Page 31 of Not So Fast
But I am.
Okay. Mr. Delusional.
I’m glad you’re home safe. I have to run. Take care.
You too.
Mia reread the exchange at least a dozen times over the next forty-eight hours. Had she managed to piss him off? Or was he simply busy? He did live a crazy life. Maybe that would be the extent of their back-and-forth. An apology. A bit of chitchat. She appreciated that he’d wanted to make it right. Even if she wanted more.
Listened to the Monza episode, he texted two days later.It’s very good. You got some great interviews.
Thanks! Not everyone was avoiding me in Italy.
Emilio got pretty flirty with you.
And he won. Maybe that’s a new strategy for you.
As soon as she typed it, she regretted it and scrambled to unsend. But it was too late.
My mistake. Flirting with you after the race. Next time: before.
Mia’s cheeks turned into fields of red-hot embers. A lava flow from an active volcano. What in the ever-loving fuck was happening right now?
That would require me being at another race.
There’s always Austin. Or maybe before? Have to run for a team Zoom call. Talk soon.
Why did he have to give her so much to think about, then make a quick escape? Xander was an expert at brain baiting.
Okay. Talk soon.
She endeavored to focus for the rest of her day with podcast business, doing a few social media collabs with other creators and a sponsor, and of course, responding to the never-ending stream of comments, especially since part two of her Monza episode had dropped. The overwhelming majority of things people said were positive, but she couldn’t help but notice a negative tone creeping in, including one exchange between two people that made her downright queasy.
formula1girliegirl@mianealnotsofastpod my imagination or are you being way nicer to Xander now? Seems weird. He’s only had one halfway decent race. He’s still sucking.
dirkisstillhotashell@formula1girliegirl Remember he paid for her to go to Monza. She admitted it in the episode after Miami.
formula1girliegirl@dirkisstillhotashell Oh right. I forgot. I thought she was just a fan like us. If she can be bought with a plane ticket, her podcast will die a quick death.
dirkisstillhotashell@formula1girliegirl IDK. If Xander offered to fly you to a GP, would you go?
formula1girliegirl@dirkisstillhotashell yes. Obvs. But I’m not a podcaster.
Mia didn’t know how to respond. So she didn’t. Between this and her run-in with Reginald in Italy, it was now crystal clear that people were watching and paying close attention.And in the case of her listeners, they cared about her loyalty to them.
She put her head down and returned to her work, designing new T-shirts and tote bags, spending hours to sincerely answer emails from her listeners, and taking RSVPs for her upcoming Monaco watch party. The guest list for that event was getting shockingly large—nearly up to one hundred in-person attendees. For someone who intentionally kept her social circle small, the thought of hosting that many people made her break out in a cold sweat. But she’d heard from another podcaster that in-person events were the best way to keep loyal listeners close. A little face time was supposed to turn them into superfans who would spread the word aboutNot So Fast. Which was why she’d scheduled the watch party in the first place, and now that she had a pile of RSVPs, she couldn’t back out.
The next day, Mia decided to initiate the conversation with Xander. She wanted to test these waters, mostly because she still couldn’t believe they were real.
Only problem with your flirting theory is that I’m not good at flirting back.
Not true, he replied moments later.
What had she started?I think you have the wrong idea of me.
I think you might have the wrong idea of yourself.
As if Mia needed anyone to give her more to think about, that little gem kept her brain occupied for days. She was like a dog with a bone. What did he mean by that? She had to put the question to Jasmine when she came over Friday night.
