Playing With Fire (Sebastian Vettel)

15. A Step Too Far

"I'm done Sophia. She has made it perfectly clear that all she wants from me is sex. She was quite adamant that she no longer loves me."

Sophia stared across the table at Seb. 

"She's lying.  Can't you see it?  She's scared. I know she loves you Seb.  Please don't give up," Sophia pleaded.

He shook his head. "Im sorry, but I can't handle this.  I've spent the last 18 months desperate for her.  My heart has been broken, battered and bruised.  I can't keep on like this.  I love her, the old her.  This Mollie,  I don't even know her.  She's cold and she's cruel.  Not the warm, loving Mollie I loved.  I'm done Sophia. I'm not being her plaything."

Sophia sighed. She'd been afraid of this.  Seb was right. Mollie wasn't the Mollie she'd been before.  There was something really wrong.  In fact she was here at the restaurant in Austria waiting for Ash to arrive.  She'd bumped into Seb by coincidence.  She wanted to speak to Ash about her concerns. He spent more time with Mollie than anyone.  He'd know if there was a problem. 

Seb stood up. "Take care Sophia. Good luck for your race."  He walked off,passing Ash who'd just arrived.

Ash sat down in the seat Seb had vacated.

"Sophia, what can I do for you?" he asked. 

"We need to talk about Mollie. Ash, what's going on? She's not right.  She doesn't socialise.  She's pushed Seb away. "

Ash sighed.  "I was afraid this might happen. I did wonder if she was ready to return but she insisted she was ok.  She's drinking again Soph. Not on a race weekend. Well,  not until after she's raced. But since Miami she's been drunk three times. It's affecting her training. The way she's carrying on she'll be lucky to finish the season."

"Again? She's had a drink problem?"

Ash didn't want to betray Mollie's confidence, but he knew Sophia only wanted what was best for her.

"She got in touch with me about a year ago.  She was drinking far too much.  And Sophia, she was having suicidal thoughts. I went to her and we talked.  I poured her vodka stash away and I thought she was getting better. Until recently."

"Jesus, I didn't realise she'd been that bad."

"You know Mollie. She acts all happy, even when she's not."

"What can we do?"

"There's not a lot we can do. She's not drinking until after the race and her down time is her own.  If it starts affecting her racing then I'm sure the team will be on it.  We just have to be there for her.  Offer her all the support we can.  It must be hard for her.  Elena's death hit her hard. Really hard."

"I just want to help her."

"We all do Soph. But first she has to admit she has a problem."

He reached out and took Sophia's hand in his.

"She'll be ok Soph, she's Mollie bloody Rashford."

His words were confident. His tone of voice wasn't. What if Mollie wasn't ok? Sophia thought.  They both fell silent, deeply worried about their friend.

                                 ***

Seb hadn't wanted to go out but the team had dragged him  to a club. It was his 36th birthday the following day and they were adamant they were marking the occasion. It was also a celebration as he had returned to winning ways earlier that day.

A few hours into the evening he noticed the last person he wanted to see. Mollie had just turned up with Will, Luca, Carlos and Charles, plus several Thorne mechanics. She looked as sexy as ever in black skinny jeans and an off the shoulder red top.