Mastermind

Paris August 21st, 2022

"I'm okay, thank you for checking on me."

"Eva you're not okay. You're sitting in the damn shower with your clothes on." I had to reel in the anger that was pouring out of my voice. "I– I'm sorry, I shouldn't yell. But at least tell me why...what did he do that's got you like this? Just talk to me." She sat up and the water continued to fall on her drenched hair. After a moment, Eva reached and twisted the faucet off. We hovered there in silence until finally she turned to me with tears lining her eyes.

"I don't know...I don't know Lan. I just wanted to feel something other than this...this pain in my chest. Focus on something other than the memories and drown out the sound of the phone ringing. Cause it just keeps ringing or buzzing or something. And it's always him." The softness of her voice threatened to bring tears to my own eyes. "It feels like there was a small fire that had been growing since I got back to normal life. Everyone was protecting that fire. Guarding it like the faintest breeze would blow it out. But, over the summer, it blazed." She smiled as if remembering. "It roared to life, and I was writing, I was feeling good again. Pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. Then those pictures came out, and you called, and your–" her voice broke again as her gaze shifted to the cut still glaring on my lip.

"Hey this," I pointed to the spot of her concern, "is not your fault. Gasly was lying so I got mad. I got mad. This is on me." Her head fell back and rested against the wall. Hesitantly, I stood and stepped over the wall of the tub. Then took a seat at the other end. Confusion filled her gaze until she finally broke into a smile. We sat there grinning like idiots...wet...in the tub. I met her eyes and found a very dim light there but it gave me hope. "C'mon crazy lady, let's get you out of here." I stood and extended a hand to her which she took and we exited the tub. Quickly, I found a towel and threw it at my friend which she promptly wrapped around her shoulders. "Do you want dinner?" Her head whipped to look at me,

"Mac and Cheese?"

"You have the boxed stuff?"

"Always." A small smile changed her face and I released a breath I didn't know had been stuck there.

"Alright, you need to change and I'll start cooking."

"Okay Norris, don't burn my kitchen down." Her eyes narrowed and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll try my best Hamilton." After she changed and finished up the dinner with me. We ate in comfortable silence until I found a way to breach the subject of Belgium. "Look, you don't have to have an answer for me now but-"

"Yes Lan, I'm still coming to Belgium." Shit, was it really that easy?

"Are you-"

"Sure? Yes. I made a promise to Lewis that I was going to be there for the last half of the season, and I'm not going back on that."

"He is going to be there Eva. There's no going around that."

"I know, but so will you, and Charles and Daniel." She inhaled a shaky breath. "It's gonna hurt like hell but at least if it hurts, I know it was real." We fell back into silence and when we finished, I cleared the table. Eva moved over to the couch and turned on the TV, some reality show started playing, and before I was done with the dishes, she was already fast asleep. Grabbing the blanket from next to her, I quickly threw it over Eva and turned off the lights. The door shut quietly and after locking the door, I replaced the key under the doormat. 

She needs a better hiding spot.

Standing to leave, I spotted him. He leaned against the wall down the hallway, hands running frantically through his hair.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Trying to keep my voice low, I walked towards Gasly.

"Norris– hey! I– well I just wanted to talk to her. She hasn't picked up the phone and I was worried." He turned to face me and let's just say he looked like shit. His eyes were red and they held a frenzied energy.

"Yeah...that won't be happening."

"Norris please, I just need to explain. I got back and she was packing everything up. I didn't even get to...explain." His hand ran from his face, back to his hair. That's when I saw the tears brimming in his eyes. "Is she okay?" The fragility of his voice took me by surprise.

"That's not something you have to worry about." I took another step towards him. "You did this to her. She was doing fine. Things were getting back to normal but then you had to come along." I kept getting closer. "She trusted you...and for the life of me Gasly, I don't know why." I was within arms length of him now. "The only way you could've done more damage was if you reached in her chest and tore her heart out with your own two hands." I pointed my finger on his chest which he batted away.

"Don't fucking touch me Norris."

"You hurt her! She cried! I found her in the tub for fucks sake!" It was my turn to run a hand through my hair and a laugh escaped my mouth that I didn't recognize. "She lied to me...about you. You! And this is what you leave her with?"

"I just want to see her. To say sor–"

"No. You've said and done enough." Then I made my decision. "She doesn't want to talk to you. Or see you. She said she wishes that she never met you and that these past few weeks meant nothing to her. You gave her a place to stay, took her to the beach, but nothing else." I watched something shatter behind the Frenchman's eyes.

I wish I could say that I felt bad for him. But as I thought to my best friend who was finally asleep on the couch inside...it made walking away from him much easier.

***

Hello hello! I hope you are doing lovely! This was kind of a last minute thought of mine that shaped itself especially with the release of Eva's new single coming next chapter! I love getting to read your comments and just see you guys thinking the same things reading, while I am writing! 

<3