9 9. Hello, little one!

LARA'S POV

I couldn't sleep during the night, and the moment I heard a dog crying near my house, I decided to go outside and see what was going on. After taking a walk around the garden of the house, I saw there's nothing, but I kept listening it, so I went out and I could see a puppy was no more than days old, wet and trembling. 

"Hello little one, what are you doing here by yourself?" I looked around to see if I could see its mother or someone who was looking for a puppy, but there was no one, so I take it, I go home to get something to dry it. I pick up a new carton of milk to see if its hungry, stick my finger in it and put it in front of it, which it ends up popping into its little mouth. 

I started looking for the keys of my house and my grandma's house to go in without making too much noise since I know she had a puppy bottle at her house, but I couldn't find them anywhere, which led me to my next task, find my cell phone and call Bianca. Once I found the phone, I call Bianca, who I'm completely sure will tell me everything and nothing good. 

"Podese saber por qué cona me estás chamando as catro da mañan, Lara? (Would you tell me why the hell are you calling me at four o'clock in the morning, Lara?)" my sister protested once she answered the phone and if it was at another time, I would laugh "Where are you?" I asked "At home." 

"Specify." I insisted, because at home it could be hers or grandma's " In my house, why?" she asked, slightly more awake and I could almost hear the concern in her voice. "Do you have the keys to Grandma and Mom's house?" I asked "Sure, why?" 

"Do me the favour of the year and bring them to me. I'll wait for you at their house." I said and could practically hear the confusion on the other end of the line. "What do you need the keys for? And where are yours?" she inquired and at that moment the puppy began to cry and I hear movement on the other side of the phone, which gives me the feeling Bianca heard it. 

"Why am I hearing a puppy near you?" she asked wide awake "Let's say when I was about to sleep, I heard a puppy crying, and I went out to see." I answered my sister, but at this moment that was the least important thing "Did you find a puppy and you didn't say anything to me?" 

"You didn't give me a chance to tell you in a morning mood." I said laughing, " It's four o'clock closer to five in the morning, what do you expect?" she asked ironically "I'm sorry okay, but this little thing is hungry, and I left the keys at their house, so I have no choice but to wake you up." 

"Why do you need to go to their house anyway?" she asked and I could hear movement on the other end of the phone "Grandma has a puppy bottle, and I was going to go so I could feed this little one." 

"Can't you wait until a more normal time?" She protested and I refused. The dog seemed hungry, and I wasn't going to make it wait any longer. "I would, but it's too skinny, so no, I can't wait any longer." 

"Okay, I'll see you in ten." she replied "Thank you, Bianca, I love you." I replied, " Right now I hate you, you know." I laughed and hung up, I went to my room with the dog in my arms to put on my shoes and trying to make as little noise as possible, I left the house to go to my grandmother's and my mother's. 

After half an hour, I could see a Bianca leaning against the wall and with the bottle in her hands and I could tell she was half asleep. "Thanks for bringing the keys, and sorry for waking you up." I said sincerely since I didn't usually bother them at night "Better let me see that little thing." 

I uncovered it a bit so she could see it and she make the face she always does when she loves something. "Oh, but look how cute this little guy is. What were you doing alone out there?" she asked pulling it out of my arms. "Bianca, I highly doubt its understanding anything you're saying." 

"Right, you better give it the bottle, I warmed up some milk so it could drink. Now I hope we go to your house, and you let me use your bed." She said, handing me the bottle for the dog. "Sure, let's go." 

"Can we go by car?" my sister asked, and I denied. "Do what you want, but don't count on me." I replied, walking towards the entrance and leaving "Okay, we'll walk." 

I smiled and we started walking to my house while I bottle fed the puppy. After another half hour, we got to my house and Bianca went straight to my room to sleep for another couple of hours. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't fall asleep, so I sat on the couch and petted the puppy until it fell asleep. 

I got up from this and went to the room, I moved Bianca a bit so she would half wake up and tell her not to squash the pup, to which she nodded, hugged it to her chest, and I grabbed a few things to train with. 

Going downstairs, I could see Cameron standing there looking in my direction and he looked like he was a bit sleepy, which I would fully understand the truth. "You cannot sleep?" I asked Cameron, because it was too early for him to be awake. "It's not that, I heard you pacing around the house, and I came to see if you were okay." 

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry I woke you up. Go back to sleep." I responded, "I don't think I can go back to sleep." he replied, and I curse in my head for having woken him up "Why?" I asked curiously "Once I wake up, I don't usually fall asleep again. But it looks like you're going somewhere." 

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just going to train before daylight." I answered following the direction of his gaze "Well, I'll accompany you." He answered and I denied, because it wasn't necessary for him to do it "You don't have to." 

"Maybe, but I want to." he insisted, and I raised my hands in the air "Okay, whatever you want." I said turning again to leave the house "Let me go change and then I'll go downstairs." he asked, and I nodded "I'll wait for you in the living room." No more than ten minutes later, Cameron comes downstairs, we leave the house and a note for Bianca in case she wakes up before we get there. 

For the first few minutes we ran silently through my village, and I have to say I've never felt so comfortable with such silence, but it was just too weird for Cameron not to talk at all. 

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked confused "It's weird you're so quiet. Since I've known you, I always see you talking." I responded with a shrug. "I'm fine, just nervous." 

"Nervous why?" I asked without understanding why he was "Fir the date" he assured, and I frowned, because I have no idea why he would be nervous. "Why?" I asked, "Because I want everything to go well and for you to love her." 

"I'm sure it's going to turn out well, and I can't guarantee I'll adore it, but I'm sure going to like it. I could tell you if I'll adore it if you tell me what we're going to do." I assured him, but more than anything, it's because I wanted to know what we were going to do "Nice try, but I still won't tell you what we're going to do." 

"I just don't understand what you can have for our date if you don't know anything around here." I protested, "I hope I can get to know around." he replied with a big smile on his face "You can always come at your leisure. It's a cool place, and I'm not telling you this because I'm from here, but because it really is." 

"I saw images, and honestly, it's cool. Tell me about when you were little." he inquired and I frowned, because I haven't the slightest idea what exactly he wanted to know. "What exactly do you want to know?" 

"I don't know, you just tell me what you want." he responded with a shrug. "Well, basically we were just running through these same streets. The street where my grandmother's house is? Bianca, our father and I used to play ball in it. And when it was hot or good weather, we always went to the beach to play." 

"Sounds like a good childhood." He said looking straight ahead and I nodded, because it had been "Yes, then when we got older, we went to work with my father, and taught us things about cars." 

"So, would you know how to fix my car if it breaks down?" I nodded, because what was from a normal car, I know a few things "If I can't, I assure you Bianca can." I assured him "But you handle mechanics quite well." 

"I defend myself; it's not the same as knowing." I answered sincerely "You already know more than me, I can assure you. I usually have no idea what happens mechanically to my car when I'm in it." 

"It's not that complicated, and sometimes I don't have the slightest idea either. Why don't you tell me about yourself? You don't usually talk about yourself ever." I replied, "I'm not too interesting." 

"Oh, come on, you're Cameron Edwards, you can't be uninteresting." I replied rolling my eyes "Sorry to disappoint you, but I am." He said and I denied, because I knew it wasn't like that, but I also understood why he didn't want to talk to me. "You don't disappoint me; you just make it clear you're humbler than I thought." 

"What image did you have of me?" he asked now with evident curiosity in his voice "You were cocky, and I'm not saying you don't have to be on track, because you're the one with the most titles on the grid, but I thought you were off-track too." 

"What made you think that?" he inquired, and I shrugged, because it was more obvious why I thought so "Wasn't always trying to bug me reason enough?" 

"Maybe, but I hope you get a better image of me." he said with a small smile on his face and I nodded, because I had it "I do, and now, seriously, I want you to tell me something about yourself, I don't care if you don't have anything interesting in your life. Your best memory." 

"Okay, I'll tell you. I have a few, but the closest I have is when I won my first world title. It was the sixth year in F1 and that year my mother and sister were with me. They always cheered me on, but the day I won the title, I remember looking down on the podium and my sister screaming my name like crazy, my mother crying as if she was never going to see me again in her life." he said and I could tell it was a memory he liked. 

"I can get an idea; Bianca did the same thing when I won it too." I responded remembering that day "And your mother and your grandmother?" he asked now with curiosity, or at least more than he had until a moment ago "They called me yelling like crazy. They usually get together with the rest of the village to watch the races. I remember there was a lot of noise in the background. They basically threw a party." 

"It's not every day someone from home wins a world title." he said, nodding. "Did they celebrate in London when you won yours?" I asked, because something told me they hadn't "Not to the level it have celebrated it here, I'm sure." 

"And how did they celebrate it here?" I asked trying to see what thinks "Better. You're the first Galician to enter F1, the first woman and you made history when you entered and last season. That's something I didn't get." 

"Maybe, but I wouldn't be there if it wasn't for my family. In the end, they were the ones who helped me achieve it." I said with a shrug. If Dad hadn't taken me go-karting, I never would have discovered driving is my passion. If it wasn't for mom and grandma doing everything, they could to get me to where I am today, I wouldn't be here. And let's not even talk about all the support I received from Bianca. 

"I think family is the reason we made it here." he replied "And where is your mother now? I have never seen her by your box or anything." I said trying to remember if I had ever seen her "My mother isn't well right now." 

"Because of your sister?" I asked figuring it's because of that, I practically didn't need him to nod "I think it's normal." I responded with a shrug. I don't know what I would have done if I were in her place "Yes, and all she wants to do is leave England." 

"If I were in her place, I would want the same thing." I answered agreeing "Yes, but I don't know where I can get her. In the end, we don't have any more family, and I don't want to leave her alone with a stranger." he answered, and I nodded, because the same thing had happened to me after the accident. 

"And where is she now?" I asked, "At Eli's parents' house, but it's just to see if anything improves." he responded with a shrug. "Is she doing it?" I inquired. "It seems so." he said, nodding. "Then if she's doing it, why don't you take her with you during the season?" 

"I don't know if the best thing for her is to travel so much." He admitted "But you can try, if you see that doesn't work, I doubt very much Elisabeth's parents will have a problem with having her with them until you know what to do." 

"Could be. I really don't know what to do." he replied and I put a hand on his forearm "Talk to my mother, maybe she can help you get the help you need." I assured him. "Why?" 

"My mother works for a psychologist in the city. Maybe if you talk to her about what's going on with your mother, she could help you." I replied, it wasn't necessary for him to know she's also my psychologist "Do you think so?" he asked with a spark of hope in his eyes "How do you think I get along better with what happened a long time ago?" 

"Are you going to the psychologist?" he asked surprised "I go sometimes. I haven't been there for years, at least for that reason." I responded with a shrug, "Why are you going now?" he asked again. "Anxiety." I answered simply. 

"Because of your father?" he inquired. "Sometimes I get anxious about that, but that's not all." I answered "And what is it all?" he asked "When I have too much pressure on me, which is what usually happens in our profession." 

"Do they demand too much of you in the team?" he asked curiously. "They demand more from me than last year, that's clear." I responded with a shrug, because so far I hadn't had any more problems with anxiety. "I get it, once you win a title, it seems like all you have to do." 

"It seems so, but the car isn't always 100 percent, or myself." I assured "And how are you doing this season in that regard?" Cameron asked. "At the moment I'm good, sometimes I have an anxiety attack, but nothing special, what I'm not so sure about is the end of the season." 

"Did you ever get one inside the car in a race?" I nodded, because even though it hadn't happened to in a while, it happened once "A couple of years ago, when I was in Heygen, it didn't give me like you saw in Bahrain, but it was an anxiety attack. It's a good thing my mother was there, because I would end against the wall, that's more than clear to me." 

"You should be careful with that." he said, and I agreed. I already knew that, especially if I wanted to avoid giving Bianca one and two anxiety attack and prevent her from killing me. "I do, that's why sometimes I call the psychologist." 

"I'm glad it at least helped you with that." He said "It does, or at least it tells me what can help me when it gives me one, so great." It's not exactly what she told me that helped me, but something always improved the situation "Hey, if you ever get one, I want you to know you can call me." 

"I appreciate it, I really do. How about we go to the gym?" I asked, "Do you have a gym?" he inquired surprised we had it. "Well, there wasn't years ago, but I'd rather spend time here than go to town, so I bought the machines." 

"So you have a gym?" he asked, and I denied "No, I only bought the machines, the gym belongs to a neighbour, he lets me use it whenever I want. What's more, he gave me the keys so I could enter whenever I wanted." I replied, "I consider that as yours." 

"No, I pay a fee like everyone else, but they don't know it." Cameron laughed and we headed towards the gym. There, we did some lifting, neck and reflex exercises. After a little over an hour, we ran back home to find Bianca crouched down looking for something, which I assume is the dog, but Cameron's face was funny at this point. 

"Bianca…" I began, "I haven't lost it, I promise, it's just it's hidden." She was looking under the cabinets when I notice she has the dog behind her, I crouch down and it comes running in my direction, which causes me to pick it up when it got to my side. 

"No? So, if it's so hidden, why did I find it as soon as I entered the door?" As those words come out of my mouth, my sister turns around taking a blow to the head and looking at me "That dog is a devil." She snorted and I shook my head, because it wasn't. "It isn't." 

"Of course, it is, I've been looking for it for half an hour." she replied offended with the dog "Then you admit you had lost it." I said and she denied "I hadn't lost it, I told you it had hidden." 

"Yes of course, and hiding is being behind you." I replied rolling my eyes "As you wish, I'm not arguing with you and that devilish dog." With that, my sister got up from the floor and headed towards the kitchen. Cameron was still by my side, but this time he was looking at me and the dog. "Where did that dog come from? It wasn't there yesterday, right?" 

"No, it was outside the house crying. It was wet and hungry, so I took it inside." I said with a shrug "Hello little one!" Cameron said, petting the dog. "Cameron, didn't you have a date with the owner of the demon dog?" my sister asked, and I rolled my eyes "And there's no more time all day? In the end, it's half past eight in the morning." 

"It's not until the afternoon, so don't worry about it, because I won't lose my chance with her." He replied with a big smile on his face "Well, then go take a shower and we're going to Grandma's house to have breakfast." Bianca answered "Go take a shower first, Lara?" 

"Will you take care of the dog? I don't want SOMEONE to lose it again." I said that last thing looking in the direction of my sister, who ended up rolling her eyes "Non or perdín en ningún momento (I hadn't lost it at any time)" she replied with a snort at the end "Yeah, right." 

"Think what you want, I don't have to give you explanations." I handed the dog over to Cameron, went to my room to get some clothes, and left them on the bed. After a while, I got out of the shower, wrapped the towel around my body and at that moment I see how Cameron looks up from the floor and looks in the direction of my room, realizing I had not closed the door of the room. 

"You need something?" I asked looking at him "I... no... what?" He started, and I couldn't help but laugh "If you need anything Cameron." I asked again and he denied, I don't know if because he didn't need anything or if he needed to clear whatever was going on in his head at the moment "Ah, nothing apart from a very cold shower... better pretend I didn't just say anything." 

I couldn't help but laugh, because I had never seen a Cameron blushing, and I really like to see him like this, so I went over to him and took the dog from his arms so he could go to shower, but I went over again to be able to talk to her without Bianca hearing. 

"Now you can go take that cold shower you need so much... although I'm not so sure your little friend down there would like that shower too much." I whispered and with that I separated from him while he stared at me, more precisely my legs, but at this moment I didn't care, his face was funnier. I entered my room, turned around and this time he was looking at me so I winked at him and closed the door so the dog couldn't escape.