Lights Out • 1 • Formula One ✔️

Chapter 102

"I'll see you in the morning, okay?" I told Charles over the phone, a small smile on my face as I closed my hotel door behind me. "I made it back to my hotel safely. You don't need to worry about me."

"But I do, chamallow. You seemed a little distracted tonight. I mean, you left earlier than normal." His voice was soft and filled with concern. I chose not to tell him about the sabotage thing mostly because of the fact that I didn't want to talk about it. If he found out, Charles wouldn't stop worrying for me and I didn't want to burden him with something like that. "I worry about you."

"There's no need," I reassured. "As I said, I'm just tired. They've been working me hard since we're not overly strong at this track. I need to get my predicted P7 up to a P4 minimum, and I can't do that when I'm sleep deprived."

"You could've stayed the night with me."

I sighed and dropped my bag down onto the floor. The thought had crossed my mind to spend the night with Charles, but I didn't want to risk getting another phone call. It was all that played on my mind when we were together hence why I seemed so distracted. "I wouldn't have gotten much sleep with you."

"True." I detected the cheekiness in his tone and couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Alright, I'll let you get some rest."

"Thanks. I promise I'll call you in the morning. Goodnight, Charlo."

"Goodnight, Lys."

I pulled the phone away from my ear and ended the call. With a sigh, I threw my phone down onto the bed and rubbed my face with my hands. Now that I could no longer hear Charles's voice, a panic was setting over my body. There was no comfort in this empty room and a part of me regretted not staying the night with Charles.

My eyes glanced to the clock on the wall so I could see what time it was. Only 9:30? I was hoping that it'd at least be a little later on in the evening so I wouldn't be waking up early in the morning. Nevertheless, I decided that I might as well try and have an early night. The faster I'm asleep, the faster I can forget about my problems.

I did my nighttime routine: brushed my teeth; combed my hair; slipped into a nightshirt. When I climbed into bed, I pulled the covers up to my chin and tucked my legs up to my chest. I decided to play some soft music from my phone go distract me from my tense thoughts. If I want to distract myself from a low mood, I usually play a playlist that has the opposite energy. Disney music was always a safe option.

When I begin to drift off for short periods at a time, I switched off my phone before turning my sole focus to falling asleep. Hopefully, my tight chest will be more relaxed when I wake up in the morning.

***

I don't know how long I had been asleep for but I woke up on a panic. Sitting upright, my breathing suddenly became erratic and my heart beat could be felt in my ears. I need air.

Gasping for air at the small window wasn't enough and I quickly realised that I needed to head downstairs in order to get some fresh air. My small hotel room was starting to close in on me as the air got hotter and my breathing got faster.

With desperation, I stumbled to my hotel door and flung it open, taking the key card out of the holder so that I'd be able to get back in once I had calmed down.  My mind didn't acknowledge the journey down the two flights of stairs, and I was stepping out of the lobby doors in no time. My vision was foggy as I dropped to a sitting position on the front steps. There was a tall column to my left which I leaned against for support as the world began to spin from underneath me.

Just breathe, Lys - I repeated the phrase over and over in my head. My arms trembled and my fingers drummed uncontrollably against my legs. When I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to focus on my breathing, more tears spilled through my lashes and onto my warm cheeks.