Katherine's POV:
Cameron was still on the phone with Marilyn when I got a call from one of my racers, Rina.
I turned in my seat and answered. “Rina, what’s wrong?”
“Coach,” Rina said quickly, sounding a bit flustered. “The practice match lineup just came out. The Recon Team swapped their second driver and changed their pit strategy. The others are panicking a bit—what should we do?”
Even though it was only a practice match, a racer’s status could still be affected. My mind immediately shifted gears.
“When the race starts, tell Leo to hold back during the first two laps,” I said without hesitation. “Recon’s always baiting him to overtake early.”
“What about Rex?” Rina asked, as I thought about her performance.
“Move Rex to cover the inside on turns three and five. Their new driver favors aggressive corner entries. If we force him wide, he’ll burn his tires too fast.”
Rina let out a breath. “Got it. That actually makes a lot of sense.”
“Just remind everyone,” I added calmly, “practice match or not, treat it like a real race. Sloppy habits form fast.”
“Understood. Thanks, Coach.”
I hung up just as Cameron ended his call and turned to me.
"Katherine, my teammate can't get a cab at the airport. Let's pick her up on the way."
"On the way?" I chuckled lightly, reminding him. "The airport and the practice field are in completely opposite directions."
Cameron frowned slightly and glanced at his watch. "There's still plenty of time. We can pick her up and make it back."
I didn't argue. I simply opened the navigation app, entered the address, and calmly pointed out the facts.
"If there's no traffic, it will take over four hours. The practice match starts in three hours."
"What do you expect me to do?" he replied, visibly irritated, his expression darkening. "Just leave Marilyn alone at the airport? What if she gets lost?"
“She’s got a phone, Cameron,” I said, losing my patience over the whole situation. “And she’s an adult, for God’s sake. I’m sure she can manage.”
"Katherine, are you really going to be this cold-hearted!"
I felt an urge to slap that handsome face right in front of me.
Instead, I clenched my fists, reminding myself to stay composed.
Once my emotions had settled down a bit, I simply asked him, "What's more important to you, your career or picking her up?"
"Katherine, are you done yet?" he snapped back, his anger boiling over. "It's just a practice match, not a real competition. And besides, who cares? They're all just my former opponents!"
His arrogance was getting on my last nerve. I frowned immediately. "The last time you won, it was by a mere three seconds against Mr. Brad, Cameron. Don’t underestimate any of your opponents, even if they've been beaten by you, because no one stays on top forever."
"Alright! I just don’t have time for this today," he interrupted impatiently as he dismissed my lecture.
My phone buzzed again, and I picked it up reluctantly.
“Rina, what is it?”
“They’re asking whether to adjust the fuel loads for the second half.”
I took a second to steady myself before answering, “Yes. Just reduce it by 8%. Tell them to prioritize consistency over speed in laps 6 through 10. Ok?”
Cameron glanced at me, irritation flickering across his face.
“You’re really eager to show off, aren’t you?” he said. “Actin’ like you’re some expert.”
I didn’t look at him as I talked to Rina.
“And remind the pit crew, no early tire changes unless there’s a clear drop-off.”
I hung up the phone and turned to Cameron. “I’m not showing off,” I said flatly. “I’m doing my job.”
“And what do you know about racing?” he laughed.
“More than you think, Cameron,” I said. “I’m the coach, remember? And as the coach, I think you should go to this practice match.”
"I’m going to the airport to pick her up,” Cameron said, starting the engine. “If you don’t want to come, you can get out right now."
In the choice between his career and Marilyn, he chose Marilyn.
In the choice between me and Marilyn, he still chose Marilyn.
Fine by me.
It was his future at stake.
I went silent and buckled my seatbelt.
He scoffed. "You should’ve done that earlier."
Cameron's driving was always wild, and today, perhaps eager to see his crush, he drove even faster.
When we arrived at the airport, I spotted a beautiful woman with short hair standing by the roadside.
Marilyn.
She stood out effortlessly, polished features and confident eyes, and the way she carried herself made it clear she was used to being noticed.
Cameron’s eyes lit up, and as soon as the car stopped, he shot out his seat like a bullet train.
Marilyn spotted him and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around him and arms around his neck in a hug. The scene of them running into each other's arms looked straight out of some romantic drama.
It made me sick.
Marilyn wore tight black shorts that clung to her like second skin, and Cameron's large hand rested on her thigh, intimate and suggestive.
They looked less like teammates and more like lovers.
If I weren’t Cameron's girlfriend, I might have felt happy for their passionate reunion.
But right now, all I wanted to do was call them both out for being indecent.
I scoffed, shaking my head, and unbuckled my seatbelt before stepping out of the car.
Still in his arms with her legs wrapped around his waist, Marilyn pouted playfully. "You knew I was coming back, and yet you didn’t come to pick me up right away? How bold of you!"
Cameron played the victim. "As if I would dare to overlook you! You call me, and I come running from miles away. You know how much I care about you, right?"
Cameron had his back to me, immersed in joy, thoroughly oblivious to me getting out of the car.
But Marilyn caught sight of me. Taking advantage of Cameron's blind spot, she raised an eyebrow at me in a challenge.
She turned back to Cameron and said, "If you care about me, you should have come without me having to call."
"That’s exactly what I planned to do."
Pleased with his response, Marilyn didn’t dig deeper; she was too eager to show off to me.
Pretending to just notice me, she tilted her chin and asked Cameron, "Who’s this woman?"
Only when Cameron turned to see me did he reluctantly put Marilyn down.
He started by introducing Marilyn to me before introducing me to her.
"This is our current team coach, Katherine, and my girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Marilyn exclaimed in surprise, pulling Cameron close and wrapping her arms around his neck playfully. "We're all friends here, and you go and hide such a gorgeous girlfriend from me? I should really teach you a lesson."
Cameron staggered under her pull, holding onto her as he said, "I didn’t hide her! You just silently ran off overseas. I couldn’t even get in touch with you if I wanted to!"
"What? Now you’re blaming me?"
"Of course not!"
The two of them were completely wrapped up in each other, forgetting that I was still standing there. I’d never felt more invisible.
"Let’s get in the car,” I interrupted. “We can’t park here for too long."
"Oh, is your girlfriend jealous?" Marilyn teased, letting go of Cameron. "It's your fault. You hugged me like that with your girlfriend right here."
I turned to head back to the car. I didn’t feel like being pulled into her act.
"Ms. Katherine!" she called out, stopping me. "Cameron and I haven't seen each other in a while. I was just too excited. You’re not upset, are you?"
Before I could respond, she continued to challenge me.
"But before I went abroad, Cameron and I were really close. You wouldn’t know, but remember those times at the team training? Sometimes we’d end up sleeping in the same bed really late at night."
Was she serious right now? I didn’t hide the disgusting look on my face, but that didn’t stop her.
"We’re just good buddies,” she smiled. “So, don’t overthink it."
I didn’t bother to call her out. I was just curious enough to ask, "Good buddies? Did you two come with the same equipment down there?"
"Katherine!" Cameron frowned, displeased. "You really need to watch how you talk."
Ignoring him, I opened the passenger door, ready to get in.
But in the next second, Marilyn dashed over and blocked me.
"Shotgun!" she yelled, shooting me a challenging look before turning to Cameron. "Cameron, I’ve always sat in the passenger seat. You let someone else take it while I was away? Now that I’m back, that spot belongs to me, right?"
I couldn't help but laugh out loud. "What is this? Elementary school? Is your name carved in the passenger seat? How does it belong to you? You’ve been gone for five years. Things change, you know? Some people even go from being alive to dead in that time."
"Katherine! That’s enough! What are you making a scene for?" Cameron said sharply, his voice cold. "Just get in the back!"