Race With a Heart
Chapter 105: Toxic Prelude

Chapter 105: Toxic Prelude

"Sorry for my question ..." Martin began as the drunk boy walked away. The young mechanic felt awkward and a little panicked. "I did not want to..."

"It’s all right," Steve replied. His voice was calm and warm, although a little sad. "It’s not a nice topic for me to talk to, but since we’re going to be together, I think you should know about it to avoid any surprises."

"But if it’s painful ..."

Steve shook his head. A pale but warm smile appeared on his face, as if he wanted to prove that Martin hadn’t actually touched the hard-healing wound.

"A man always wants to be strong and perfect in the eyes of those he loves, but you already know that I am not like that. I mean, I’d like to be perfect, but you know how many faults I have and how serious they are."

"But you are perfect," Martin enthusiastically assured and then, not even realizing that he was repeating what Steve had said about him, added: "In my eyes you are perfect."

Steve looked pleased with the assurance, but the subject he was about to talk about was too serious to enjoy Martin’s words any longer.

"When I said I was broke, I wasn’t exaggerating at all. There is something wrong with me."

Martin suddenly felt a pang of terror.

"Is it ... lethal?" he asked with pale lips. Cold sweat covered his back and shivers of terror began to crawl down his spine.

"What?" Steve was surprised. "No. No!" he assured, realizing what Martin was asking. "You are completely wrong! Remember, I told you that when I witnessed Hannah’s accident, I was so emotionally shocked that I woke up in the hospital and lost three days? "

"Yes," admitted Martin. "I remember."

He knew that the accident and then the girl’s condition had taken a heavy toll on Steve, so much so that the man denied himself any happiness. When Martin remembered how he felt when he saw Paxton on the track, he felt he understood him even more. To see something like this is a huge mental shock.

Steve smiled faintly.

"After Hannah’s accident," he began to explain, "I began to feel constantly anxious. Hannah’s hospital is private, with Old Fergus being a major shareholder. His daughter is one of the principals there, but she also graduated in psychology and although she does not practice, she is a good specialist. She helped me a lot, so much so that I could become a professional driver. Since I started riding I have hardly had any symptoms. But occasionally, under the influence of sudden, extreme stress, or prolonged stress of less intensity, tremors, shortness of breath, and problems with orientation appear. When you ran out nervous then, I remembered Hannah running out after she saw me and him ... When I imagined that I was making you run into a car ... "

Steve shook his head.

"I’m sorry," Martin apologized.

It never even occurred to him that his seemingly normal behavior was so potentially dangerous in Paxton’s eyes. A man who is too engrossed in his emotions to look around when he walks into the street ... Yes, Martin was in such a state then that he could have acted so thoughtlessly. Fortunately, the bar is not right on the street.

"You have no reason to be sorry. You started my anxiety back then, but thanks to you I’m doing really great now. "

Steve’s smile was really genuine and made Martin feel a little better, but he still felt remorse. In that situation, Martin did not act badly, but not knowing Steve’s story caused him pain. This story wasn’t something people wanted to brag about, so they usually keep it to themselves. How many times has Martin shown someone tremendous indiscretion and upset by misinterpreting his behavior because he believed himself to be the most important?

Steve drank his beer, grimaced as if it tasted bad, and announced with a gentle smile.

"My condition wasn’t bad enough to worry people," he explained. "At least not recently. Otherwise, I couldn’t drive races. Larissa, the doctor, and Karl wouldn’t let me jeopardize my safety. They monitor me so much that it is sometimes hard to bear. "

"They care about you," Martin remarked.

"Yes. I know that. Although I didn’t pay them back properly. "

The young mechanic shook his head.

"I don’t agree with that," he said.

"Really? Why?"

"Because for a doctor the best token of gratitude is the good condition of the patient, for the manager of a racing stable it is the good condition of the driver, and for a friend the best token of gratitude is the good condition of a friend. I think they are both very happy that you are feeling better and better. I think your every smile is the greatest expression of your gratitude to them because they know that their efforts helped you. "

Steve smiled beautifully and so warmly that Martin’s heart felt a pleasant twitch.

"But that smile is only for you," the driver announced, and Martin’s heart skipped a beat.

Paxton’s eyes began to turn cloudy. They didn’t drink much at all. Steve two beers, Martin didn’t finish even one, but apparently the fatigue from the race and the accident weakened the driver’s efficiency.

"Why don’t we go home?" Martin suggested.

Paxton’s eyes flashed. The fatigue was gone from his eyes, but only for a moment. Steve fought him, but the fight was getting lumpy.

"To your?" Paxton asked hopefully.

"Why not?" Martin replied, though looking at the driver he had the impression that when they landed in bed, they would only do so to sleep.

The prospect of spending the night with Paxton, even if it was just plain sleeping, was encouraging enough to accept.

Steve stood up and swayed slightly. Usually he needed a lot more alcohol to feel its effects, but after the recent events of fatigue and stress, that may have changed.

"Can you drive?" Paxton asked, taking out the keys.

"Sure," replied the boy.

"Cool. Then start the engine, I’ll just go to the bathroom. "

"Okay" Martin took the keys and followed Steve with his eyes and went outside.

The evening was quite warm and very pleasant. The day spent with Paxton was one of the most enjoyable days for a young mechanic. Love was something really beautiful, and Martin was glad his love for Steve was mutual.

What Paxton said today was a little disturbing. Martin did not consider him some unbalanced freak. He thought everyone has some fears, everyone gets stressed out so much that they can hardly breathe. Martin, for example, was always very afraid of performing at school. He was paralyzed on stage. Steve had a right to his own fears too, especially since his fears were not imaginary and resulted from the terrible scene he witnessed. So Martin was concerned not that his boyfriend was a freak, but that Steve was suffering and when he needed him most, Martin wouldn’t know what to do or how to behave.

Martin got behind the wheel of Paxton’s car. He loved the smell of this car, where along with the strong smell of leather upholstery and seats, there was also the smell of cigarette smoke and expensive cologne, that is Steve’s deadly weapon. It was the most beautiful, erotic, most sensual fragrance in the world. The boy inhaled it with pleasure, stroking the steering wheel on which Paxton’s hands so often rested. Why was touching the steering wheel so erotic?

Martin nervously looked out the window to see if Steve was standing right behind him and laughing at him, but the driver was not visible. Strange, he should be here by now, but maybe there was a line to the toilet?

The boy went back to stroking the steering wheel, but now he couldn’t concentrate on having fun because Steve should definitely be out of the bar by now.

What if Paxton suddenly felt worse, passed out and is now lying on the bathroom floor? Jack was worried about him for a reason, and followed the doctor’s instructions carefully about supervising Steve. Maybe Paxton shouldn’t be drinking alcohol that soon after accidents? After all, he didn’t look good after drinking his second beer. Steve could really pass out ...

Martin got out of the car, not even noticing whether he had closed the door behind him.

"Martin?" suddenly he heard a familiar voice calling him. He turned to see Don. "What are you doing in Steve’s car?"

The sight of the former colleague surprised the young mechanic. He has not seen Alston since the incident in the stable, when Don wanted to blackmail him and then force him into sexual submission. Martin was very agitated then, but now he was no longer afraid of Alston or his threats. If he had to, he could face him now, but this moment really wasn’t the best for it..

"Steve drank too much and I’ll be his driver," Martin replied without thinking, as he clearly felt the need to walk into the bar and check that Steve was okay. Talking to Alston had taken him precious seconds when Paxton’s health was in danger. "Sorry, I don’t have time right now."

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Don blocked his way. He did not do it in an aggressive manner, but nevertheless made it clear that he wanted this conversation. "You know, I wanted to talk to you a long time ago and apologize ..."

"Sorry, but I REALLY don’t have time right now ..."

"Okay, okay, I won’t hold you anymore ..."

Alston stepped aside. He must have said something else, but Martin was no longer listening to him. Steve should be out of the bar by now. If he didn’t, something happened. Something bad happened ...

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.