Casey trudged down the hallway leading toward the back of the Red Bull garage and nervously looked ahead at the closed door that led into Sebastian's private room.
All drivers had a small room at the back of their garages where they could go to change and relax between sessions. She had often wandered past it when the door was open and caught a glimpse of the minimalist interior, but had never actually stepped foot inside.
She reached the door and looked around. Thankfully, most people were still having lunch and there were no cameramen to be seen. She lifted her hand and knocked once quietly. After a couple of seconds the door cracked open and a pair of bright blue eyes appeared.
"Hey," Sebastian smiled gently and opened the door further to allow her in. With one last glance around her, she slipped through the door and he clicked it shut behind her.
She took a couple of steps into the room and looked around. There wasn't much to it. A chair and table, some cupboards and a small bed. She didn't quite know what to do with herself until he gestured towards the bed for her to take a seat.
"Sorry to pull you in here. I just wanted to tell you I'm really sorry about the unwanted attention you're getting from earlier."
She stopped scanning the room to look him in the eyes and laughed quietly, "Don't be. It isn't your fault."
"Well, it definitely is," he replied with a grin.
She smiled back at him before looking away from his intense gaze. Her smile faded though as she thought back to all of the pictures of herself currently making their way around the entire world.
"I don't really care what they say about me, as long as it doesn't hurt you or the team in some way," she shrugged, staring at the chair Seb was standing next to. He watched her carefully, feeling a sense of both warmth and guilt to hear that she prioritised him and the team over herself.
"If it wasn't this story, it would be another," he sighed, kicking out the chair and taking a seat while keeping his gaze fixed on her. "They will hassle you though, probably a lot," he continued as a slightly worried expression crept across his face.
Her light blue eyes flicked back to his face. She smiled wryly, "Let them."
Seb laughed and looked down at his feet.
"Just don't avoid me, will you?" he asked sincerely, looking back up at her through his eyelashes.
She groaned internally at how adorable he looked. As though this wasn't already difficult.
"You're the boss," she replied, taking a deep breath and moving to stand up.
Without really thinking, Sebastian stood up too and held out his arms, inviting her in for a hug. A little surprised, she took a step towards him, gingerly snaking her arms around his waist for the second time ever. She felt his arms pull her in tightly and closed her eyes as her head rested against his chest.
She breathed in, smelling fresh linen and a light masculine fragrance. To be totally honest with herself, she didn't feel like letting go at all. They stood there silently for a few moments before she felt him rest his chin on top of her head and his arms squeeze her even tighter.
Sebastian stared at the wall opposite, his mind back on the bus in Malaysia where he had watched Evan kiss the top of Casey's head as she slept on his shoulder. He frowned to himself, knowing he wasn't allowed to do that like Evan was. Still, it had been a long time since he'd even been hugged half as genuinely as this. It felt good.
Casey let out her breath slowly, making the reluctant decision to pull away. Any longer and this would surely get weird. She released him and leaned back, looking up at him.
He studied her face and bit his tongue inside his mouth, something he did subconsciously whenever he had no idea what to do. Control yourself, he thought. He followed her lead and let her go, putting on a smile.
"Alright. D&M over. Come on," she motioned to the door, "Something, something, you need to eat all the time and Heikki's probably in a flap about it somewhere."
Seb raised an eyebrow, "Have you been reading his mind?" he joked.
She laughed and jutted her chin toward the door, "I just don't want you passing out in P2 and me feeling responsible."
He grinned and turned to open the door, leading the way out. From there, they casually walked back to the cafeteria together, chatting comfortably about the session ahead and pushing the whole media debacle out of their minds.
Casey squinted at Evan as they approached their seats. She could tell there was evil on his mind. His face was always a drop-dead giveaway. She gave him her best 'Don't Even Think About It' look before taking her seat and grabbing an abandoned magazine that was lying nearby.
Seb sat down next to her and dug into his lunch eagerly, striking up a conversation with Jacob as Evan listened on between them.
Casey flipped to a crossword and pulled a pen out of her pocket. As was her habit, she stuck the pen in her teeth as she studied the first few clues. More people joined the conversation with Jacob, while Seb averted his attention to Casey instead. He watched her sit quietly at his side, filling in the crossword slowly.
She seemed stuck at number 8. He reached over and ran his finger down the page, reading the clue thoughtfully. "Pen?" he asked, taking the pen from her hand and roughly scribbling the letters into the boxes with his left hand. She immediately laughed at his writing, "What are you? Six?" she giggled.
"That's my left hand, it's doing its best!" he protested, finishing the word. He let her take the pen back and they continued the puzzle together. Seb found his eyes following the pen each time she put it between her teeth.
After a while, Evan snorted across the table and Casey immediately looked up to see him staring directly back at her. "Do you have something to say, Ev?" she hissed, feeling very aware of Seb hovering over her right shoulder, still intent on solving the clues.
The blonde bit his lip and shook his head 'No' for about 5 seconds before changing direction to indicate 'Yes' as he looked between her and Seb with glee. She gave him a warning look before Seb took the pen from her again to fill in another word. He seemed either completely oblivious to Evan's display of immaturity, or he was very good at pretending not to notice.
Eventually everyone in the room began to stand up, indicating it was time to get back to work. Casey dropped the magazine and shoved the pen back in her pocket before following suit. They all walked back down the halls together towards the garage. As they walked, she caught the eye of Gemma who was just ahead next to Christian. She winked at Casey and glanced at Seb walking nearby. Casey's heartbeat quickened uncomfortably. Well, apparently the team had seen Twitter now too. What would they think of her? She kept her head down for the rest of the walk back. As they turned the corner into the garage and Seb parted from them, Evan and Jacob instantly were at her sides with big, stupid looks on their faces.
"Stop it," she hissed, her face flushing.
"Where did you two go?" Evan whispered.
"He just wanted to say he was sorry about it."
"And?" Jacob pressed.
"And nothing!" she replied.
"Bullshit," Evan continued.
"He hugged me? Is that what you want to hear?"
Evan clapped his hands together and laughed, "You owe me ten pounds, Jake."
With that, the blonde walked off to the opposite side of garage, leaving a sheepish Jacob standing nearby.
"Is he serious..." Casey muttered, shaking her head as she turned to Jacob, "What exactly was the bet?"
Jacob scratched the back of his neck and looked at the ground, "Bodily contact," he said as a grin spread across his face and he quickly walked away too.
Casey groaned and decided that she'd had just about enough of all of them for one day.
Half an hour later, Seb sat in his cockpit as they idled in the garage during P2, waiting for the engineer's to finish making a few changes. He was adamant that the media wouldn't get another shot of him looking at Casey again, like some lost puppy waiting for adoption. He had to get a grip. Finally, they released him for another run. As he pulled out of the garage he snuck one quick glance in his side mirrors to see her watching him pull away, holding her hand up to shield her face from the sun. Then, almost robotically, his mind turned to Suzie and his focus set in.
---
The rest of the race weekend passed in a blur of disappointment and China had quickly proved itself to be yet another race to forget for Seb. He'd done okay, but that was it, just okay. He had placed 5th in the race, with Daniel right in front of him in 4th. Daniel was always happy no matter what, but it was starting to eat at Seb's mind as each race passed and things didn't seem to be getting much better.
He was standing in his hotel suite, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He'd just showered and was deciding what to wear for the traditional Sunday night of partying. He wondered where they would end up tonight. He wasn't a huge drinker, but for some reason tonight felt like a night to let go. His mind was wound too tight with everything that was happening both on and off the track and he needed to relax, even if he wouldn't remember it in the morning.
The media had been intensely focused on their garage for the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday. The cameramen has been endlessly trained on Casey and her every move due to the hype of the photos of her and Seb on Twitter. She had seemingly ignored every single second of it, and dedicatedly kept only to her work. She had wished Seb luck at the back of the garage before the race, but that was about it.
He picked out a pair of dark jeans and a steel grey button-up shirt. Finally deciding he was satisfied, he grabbed his room key and headed out the door.
---
Dinner that evening was hosted at a restaurant at the top of a huge tower overlooking the city. Casey couldn't tear her eyes away from the view through the window throughout the meal. The sheer size of the city was unbelievable. Afterward, they continued the tradition of following Brand to wherever he took them. This time is was a sultry, high-end club, again at the top of a tower, with a mixture of different indoor and outdoor seating.
Casey and Isla were standing at one of the floor to ceiling windows, staring out at the view as they nursed their cocktails and talked about their favourite parts of the city. Casey couldn't offer much to the conversation since it was her first time visiting, but Isla seemed to have endless stories of her love for the city.
Casey looked over her shoulder as Jacob joined them, holding a bright cocktail to his lips.
"Ooh, what is that?" Isla cooed, looking at his drink with envy.
"I 'dunno... something with.... pineapple? Maybe?" he replied vaguely. Casey giggled, recognising he was further along into his evening than she'd expected.
"Everyone's out on the balcony, come and join us?" he asked.
The two girls looked at each other and nodded in agreement before following Jacob through the dimly-lit lounge and out into the cool night air.
"Can I try some of that?" Casey asked Jacob, pointing to his drink.
"Of course!" he replied jubilantly, passing her the glass. She took it and examined the contents with interest before taking a sip. He sighed lightly and reached his arm around her waist as they walked, squeezing her against himself. Between her two closest friends on the team, Jake wasn't normally the one to indulge in PDA with her.
"Alright, what's up with you then?" she asked quietly, taking another sip of his drink before handing it back to him. He just smiled and shook his head.
"Do you want to stay in our room tonight, by the way?"
He raised his brow and looked ahead, "Ah, yeah? Sure. Why not."
"You care share with us anytime you know, there's plenty of room. I don't want you to feel left out," she teased, nudging him in the ribs before returning the gesture and slipping her arm around his waist too.
He smirked before mumbling his thanks. She eyed him closely, debating internally with herself on whether or not she should press him about whatever was on his mind. She decided to at least wait until they were alone.