Fifth Light (Sebastian Vettel)

Chapter 31: Girlfriend

Seb, Casey, Britta and Heikki filed into the new hotel, quickly proceeding through check-in before heading to the elevator.

"You've got 35 minutes before I need you back downstairs," Britta instructed, giving Seb a sideways glance as the elevator climbed upwards.

"Mhmm," he nodded, looking at his watch thoughtfully.

The elevator crawled to a halt and both Britta and Heikki exited, heading to their rooms to offload their luggage and freshen up after the flight. Seb and Casey continued waiting until the elevator reached the top floor. Finally, after a long day of travelling, they dragged themselves into their first shared hotel room.

Seb shot Casey an amused grin as she looked around enthusiastically. He quickly shoved his bag to the side and walked over to join her near the window.

"Hey," he said quietly, slipping his hand into hers. She turned to him and smiled happily.

"I feel weird."

"Good weird?"

"Yeah, good weird," she laughed. She was still processing that this was how things would be from now on. Travelling in first class, staying in penthouses, having Britta and Heikki support her whenever needed... it was a lot to take in, but it was exciting.

"So... Twitter says we're dating now," she said, a sly smile creeping across her features.

He chuckled and stepped in closer, resting his hand against the side of her face. "Probably a little further along than that," he muttered, leaning in and kissing the side of her neck.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she slipped her hands under his shirt, resting them on his hips.

"Girlfriend is a better word, no?" he said, pausing to switch sides of her neck.

Casey's insides somersaulted a little and she nodded shyly.

"Are you sure you want this?" he asked quietly, stopping to rest his forehead against hers and watch her eyes intently. He looked the smallest bit worried.

"Want what? You?"

He shrugged, "Moreso everything that comes with me. Schedules, cameras, sitting on planes, a constant stream of criticism, limited privacy..."

"Pfft," she dismissed, "None of those things can be more annoying than Evan, I'll be fine."

Seb's face broke out into a grin and he kissed her lips eagerly. Eventually he pulled away again, "Girlfriend it is then."

---

An hour later, Casey wandered around the huge apartment alone, waiting to hear a knock on the door. Seb had left some time ago as per his instructions from Britta. He wouldn't be back until much later that night after a sponsorship dinner. Finally, she heard tapping against the door and hurried over to answer it.

Evan bolted through the door as she unlocked it.

"Jesus, Ev," she breathed, shaking her head and watching him spin around to flash her a huge grin.

"I can't believe you went public!" he roared, "You should hear it."

"Oh god, hear what?"

"It's all anyone on the team is talking about! They keep asking me for more details on the famous new couple!" Evan rambled excitedly, "I feel like Nicole Richie."

She grimaced at his choice of reference and walked over to him, pulling him into a hug, "Calmmm," she cooed.

"How can I be calm? Oh man, I can't wait to see what will happen on Monday when we all go back to work."