Page 18 of Game on, Love

The noise from the pit lane had died down, and I watched the drivers make their way to the media pen one by one. I was technically ‘off-duty’, visiting as a spectator/content creator for the weekend.

Singapore had always held something special in my heart, and though it had stemmed from the fact that Ma used to love this track, my own love grew for it every time I visited the track.

As I fumbled with my camera in front of me, from the corner of my eye, I noticed the familiar colours of a racing suit.

I closed my eyes for a second and said a silent prayer.

Let him go to a sponsor or random person, please.

The last time I had seen Axel was the morning after everything had gone down. I paid minimal attention to him during his last shoot day and disappeared before he could stop me for any chats, which was probably for the best, considering Iwas still frustrated with him. Why did he have to get involved? Not talking about it was just workingfinefor us.

I sighed, realising he was indeed coming in my direction. When I still didn’t look up, he just stood in front of me, waiting for me to acknowledge his presence. I almost wanted to test out how long he would be patient.

“Rain,” Jerk. Couldn’t even bother to hide the amusement in his voice. “C’mon, you can’t stay mad at me forever.”

“You really want to test that theory with me?” I snapped, meeting his eyes.

Axel wore his usual cocky grin, the top half of his black-gold racing suit hung around his waist, a towel slung over his shoulder. His hair was damp with sweat, and his white fireproof stuck to him like it was his skin.

“There she is,” He smirked and dropped into the chair across from me, stretching out his legs as if he couldn’t care less. “I’m sorry, okay?”

I snorted, “I think you missed your calling as an actor. That was almost convincing.”

“I try.”

“Hope your ice bath is as warm as this apology,” I gave him my fakest smile, and his grin widened, completely unbothered.

“Look, you needed to talk to them, and you weren’t going to do it on your own; I just gave you all a nudge.”

“A nudge?” I repeated, incredulous. “You ambushed me.”

“It was for your own good,” he said, as if that justified everything. “Besides, you’ve spent enough time avoiding it, and they’re yourfamily.You can’t hold a grudge forever.”

“You keep on saying that as if I’m not capable of doing that, but you’re forgetting stubbornness runs in our family.” I crossed my arms, not caring that I just went over our invisible boundary, and it may sound childish buthe started it.

Axel gave me a pointed look, one that made my stomach drop slightly. “You’re kidding, right? Of course, I remember.Everyrace weekend is a fucking reminder. Which is the exact reason why I meddled.”

Well,damn.

I looked away, trying to hide how much his words hit home. He sighed and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

When he spoke again, his voice was much softer. “Look, Rain. I don’t know exactly what happened with you and your brothers, and I’m not saying I understand it, but you have to fix it. If not for their sake, for yours.”

I frowned, my eyes snapping back to his. “What do you mean for their sake?”

He hesitated, “I just mean that I know your brothers, and I know you. You put up walls like you’re building a fortress, and then you wonder why no one gets through,”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand. “Don’t try to deny it.” He shook his head. “You have always kept them at arm’s length. And you know better than anyone that your brothers aren’t exactly the type to knock those walls down gently.”

I pressed my lips together, feeling a mix of guilt and frustration. He wasn’t wrong, and I knew that, but hearing it from Axel made me feel like I had more of a part to play in the mess.

“It’s not just Vedant, though… It’s Dev and Rihaan. And the whole other… mess.” I muttered, still feeling defensive.

Axel leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. “Ah yes, Rihaan. He’s a charmer, isn’t he?”

I couldn’t help but smile; even though he was trying to fix things with my brothers, he was clearly annoyed at Rihaan for the other night, too.

I was… ignoring it. It wasn’t the best coping mechanism, but I had things to do and places to be and if he didn’t want to sort things out?Hisloss.