Double Sided Tracks

Lewis

Maybe going to a random club and making out with a girl isn't the smartest move Lewis had done in the past month. But, he was miserable and he felt alone– despite being surrounded by people, the blaring music and the blinding lights. If Angela was here, she'd told him that he's stupid for even going out like this before a race. But Angela is not here, and neither is Nora, and maybe that's why he felt so alone.

His connection (the guy who occasionally sent him paparazzi pictures) had sent him a picture of Nora and Max, she looked small– in a way that gave a slight squeeze in his heart. He caused that, the way she looked like she's swallowed by her clothes though it's just his imagination. Guilt making him see things.

He squinted his eyes on her wrists, trying to see if she's still wearing the bracelets he gave him. Trying to find traces of him, anything.

He made out with a random girl in a club in Brazil, and at some point he thought he saw Nora standing in front of him. That's when he decided to go back to the hotel and sobered up for the race.

He feels miserable, he holds no excitement for the season even though it's just started. The car is better than last year, yet he felt so exhausted trying to drag the piece of shit to the podium. He did it anyways, whole time wishing he's nose deep in the barrier, it's never wise to drive while slightly hungover.

He can't even feel the envy seeing Max standing on the highest step on the podium, because he envied something else. Max usually at least knows how to play it up for the crowd, for the camera, spraying champagne with all smiles but this time he glared at him. Lewis was too hot and exhausted to care so he didn't.

He dropped himself on the sofa in his driver's room, ready for debrief. He had to endure Max glares throughout the media pen, that he almost just walked to him and confronted him– he stopped himself.

Nobody had knocked on his door so he unlocked his phone to scroll through Twitter, when he saw trending tweets of himself (yes, he followed his own hashtag).

"Max and Lewis at the same club yesterday, friendship confirmed omg"

He scrolled down again and stopped at one tweet,

"I saw Max and Lewis at a club last night, only took a picture with Max though #luckyfan"

And the picture attached was the fan with Max, his heart dropped because he spotted a figure behind Max and he could be half blind but he'd recognise the person anytime. It was Nora.

So it wasn't an imagination, Nora was there. She was there when he was making out with a girl he couldn't even remember the name, half drunk out of his mind– and she was there, and she saw, and—

He stood up quickly and left the Mercedes hospitality, ignoring Toto on his way out. He didn't know where he was going because he knows that what he's looking for is not here, but he knows someone who would know.

He stopped in front of Red Bull and looked around, contemplating if he should barge in there and find Max. He was about to risk it all when he spotted Christian, "Hey, do you know where Max is?" he asked, ignoring the shocked look on Christian's face.

He wanted to scoff at his face, come on man, now you can tell the media that I actually approached you.

"Uh– yeah, I–" before he answered, Max emerged behind him, walking out of the makeshift building.

Lewis ignored Christian and walked up to Max, meeting him halfway. "Is Nora here?" he asked, shamelessly. Well aware that he has no right asking him that.

Max shrugged, "she left."

"Where?"

Max scoffed, Lewis wanted to punch her. "Why should I tell you that?"

Lewis shook his head and walked away. She's probably going home, he knows where Sultan lives. He'll knock and bang on his door if he needs to– he needs to explain to her, can't have the last thing she sees was him making out with a girl.

He'd like to drop everything and just fly to Qatar, but unfortunately he is a person with responsibilities and at the moment he has no Angela who will tell him what's acceptable to bail or what's not acceptable. So, he made his way to Qatar two days later.

Standing in front of Sultan's house, all of a sudden jumping out of an airplane, crashing into a barrier, skydiving– nothing beats this. The adrenaline of standing in front of Sultan's house knowing he might see Nora today.

He rings the doorbell, he was expecting someone else to open the door. A housekeeper, or a security– judging by the size of the house. He wasn't expecting Sultan to open the door, and he certainly wasn't expecting him to smile.

It was a genuine smile too. Angela always said that he's nice, even before he knew Nora. Maybe Angela was right. Sultan is a better man than him because if he were to be in his position– he would've hurt Lewis for hurting his daughter.

"I'm here to see Nora," he said, manners flew out the window.

Sultan patted him on his shoulder, "Lewis, I can't tell you what to do." He started and Lewis frowned, confused about where the conversation was going. Lewis stayed quiet.

"I can't tell you ways to love or how to live your life, because I'm not your father." He said, "but I am Nora's," he continued, eyes looking into his eyes. "I am her father, and it's my job to protect her and to make sure she is loved the way she deserved." Sultan said firmly.

Sultan doesn't show much emotion, Lewis couldn't decide what he's feeling right now. "Lewis, I think you have made your choices. I think you've made your decision by letting her go, right?" he said, with certainty and calmness in his voice. Not a hint of rage, and he nodded. Pat Lewis again on his back. "Go home, Lewis."

"Can you tell her I'm–" sorry? "That Brazil was–" was a mistake and I didn't mean it, it meant nothing. Nothing matters. That if I could take back everything, I would.

"I will." Sultan cut him off.

Lewis sighed, somehow he knew that he would never pass the message along to Nora and he can't blame Sultan for that.

___

The end game is still undecided because I have 2 versions, can u believe that LOL