Just Him ❤

70. Canada. Pt 2

"Looks like it, but he's still got to face the press at some point." She sighed as she stared at the door that Seb had gone through.

"He'll probably be taking a quick shower, once he's done that he'll come back out. Don't worry, he knows he has to at least do the press conference. Come and get a drink." Antti gestured to the bar with his thumb.

"I can't Antti, if he sees me sitting in here drinking while he's like he is at the moment I don't think he'll be too happy." She looked at her phone which was still vibrating with calls. "I'd better start taking some of these calls, at least until he comes back out." She moved away from Antti and found a table where she could sit and work but still see when Seb decided to come back out. She really wanted to be in that room with him but she knew she should give him time and space. Antti sat down opposite her, watching as she nervously twiddled her phone in her hands. Answering calls seemed to be the very last thing on her mind, he knew that she was itching to be in there with him.

"Stay out here, he'll appreciate the time alone. Trust me." He said.

"I know full well what he'll appreciate, thank you." She gave Antti a pointed look before finally answering her phone.

                  ~*~

Ten minutes and four brief phone calls later Seb emerged from his changing room freshly showered and now dressed in black shorts and his Ferrari polo shirt. He stood, somewhat awkwardly, waiting for Chloe to finish her phone call while other people just seemed stare at him. For the first time since the race had ended he looked at her, she looked just as unhappy as he felt and she was starting to look a little tired as she rubbed her forehead while she spoke. He knew he was going to have to try and keep a lid on his emotions in the press conference, with the anger and frustration he was feeling still simmering under the surface that was going to be hard. He still couldn't believe the win had been snatched away from him like that, what the hell was the sport he loved turning in to?
"Hi." Chloe approached him cautiously with an anxious look on her face.

"Let's get this over with, then as soon as debrief is over I'm out of here." He muttered.

"Sure, what ever you want." She replied, she really didn't know how to act around him right now and it felt awful. He said nothing else and headed out of hospitality, only stopping to hold the door open for her. Again, they walked briskly along the paddock, he kept his head down with the peak of his baseball cap pulled low in an effort shield himself from the circling press and his Ray-Bans on to hide his eyes. Their fingers brushed as they walked causing her to glance at him but, just as he did earlier, he remained staring straight ahead. They soon reached the media centre and Seb went straight to his seat while Chloe found a seat next to Mia, Charles' press officer.

"How is Seb?" Mia leant over and whispered in her ear.

"Not good." Chloe replied, suddenly finding her emotions rising out of nowhere. "He's barely spoken to me since the race ended."

"Charles said he was fuming on the podium, they didn't think Seb was going to turn up. It's a good job he gets on so well with Lewis otherwise god knows what would have happened. He'll be ok when you get away from here, I'm sure." Mia tried to reassure her.

"I don't know. I'm not sure he wants to be around me, he seems to want to be alone right now." She replied.

"Nonsense, he loves you. Anyone can see that." Mia smiled and then quickly turned her attention to the front as things got underway. They sat listening to Lewis for a few minutes before attention was turned to Seb who surprised Chloe with just how talkative he was. As she listened to him it was clear that his feelings were still very raw and he seemed quite disillusioned with his sport. She actually started to wonder if this could be a catalyst towards his departure from the sport. She really hoped this wouldn't be the case, right now she couldn't imagine F1 without him.

"Once I looked in the mirror he was sort of there but for me that's racing and I think alot of the people that I just mentioned earlier, the old formula one drivers and people in the grandstands and so on, would agree that this is just part of racing but nowadays it's just..... I don't like it, we all sound a bit like lawyers and using the official language, I think it just gives no edge to people and no edge to the sport. Ultimately it's not the sport that I fell in love with when I was watching." Seb looked, and felt dejected as he spoke and as the questions were then directed to Charles he looked towards Chloe. He wanted out of this room as soon as he could and as she gave him a small smile he knew that she could tell what he was he thinking.

                ~*~

With the press conference over Seb closed the door to his changing room and leant back against it, that had been difficult. It had taken too long and there had too many questions from the floor. Some had questioned his 'error', some on whether the team was going to appeal after the race and others had asked for his thoughts on the decision taken by the race stewards, again. Now he just had the debrief to go and then he was getting out of here, and Chloe was coming with him whether she was ready to leave or not. He felt a little guilty as he thought of her, he'd barely spoken more than a few words to her since the race ended as he didn't want to snap at her and he could see that she was wary of him. Britta had known how to handle things at times like this and Chloe had seemed as though she just didn't know how to be around him. There was a knock on the door and he stepped away before turning around to open it to see a very familiar pair of green eyes looking up at him. "Hi." He mumbled as he stood aside to let her in. He closed the door and turned to face her.

"Seb, I'm....." She began.

"Please don't Chloe, I don't want to hear it." He ran a hand through his hair. He didn't want her pity, he didn't want her saying how sorry she was that his race had ended the way it had.

"I know you're feeling angry right now but....." She stuttered.

"You've no idea how I'm feeling right now." He cut her off sharply.

"Then talk to me." She stepped closer. "Tell me how you feel."

"I'm done with talking, it's bad enough that I have to go through it all again in the debrief."

"Then tell me what you want me to do Seb, because right now I don't know. I've given you space and I've given you time alone like Antti suggested. You've hardly spoken to me since the race ended, I don't know what else to do." She looked at him, trying to read his face for any clue. "If you're looking for someone to take it out on then take it out on me." She placed a hand on his chest. He went silent and looked down at the floor. "Sebastian?" She spoke his name softly making him look back up at her. Her breath caught in her throat as his eyes suddenly seemed to take hold of hers, now she could see and feel the emotions that were bubbling away inside him. In a flash his hands had pulled her close and his lips crashed on to hers with a kiss that was harsh, hungry and almost forceful until he felt her kissing him back with just as much vigor. He pulled back for a second to cup her face with his hands.

"Are you sure want me to?" He asked, searching her eyes for the answer.