The Race Director's Daughter (Sebastian Vettel)

14. Jealous Guy

"Seb mate! I didn't see you there," Daniel exclaimed. "Are you by yourself? Mind if we join you?"

Without waiting for an answer, Daniel pulled a chair out for Leah and slipped onto the bench seat next to Seb.

"Do you see anyone else here?" Seb answered sarcastically. He looked at Leah, but she immediately looked down at the table, avoiding eye contact.

"What are you doing here?"

"Funnily enough, I'm getting pizza."

"Whoah, you're in a shitty mood! Chill. I just meant why are you here on your own?"

"Well, I couldn't very well ask Antti, he'd go mad at me for eating pizza, and for being out at this time the night before a race. I was going to ask you, but you weren't answering my texts."

"Shit, sorry. I didn't hear my phone. I couldn't hear much in the fair, the music was so loud."

Seb raised an eyebrow. He didn't know if he believed Daniel or not. Maybe Daniel just didn't want Seb playing third wheel on his "date" with Leah. Seb felt a stab of jealousy flood through him.

Was Daniel after Leah for himself? It wasn't the first time that thought had occurred to Seb. Daniel wouldn't do that to him though, right? He knew how much Seb fancied her.

Of course Seb knew Daniel fancied her too, but he'd been led to believe that Daniel wanted to recruit her for a threesome. So why was he going behind Seb's back to see her? That was something he was going to be asking him when Leah wasn't around.

He gritted his teeth as he thought about Daniel kissing her, of Daniel taking her to his bed. 

Daniel looked at Leah. "What do you fancy then? Besides me of course." Leah went bright red. Did he really just say that? In front of Seb as well. How embarrasssing.

"Actually, I'm not that hungry. I think I'm going to head back to the hotel." She stood up and dashed out of the pizzeria as fast as her legs could carry her.

Seb glared at Daniel. "Did you have to embarrass her like that? You know she's shy."

"I'm just being me! She's been fine with me flirting all night. Until we bumped into you that is."

"Are you not going to go after her to check that she's ok?"

"I'm hungry," Daniel said. "There's plenty of taxis out there.  I'm not chasing after her.  If she doesn't want to be here then I'm not going to make her."

"You know sometimes you're a right jerk Daniel," Seb said, standing up. He headed out of the door and began looking left and right along the street, searching for Leah.

He couldn't see her anywhere. He decided to have a little wander around. The streets were packed with people spilling out of bars. He was worried about her. It was a strange place to her. After ten minutes he admitted defeat and he headed back into the pizzeria.

In his absence his pizza had arrived. He sat back down and picked up a slice. He bit into it.

"You didn't find her then?" Daniel said.

"Does it look like I did?"

"Well while you were looking I texted her to apologise for embarrassing her and to make sure she was ok. She replied. She's in a taxi on her way back to the hotel. She's fine."

"No thanks to you!" Seb snapped. 

"What is your problem Sebastian? You're in a right one tonight."

Seb glared at him. "You know I like her, yet you're making a move on her behind my back. You said that you wanted to recruit her when really you just want her for yourself." Daniel burst out laughing.

"Is little Sebby Webby jealous?" he asked, reaching out and pinching Seb's cheek. Seb swatted Daniel's hand away with the back of his hand.

"Fuck off Daniel." A serious look came over Daniel's face.

"Seb mate, I'm not after her for myself. I still us want to bang her together. I just thought the best approach was to spend some time with her and get to know her. I didn't keep it from you deliberately. I didn't know you were going to react like this. Seriously man, you're overreacting."

Seb sighed. "I just...I took your advice about romance. I gave her a rose. I'd planned to send her chocolates in Italy. I was taking it slowly, like you said. I was building up to asking her out for dinner. Then I find out you'd taken her out on a date behind my back. What was I supposed to think?"

"Ah, it wasn't a date. Just two friends hanging out. I bumped into her yesterday. I'd already been thinking about going to the fair, so I asked her along on the spur of the moment. I'm sorry I didn't tell you ok?"

Seb took another bite of his pizza.  "Whatever," he mumbled, his mouth full. 

Daniel grinned. "Seriously man. Lighten up.  This is all for the greater good.  If we both try different approaches we have a better chance of success.  Imagine the end result. She's definitely a challenge.  She didn't even let me hold her hand earlier."

"You tried to hold her hand?" Seb didn't like the thought of that.  There was something so intimate about it.  It was just supposed to be about sex. 

"Yeah, only to lead her to the Ferris wheel. She soon snatched it back. She said she doesn't like being touched by people she doesn't trust. She soon added she doesn't know me enough to trust me yet. Yet Seb. She said yet."

Seb laughed in spite of himself. "So what now?"

"Well I think you should keep on trying to woo her. It's more of a subtle approach. And I will keep trying to be her friend. A flirty friend."

A waitress appeared at the table with a large family sized pizza and a bucket of hot wings for Daniel.

"Jesus Daniel, Michael would have a fit."

Daniel picked up a slice of pizza and bit into it. "What Michael doesn't know won't hurt him."

Seb grinned, his bad mood fading. He took another bite of his pizza. By the time they'd finished eating it was as if there had never been an issue. He still couldn't stop thinking of Leah though. Why was she so shy? Why didn't she like anyone touching her? She was a mystery. One that he was determined to solve.

***

Leah flopped down onto her bed. Well, that had been a disaster. She was beginning to regret going out with Daniel.

Things had been going so well until they'd bumped in Seb in the pizzeria. There had been an obvious tension between the two drivers. Seb had been in a foul mood and Leah was almost certain Daniel had made the comment about her fancying him to wind Seb up.

Daniel couldn't have been too interested in her though, he hadn't bothered following her, he'd just sent a text to make sure she'd found a taxi.

She sighed, maybe she'd been a bit hasty running off. They were both really nice guys. Truth be told though she felt very uneasy around Seb. Her attraction to him was off the scale, and it petrified her.

The more time she spent with Daniel, the more she felt attracted to him too but in a different way. With him she just felt comfortable and at ease. With Seb she felt like she was out of control.

Maybe the best thing would be to avoid both of them. Decline any other invitations. Just go back into her shell, get on with her job and then nothing bad would happen.

Getting to know drivers was a bad idea anyway.  If they found out who her Dad was... and if her Dad found out, it didn't bear thinking about.  She decided to sleep on it. She wasn't likely to see either of them tomorrow anyway.

It was race day and she wouldn't be attending the afterparty as she hadn't been invited, and also because she had to be up early Monday morning to catch her flight home.

Maybe by the time Imola came around they'd both have forgotten all about her.