You drive me crazy!

One boring afternoon in January, with the F1 winter break stretching on and nothing else to do, Elias found himself scrolling through a dating app. His love life had been… nonexistent, to put it kindly. He’d never thought too hard about his sexuality—he liked who he liked, end of story. But he wasn’t the type to shout it from the rooftops.
Then a notification popped up: someone added him.

Diego Santos, 24.
Bio: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
Cheesy? Maybe. But Elias liked it. And Diego was… handsome. Stupidly handsome. Tan skin, curly dark hair, sharp jawline, a goatee with a faint mustache at the corners of his lips, and eyes the kind of dark brown that pulled you in like a black hole. His clothes in the photos were casual but somehow still elegant, like he didn’t even need to try. He did look a bit familiar, but Elias couldn’t seem to recall where he’d seen him before.
Elias hesitated, thumb hovering. This guy was definitely above his level. Was he even into men? Then, with a breath, he added him back.
A few seconds later, a new chat window popped up.

Diego: Hi ;)
Elias: Hi!

The reply came almost instantly.

Diego: You’re handsome. What’s a guy like you doing on here? Shouldn’t you be already taken?
Elias: Haha… not really. Nobody’s ever given me much of a chance, but I’m fine with that.
Diego: Their loss. My win.
Elias blinked, heat rising to his cheeks. This guy was smooth.
Diego: Where are you from?
Elias: Slovakia. But I moved to Portugal a while ago. Barreiro, to be more specific. What about you?
Diego: Lisbon born and raised.
Elias: That’s nice.

Elias looked at the screen blankly, then up to the ceiling. What should he say next? Would it be creepy if he asked what he does for a living? What if they don’t have anything in common? Diego is very handsome and… Elias could see himself wanting something with Diego. Then, he looked back as a new message appeared.

Diego: Do you like traveling?

Elias: The normal amount, I guess? I like a good vacation on a Greek island, but I’m not really the type of guy to be in one place then be in another by tomorrow morning. Airports are a nightmare.
Diego: Huh. I see.
Elias: Do you?
Diego: Yes. For work, mostly. I can’t say much — NDA stuff. But I do what I love, so I can’t complain.
Elias: Mysterious. I like it.

Diego sent a winking emoji.

Elias: So, what do you do when you’re not working?
Diego: Games. Forza Horizon, mostly. Keeps me sane.
Elias: No way. I grew up with Forza! Used to spend hours racing on my old Xbox.
Diego: That’s cute. Guess we’re meant to meet.
Elias: Meet?
Diego: Yeah. Coffee, this Saturday?
Elias’s stomach did a nervous flip. He stared at the message a moment too long before typing:
Elias: Coffee sounds good.
Diego: Great. You know Vollgas Café, right? 3 p.m. if it works for you. I’ll be waiting out front. Don’t be late, handsome.