Seb had officially retired from Formula 1 after finishing his final lap on the Abu Dhabi GP race. It was a big, emotional weekend, not only for him but also for his and Gia's families. The couple was so touched as they could attend his final race. Even Mariska and Tobias also came with bringing their only daugther, Lätizia.
He was also touched with how he got a lot of appreciation from F1 itself, FIA, fellow drivers, and obviously the fans. He received so many gifts and letters from them that it made him think if he needed an extra baggage when he flew back home. After the race, he spent a bit of time to do an Instagram live for the first time, thanks to Britta for helping him. He explained the meaning of the black t-shirt he was wearing, an 'Invitation' word with a picture of the Earth above it.
It was a sort of invitation to all people to give a positive impact to the world they were living in. He emphasized that even small things they did would make a big difference. He also revealed a little bit of his personal life, the death of Gia's father and the birth of their son, which became the reason he started reflecting on his own life. One chapter of his life finished and he was ready to write the next one, mainly with the people he loved.
---
Gia couldn't stop playing with the magnetic buckle of her notebook. Seb who was sitting next to her could very clearly hear it. He took her hand that was holding the buckle with his. "Gia, stop thinking about Ludwig. He's in good hands, for sure."
She looked at him and sighed a little. "But what if he cries because he misses us? We will be far away from him."
"No need to worry. We told Sophia to video call us if it happens, remember?"
"Yeah, but still..."
He kissed her head gently. "He will be fine. Besides, we really need this quality time together. We are gonna give him a little sister, aren't we?"
She patted his thigh a little hard. "Seb! What if people hear?"
He couldn't hold his laugh. He was glad that he had at least lightened up her mood. He understood how hard it was for them to leave their son to stay with Gilbert's family as they had planned to have a trip together after the 2022 season ended. Adelina was staying in Berlin as well so, as Seb said, Ludwig would definitely be in good hands.
Seb and Gia were on their way from Berlin to Copenhagen. To support his sustainability movement, they used a train instead of a plane and it would need less than 7 hours for them to reach the central station in the capital of Denmark.
She put her notebook back into her crossbody bag, as she took it before only for distracting herself. He was right. They both needed some quality time after a hectic season for him, which was his final one.
---
The way he supported sustainability movement really amazed her. Instead of a car, he decided to rent bicycles to explore Copenhagen. Besides, they were staying at Coco Hotel that was working on several initiatives aimed at securing positive change that was beneficial for the environment.
They used solar energy to powering the hotel, they donated one tree per night to a reforestation project in Kenya when someone booked their stay through the hotel's website, and they also had the Green Key certification and had prepared an Environmental Policy for the hotel. Those were so in line with his mission to make a change to the world.
After dropping their suitcases inside their superior room where they'd stay at for about four nights, they rested for a few minutes before going to the bike rental. They both were wearing hoodies as the weather was cold and crisp. When they arrived, they rented the bikes in the app on his phone and unlocked it before they started riding.
They kept riding their bikes until he stopped in front of a building. "Gia, let's hang out here!"
She also stopped her bike and glanced. "What?! Bastard Café?"
He cackled. "Forget the name. Seems like they have board games there. Maybe we can play a thing or two if you want."
"Sounds interesting."
They both parked their bikes and locked it before walking hand in hand to the inside of the cafe. They looked around and it wasn't too crowded. There were some couples and around two groups of teenagers who had probably finished their study and wanted to hang out together. She looked at some shelves there which were full of board games. From a far, they looked like books and it immediately reminded her of her bookstore.
When they sat down on a table of two, a waitress approached them and smiled. She gave them the menu books. Gia ordered double espresso, while Seb preferred lemonade. She chuckled as he still refused to drink coffee. They also added their order with a basket of fries. After that, the waitress also asked whether the couple wanted to play a board game.
"Got an idea what to play?" he asked her.
"I don't know. I have no problem with any game."
He was thinking for a few moments before asking the waitress. "Sorry, is there a game that is related to racing cars or something?"
"Sure, there is. I'm gonna take it for you both." She left them for some minutes before going back to the table. "Here it is. This is still very new."
Seb looked at the box and he smiled very broadly. Heat: Pedal to the Metal. He swiftly opened the box and took some of the cards. The style was so vintage and it looked very interesting. He needed to buy one, for sure. The waitress told them that it wasn't free, so they had to pay for small rent fee, and he didn't mind with it.
"How do we play this, Seb? I don't understand," she asked before chuckling.
"There are rulebooks here, so let me read it first."
He started reading the rules of the game and explaining to his wife. She couldn't fully understand how it worked but she would still play it with him because it looked like he really liked it. She also wouldn't mind if she lost as she knew that he was very competitive.
Just like Formula 1 and any other racing, the players raced their cars around the track for a given number of laps to determine the best driver. Seb picked blue while Gia chose green which were their respective favourite colours. He smirked as he was confident that he would win it. All those terminologies were very familiar to him and some of them were probably not to her.
After almost an hour, as he expected, he won that race. She sighed heavily and he couldn't hold his laugh. "My poor baby," he said while rubbing her cheek tenderly. "I'm not sorry for winning this game. But I know how to make you feel better."
"How?" she asked innocently.
"I'll show you tonight. In bed."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh my God."
He giggled. "Erm, I think I really love this game. I'm considering to buy it somewhere. It was fun, wasn't it? At least we weren't distracted by our phones for an hour."
"I agree with the last part. Let's say it as a digital detox. We can also search for some board games that we can play with Ludwig."
"That's a good idea!" Then, he held her hands on their table. "I think that I won't regret my decision to retire. I'm very much looking forward to play some educational games with him, and most importantly, to see him grow."
She stared at him with the look of love. "I admire you so much, Seb. You left the sport you love behind to find another happiness that is to be with your family."
He smiled shyly. The woman in front of him was the main source of his happiness. She was his soulmate, his rock, his everything. He didn't even hide it during the podcast interview that he owed her the most. She was the best person in the world and the best person he could possibly be with.
"I also admire you, gorgeous. You suggested me to keep going, to keep racing, when you and Ludwig actually need me. Now, I'm all yours. You don't need to share me with the people anymore."
She couldn't deny that he was right. She needed her husband and Ludwig also needed his father. She would let him enjoy the moment of peacefulness without being stressed to think of his car performance etc. But if one day he said that he wanted to race again, wherever it would be, she would give him the green light.
---
He kissed her one more time before laying down beside her. She quickly pulled the duvet to cover her body and his abdomen downwards. "What a way to start the day!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah. But you've exhausted me already," she replied before smiling and closing her eyes as she suddenly felt a little sleepy after their early session.
"Oh. Did I hurt you?"
She opened her eyes again to see his concerned face. "No, of course you didn't."
"Good. I don't want to hear you complaining because I know that you enjoyed it." She slapped his chest and it made him laugh. "Anyway, are you ready for today's trip?"
"Where will we go to?"
"I want to go to Nyhavn. It is a very old harbour area here in Copenhagen. Or maybe we can visit the National Museum first."
"I'm amazed with your love for museums," she chuckled.
"I'd love to learn Danish history and culture. So it's definitely the perfect place to visit. Oh, there's the National Gallery as well. I hope that we have time to visit both."
Seb who laid on his side kissed her forehead. The glow on her face made her look even more beautiful. How could he waste 12 years of his life without her? It was because of his stupidity and selfishness. What happened in the past would remain in the past. She was all his just like he was all hers now and that was the most important thing.
One and a half hours later, they were riding their rent bikes to the National Museum. The weather was still as cold as the previous day, so they were wearing long sleeve shirts and jackets. The beanies also covered some of their hair.
Inside the museum, they were welcomed by a guide who would help explaining the collection of objects like artifacts, coins, etc. and also translating some terms into English. One of the artifacts they saw was Golden Horns of Gallehus. They were two horns that were made of sheet gold and discovered in Gallehus. Unfortunately, the horns in front of them were only replicas, as the original ones were stolen and melted down in 1802.
After exploring the museum, they rode their bikes to Nyhavn. It was a 17th-century waterfront, canal, and entertainment district in Copenhagen. Nyhavn had become a tourist magnet of brightly coloured gabled town houses and it looked similar to Amsterdam. It was one of the most iconic and captivating sights they had ever seen.
"Seb, this is so beautiful!"
He smiled at her. "I agree. Let me take some photos of you here."
Standing above the cobblestone street and next to the canal, she posed as he took some pics of her with her camera. She would love to have some photos with him but she wasn't sure if he wanted to ask someone for help, as she thought that he didn't want to be recognized by people there.
But, as if he could read her mind instantly, he approached a man who stood not too far from them. He handed him the camera and asked him to take a couple of photos. Then, he walked back to Gia's side. "Come here, gorgeous," he asked while pulling her hand gently.
They both posed in front of the camera. It seemed like the man didn't recognize Seb as he hadn't asked him many things apart from where the couple came from and what they were doing in Copenhagen. It turned out that the man was a local tourist. He came from Helsingør which was around 40 km from Copenhagen by train.
A few minutes later, they cosied up inside one of the charming cafes there to have some hot drink. They looked at all image results that were taken and they were really satisfied with it. They also threw some jokes at each other and her laugh had always been one of his favourite voices.
He was really looking forward to have another us time with his wife and make so much time for her and their son. He was also curious to know if there would be an additional to his family member on the following year. He was definitely excited for his future.
---
Author's note: Hello, everyone! Hope you all are well. This becomes my first post after Seb's retirement. I've missed him already and I don't think I can watch F1 without him. I also can't move on and cheer for somebody else like he suggested. But again, knowing how excited he is to spend more time with his family really makes me happy.
He deserves a wonderful, peace time with his wife and children after 16 years of fantastic yet exhausting F1 career. I'm pretty sure that we're gonna see the same Seb with different missions and ambitions and I'm really looking forward to it. Anyway, hope you enjoy the continuing story of Seb and Gia as much as I do❤️