Fifth Light (Sebastian Vettel)

Chapter 28: Cut Off

A split second later, Casey turned back around, her eyes wide with shock as the image of what she'd just seen burned into her mind.

"I have to get out of here," she whispered breathlessly, standing up and darting through the crowd towards the exit.

"Case, fuck, wait!" Evan called after her, scrambling to get up from the seat and hurrying in the same direction she'd disappeared. Jacob meanwhile looked between them all wildly before setting his gaze back on Seb and Hayley.

---

Seb was frozen in shock. He was not expecting that to happen at all. It felt so wrong. He was hyper-aware of the fact that it was more than likely someone in the room would be recording them or taking pictures at this very moment. As much as he didn't want Hayley to be touching him, he didn't want to humiliate her either by rejecting her too brutally, especially in a room full of people.

As his brain caught up he pulled away, turning his head slightly to the right to break her contact.

"Hayley, stop," he murmured firmly.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered frantically, "I just had to... I..."

"I have to go," he continued quietly, their foreheads still touching. He could see another tear slipping down her cheek. 

With a deep breath he stood up and walked away, rubbing his face with his hands to try and figure out what just happened. He soon found himself back near the team in the lounge area. Some of them were shouting at him to join them for a drink, but he couldn't focus on them properly. He caught sight of Jacob approaching him and wondered frantically where Casey was.

"She saw you," Jacob said simply, his expression perplexed.

"Fucking hell," Seb replied harshly, "I had no idea Hayley would do that!" he continued in a hushed tone.

"I don't think Casey saw it long enough to appreciate that," the brunette replied, his voice unusually monotonous.

"Where is she? I need to talk to her."

"She left."

At that moment, Evan pushed his way back through the crowd and came to a stop next to the two of them.

"Lost her," he panted, "She put her hood on and disappeared in the street. She should be an assassin, I swear to god."

Without another word, Seb bolted for the door, pulling his phone from his pocket and selecting Casey's number as he flew out into the street.

---

What the fuck was that? Casey thought as she maneuvered through the sidewalk. It was cold outside, very cold. That was the last thing she would ever have expected Seb to do. She was so confused... and angry... and god damn sad.

She felt hot tears pooling in her eyes and growled to herself. She must not cry. With no intention of heading back to her hotel, she tucked her chin down and kept marching. She didn't want to be found. She just needed to be alone.

As she crossed to the opposite side of the road her phone buzzed. She ripped it out, looking at the screen through bleary eyes. Of course, Seb was calling. The tears finally started to fall freely as she stuffed it back in her pocket and increased her pace.

As it was starting to get late, her nerves were getting the better of her from walking alone in the dark. She was also beginning to shiver from the cold. A plan formed in her head instantly and she looked up, scanning the street for the nearest hotel.

---

"Just one night in whatever room you've got," she said quietly, trying to warm herself up by rubbing her arms.