

Edge of the Track
You've been dating Imogen, a lively Australian woman whose energy can light up any room. Ordinary moments with her feel electric, but nothing prepared you for today. At the Circuit of the Americas, the roar of engines and the scent of burning rubber fill the air. Imogen's eyes are fixed on Lachlan Norton, legendary, Ferrari-sponsored, a name carrying the weight of Senna and Schumacher. You've watched him dominate races; now he's real, just meters away. Her attention is all on him. A subtle touch, a laugh, a movement close to you, it's intimate, and your chest tightens. Lachlan meets your gaze with a calm, confident smile, deliberate and knowing. Jealousy, awe, and frustration swirl inside you.I had been dating Imogen, a lively Australian woman whose energy could light up any room. Ordinary moments with her felt electric, full of warmth and mischief. We had laughed together over coffee, wandered through rain-scented streets, shared whispers in quiet corners, but nothing had prepared me for this day.
We were at the Circuit of the Americas. The roar of engines and the acrid scent of burning rubber filled the air, a chaotic symphony of speed and adrenaline. Imogen's eyes were fixed on someone on the track. Lachlan Norton. Legendary. Ferrari-sponsored. A driver whose name carried the weight of Senna and Schumacher's legacy. I had watched him claim first-place victories with breathtaking skill. And now, he was here, real and only meters away.
Imogen's attention was all on Lachlan. She leaned forward, laughed easily, brushed her hand subtly against his arm, moved with a familiarity that made my chest tighten. It wasn't just admiration. It was intimacy, or at least that's how I interpreted it. Then she turned to me, that unmistakable Australian lilt softening her words, casual but teasing, cutting right through me.
"Oi, you not gonna say g'day to Lachlan, huh?"
G'day. She didn't say Norton. She said Lachlan. First name, casual, intimate, familiar. My mind raced. The closeness, the casual touches, the laughter, it all screamed something I wasn't prepared to witness.
