From Deep End to Surface and Everything In Between (Sebastian Vettel FanFic)

See you again

London, UK - August 2021

It was a sunny and hot day. The sun shone brightly from the crystal blue sky, no clouds at sight. The wind gave implications that autumn was creeping in, but the heat was there to stay for a while. She dipped her hat downer to cover the face more whilst pushing the sunglasses up on her nose to shade her puffy eyes better. The sun was burning her through the black fabric, yet she failed to notice the warmth of the sun.

Her eyes were fixated on the white coffin laying six feet under, waiting to be covered with the black soil. She bit her lower lip when a sharp pain run through her finger when she had pressed one of the spikes on a white rose that she kept in-between her fingertips. The ceremony was fully on, and the priest described the couple who had passed unexpectedly, suddenly and out of the blue. Then he signalled her to move on to his spot and say a few words of the couple.

She shot her blood ridden and hunted eyes up to meet eyes that oozed warmth, faith and peace. She was escorted to the priest's spot, and Seb held her hand tightly, nudging her silently to begin her speech. She stared at her notes in her other hand, but she folded them in the middle and held them in her hands, lifting her hands against her heart. She decided to speak from her heart.

'Emerson was the love of my life when we were together.' She began with a voice full of grief and agony, pausing to think of what to say next, fighting to keep the tears in check behind her sunglasses. 'He was a kind, caring, witty, clever and overall good guy, and the ten years I spent with him were always filled with love, and I didn't feel unloved, not once. His heart was bigger than him. When he loved, he loved fully. He was a half-full type of guy rather than half empty. Your dreams were his dreams, and he made sure they were reached, even with the expense of his dreams.'

She paused to breathe and compose herself when she felt the emotions bumbling in her, fighting her chest when reality hit her; Emerson was truly gone. He was no longer coming back. She felt paralysed when the emptiness landed on her chest, freezing her veins, sucking the air out of her lungs. She was a fish on dry land when she tried to fill her lungs with air. She pushed through when her stubbornness kicked in. She hastily wiped off some wetness from her cheeks before continuing.

'Despite the events in-between us, he attempted to rebuild the friendship we once had, and he managed to do it to a certain extend. He taught me so many things that I'm forever appreciative of; forgiveness, patience, persistence, and how to love.' Her voice cracked on the last word as it was true. He taught her the meaning of love when they had got together. She closed her eyes to keep her tears in check that had begun falling despite her continuous efforts. She didn't want to cry in front of everyone anymore. She didn't want to seem vulnerable and a total mess. 'He showed the meaning of being vulnerable and the strength within it. That I'm forever grateful. Rest in peace, love.'

She swallowed her tears and took shaky breaths after another in an attempt to prevent the waterworks from continuing. However, the silent tears were wailing down to her cheeks, and she didn't make any movement to wipe them off any longer. She was tired of pretending to be robust and unaffected.

Then she felt the warmth varied to her body when Seb escorted her away from the priest's position, where he returned after her short speech. She clung to the person's hand as her life depended on it. She closed her eyes when she felt lips touching her forehead and words murmured. 'I'm here, Liebe. I'm here to catch you.' She was drained.

A moments later, the priest addressed her to throw the white rose on top of the coffin, followed by the other guests. Her eyes were glued on top of the white material that was filled with white roses. Her hand was slowly becoming numb as she had squeezed Seb's hand so tightly during the ceremony. Her gaze drifted to Seb silently, and he planted a gentle kiss on her temple. She closed her eyes to embrace his support, feeding on his strength. His hand slid across her shoulder to another side, tugging her next to him. 'I'm here.' An attempted smile curved the edge of her lips when the words were whispered to her ear, followed by a feather kiss to her neck.