The Race Director's Daughter (Sebastian Vettel)

25. Leah's Decision

"So how's it going with the racer boy?" Joel asked as he and Leah sat down to eat their lunch in a small cafe not far from the entrance to the circuit. Leah sighed.

"It isn't," she mumbled, fiddling with a lock of her hair. 

"And why not?  You sounded pretty into him, and from what you said he sounded pretty into you."

Leah shrugged. "It's complicated."

"Want to talk about it?"

"You'll think I'm being stupid." He reached across the table and picked her hand up.

"Leah, you know you can tell me anything right?" She nodded. He noticed that her eyes were filling up with tears. "Has he done something to upset you?"

"No. It's just..." She wiped away the solitary tear that had escaped her eye and began to roll down her cheek.

"It's Aaron, isn't it?" She nodded sadly.

"I can't forget what he did."

"No, and you never will sweetheart. What happened to you was awful. It was worse than awful. No one should ever have to go through something like that, but you deserve to be happy. You deserve to live the life you always wanted to live. What that monster did was not your fault. Not even a little bit."

"I thought I could move on. When he kissed me I felt feelings I have never felt before."

"Hang on a minute...he kissed you?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling at the memory despite her inner conflict. 

"When? And why haven't you told me before now?"

Leah laughed.  "In Miami. On the Thursday night I had dinner in his suite, we danced and we kissed.  Then on the Sunday at the afterparty we kissed again.  That's when it all went wrong."

"You've lost me.  You kissed.  You kissed again. And now...nothing?"

"I freaked out.   The kiss got a bit heated and I could feel he had a hard on.   I panicked and I ran away.  He probably thinks I'm a nutcase."

"Oh Leah, sweetheart.  Have you spoken to him since?"

"Not in person.  He texted apologising, even though he had no idea what he did wrong.  I told him he did nothing wrong, that I was the problem.   I didn't tell him why.  We agreed to talk here in Barcelona.  He messaged earlier but I'd already arranged to meet you."

"I don't really know what to say.   You were right when you said it was complicated.  Is telling him the truth really not an option?"

Leah stayed silent for a moment.  She had been seriously thinking about telling Seb the whole story but she was petrified of how he'd react.  Would he see her as...tainted?

"I don't think I can."

"I'm not saying this to be nasty Leah, but one day you'll have trust someone or you're going to end up growing old alone.  I don't want that for you.  You deserve to be happy."

"I know.  It's just so difficult."

"You trusted me, didn't you?"

"Yes but that's different."

"How is it different?  I was a stranger to you when we met, but within weeks you'd opened up to me."

"But I don't fancy you!  God, I didn't mean that in a bad way, but there's never been anything like that between us."

"Ah, so you do still fancy Seb."

"Of course I do." 

"Then you need to make your mind up on what you want and talk to the man."