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“Sir we can of course change your meal for you but this is the fourth one you have sent back so we are unable to comp this one for you.” He tries explaining with all the patience he can muster.
“But I am a paying customer!” Alex takes a deep breath and prepares to get again repeat himself but he feels a hand on his shoulder and looks back to see his manager Seb behind him.
“I’ll sort this Alex.” Alex turns on his heels and moves onto his next table. Screw those rich bastards. The audacity to return four different meals. Alex has had enough of this ridiculous job.
He checked his table plans to find that the table that was reserved earlier is no longer empty and that they’ve been sitting there for ten minutes and he’s not gone over because that dickhead on the other table has kept him busy. He rushes to grab the menus and serve them as quickly as possible.
“So these are your menus, I’ll give you a few minutes to look over them and I’ll be back.” He is putting down the menus in front of the guests and when he looks up he realises it is George Russel and Lewis Hamilton. He’s starstruck for a second before he is moving on again to the next table. No time to linger on the famous faces. Not even if he loves both of them.
Alex has grown up watching the F1 with his sisters and even now he’s moved out he still loves it. There’s something so therapeutic about watching cars drive around in circles. He thinks maybe he likes it even more because it always gives him something he could enjoy with his siblings. Having sisters is harder than one may think. Alex also has to admit that he has always found some of the drivers kinda hot. Especially George Russel. Look he knows this very English rich boy should not turn him on but he does.
Every time he goes over to serve the table he feels his heart rate skyrocket. Being in the presence of both THE Lewis Hamilton and his celebrity crush George Russel is terrifying. He tries his best not to seem like some weird fangirl but he struggles. He can’t help staring at them from afar every now and then and also blushing and looking away every time he makes eye contact with either of them.
“Alex is it?” George is not at the table and it’s just Lewis and that’s still just as scary. The fact that Lewis wants to speak to him is even scarier.
“Yeah, is there anything I can help with?” He shifts on his feet slightly. He hopes Lewis doesn’t find that annoying.
“Well it’s not a normal request but my friend George thinks you're hot and he’d like to get your number.” Alex finds himself pulling a funny face at this. George thinks he’s hot?! The George Russel? Alex didn’t even know he was gay.
“I- um” he freezes, what the hell are you meant to say to that?
“Of course, George would be able to provide for you and help you out with university.” Alex looks at him with shock. How did Lewis even know he’s in uni?
“Like a sugar daddy?” It comes out his mouth before he can even think about the words. This is so embarrassing.
“Exactly like a sugar daddy.” Lewis nods as he speaks and Alex feels a little sick.
“I mean I’m like not really that hot or anything, George can do much better.” He tried to reason, more for himself than anything.
“Give yourself more credit, how about I just give you his number and you can give him a call once you’ve had some time to think.” Alex finds himself nodding and then accepting the slip of paper with George’s phone number on.
He goes to clear their table once they’ve left and finds they’ve left him a tip. A very big tip. A 300 pounds kinda tip. All in cash. Alex is in shock as he tucks it into his apron. He has to call George and thank him for this.
He realises calling is probably a bit much. People don’t really call nowadays. Everyone snapchats. Maybe Alex is boring but he hates Snapchat. What is wrong with WhatsApp? Or text?
Alex: hey this is the waiter from earlier
Alex: thank you so much for this tip, I don’t know how to thank you
George: you can thank me by letting me take you to dinner next weekend
Alex: tell me a time and place and I’ll be there
Alex spends the next week with George on his mind. He can’t believe he is going to dinner with George Russel. Is it a date? He doesn’t really know and he is too scared to ask. If he asked, that would seem a bit weird. So he just assumes it isn’t and if it is then even better.
On the day he forces Lando to help him choose his outfit and do his hair. Lando is about as useful and a fork when trying to eat soup but oh well. There’s no need to get angry with Lando. Lando does help hype him up a bit by being there. He has this energy that is like no other.
“You’ve got this Alex, just be yourself with a tiny bit more energy and enthusiasm.” Lando puts his hands on his shoulders and shakes him lightly.
“That statement counteracts your first point.” He points out to Lando.
“You know what I mean.” Lando rolls his eyes and then is ushering Alex out the door.
He gets to the restaurant and it is fancy. He already knew it would be but still. He isn’t used to actually eating at a fancy restaurant. This is all very scary. Maybe more scary than moving across the country to a city he doesn’t know. He waits for George and eventually he sees him rounding the corner. He instantly notices George is in a nice shirt and trousers and Alex’s old button up and trousers seem like poor people's clothes compared to him. Well he is kinda poor. Supporting your family and living in London and going to university will do that to you.
“It’s nice to see you again.” George is leaning in for a hug and Alex gets a whiff of his expensive cologne.
“It’s nice to see you too, thank you for inviting me to dinner.” Alex says politely. He isn’t really sure what else to say.
“Really the honour is mine.” George, ever being the gentleman, lets him through the door first and even pulls his seat out for him and tucks him under the table. This is the most crazy thing to ever happen to Alex.
George is very polite and slightly nervous which is ridiculously cute. It’s a bit awkward to start with but it soon becomes like a date. Alex is quite sure this is a date.
“So what do you do at university?” George asks at one point and Alex smiles. He loves his degree, more than he loves anything. He could talk about it for years.
“I do history at Queen Mary’s.” George raises his eyebrows in interest.
“Do you enjoy it?”
“Very much, I was worried I’d lose my passion for it but three years in and I love it.” He thought maybe a masters would be too much and he’d want to give in half way through but he doesn’t want uni to end and plans to work as a professor after he’s finished.
“You must be doing a master's then?” George asks with interest.
“Yeah I am.” He nods as he talks.
“That’s very impressive, you must be smart then.” Alex doesn’t know if that’s a compliment or a question and so he just smiles and blushes.
Dinner is nice. Very fancy and very expensive. Alex tries to not cringe at the menu prices and orders a cheaper meal because that’s only
polite. The meal is still incredible though. Maybe the nicest meal Alex has ever had.
“So I don’t know if Lewis told you,” George leans forward slightly after dessert has been cleared and he lowers his voice “but I want to look after you.” Alex finds himself leaning in too.
“In what way?” George has a slight smirk on his face and Alex is mostly trying to be a tease.
“In a letting me buy you things and paying your rent and taking you out for dinners kinda way.” Alex feels a shockwave go through him. Paying his rent? That’s crazy.
“I-“ Alex is at a loss for words.
“Look I know it’s a lot and you don’t have to say yes but I just want to look after you and give you what you deserve.” Alex wants to ask him why? Why him? There’s nothing special about him. George could have any girl he wants for free. Or any man.
“I just don’t get what you get out of this arrangement.” He states.
“The satisfaction and pride of knowing you are looked after and safe and don’t have to struggle.” Alex is trying to find reasons to deter George. He isn’t really sure why because this sounds great.
“Well I send my family money so I would still have to work anyway.” He tries.
“How much do you send?” It isn’t the reply that he expects.
“Six hundred a month.” It’s a lot, too much but his family needs it.
“That’s fine, we can accommodate that in your allowance.” Alex’s jaw drops open. This man can’t be for real.
“Ok, I’d like to be your sugar baby then.” The words feel wrong and foreign as they come out of his mouth.
“How about dinner on Wednesday and we can work out all the details?” Alex agrees and then George is paying the bill and leaving. George insists on driving him home in his fancy Mercedes and Alex thinks maybe he could get used to this life. This is much more relaxing than the tube and then a walk home.
“See you on Wednesday.” George doesn’t try to kiss him or anything as he leaves. Alex isn’t sure what that means. Sugar babies are usually required to do the sugar part. Maybe George doesn’t want him like that. But then what would the point of all this be? Why would he waste his money if he didn’t want something from Alex in return.
——
He is nervous on Wednesday. He isn’t really sure what the whole protocol for this kinda thing is and he doesn’t want to ask for too much. Before he leaves he Google’s how much George earns according to google. Spoiler alert: it’s a lot. More than Alex will ever see in his lifetime.
The dinner starts off normal and for the first two courses they just talk about general things and both of their lives. Until desert, this is when George starts to talk about his allowance.
“So I was thinking four thousand pounds a month and then obvious some gifts and stuff during the month too and maybe the occasional trip with me if you're up for that. Oh and change your bank account on your rent so it comes out my account” Alex is in shock. FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS. And his rent paid. That’s a hell of a lot of money. That's a lot. Too much almost.
“That’s a lot of money George, are you sure about that?” George nods instantly.
“Of course, then you can send plenty of money to your family and have lots to spare for yourself.” Alex is speechless. How is this his life?
“That would be amazing, thank you so much George.” He wants to kiss him and hug him and just thank him for this.
“Well then it’s settled, you send me over your bank details and I’ll send you mine to put on your rent agreement and it will all be sorted.” George seems pleased too and Alex is in shock.
“What do you want In return?” He asks with a lilt to his voice.
“Just texts, a phone call every now and then and to see each other when I am at home.” Alex is in shock. There’s no mention of sex or anything.
“So no like sexual favours.”
“No no no, did you think I meant that?” George seems kinda panicked.
“Well that’s like what usually happens.” Alex tries to explain as quickly as possible.
“That’s never what I meant Alex so don’t worry.” Alex wasn’t worried in the slightest. Really it would be a dream but he just nods and the dinner continues with no problems.
That night Alex recounts the events of the night and what his allowance is and Lando is just as shocked by it as him. Lando jokes that he needs a sugar daddy too and for some reason the joke makes Alex feel a little dirty. Maybe it is wrong to take money off of George. Maybe he’s got a mental illness and doesn’t know what he’s doing. Alex doubts that and thinks that maybe that thoughts a bit harmful. He’s had depression and anxiety and he still knew what he was doing. They’d definitely check something like that in formula one. He’s sure of it.
Alex reasons that at least he no longer has to worry about how he’ll pay rent and give his family money. He won’t need to worry at all. He can just focus on uni and enjoying his life. Alex thinks George is like some sort of guardian angel.