MOTH TO A FLAME ☆ CARLOS SAINZ JR

xix. downfall

MADRID SPAIN
AUGUST 2021

song of the chapter
sad beautiful tragic taylor swift

Distance, timing, breakdown, fighting
Silence, the train runs off its tracks
Kiss me, try to fix it
Could you just try to listen?
Hang up, give up
For the life of us we can't get back

The air in their shared apartment had grown heavy with tension, each breath feeling like a struggle against the weight of their unspoken fears and doubts. Sofía couldn't remember the last time things had felt truly normal between her and Carlos, the easy intimacy they once shared now replaced by a palpable sense of distance.

Despite their best efforts to make things feel normal again, the tension between them seemed to linger like a stubborn shadow, refusing to be ignored or brushed aside. They went on dates, cooked dinner together, and spent every moment that Carlos wasn't away together, but no matter what they did, the underlying unease remained.

It was on one such evening, as they sat across from each other at their favorite restaurant, that Sofía couldn't shake the feeling of disconnection that hung between them like a thick fog. Carlos tried to make small talk, his attempts at conversation falling flat in the face of Sofías distant demeanor.

"I thought we could use a night out," he said, his voice tinged with forced cheerfulness. "Just the two of us, like old times."

Sofía forced a smile, her heart heavy with the weight of their unspoken troubles. "Yeah, this feels really nice." she replied, her voice lacking its usual warmth.

But as they ate their meal in silence, the tension between them seemed to grow thicker with each passing moment, suffocating any semblance of normalcy they had managed to create. They tried to ignore it, to push it aside and focus on the present, but it was always there, lurking just beneath the surface.

After dinner, they walked hand in hand through the streets of their neighborhood, the sounds of laughter and music filling the air around them. They tried to lose themselves in the moment, to forget about their troubles for just a little while, but the tension between them refused to be ignored.

And as they returned home, the weight of their unspoken fears and doubts hung heavy in the air between them again, always a silent reminder of the distance that had grown between them. No matter how hard they tried to make things feel normal again, the tension remained, a constant presence in their lives that refused to be ignored.

A few days later, Sofía was in a better mood and had come up with a plan for the evening and chose to surprise Carlos with it. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm golden glow over the city, Sofía and Carlos found themselves standing outside the entrance of the axe-throwing arena. It was their chance to recapture the magic of that fateful night when they had first fallen for each other.

Sofía couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement as she stepped inside, the familiar sounds of laughter, and arcade games beeping washed over her like a wave. The air was thick with the scent of wood and food, the echoes of axes hitting their targets ringing out like a chorus of cheers.

Carlos grinned at her, his eyes sparkling with anticipation as he handed her an axe. "You ready for this?" he asked, his voice tinged with excitement.

Sofía nodded eagerly, her heart racing with adrenaline. "Try not to lose too bad this time."

As she took aim at the target in front of her. With a flick of her wrist, she let the axe fly, the satisfying thunk of metal hitting wood sending a thrill of triumph through her veins. They spent the evening laughing and joking, challenging each other to increasingly absurd feats of axe-throwing prowess. Sofía couldn't remember the last time they had felt so carefree around each other, so alive in the moment.