“I know, man, but I just can’t find the right moment. I’m afraid of how she’s going to react when she finds out the whole story.” I lean back, and put my hands on the back of my head. “I can’t lose her.”
“Hey, you’ll lose her if you don’t tell her. It’s better she found out from you than from somebody else, trust me.”
“I know, I know,” I rub my hands over my face. “I’ll tell her.”
After the long flight, we finally arrive at the Doha International Airport. A large crowd of fans awaits us, and members of the press are taking countless pictures of us. We take a few minutes to talk to our fans, take a picture with them, and sign some autographs. The climate is completely different from home, and the atmosphere cannot be described. There’s something special in the air. Before we head to our trailers, we have some sponsoring event to attend, which is part of my job. I’m grateful to every one of my sponsors. I would not be where I am today without their support from the beginning, since motorcycling is an expensive sport. They take us to the event where T-shirts and baseball caps with the sponsors’ logos are set on the tables around the room, and we will give these promotional things to our fans. My duty is to sign the stuff, and take pictures with my fans. Not a difficult task, but I’m nevertheless exhausted at the end of the day.
Ella
It’s been two weeks since I saw Jake last, but I couldn’t be prouder of him. He won the first race, and set the quickest lap in qualifying for the next one, which means he’ll start the race from the pole position. I desperately hope he will return to Indianapolis for at least a few days after the race. I miss him so much it hurts. We talk on the phone every day, but it’s not nearly enough. I can’t wait to have my hands on him again. Luckily, Sophie asked me to help with the wedding preparations this week, so I can keep myself busy. Right now, we are on our way to the bridal shop. She’s not exactly sure what kind of a wedding dress she wants, she only knows it’s going to be short. As we enter the shop, the saleswoman greets us pleasantly.
“How may I help you?” While Sophie is talking to her, explaining her wishes, I take a look around the shop. It’s very elegant and feminine, one wall of glass windows, and it’s really bright. The walls are snow white, and have beautiful lace accents. The chandelier, hanging from the middle of the shop, is lit, even though it’s early morning and the sun is already shining brightly. The curtains in the changing room are a shiny pearl color, which looks very glamorous. Next to the wall, there are two display cases, tiaras in one and ring pillows in the other. When I look at Sophie again, I notice she’s already holding two dresses. They’re both white and short.
“Show me what they look like,” I say. She lifts her arms, and I inspect the dresses hanging from the hangers. The first one is completely ordinary; the only thing standing out is the glitter silver belt. The other one is the complete opposite. It’s frilly, and it also has a belt, but this one is the same color as the dress, and has a little bow on the side. They are both pretty, but nothing special. I’d pick a completely different dress that suits her personality—something bold and edgy—so I browse the dresses while she’s trying on the two from before. The saleslady returned to her place behind the counter, and lets Sophie try on the dresses she likes. When I hear Sophie calling my name, I turn to her.
“What do you think?” she spreads her arms wide, and turns around so I can see the dress from every angle. Wrinkling my nose, I shake my head. “That bad, huh?” she asks.
“Not that it looks bad on you, it’s just not for you. Try on the other one, so we’ll see if it’s any better.” When she exits the changing room again, we both burst into laughter. She looks like a fluffy toy duck. The ruffles look like they are trying to swallow her whole, and the straps look like some weird wings. Definitely too much.
“Oh, man, I feel like a stuffed turkey. Let’s find something else,” she laughs and goes into the dressing room. I bring her two dresses that caught my eye. I like the first one because it has an open back. The shoulder straps are embellished with little red flowers that continue to the back of the dress, down all the way to the hem. The front is simple yet elegant. The second dress is more daring, in gothic style. It’s a red and black strapless dress with a corset, and a fluffy skirt with black mesh over it. Both are short, bold, and much more suitable for her. I take them to her dressing room.
“Wow, where did you find these two? They’re gorgeous.”