Race With a Heart
Chapter 173: Beautiful Roses Have Sharp Thorns

Chapter 173: Beautiful Roses Have Sharp Thorns

Best friend, hm? Once, Karl Walton was Steve’s only friend. The change that took place in Paxton’s life pleased Karl, of course, but ...

Once upon a time, for a short period of time, Steve was the most important person in Karl’s life. His first love and his first and only homoerotic experience. Once upon a time, for a short period of time, Steve had been life’s equivalent to Karl.

Today was different. Today Karl Walton had a beautiful fiancée whom he loved and with whom he willingly wanted to tie his life forever, but the past that was between him and Paxton has not disappeared forever and will probably never disappear. It will also never be forgotten. After all, you cannot remove the first love from your memory and heart, which was not only a temporary infatuation, but a feeling that developed over the years, growing up to the point when the object of this love was finally ready to reciprocate it, even started to reciprocate it, and then a tragedy came, which collapsed everything.

A tragedy that no one could have foreseen, no one was able to avoid, and which was no one’s fault, yet wiped out Karl’s hopes of this love forever.

Three years was enough to let the heart love again. In fact, it was a lot less time for Anna to come into his life. Karl was comfortable with Anna, and he knew they would be a harmonious marriage. But Steve, though with no chance of even a short-lived romance, was still in Walton’s heart. Just like a beautiful red rose that had grown so much into it that it couldn’t be extracted. But this rose had thorns.

The only thing left between Karl and Steve was friendship, but that was a lot considering the circumstances. Today also this friendship, although still extremely important, has ceased to be so critical. Paxton no longer had just him in his life. He had Abe, Jack, and most of all, Martin.

Walton smiled kindly. Maybe he himself was losing importance in Steve’s life, but Steve was still an important figure in his heart and his life. One of the most important.

"I shouldn’t have let you come back to the stables at all, even as a mentor or consultant or whatever you want to call it," he told Paxton. "But I discovered long ago that fighting your stubbornness is like Don Quixote’s struggle. Officially, I am sending you to a special training session, so you don’t even have to hide the fact that you are leaving. Well, like it or not, everyone can see with the naked eye that you are more than colleagues, but the mentoring relationship is selling well here. Being an idol has its privileges."

Steve beamed, really bright, as in the days before that tragic accident happened. His face, his eyes glowed with joy, excitement and happiness. He was so beautiful at that moment that the red rose in Karl’s heart came alive... and drove her thorns into it. Yes, it was Karl who made him smile, Paxton’s face beamed as he looked at Karl, but there was someone else in Steve’s heart and mind at that moment and it would be foolish to deny it.

This little mechanic out of nowhere was really lucky for Paxton, and either Walton would get over it and accept it, or he would turn into the real Don Quixote, because the two at that point were inextricably linked.

Karl wasn’t even jealous anymore, because his love for Steve had long been a platonic, almost brotherly feeling. However, the feeling of regret and the loss of something that could have been a beautiful dream come true and never even had a chance to come true is still there.

A painful longing for a dream that has been killed.

***

Martin got out of the car, sweaty, tired, but happy, and the first thing he did was start looking for Steve with his eyes to check his reaction to Martin’s performance on the track.

Steve, however, didn’t wait for him in the booth and didn’t look in his direction. He was standing a little away talking to Karl Walton and... smiling brightly at him.

A little bug of disappointment crept into Martin’s heart and bit him painfully. The boy gave his best on the track, hoping that Paxton would like his performance, while he wasn’t even looking at the track, just talking to Walton and... smiling at him.

It doesn’t matter that Steve smiles at another man, Martin thought. It’s even good, because it shows that Steve is opening up more and more, that he won’t be so lonely anymore, that he will finally decide to be among people and that was really good...

"Judging by the speech of their bodies," suddenly in his ear, very mysteriously, whispered Jack Lambert, "they’re planning a date."

"What?" Martin jumped up in surprise. "What are you even making up?"

"Not me, you!" Jack smiled, amused. "Wish you could see your face!"

Martin blushed ashamed.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about," he said firmly, though he knew perfectly well that he would not fool himself or Jack.

Of course, Martin knew that Steve and Karl had been friends for years, that Karl had helped Paxton get through the toughest times, and that they had been very close, but he also knew that Steve was now solely Martin’s body and heart now. So Martin didn’t have to be jealous. Perhaps he had doubts at times as to why someone as insignificant as himself would be important to someone as great as Steve Paxton, but one look in Steve’s eyes, one word of his, was enough to dispel all those doubts to nothingness. Love can have its fears but also its strength. So Martin wasn’t jealous that maybe Steve would turn his heart towards Karl. He was only a little disappointed that Walton had distracted Paxton from Martin’s performance on the track.

But it wasn’t worth explaining to Jack. Anyway, Lambert walked away laughing and walked over to Alston. Recently, he has been spending more time with the Don and being friendlier to him. Martin didn’t blame him. Don was actually in a bit of a pitiful situation right now, and Martin wasn’t cruel enough not to have even a hint of pity for him. Especially since he beat him on the track today.

The awareness of today’s victory really filled Martin with joy, pride and a hell of a lot of satisfaction.

"Well done" praised Martin Abe Allen patting him on the shoulder. "You even impressed Steve."

"Really," said Martin with excitement.

"Yes yes. Your idol was very pleased to see you doing so well on the track. He thinks you can be a really good racing driver."

In an instant, Martin’s chest was filled with satisfaction and pride. So Steve actually watched his performance and was happy with it! It was really wonderful to be recognized by this accomplished driver who happened to be the love of his life too!

"It’s good to be young!" Abe stated, and Martin felt suddenly ashamed. Was his reaction to the information of Paxton’s praise exaggerated? Won’t Allen begin to guess something?

"Is it wrong that I care about the recognition of my older colleague?" Martin asked a bit pouting.

"Not at all. Young drivers should follow the example of the older, more experienced drivers. They should listen to their comments and advice as this is how they can learn from their experience. I even suggested to Steve" here Allen lowered his voice so that no one but Martin would listen to him "to help Don a bit, but Steve reacted like ..."

The chief mechanic shook his head disapprovingly. Martin wanted to say that, after all, Allen couldn’t expect anything else from what Don had done to Paxton, but he remembered in time that Abe had not been privy to the situation. If Allen knew what a dirty trick Alston had done, he would have been talking about Steve differently.

"You know something about this," the chief mechanic observed suspiciously. "So there is actually something between them."

"Let it go," Martin asked. "There was a conflict, it was even serious, but it has already been resolved. Now they just need to cool down. You know, emotions have to go down."

"If they don’t bring it to the stables," Allen muttered dissatisfiedly. "Won’t interfere."

Martin thought it was too late for that, as it had even moved to the racetrack. But Abe doesn’t need to, or maybe shouldn’t even know about it. His role was to look after the cars and drivers without exception, so it’s probably better if he’s not biased.

"I wouldn’t have worried about that," Martin reassured him. "Steve is a professional and will not let his private feelings negatively affect his work."

"You’re absolutely right here," Paxton announced, coming up to them. "So pack in the shower and wait for me in front of my car. Karl sends us on a little mission."

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