MOTH TO A FLAME ☆ CARLOS SAINZ JR

xx. reconnection?

MADRID, SPAIN
MARCH 2023

song of the chapter
pretty when i cry - lana del ray

i'll wait for you babe, that's all i do babe

Sofía sat alone in her apartment, the soft glow of her laptop casting a warm light across her living room as she mills about her kitchen in preparation for a Facetime call with Luca. She hadn't seen him since she got back from Bahrain, instead opting to head back to Madrid with her dad and see her family.

Luca was more or less pleased for it. Their last encounters had felt strained to him, he could tell Sofía wasn't okay and thought that some time back in her home with her family would do her some good. And so he had settled for these randomly timed calls.

Sofía on the other hand had an ulterior motive in remaining in Madrid for the past two weeks. She and Carlos had failed in their attempts to meet up after their part conversation, leaving them stranded in a state of uncertainty.

She had watched the race just two nights before with her parents, watching the Ferraris struggle was truly a different kind of pain. Especially when she knew Carlos so well and could clearly tell how frustrated he was getting. She also knew he would be coming home soon after these two races in the Gulf and she was waiting for that time to come.

In the meantime, she had been thinking up ways on how to break it all to Luca. She had come to the conclusion that if no matter what ended up happening between her and Carlos, she couldn't keep dragging Luca along with her like this.

But every time she had tried to bring up the topic, it never seemed to be the right time for that conversation.

"Hello mia bella." his smiling face beams across her laptop screen as she settles in with a bowl of strawberries and a glass of wine.

And she couldn't help but smile back. "Hey, Luc."

As she chatted with Luca, her mind wandered, thoughts of Carlos lingering in the back of her mind like an unwelcome guest. She couldn't shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at her insides, the unresolved situation was getting harder and harder to keep hidden.

It was time to come clean.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something." she starts, taking a deep breath.

But just as she was about to open her mouth and confide in Luca about the truth, the sound of her doorbell ringing echoed through the apartment, interrupting their conversation. With a furrowed brow, Sofía glanced at the clock, wondering who could be visiting her at this hour.

Excusing herself from the call with Luca, she made her way to the door, her heart pounding in her chest with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. Cautiously, she slowly pulled open the door, her breath catching in her throat as she came face to face with Carlos standing on the other side.

"Sofía," Carlos said, his voice tinged with urgency.

Sofía's heart leaped into her throat as she stared at Carlos, her mind racing with a million thoughts all at once. Panic surged through her veins, threatening to overwhelm her as she struggled to keep her composure.

"Carlos," she whispered, her voice slightly resembling a very quiet yell. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you," Carlos replied, his eyes pleading with her to understand. "We didn't get to finish—"

Sofía's heart hammered in her chest as she glanced back at her laptop, her mind whirling with uncertainty. She knew she couldn't keep Carlos waiting outside her door, but the thought of facing him, of having that conversation, filled her with a paralyzing fear.