Formula One - One-Shots Collection - Complete

The Warning - DR (Part 2)

He seemed to roll his eyes at my question, "I know you don't actually want to hear about it." Daniel wasn't mad in his response, he just knew me too well. "Aimee said you are up for a promotion in your job." 

My lips curled into a sad smile, "Yeah." It seemed almost cruel, my career was something most women wanted but I wanted what everyone around me had, love and a partner to go home to in the evenings. "Somethings are more-"

"Here we go," the bartender placed down the wines and the pint of Guinness before turning back and placing more drinks down. 

Daniel stared at me waiting for to finish instead, I smiled holding the drinks close to me, "Thank you." I gave him a weak smile before I turned away, taking the drinks with me leaving him at the bar alone. 

Placing my drinks on the table, I turned my head back and saw Daniel looking at me. I gulped as I kept my gaze on his, straightening up I continued to look at him. He made me nervous, he made me feel exactly the same way he did every day we spent together. All I wanted to do was to ask him to stay in the UK, stay here with me, be with me. I could hear Camilla talking to me, but I couldn't make out the words. "I'm sorry," I mumbled before I walked away from my table back towards the bar, towards Daniel. 

He moved away from the bar, he was walking towards me too. Then we met in the middle, I stared up at him, my heart fluttering like a stupid school girl having their first crush as she broke the silence. "Don't go back to Australia," my words came out and I instantly regretted it wanting to disappear into thin air. 

As I mentally cringed, he reached forward tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "There's nothing keeping me here, is there?" The way he asked was like he wanted me to give him a reason. 

"Daniel, I..." I didn't know exactly what to say to him, all I knew was I didn't want him to leave today not knowing how I truly felt. Closing my eyes, I felt his hand lingering still near my face before he slowly stroked my left cheek before tilting my chin up to look at him, my eyes fluttering open as our eyes met once again. 

His fingertips stayed on my chin as I bit my lip. Daniel stroked my face with his thumb as I stared up at him, my hands were shaking, my palms were sweaty and my heart was pounding so loudly, I swear the whole room could hear it. "Dance with me, Jenny."

I nodded at him realising that no matter what happened, no matter what he asked me he had me hanging on a thread, hanging on his every word. "Sure," I said trying to play it a little cool. I allowed him to take my hand and lead me to the dancefloor, the music on a song that was slow. 

My nerves were all over the place as I put my hands together around the back of his neck, my hips tingling when I felt his hands on them. We didn't need any words as we danced together, the music guiding us in our dance. I didn't notice the song come to an end but I definitely noticed the opening lyrics of the next song, the sadness flashing in my eyes as I looked away from him. 

"This takes me back," he chuckled before I looked back at him. At this moment in time, I had no words to share with him, I knew that if I spoke I would probably cry. I hated this song for the same reason I loved it, it was our song, the same song we had our first dance to at our own wedding. "Things certainly have changed since we got married," he said casually. I didn't know what to make of his words, I didn't know if he knew how I felt or not. I didn't know if this was all a waste of time. "Can I ask you one question?" 

I breathed in deeply before giving him a nod making sure not to speak. 

"Why didn't you fight more?"

The question caught me off guard, I gulped loudly as he took his hands off my hips and reached for the hands bringing them in front of us as we stopped dancing, his hands let go of mine as he stood in front of me, waiting. There seemed to be less and less air in the room as I tried to think, my hands were shaking like crazy as I seemed to freeze. 

"Nothing's changed," his voice was sad as he looked me up and down. When his eyes met mine again he spoke again, "You are as beautiful now as the first day we met." He stepped towards me and kissed me on the cheek before he started to walk away. 

Blinking, the tears that I held back for so long just feel as I stood there alone. I closed my eyes as I realised that this was the same thing that happened to me when we first broke up. He told me it was over, I didn't fight, I let him walk away. 

"I think we really have to talk," Daniel had just got back from Mexico after spending a good week there for the race. "Jenny, are you listening?" He entered the kitchen where I was sitting at the table, my hands were on the book I had been reading as I looked up at him. 

I smiled at him as I nodded, "Of course I'm listening." 

He sat opposite me, his lips in a thin line as he slipped his arms out of his jacket. "I know I've only just got back, I just think it's best we talk now."

"Okay," I mumbled as I placed my book down on the table losing the page but not caring as this seemed more important. "What's happened?" I asked him as I started to get worried that someone had got hurt on the track or there was something big happening at his workplace. 

Daniel kept his eyes focused on mine before he took a deep breath then spoke. "I want to get a divorce."

My eyes widened as I stared at him. I didn't understand where this was coming from. Sure, we'd been going through a bit of a tough time with him working so much more than I was used to, it was keeping us apart more than I would have liked. "I don't understand," I managed to get the words out as I tried to reach for his hands but he pulled them off the table and crossed them over his chest. "Daniel?"

"We're going nowhere," he told him harshly as he gave me a cold look. "There's no point in continuing on with this sham of a marriage if there's no future." He paused for a moment before he carried on talking, "I'm just working all the time, you're here waiting for me, working all the hours meaning that when I do come home I hardly see you. We're both young, we rushed into this and now I realise what a mistake we've made. As for thinking that bringing a child into this was a good idea, I don't know what we were thinking." 

Everything seemed to stop, I knew we'd been having problems but I didn't ever think that he'd want a divorce. I tried to open my mouth to speak but I couldn't, I just couldn't. 

"I want to make this as quick and painless as possible," he told me as he watched me. I might not have shown it but I was struggling internally with everything he'd said so far. "I'm going to stay with a friend for the next few nights before I head off to America," he explained. "When I return after the race I hope you'll be gone." 

"Gone?" I repeated as I sat open-mouthed. "Daniel, please?"

He didn't speak as he got to his feet before pushing the chair back under the table, he gave me head shake before closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Don't make this any more difficult than it needs to be."

My eyes widened as I watched him leave the room. I didn't know what just happened but I did know that I was too late. I could have done so much more through our relationship to make it work and I didn't, I didn't even fight for him now. Things really had taken their toll on me and it wasn't that I didn't want to fight, I just felt lost without his support. 

"Daniel!" I broke the silence calling his back to me. Opening my eyes I turned around to look at him, he stopped in his tracks before he turned to me. "Don't walk away from me this time."

Slowly, he walked back to the space in front of me, I could see that he wanted to speak but I put my hand up to stop him silencing him. "I might not of fought for you but you were the one who gave up on our relationship. I never wanted to break up, I never wanted any of this." I kept my voice at normal levels as I spoke yet I could feel a lot more eyes on me than just Daniel's. My tears continued to fall as I finally let him know the truth before it was my turn to ask a question, "So, my question to you is, why did you give up so easily?"