?
genre: Romance, slow burn, second chances, family drama, hurt/comfort
author's note: For some reason, while I was writing the evening described in this chapter, I couldn’t get a song out of my head, Insomnia by Electric President. So I had to include it in the chapter.
word count : 3774
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October 16, 2023
Fernando and the boys were in the garage, busy working on the Alfa Romeo they were putting back together, but Fernando could tell that something was off. They kept muttering, whispering to each other, distracted.
Diego kept receiving messages, reading them and commenting on them with his brother.
“Come on, listen, we really can’t, Mat…” Diego said at one point, turning toward his brother.
“I know… but… it’s the school party and we could meet a lot of people…” the other one sighed, and Fernando watched them with curiosity.
“What’s going on, guys?” the man asked, seeing them genuinely distracted and deep in thought.
“Nothing… I mean, there’s the school party on Saturday, but it’s Mom’s birthday and we can’t leave her alone,” Diego explained. “It’s just that it was supposed to be an amazing party… anyway…” he added, shaking his head and picking up his phone.
“Hey, wait, I don’t think your mother would want you to skip the school party because of her,” Fernando told him. “Are you sure she doesn’t have plans?” he asked then.
“Aunt Isa is away, and it’s not like she has a lot of friends here. I mean, she knows people, but not someone she’d celebrate with. If we were in Barcelona it would be different…” Mateo explained.
“I can take her out to dinner,” Fernando proposed, looking at the two of them. “If you trust me, I’ll take care of Mom, and you can celebrate on Sunday, right?” he went on.
He was fairly sure that this was exactly what Sofia would want too. What mattered most to her was that her children integrated and made friends, that was without a doubt her first concern.
“Really?” Mateo asked, almost suspicious.
“Yes, really. I don’t have a race that weekend, I’m not a stranger, and that way she won’t be alone,” the driver replied, shrugging.
He just wanted to help the boys, give them the chance to go to a party they cared about.
Taking Sofia out to dinner was just… the consequence of doing Diego and Mateo a favor.
“I’ll handle it, okay? So you don’t feel guilty,” the man continued. “You shouldn’t, it’s normal that you want to go to the party, your mom will understand,” he added. “Come on, let’s go upstairs, if Mom’s there I’ll ask her if she has plans,” he said, while the boys smiled.
“Thanks, Fer…” Mateo said. “We always end up dragging you into things…”
“That’s fine, really,” he smiled.
Fernando: I’m coming upstairs with the boys, do you have a minute?
Sofia: I’m home, of course
Fernando had texted her to make sure he would not be an unexpected guest again, as had happened far too many times lately.
They went inside, Sofia was in the living room. Fernando had agreed with the boys that he would talk to their mother, so the two of them went to their room to study.
Fernando smiled, amused. “What’s going on?” Sofia asked when she saw him.
“They’re good kids, you know,” he commented, looking at her. “We were fixing the car downstairs in the garage, but they were really distracted, whispering all the time. From what I gathered, there’s the school party on Saturday, but they decided not to go because it’s your birthday and they wanted to stay with you,” he explained.
“No, no, no… they absolutely have to go. New school, new people, they need to make new friends,” Sofia said immediately.
“That’s exactly what I told them too,” Fernando laughed, sitting down on the couch. “So we decided that I’m taking you out to dinner on Saturday,” he added, amused.
“Oh yeah?” she laughed, shaking her head. “You don’t have to, Fer, I can survive on my own for one evening…”
“…I’d like to,” he interrupted her. “I mean, if you feel like it, I’d really enjoy it,” he added. “I don’t have any commitments…”
“…well, neither do I,” she admitted, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I’d enjoy it too,” she finally admitted. “Thank you.”
Sofia did not know what to think. He was starting to be such a constant presence in her life that he almost felt like a certainty, and at the same time he was the person who confused her the most in the world, with his smiles, his invitations, and the endless conversations they shared.
“Any preferences for dinner?” he asked.
“I don’t really know the area yet, I trust you,” she replied. “Fer, listen, if you have plans…”
“…I don’t have plans,” he interrupted her. “Actually, now I do, with you,” he added, amused.
It was true. He did not have any.
And even if he had, he would have canceled all of them for dinner with her.
Sofia: Are you at work?
Isabela: In a meeting, it’s a nightmare, I can’t talk but I can text
Sofia: Something happened
Isabela: Good or bad????
Sofia: Good
Sofia: Very good
Isabela: ?
Sofia: Saturday’s my birthday and the boys wanted to skip the school party to stay with me
Sofia: But they talked to Fernando and… well, Saturday night I’m going out to dinner with him
Isabela: You’re going out to dinner with Fernando, okay. But haven’t you already seen him a million times in the last few months and you’ve always told me “he’s Mat’s manager,” “he’s a friend”…
Sofia: He is Mat’s manager
Sofia: And a friend
Sofia: But…
Sofia: Do you think it’s just a dinner invitation because of my kids, right?
Isabela: No, no, no. It wasn’t that fucking concert and it’s definitely not this. Come on, I’m right, it’s not for your kids…
Isabela: Do you realize or not that he’s always around you?
Sofia: We’re the ones who are always around him
Isabela: Doesn’t change much, he doesn’t send you away
Sofia: Am I screwing this up?
Isabela: No, you’re finally starting to live again
Isabela: Sof, it’s Fernando…
Sofia: I know, and maybe that’s part of the problem, that it’s Fernando, not just anyone
Isabela: It’s not a problem that it’s him, it’s that idiot who for more than three years called you “his Sofia” and you two were unbearable
Sofia: And now he’s forty two and has a life
Isabela: And a next door neighbor who tomorrow is going shopping with me and buying a dress with which we’ll annihilate that fucking world champion
Sofia: You’re always so delicate
Isabela: That is the delicate version, otherwise I would have reminded you that it’s time to seriously try with him
Sofia: Okay, okay… see you tomorrow
Isabela: I’m rooting for him, I’ve always liked him, he used to bring me lollipops
Sofia: Sounds like a great reason… very mature
Isabela: With those big eyes he has, you’d have gorgeous kids
Sofia: You’re really stupid, work!
Isabela:
Isabela: So you can look at it every time you wonder if it’s a good idea to have him around or go ona date with him
Sofia: It’s not a date…
Isabela:
Isabela: Who gives a shit what it is
Sofia: The only thing I’m wondering right now is whether it was a good idea to talk to you about this
Isabela:
Isabela: I can keep going forever
Isabela: I have a Pinterest board about him
Sofia: Go back to work
Isabela:
Isabela: But do you really have doubts?
Sofia: Stop it!!!!!!
Isabela: I’ll stop
Isabela: But he’s sexy
Isabela: And so are you
-
Sofia was looking at herself in the mirror, asking herself what exactly she was doing.
She was going out to dinner with a friend.
So why did it feel like something different? Why was she nervous? Why had she bought that white dress?
Why, why, why?
Because she felt good with him, and everything seemed normal.
She felt like laughing, talking, being that Sofia who still knew how to have fun and hope for a happy future.
The boys had left half an hour earlier, a friend’s father had picked them up, and she would have to go get them a little after midnight.
When she heard the doorbell, she took a long breath.
She was dressed too elegantly, she looked ridiculous, and he would immediately realize that she had misunderstood the evening and feel uncomfortable.
But it was too late now. She left the bedroom and went to open the door.
He was there, dark jacket, white shirt, a pair of jeans, and a golden package in his hand.
He looked at her, and Sofia was perfectly aware of his gaze running over her from head to toe.
“Wow…” he said with a smile. “I mean… happy birthday,” he added, smiling as he stepped inside.
“Thank you,” she smiled, and Fernando handed her the package.
“I’m not very original,” he joked, and she looked at him, confused.
Sofia unwrapped the package. Inside there was a small white box, which she opened to find a necklace, a simple pendant, a rather large diamond with small rays around it, a little sun hanging from the chain.
She froze, staring at it. It was the same necklace, the same pendant, the one he had bought her years and years earlier at a market during that vacation in Marbella.
“It’s an upgrade,” he commented. “A slightly nicer version of the original.”
Sofia took the necklace in her hand, smiling. “It’s beautiful…” she admitted, not really knowing what to say, deeply touched by the gesture in a way she could not even explain. “I still have it. The original one, I mean.”
“You’re kidding,” he interrupted her, surprised.
“No, it’s in my jewelry box, it’s always been there,” she replied, putting the new gift around her neck.
“I still have the watch,” he admitted, slipping his hands into his pockets as she turned to look at him. “First drawer of the wardrobe, it’s always been there,” he smiled.
“The Swatch? You’re joking,” Sofia laughed, shaking her head. “We’re two old nostalgics, apparently,” she commented, grabbing her coat, while Fernando leaned in to help her.
“Is that a bad thing?” he asked, standing decidedly too close to her back.
“No, I don’t think it is,” she smiled, turning her face toward him. “Shall we go?” she asked, and he nodded with a smile Sofia would hardly forget.
-
The dinner had been… perfect.
There were no other words to describe it.
Sofia had felt light, happy, as if nothing were forced, as if everything was exactly as it was meant to be, and he had seemed perfectly at ease as well.
He had laughed, looked at her, brushed her hand by accident, maybe.
They were walking back home. They had decided to go on foot, it was a cool evening but not cold, and the restaurant was only ten minutes away.
“You keep saying that everything is fine, but I’m watching my son throw himself into the world,” she said, turning her face to look at him as they walked shoulder to shoulder along one of the streets in the center. “And it scares me.”
“He’s not someone who gets taken advantage of, and I won’t let him crash and burn, I promise you,” he smiled.
“You know, I think Mat is getting a lot of special treatment from you,” she joked, and Fernando burst out laughing.
“Do you think you’re so important that your son deserves special treatment?” he asked, looking at her, an unreadable smile on his face and that look, that look.
Sofia was about to answer when she felt a drop on her forehead and lifted her face to look at the sky. It was black and heavy with clouds, and she had not even noticed, so absorbed she had been by the man walking beside her.
Another drop followed, then another, then many more, thicker and more insistent, until the drizzle began to turn into a downpour.
“Shit,” he laughed, starting to walk faster.
“Wait for me,” Sofia said, trying to keep up with him despite her heels.
Fernando turned around, grabbing her hand. “Hurry,” he laughed, starting to run while she struggled to keep up.
“Fer, I’m going to kill myself like this,” Sofia laughed, as the rain became even heavier.
“Come here,” he said, running up the steps of a building on the left to take shelter under the awning, without even thinking about it, pulling her against him to fit into the narrow space in front of the doorway.
Sofia pressed herself against him, her hands resting on his coat, her head against his cheek. Fernando kept one hand on her back while the rain began to turn into hail, and he pressed himself even closer to the wall, pulling her with him.
The sound of ice shattering on the ground was the only thing they could hear, along with the wind howling between the buildings, suddenly dropping the temperature and making her shiver.
He did not hesitate for a second to tighten his grip, to run a hand along her arm to warm her, his chin resting on her head.
Sofia closed her eyes for a moment before slipping her arms around his waist without saying a word. She could clearly feel the warmth of Fernando’s body, his breath on her hair, his hands holding her while the rest of the world was caught in the storm.
“Everything okay?” he asked softly, lowering his face, trying to hide what it meant to have her there like that, in that moment.
He had not even thought about it, and he did not even know if it had been the right thing to do, to hold her like that, but something had clicked, something that had taken him back and stopped him from thinking.
He just wanted to keep her dry. That was all.
It was absolutely not about wanting to hold her or feel her against him, just the two of them in the silence.
“Yes…” Sofia replied without moving, her cheek against his chest. “It’s freezing,” she laughed, feeling him hold her even tighter as, little by little, the hail calmed down, just like the wind and, after a few minutes, the rain.
“You’re soaked,” Fernando said with a smile, as Sofia finally lifted her face to look at him, without actually moving away from that embrace, from that moment.
“So are you,” she replied, returning his smile, looking at him and thinking that he was truly breathtaking. Just like her sister had told her a few days earlier.
And he was, especially now that he was looking at her from just a few inches away, holding her tight against him with a feeling Sofia thought she had lost a long time ago.
Fernando did not want to move, not away from her, not from that moment, but little by little people were returning to the streets, as if everything had stopped under that cascade of rain for a few minutes and now the world was resuming its rhythm.
Then a noise from the doorway behind them, distant.
“Shall we go home?” he asked, still not moving.
“I have to… I have to go pick up the boys,” she admitted, pulling away just slightly and tucking her hair behind her ear.
“I’ll come with you,” he said immediately.
“You don’t have to, Fer…”
“I’ll come with you,” he interrupted her, more out of selfishness than kindness. He did not want to let her go, not yet. “Let’s take my car,” he smiled, finally loosening that embrace but taking her hand to help her down the steps, not letting go until they reached the sidewalk.
Sofia wrapped herself in her coat. “Are you cold?” Fer asked.
“No, I’m fine,” she replied with a smile, not really knowing what to say.
Yes, she was cold, but not because of the rain or the wind, only because he was no longer holding her.
It was a different kind of cold.
It was a quiet walk, quieter than the rest of the evening, but it was not an awkward silence, nor an uncomfortable one. It was that kind of silence you carry when you simply feel good with someone.
They got into the car and reached the party venue in just over fifteen minutes. The boys came out without being particularly surprised that Fernando was with Sofia. They knew they had been out to dinner together, and seeing them together was nothing new.
Why should it be? Sofia thought, listening only halfway to her sons’ stories from the back seat and paying little attention to the questions Fernando asked them.
She could not stop thinking about him, or stop looking at him even though she did not want him to notice.
It was just a dinner between friends.
She told herself firmly.
But no friend had ever held her like that.
They parked in the garage, laughing about a prank played on one of the boys’ classmates, with Fernando telling a prank he had pulled back in high school. Mateo was laughing, Diego was teasing him.
They all got out of the elevator on the second floor. The boys opened the door, still talking, lost in their conversations about friends, girls, and terrible music. They said goodbye to Fernando as they went inside, leaving the two of them there, the sound of their voices fading away.
“Thank you,” Sofia said, turning to look at him. “For the evening and for the ride,” she added.
“I enjoyed it,” he replied, slipping his hands into his pockets, maybe to steady himself, to hide his embarrassment. “I really feel good with you, Sofy…” he added.
“Me too,” she admitted with a smile, without even thinking about it, letting the silence fall.
Fernando laughed. “How many times did I walk you home and your dad was watching us from the other side of the door?”
Sofia laughed too. “Too many,” she admitted. “Standing there to see what we were doing, thinking we didn’t know,” she joked, looking at him.
“Yeah…” he commented. “…but the fact that he was there never stopped me from kissing you,” he added, staying still, his eyes fixed on her.
Sofia did not know what to say. She remembered perfectly well what it was like to kiss him, even after all those years, and that sentence, said like that, had caught her off guard, and not only that.
“Now there are my kids…” she said after a moment, her voice lower than she would have liked.
“I know… so I think this is where I should stop and let you go home,” Fernando added, without stopping looking at her.
“Mom, I’m using your bathroom…” Mateo’s voice echoed from the landing, through the open door.
“Yes, maybe it’s better if I go…” Sofia said, breaking the silence.
“…good night, Sofy, and happy birthday,” Fernando echoed with a smile.
“Thank you, I had a really good time, Fer… really,” she replied.
“Me too,” he admitted.
Sofia went inside, closing the door behind her.
Fernando stayed there, motionless, staring at the white painted door, replaying the last few hours of that day, or maybe the last few months of his life, realizing that it was impossible to hide it.
He had fallen in love with his Sofia all over again.
-
Isabela: How did it go?
Isabela: I haven’t heard from you for hours and you’re out to dinner with a sexy guy who’s in love with you
Isabela: I want updates
Isabela: Or I’m calling the police
Isabela: Oh my God, are you in bed with him?
Sofia: No
Isabela: Ah, you’re alive
Sofia: Alive and well, I’m home, we went to pick up the boys
Isabela: We?
Sofia: Fernando drove me
Isabela: He drove you to pick up your kids from a party, okay, nothing weird
Isabela: …
Sofia: It was a nice evening
Isabela: Elaborate, what the fuck does “it was a nice evening” mean?
Isabela: A pleasant and boring evening?
Isabela: A fun one?
Isabela: One where… something happened?????
Sofia: He hugged me
Isabela: ?????????
Isabela: ?????????
Sofia: We were walking and it started pouring… we took shelter under an awning and…
Isabela: Oh my God, this sounds like a Hallmark movie…
Sofia: Idiot
Isabela: Tell me
Sofia: What do you want me to say????
Isabela: We were at the point where a sexy billionaire driver hugs you under the rain after taking you out to dinner for your birthday
Sofia: My brain is a mess…
Sofia: I don’t know what to think, I don’t know…
Sofia: I don’t know…
Sofia: I thought he was about to kiss me in front of my door
Isabela: Wooooooooooooooooooo!!! What?
Sofia: We remembered all the times he walked me home in Oviedo and Dad was there…
Sofia: And he literally said that the fact Dad was there never stopped him from kissing me
Isabela: Booooooom
Isabela: And with that, Sofia is dead
Isabela: And then?
Sofia: Then Mateo called me
Isabela: 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Isabela: How confused are you?
Sofia: Completely
Isabela: It’s exactly the kind of mess you desperately need, sis
Sofia: I don’t know…
Isabela:
Isabela: A mess with those eyes isn’t so bad
Sofia: You should’ve seen the way he was looking at me tonight
Sofia: Fuck, it feels like I’m seventeen again
Isabela: Who cares if you’re both forty, he’s always right there in your life
Sofia: I’m going to bed… my head is about to explode
Isabela: Sofy… it’s okay like this, trust me. Night, we’ll talk tomorrow…
-
March 18, 2001
Hi, baby…
No, wait, how do you even start a letter, even if this is an email.
Dear Sofia,
there, that’s better…
How are you, amor?
I’m in Sepang, everything is insane… I’m racing in Formula 1, can you believe it?
I know we haven’t seen each other in a while, it’s almost a month, and I miss you like crazy, you know that?
I hope to come home after Brazil, or maybe before Imola or Spain. I really want to see you, but it’s hard for me to leave Faenza, there’s always something to do, to study, to learn… and I’m the new guy. If they tell me to stay, I have to stay.
I wish you could come here, but I know university keeps you busy, and so does your job at the publishing house.
You have to send me that short story you were telling me about, I want to read it!
summary: Fernando never expected to cross paths with his first love again. Yet, twenty years later, he finds Sofia at the side of the track, cheering for a fearless young driver who looks at him the same way he once looked at his dreams. Mateo is talented, his twin brother Diego is sharp, and Sofia has built a life out of strength and survival. What happens when the past collides with the future, and Fernando realizes he might become part of something he never knew he needed?
genre: Romance, slow burn, second chances, family drama, hurt/comfort
word count : 3246
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May 28th, 2023
“Do you realize we’re in the coolest place on Earth?” Mateo asked, tugging at his brother’s arm, his eyes wide as if he’d just stepped into Paradise.
“Of course I do. Look at those girls,” Diego replied, nodding toward a pair nearby.
They had just walked into the paddock, Saturday, Qualifying Day, the best day in Monaco, the one where drivers pushed everything to the limit.
They had already shaken off their mother, aunt and uncle to wander where the fun actually happened: drivers, journalists, VIPs flaunting themselves everywhere.
“Look, look, look… the Red Bull garage…” Mateo whispered, both boys stepping closer to catch a glimpse of the car resting inside the garage.
“That thing is a beast,” Diego breathed out, stunned.
“Hey guys!”
A familiar voice called from behind them. When they turned, they found Fernando walking toward them with a smile.
“Your mother told me you were wandering around here somewhere.”
“We’re trying not to miss a single thing,” Mateo replied.
“I was actually following those two girls over there…” Diego objected, pointing discreetly.
“Good taste,” Fernando teased. “I can’t help you much with the girls, but I can take you into my garage. What do you say?”
“Seriously??” Mateo exclaimed. “Let’s go, come on!”
“You’re sure you can’t help with the girls? Because…” Diego began, making Fernando laugh.
“Come on, you can flirt with girls whenever. When will you ever get the chance to see a Formula One car this close again?” Mateo pushed.
“And when will I ever get the chance to see two like them this close again, champ?” Diego shot back, but he still followed Alonso, albeit reluctantly, toward the Aston Martin garage.
The moment they got inside, Mateo looked like he was living the greatest moment of his life. He approached the car almost reverently.
“It’s insane…” he breathed, watching engineers and mechanics working around it.
Fernando began explaining a few details to them, and Mateo fired questions at anyone who walked by, so sharp and passionate that everyone seemed amused.
“And who is this? Our new reserve driver?” the chief engineer joked beside them.
“One day I will be,” Mateo replied instantly.
“This one is going to make it into the paddock very soon, keep an eye on him,” Fernando smiled, placing a hand on Mateo’s shoulder. “We’ve just signed him to my team. He’s a real talent.”
The boy practically lit up with pride.
“Well, since you’re the one with the talent, I guess it’s only fair that I become the one who manages your money,” Diego joked.
Fernando noticed with quiet appreciation that there was no envy in him, Diego had a strong personality, a sharp sense of humor and the awareness that driving wasn’t his path. He had a brilliant mind and an attitude that would take him wherever he wanted to go.
“How about you get in?” Fernando offered. “I can’t let you drive it, but at least you can feel what it’s like.”
Mateo didn’t need to be asked twice, he slid into the cockpit immediately.
Fernando snapped a photo, then let Diego climb in next.
He sent the pictures straight to their mother.
Fernando laughed as he read her message, and the twins exchanged a curious glance.
Fernando: These two are trouble: if not behind the wheel, definitely with the girls
Sofia: Don’t hype them up too much or you’ll regret it…
Fernando: Too late
Sofia: Then good luck, I can’t do anything to help you now!
Fernando: You’re abandoning me at your kids’ mercy?
Sofia: Fine, I’m coming to save you, champion…!
“Your mother says she’s coming to rescue me from you two,” he explained.
“She thinks we’re more dangerous than we actually are,” Diego joked.
“We’ll leave you to get ready for quali,” Mateo said then, more composed again. “Thank you for… all of this.”
His voice was honest. “It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done.”
Fernando smiled. They were spontaneous, bright, there was a purity in them he hadn’t seen in years, and yet a determination you rarely found in boys their age.
“See you later,” he said, sending them off with a nod as they left the garage to continue exploring the paddock.
-
Saturday had been nothing short of exhilarating, insane qualifying laps and a spectacular P2 for Fernando.
And on Sunday, he held that position all race long, climbing onto the podium right behind the unstoppable Max Verstappen.
Sofia, her sister, and her brother-in-law had enjoyed the VIP lounge, the food, and the electric atmosphere. Meanwhile, the twins had barely stood still for a second, glued to the pit lane, soaking in every moment.
The Grand Prix had been over for a while when Fernando finally managed to reach them.
“What a race!” Mateo exclaimed, instantly bombarding him with questions: strategy, tires, anything that came into his head.
“Mat…” his mother interjected, “…let him breathe. I’m sure Fernando has better things to do than face an interrogation.”
Fernando chuckled at the teen’s embarrassed expression.
“We’ll see each other properly next time, and you can ask me everything. But right now I have a dinner, my girlfriend is waiting and being late is not an option,” he said with a bright smile.
“Thanks again for today,” Sofia said warmly.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so distant, race weekends are chaos…” he began.
“…trust me, today was already more than enough,” she cut in gently.
“I do, however, have to ask you for an autograph for my coworkers,” Isabela’s husband chimed in, handing over pictures to be signed.
“When are you heading back to Barcelona?” he asked afterward.
“Tonight. There’s school tomorrow…” Diego sighed dramatically.
“The flight is at nine,” Sofia specified.
“We’ll see each other in Emilia-Romagna in ten days, right?” Fernando asked Mateo.
“You’ll be there?” Mateo blinked, stunned. From what he had understood, Fernando, despite co-owning the management team, didn’t attend kart races that often. His own calendar was demanding enough.
“I think I’ll drop by,” the driver smiled, and Sofia immediately sensed that Mateo wasn’t just another junior talent to him, Fernando was giving him special attention.
She should’ve thanked him for that.
“And with you guys… I suppose we’ll meet after the move?” he continued, turning to Sofia.
“I have a feeling avoiding us will be impossible,” she joked, making him laugh.
“Well, I’ll come ask for sugar if I run out,” he teased, before someone called his name behind him.
“I have to go: thank you for coming,” he said to all of them, then disappeared once again into the colorful, chaotic world he loved so much.
-
June 12th, 2023
The movers were carrying the last boxes upstairs. Sofia stood at the entrance of the impressive building while the boys helped with suitcases and whatever else still remained.
The day had come. The Barcelona apartment was completely empty and they had flown in the night before, ready to begin a new chapter. It had been a massive effort, moving an entire life to another country. And Sofia still couldn’t shake off the doubt twisting in her stomach, the constant question of whether she had made the right choice uprooting the boys from the city where they had grown up. But it was too late to turn back now.
“And here are the new neighbors” Fernando’s familiar voice echoed from her right as he stepped out of the elevator, accompanied by a dark-haired woman.
“Yes, in flesh, bones, and boxes” Sofia replied with a smile.
“Sofia, this is Alicia. Alicia, this is Sofia, an old friend from Oviedo and the mother of one of the most promising kids I manage” Fernando said, making the introductions.
The two women exchanged a polite handshake.
Sofia couldn’t help noticing Alicia. She was stunning, not very tall but with a statuesque figure, elegant clothes, and a warm, dazzling smile. Instinctively, Sofia ran a hand through her messy ponytail and glanced down at her jeans and plain white shirt. Definitely not her most glamorous look. She chose not to think about it too much.
“Hi Fer” Mateo greeted cheerfully, passing by with two boxes in his arms.
“Hi champ” the driver replied. “Do you need a hand?” he asked Sofia, immediately realizing they still had a lot to do.
“Sweetheart, we have a lunch reservation” Alicia stepped in before Sofia could answer.
“Don’t worry, we have an excellent moving team” Sofia assured her with a little laugh. “By tonight all this chaos will be gone.”
“Moving is a disaster even when you live alone, I’ve been there…” Fernando said with an understanding smile. “Welcome to Monte-Carlo.”
“Thank you” Sofia answered, her tone a little uncertain, something Fernando noticed instantly. None of this looked easy for her.
There was still so much he did not know about Sofia and her boys, but the more time he spent with them, the more he sensed that something heavy and painful had shaped their lives. You do not change state, city, and life completely unless you have a very strong reason not to stay.
Sofia and the boys looked like people who had had to run from something.
Fernando’s own life was perfectly settled. A new relationship that had been going on for several months and was going well, a career, friends, nothing missing. And yet the moment he met those boys and saw Sofia after so long, he had felt something pull him toward them like gravity.
He and Alicia walked down into the garage and climbed into one of his cars.
“You have known her for that long?” Alicia asked, curiosity slipping into her voice.
“Since high school” he chuckled. “She is from Oviedo too. We ran into each other again because one of her sons happened to be the karting kid Alberto had his eyes on.”
“You are kidding” Alicia laughed. “That is the kind of coincidence that makes you think. What are the odds of finding a classmate as the mother of a future champion?”
“Not many” Fernando admitted as he pulled onto the main road.
Not many indeed.
-
A couple of days later, Fernando went down to the garage to grab the sunglasses he had forgotten in the car. He opened one of his parking bays and was climbing into the driver’s seat when a voice echoed loudly.
“Oh my God, is that your Valkyrie?”
Right in front of the car, Mateo and Diego stood staring at it as if it were a spaceship.
Fernando stepped back out, laughing.
“Yes” he said as he pushed the sunglasses up onto his head. “Do you like it?”
“It is insanely cool” Diego said. “Can we?” he asked, waiting for permission to get closer, and Fernando nodded, motioning that they were free to look as much as they wanted.
“It’s crazy” Mateo murmured, immediately bombarding Fernando with questions about every detail of the car. After a moment he scratched the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. “Sorry, I’ve never seen a car like this so… so up close.”
“It’s fine. One day I’ll take you for a proper ride, okay? But right now I was heading out for a run” Fernando explained.
“Thanks” Diego smiled. “We were actually going out for a run too, we’re trying to find the best routes.”
“So that’s why you two are already awake. Come on then, I’ll show you where I go. Just promise you’ll keep it secret or the place will be packed” he said, closing the car and the garage before stepping out into the cool seven a.m. air with the two boys beside him.
They followed him toward the coast, keeping a fast pace until they turned onto a narrow path overlooking the sea. It was quiet, calm, one of those early morning moments that already felt like a memory. The boys took it all in, amazed. They wanted to belong there, they wanted this new place to become home.
Mateo already knew a couple of karting kids who lived in Monaco and would be going to his new school. And discovering the city like that, with the man running beside them, a Formula 1 legend who had chosen to believe in him, made everything even more real.
He was curious about everything, especially Fernando’s training. Being in that shape at forty-two was unbelievable. He admired him deeply.
They ran for more than an hour before reaching a cove dotted with boats.
“Do you want to stop for breakfast before heading back?” Fernando asked.
Both boys nodded immediately, grateful.
Diego couldn’t help thinking how strange it was to be sitting down for breakfast with Fernando Alonso, and yet there was nothing strange about the way this man behaved with them. He was warm, calm, surprisingly relaxed, as if spending time with two fourteen-year-olds wasn’t a hassle at all, even though they constantly filled him with questions about his career and his cars.
Fernando had always been someone who valued silence, who chose his words carefully, who enjoyed staying focused. But for reasons he didn’t fully understand yet, he liked spending time with those boys.
They sat at a beachside table, the place still almost empty. Fernando ordered a coffee, the boys a proper breakfast, the kind that only teenagers could devour.
“Do you have a race this weekend?” Mateo asked, his mouth full.
“Montreal” Fernando replied, adjusting his sunglasses.
“Wow… That sounds like a dream” Mateo grinned.
“I’ll see if I can convince your mother to bring you to a couple more races. Before the summer break I won’t manage to attend any of yours” he added, turning to Mateo. “My calendar is a disaster, but I will make up for it in September.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t think you follow every single one of the kids you represent” the boy pointed out. “And you don’t have to do it for my mom.”
Fernando looked at him. “I keep an eye on the people I believe in when I can. And yes, I admit your mother scares me a little when it comes to her child’s safety” he said jokingly, making them both laugh.
Twenty minutes later they were still there when Fernando’s phone started buzzing. He glanced at the screen and Diego noticed something like reluctance crossing his expression before he answered.
“Hi, sweetheart” he said, absent-mindedly playing with the coffee spoon.
“Hey, baby, you remember the lunch today, right?” Alicia’s voice sounded distant, maybe on speaker. “I was waiting for you to call after your run but I didn’t hear from you…”
“I’m having coffee with Diego and Mateo. We’ll be back soon” he replied.
“Who?” she asked, confused.
“The boys from the second floor, Al…” he clarified, his tone impossible to decipher.
“I’m sorry, why exactly are you having coffee with two kids?” she asked with a little laugh, clearly amused.
“We went running together, we’re just having breakfast” he explained, wondering why he suddenly needed to justify himself so much. “I’ll call you when I get home, okay?” he added, and he hung up almost before she could respond.
“Sorry if we made you late” Diego said, getting up.
“You didn’t. And I’m not late. If I want to go for a run and have a quiet breakfast, I’m damn sure allowed to, at least on the weekends when I’m not on the other side of the world” Fernando answered firmly while standing up too.
The boys just smiled back and waited while he went to pay. When he returned, they were joking again.
“Mom is asking where we’ve disappeared to. We blamed you” Mateo said, putting his phone back into the running armband.
“Oh good, because what I really need is another woman mad at me” Fernando joked as he put his sunglasses back on.
“Come on troublemakers, let’s see if you can keep up” he laughed before breaking back into a run toward home.
He loved those moments of solitude, those rare hours where he could just vanish and breathe. But those two boys didn’t disrupt that peace. They ran beside him at his pace, no complaints, no whining. And Fernando let his gaze linger on them for a moment.
They could have been his children.
If life had gone differently.
If he had chosen differently.
He was happy with what he had achieved: choosing Formula 1 above all else had given him everything he had ever dreamed of, and he did not regret it. Not even letting Sofia go. Not even the other women who now belonged to a past chapter.
Alicia had fascinated him from the beginning. Younger than him by 8 years, always in motion, organizing glamorous events for his friend Flavio, full of energy and passions. Unable to stop. Just like he once had been.
But lately he felt that she struggled to recognize the truly important moments, the ones where silence meant something and where you stayed still to appreciate what mattered.
Alicia didn’t love silence or solitude.
He always had.
Not the solitude of those who have no one, but the kind that allows you to simply exist beside someone, without noise, without performance. He had always loved parties and chaos, but over the years he had built a balance. Lately he felt that balance slipping. Everything seemed to belong to others. Never to him.
There were nights when he wished he could simply stay home, ask her about her day, open a bottle of wine, make love until they were both breathless. But there was always another dinner, another commitment, something that needed to be attended.
They reached the building in about an hour.
“Thanks, Fer” Mateo said, breathless but glowing.
“I actually trained with a world champion. Are you allergic to selfies or will you take one with me that I can use on future classmates?” Diego asked with his usual shameless humor, making Fernando burst out laughing.
“We should have taken it before the run, we looked better then” Fernando joked.
“No way, we must use the allure of the tired warrior” Diego laughed while taking out his phone. The three of them pressed close and snapped the picture.
“If that helps you flirt with a pretty girl, I want my credits” Fernando teased as they stepped into the elevator.
At the second floor the boys stepped out and waved goodbye. Fernando continued to the penthouse.
He was alone. Alicia was at her place that day. They didn’t officially live together yet. She had keys, she spent most nights there, but they had never taken the final step of making it permanent. And in that moment he appreciated that decision. The silence that filled his home. The space that belonged only to him.
Then the phone buzzed again.
Sofia: I’m telling you, if they start stalking you, just say the word
Fernando laughed under his breath.
Fernando set his phone down on the bathroom counter, smiling.
Fernando: I won’t report them, don’t worry. They just stole breakfast.
Fernando: They are polite and fun, really, don’t worry Sof.
Sofia: Thanks for showing them your secret route
Fernando: I trust they will keep it secret
Sofia: Worst case, keep an eye on Diego when he brings girls there
Fernando: I am not a snitch
Sofia: Damn male solidarity
Sofia: Thank you. Enjoy your Sunday
Fernando: You too
A few seconds later, the screen lit up again. Alicia calling. He turned the volume down, almost to silent, without answering, and stepped into the shower.
summary: Fernando never expected to cross paths with his first love again. Yet, twenty years later, he finds Sofia at the side of the track, cheering for a fearless young driver who looks at him the same way he once looked at his dreams. Mateo is talented, his twin brother Diego is sharp, and Sofia has built a life out of strength and survival. What happens when the past collides with the future, and Fernando realizes he might become part of something he never knew he needed?
genre: Romance, slow burn, second chances, family drama, hurt/comfort
word count : 3853
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Sofia:
Sofia: She’s alive…
Fernando: I’m moved…
Sofia: Hey Mr. Charm, I can still kill her, you know that, right?
Fernando: Then you’ll deal with my mother
Sofia: …
Sofia: Where are you?
Fernando:
Fernando: Mexico City, I’m heading to the circuit
Sofia: How wonderful, I envy you a little, you know?
Sofia: With all your traveling…
Fernando: It’s nice, you get to see so many things, after so many years it gets a bit boring
Sofia: Do you never unplug? During race weekends, I don’t know, a dinner… a walk…
Fernando: Hardly
Fernando: Maybe if you’re with someone, but alone…
Fernando: Where would I even go with Edo and Alberto?
Fernando: In some cities we know all the restaurants, we even have an ongoing challenge in Japan, for example
Sofia: A challenge?
Fernando: Stupid things about Japanese restaurants
Sofia: That must be an amazing trip, I’ve never been, the boys are obsessed with it
Fernando: Next year you’ll come with me
Sofia: I wasn’t trying to squeeze an invitation out of you
Fernando: I know, but I’m inviting you anyway, come for the race and then I’ll show you around
Fernando: The GP is always when the cherry trees are blooming
Sofia: You’re making it hard to say no
Fernando: I’m trying in every possible way to make you say yes
Fernando: Are you home?
Sofia:
Sofia: Yeah, I’m waiting for the boys to get back from the gym
Fernando: Are you really coming to Mat’s race next week?
Sofia: Yes, I promised him
Fernando: You promised me too…
Sofia: You too
Fernando: I have to take you out to dinner somewhere else when I’m back, you’ll like it even more than the place for your birthday
Sofia: I’ll say it again, it’s getting really hard to say no to you
Fernando: I’ll say it again too, I’m trying in every possible way to make you say yes…
Fernando: I’ve arrived, interviews are waiting for me
Sofia: Have a good day, I’m going to make dinner.
Fernando: Have a good evening
Fernando: Talk tomorrow
-
November 11th, 2023
Mateo had been included in a karting tournament even though his season was already over, but Fernando had involved the guys from his management in this event they were sponsoring.
It was a beautiful Saturday. Diego had stayed home with his aunt because he had plans with friends, while Sofia had gone with Mateo, to see his progress and spend some time with him.
Just that, not because Fernando would be there too…
The boys were on track, she was sitting in the stands with Fernando and Alberto, who were commenting on the race and explaining some of the improvements Mateo had made over the past few months.
“Look at how he leans into the corner,” Fernando laughed. “He’s good, he’s really, really good, Sof… He’s got insane grit,” he went on, while she smiled.
She was proud, deeply so, of that determined, focused boy.
“It’s been a long time since I came to a race, I’ve basically entrusted him to you by now, but I really wanted to be here this time,” she said with a smile.
It was a pleasant day, sunny even if cold. The competition was split into four separate races, with criteria Sofia hadn’t even tried to understand, she only knew her son was racing in the first and the third.
She felt good. Mateo was happy, and so was she, seeing her son and spending time with Fernando.
After her birthday dinner everything had been rushed, him away, her drowning in deadlines for her book.
They had seen each other, not much, texted a lot.
Like two teenagers, sending pictures, thoughts, just talking, even though they were on two different continents.
They’d been in the elevator together when Mateo had started talking about that day’s event, and Fernando had casually said, “Why don’t you come too?” and Mat, enthusiastic, had started insisting, and she had given in immediately, partly for her son, partly for… something else.
And so there she was, a few hours from Monte Carlo, sitting in the stands with a coffee in her hand and the sun warming her face.
The first race went well, actually incredibly well. Mateo was leading and crossed the finish line first.
Fernando was more and more impressed, talking nonstop with Alberto about things to make him do, opportunities, while Sofia reminded him that he was fourteen and still had to finish school.
It was the third race that completely changed the course of the day.
The start had been delayed due to a minor crash between two karts that had left oil on the track. Mateo had taken advantage of it to soak up even more advice from his mentor, then he’d gone out on track.
Determined and focused, he took off like a bullet, with two karts right on his tail that had no intention of letting him win this one too.
Sofia watched him with that impossible-to-avoid maternal anxiety, standing up, leaning against the railing, when she clearly saw the kart behind Mateo hit him with its front wheel.
Mateo kept his hands tight on the steering wheel, felt the impact, tried to correct, but immediately ended up on the gravel. He didn’t want to give up, he jerked the wheel and rejoined the track right in front of another kart that didn’t have time to change its line.
Mateo’s kart shot off the track, spinning and slamming into the barriers.
Sofia felt time slow down, the voices around her becoming muffled, distant, as if coming from far away. She gripped the railing without knowing what to do for a single second, then tore herself free like a wild thing, taking a few steps toward the stairs. She had to get to him.
“Sof…” Fernando’s hand grabbed her arm, making her turn. His eyes were wide, an expression that froze the driver the moment he saw it.
“I need to go to him,” she said, yanking her arm.
“Sofy, wait…” Fernando tried again, not letting go.
“Let me go,” she cried out, tears in her eyes, her voice too harsh.
“Sofy…” he said, tightening his grip instead, pulling her against him. “Sofy, look…” he added, cupping her face to make her look at him. “He’s getting out on his own, Sof… Look, he’s getting out of the kart on his own.”
She turned her head. The medics were already there, helping Mateo out of the kart, on his feet. There was a stretcher and they made him sit down immediately, but the boy had already raised a hand toward his mother to reassure her.
“Look at him, he’s standing…” Fernando whispered, his hand still on her face, not letting her go for a second.
“I want to go to him,” she said, turning her tear-streaked face to look at the man in front of her.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you,” he replied, taking her hand and heading down the nearby stairs toward the restricted area where they were taking Mateo.
They saw the paramedics push the stretcher and load him into the ambulance.
“Why?” Sofia asked immediately, panicked. “Why are they taking him away?” she repeated, her voice breaking, while Fernando kept hold of her hand, guiding her through the crowd.
“Come here,” he said firmly, leaving no room for hesitation. “Hey…” he called out, stopping one of the responders walking away. “Why the ambulance?”
The man looked at them, unsure who they were.
“Why?” Fernando repeated, more threatening now. “She’s his mother,” he added, nodding toward Sofia.
“CT scan,” the man said. “They’re taking him to the hospital, it’s standard after a crash like that. He was fine, ma’am, it’s just precaution.”
“I want to go with him,” she said, trying to push past the barriers, speeding up, but the ambulance was already gone. She turned back to Fernando, lost.
“I’ll take you,” he said immediately, getting the hospital name, stepping closer, one hand on her face, one on her arm. “He’s fine, okay? Sofy, look at me…” he said calmly, firmly, his thumb brushing her cheek. “He’s fine.” She barely nodded.
“Let’s go,” Fernando added, taking her hand and heading toward the parking lot.
He got one of the cars and drove toward the hospital.
Sofia had fallen into complete silence, and every now and then he glanced at her.
He had never seen terror like the one written on her face.
Not just the terror of a mother, but of someone who had already known pain and fear.
Fernando reached over, placing his hand on top of hers, squeezing lightly. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what, not then.
The drive was short. They parked and went inside, immediately directed to the right department, where a nurse at reception told them Mateo was already with the doctors, being prepped.
“Please, can I see him?” Sofia asked, finally finding her voice.
“He’s going in for the CT shortly, ma’am, I can’t let you in. They’ll update you as soon as they’re done.”
Fernando tried to insist, with his stubbornness, his arrogance, but the woman didn’t budge, and after a while he found himself placing a hand on Sofia’s back, asking her to follow him to the waiting room.
There was no one else there.
Sofia stepped into the small room without a word, stopping in the middle, not knowing what to do. From behind her, Fernando clearly saw the hitch of a sob, then another.
“Hey…” he said, stepping closer, and she turned and wrapped her arms around him, breaking down.
There was nothing he could do but hold her, let her cry, let the nerves and fear pour out.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” he said after a while, one hand rubbing her back, the other stroking her hair. “Calm down, sweetheart,” he added without thinking, pressing his lips to the top of her head, holding her tight.
Minutes passed, and little by little Sofia began to calm down.
“Sorry…” she whispered eventually.
“…it’s okay,” he cut in gently.
They were still standing there, holding each other, then she pulled back, lifting her face.
“Can you stay with me?” she asked, as if being alone right then would terrify her even more.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he replied. “Come on,” he added, guiding her to one of the sofas, sitting down without ever letting go of her hand.
“He’s my baby…” she whispered, turning toward him.
“I know, Sofy, I know…” he said, looking at her.
She looked shattered, maybe more than another parent would have been in that situation, but her story, her family’s story, explained it.
She couldn’t lose anyone else.
Not one of her boys, not someone she loved.
“Come here,” Fernando said, pulling her against him, and she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes, while he held her, staying there, in silence, for her.
-
Almost an hour later they heard footsteps, and then a doctor entered the waiting room, where they were still the only ones. They both jumped up at the same time.
“Your son is fine,” the doctor said immediately, assuming they were the boy’s parents. “The CT was precautionary, but there’s nothing except a mild concussion. He needs a few days of rest, that’s all.”
“He’s okay?” Sofia asked, not even registering the doctor’s mistake, assiming Fernando was the father.
“Perfectly fine. You can take him home shortly. Come on, I’ll take you to him.”
Sofia moved right away, noticing Fernando had stayed behind. He hadn’t assumed she’d want him with her now that she was going to Mateo, but Sofia held out her hand without hesitation.
“Coming?” she asked.
He didn’t need to be asked twice. He took her hand and followed her down the corridor to Mateo’s room.
The boy was fine, dressed, sitting on the bed, and Sofia rushed to hug him while he laughed it off, not really understanding what his mother had gone through.
Fernando stayed slightly back, talking to Mat but mostly watching Sofia slowly regain herself, standing silently next to her son, checking again and again that he was truly okay, while he laughed and pushed her away, telling her everything was fine.
“Mom got scared, huh? Wait till I tell Diego, we’ll tease you so bad…” Mateo laughed, looking at Fernando.
“Maybe not, you know?” the driver replied with a smile, but more seriously than the boy expected, and Mat turned to his mother.
“Mom, I’m fine,” he said, more seriously now.
“I know, Matty, but it was a big crash. I just want to take you home,” she replied.
“I’ll go get the car, I’ll wait for you at the exit. Alberto took care of your stuff at the track, okay? We’re going home now,” Fernando said, looking at Sofia.
She could have told him they could take a train, that she could rent a car and drive, that he didn’t have to do that too.
But the truth was, she wanted to go home with him.
Not alone, but with the man who hadn’t left her for a second, who had held her, comforted her, reassured her all day.
Sofia just said okay. She should have thanked him, should have told him that having him there meant more than anything else in the world.
-
It was a quiet drive. Mateo slept in the back seats, Fernando drove focused, Sofia looked out the window, listening to the soft music that was helping her calm down.
She’d called her sister, told her and Diego what had happened, and the two of them, with Isa’s husband, were waiting at home.
They stopped to get Mateo something to eat and arrived home close to nine.
The two brothers immediately started talking, Mateo telling the story like a hero, disappearing into one of their rooms to shower and rest.
“Everything okay?” Isa asked her sister, who nodded.
“Thanks, Isi, everything’s okay, just a big scare,” Sofia replied.
Isabela thought she should ask if she wanted company, but Fernando stepped closer while Sofy was talking to her brother-in-law.
“I’ll stay with her,” he said to Isa. “You can go home.”
The younger sister looked at the driver. That man was clearly in love with Sofia, and that sentence was yet another proof.
“Okay,” Isa replied, hiding a smile, convinced Fernando’s presence would help her sister more than her own.
When Isa and Michael left, the house fell silent. Mateo and Diego came out to say goodnight, hugging their mother again to reassure her.
Fernando was sitting on the couch.
“Do you want some herbal tea?” Sofia asked, and he nodded, getting up and following her into the kitchen, silent, not asking anything, waiting for her to speak when she felt ready.
They returned to the living room, sitting side by side, mugs in their hands, an almost deafening silence.
“I don’t know what I would’ve done today without you,” Sofia said eventually, lifting her face to look at him. “I was panicking, I didn’t know what to do and…” her voice broke for a moment. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, Sof, it’s the least I could do… It’s your son, I think it’s normal you weren’t thinking clearly,” he replied.
“Everything collapsed on me,” she went on. “The terror of losing someone…”
“…it didn’t happen,” he interrupted, placing a hand on her leg. “He chose a dangerous path, I know…”
Sofia set her mug on the table. “You must be exhausted, Fer, go home,” she said, checking the time.
“Are you tired? Do you want to go to sleep?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m tired but I won’t sleep, I’m sure,” she replied with a faint smile.
“Then we’ll watch a movie,” he said, grabbing the remote. “Something that doesn’t make you think, something that relaxes you… And don’t tell me to go home, I’m not leaving you alone.”
Sofia looked at him. She didn’t want to say it, but she wanted him to stay.
She leaned back against the couch, letting her head rest lightly on his shoulder, while he picked a stupid comedy they’d both seen a thousand times, but that was exactly what they needed.
-
Sofia opened her eyes, immediately realizing it was morning. Light filtered through the living room windows, she could hear faint voices, maybe the TV, and a warm, reassuring presence beside her.
It took her just a second to remember. The day, the evening, the movie, and then she must have fallen asleep.
She was lying on the couch, held in the arms of the man who had been there for her the entire time, a silent presence giving her strength and calm.
She lifted her head. Fernando was still asleep, head resting on one of the couch cushions, hair messy, face relaxed. His arms were wrapped around her, she’d fallen asleep against him, her head on his chest.
Sofia felt peaceful, as if that presence alone was enough to give her a sense of peace she thought she’d forgotten.
She moved slightly to adjust the blanket, and saw Fernando stir, eyelids fluttering. He opened his eyes a moment later, looking around, disoriented, then remembering where he was, recognizing her.
He smiled.
One of those smiles you don’t even know where they come from, but they leave you filled with joy.
“Good morning,” he said, voice still rough with sleep.
“Good morning,” Sofia replied, barely moving.
“We missed the end of the movie,” he joked, and Sofia laughed.
“Looks like it,” she said, sitting up.
“Everything okay?” Fernando asked, noticing the way she’d pulled away, maybe unconsciously, maybe not.
“Yes,” she said immediately, then let silence fall for a moment. “It’s just… a little strange,” she admitted. “I don’t really know what we’re doing, Fer…”
“Us?” he asked, trying to understand.
“You and me,” she replied, not looking away.
“What about it… what’s wrong with this, Sof?” he asked, tilting his head.
“Nothing,” she said. “I just don’t know… it’s all confusing.”
“For you too?” she asked.
Fernando paused, then smiled. “No,” he said honestly. “For me… it’s not confusing. I think I understand very clearly what’s happening.”
“I’m falling in love with you again,” he added, disarmingly simple, as if he hadn’t just said something enormous.
Sofia looked at him, speechless.
“I realize it’s harder for you,” he went on. “I get that you have the boys and a life and that this might…”
“…you have a life too,” she interrupted.
“Yes, but I’m realizing I want you to be part of it,” Fernando replied, reaching for her hand. “I don’t want to mess things up for you, Sof… but I’ve never felt this good with someone…”
Silence fell.
“I understand if you’re not ready,” he added, wondering if he’d said too much.
Sofia squeezed his hand, lifting the other without thinking to caress his face.
“You’ve become so important to me lately that… it scares me,” she said softly. “I just need… I don’t know exactly what I feel, Fer. I just know I want you here, exactly where you are… one step at a time.”
“I can wait as long as you want, I’m patient… apparently I’ve been waiting twenty years,” he smiled, hearing noise coming from the bedrooms. “And now maybe I should go before… they find us here, okay?” he added gently.
Sofia nodded, smiling.
They got up in silence. She folded the blanket and followed him to the entrance, where Fernando put on his shoes and grabbed his jacket, then turned to look at her.
“I’ll call you later, okay?” he asked.
She nodded, then leaned in, wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her head against him.
Fernando smiled, returning the hug, holding her close, kissing the top of her head.
“Talk later… I’ll bring you coffee…” he whispered, before letting her go and stepping out, closing the door behind him.
Sofia stood there for a moment, smiling in a way she hadn’t in a long time.
I’m falling in love with you again.
Those were the most beautiful words she’d heard in a very, very long time.
-
Isabela: How’s it going, sister?
Sofia: Hey, good, thanks, a night of sleep helped.
Isabela: Good, I’m glad
Sofia: Isi…
Sofia: Fernando slept here…
Isabela: Excuse me??????
Sofia: Not like you’re thinking, we fell asleep on the couch watching the movie
Isabela: This is the sequel to the Hallmark movie with the hug in the rain…
Sofia: He told me he’s falling in love with me.
Isabela: He told you WHAT???????
Sofia: I asked him what we were doing, told him I was confused…
Sofia: He said he’s not confused at all, that he understands he’s falling in love with me
Isabela: Oh my god, I want an Alonso all to myself
Isabela: Sofy, that is… ridiculously sweet, do you realize that? Like syrup
Isabela: Please tell me you woke up wrapped in his arms
Sofia: Exactly
Isabela: They’re going to make a movie about you
Isabela: And you? How are you?
Sofia: Confused, happy… happy, confused…
Isabela: I’m coming for coffee, okay?
Sofia: Okay… he said he’ll call me later for coffee
Isabela: Coffee is always a great idea, especially with him
Sofia: Fuck, Isa, you should’ve seen him…
Isabela: I have to ask: are you in love with him?
Sofia: I… I think so… I… I’m happy, that’s it…
Sofia: But I don’t know if it’s right, if it’s okay, I feel like I’m… messing everything up, messing up the boys
Sofia: Disrespecting the man I buried three years ago
Isabela: Listen, you loved Enrique, okay? But… this won’t bring him back
Isabela: And maybe it’s a shitty cliché, but he loved you and would want to see you happy
Isabela: Because you’re forty and you have a whole life ahead of you
Isabela: And I hope it’s with a sexy, millionaire driver
Sofia: What a mess
Isabela: It’s not a mess, Sof. A mess is the life you’ve had until now. This could be simple.
Isabela: It could just be love.
-
April 2001
Dear Fernando,
it makes me laugh a little to start an email like this, but you started it…
I know we talked on the phone a few hours ago, but I miss you anyway. I was sitting at my computer writing, but today the inspiration just isn’t there…
So I started looking at flights to come to the Madrid GP… and I think I can make it!
Maybe we can spend a bit of time together. I know you’re always insanely busy… but you can let me steal you for dinner, right?
I sent in my application for the University of Barcelona, for that course I told you about. I don’t know how I’ll rank, but getting in would be a dream, the professor is one of my favorite writers.
I had to submit a short story with the application, they’ll evaluate it, and hopefully they’ll think it’s good enough…
