Formula One - One-Shots Collection - Complete

64(TBP) - Sebastian Vettel

'Lately, I been, I been losing sleep'

Things were looking up for Charlie Dixon. After the breakdown of her marriage, given time, six months to be exact, she'd managed to rebuild her life. Moving from Germany, living her ex-husband behind, she'd changed her last name to her mother's maiden name, moved into a small house in the countryside away from everyone else. She'd changed herself, dyed her once chocolate hair to platinum blonde, take out her contacts and returned to wearing glasses and stopped wearing designer clothes, swapping them for cheaper alternatives. Once she used to be on top of the world, after all, she had been the wife of a world-famous racing driver. She had her face in the papers, on the telly and in the news, something she never asked for. Now, she had secluded herself away from that part of her old life. She didn't want to be a part of that life any more, not when it came at such a high cost. 

None of it mattered anymore, Charlie started to work at the farm nearby, she needed the job to keep herself busy, to distract her from life. Things might have been looking better but there were still some things she didn't have in her life. 

The date was the 21st April, Charlie was sat in a brightly lighten barn, the sunlight shining in as she bottle-fed a small lamb that laid on her lap. She leaned back against the wooden box behind her as she watched the small helpless animal. 

"Looks like you've made a new friend," the boss, Andrea smiled as she sat next to me with a bottle as a second lamb wandered over. "Looks like Little White has taken a shine to you."

Charlie laughed, "I have a way with the animals." She pulled away the empty bottle before the little lamb got up and scampered off leaving her alone. "It seems not."

Andrea chuckled as she fed her lamb, "You've been here for a month now. You have arrived early every day and left late most days. What are you avoiding at home?"

Charlie got to her feet before swapping the empty bottle for a fresh one, she returned to her seat as a new lamb came over for a feeding. "There is nothing I'm avoiding. I just have nothing to return home for. I live alone, I like it that way."

"Hello?" There was a call from a female voice, Andrea got to her feet before smiling as she followed the source of the voice. Charlie watched as Andrea reappeared with another woman. 

"Charlie, this is Anna. She's joining us during this lambing season."

Getting to her feet as she took away the empty bottle from the hungry lamb. "Nice to meet you," Charlie offered her hand to the new person. 

Anna looked at her, she squinted her eyes as she shook the hand of the bottle blonde. "You too," she smiled at her before speaking again. "You look familiar, I can't place your face."

"Maybe I just have one of those faces," Charlie shrugged her off ignoring her hints. 

XOXOX

The evening drew in quickly, there seemed to be a sick lamb by the end of the day, the animal refusing to feed. Charlie was not happy to leave the animal alone, Andrea agreed that Charlie could stay in the barn overnight if she felt that was something she wanted to do. She got her phone, her blanket and a flask of hot tea before returning to the barn. 

She laid with the lamb, holding the bottle for it to take only for it to refuse. Holding the baby sheep close to her over her blanket, she checked her phone as she let the animal snuggle up on her lap. 

Charlie had not only changed her looks, but she also changed her attitude to her life. When she left behind her old life, she left behind all her social media. She didn't delete it, leaving all her pages up for the public to view. Charlie didn't delete any of her pictures, she didn't change a thing. She logged on every now and again, she read any new comments that might have been posted. She never opened her messages giving the allusion that she no longer checked it. Today was no different, she looked over her social media before closing it down. 

She nearly dropped her phone when it vibrated in her hands. Looking at it, she breathed out heavily as she pressed the green button before putting the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Charlie?" The voice on the line belonged to her ex-husband, Sebastian. 

Freezing in place, she opened her mouth to speak but struggled to get any words out. Charlie didn't know how to react to her ex's phone call, she hadn't heard his voice for 6 months. Being apart had helped her, she'd not only avoided his calls, but she'd also managed to avoid all of his telly interviews and appearances. Charlie had done it to refrain from any more heartache, now here it was.

"Are you there?" His German accent had always made her weak, that was part of the reason why she fell in love with him in the first place. "Charlotte?"

She stroked the lamb that was in her lap before she broke her silence. "Yes," her voice was quiet as she picked up the bottle again. 

"I miss you," he said as Charlie closed her eyes. "I miss everything about you."

She felt the bottle nudge in her hands before the little sick lamb started to suckle on it as she opened her eyes and stared at it. "Don't do this," the ex-wife of the Formula One driver couldn't deal with this right now, not when she'd come this far. 

"I need you back in my life, Char," Sebastian used his nickname for her. "I regret everything, everything is so messed up."

Charlie leaned back against the hay bale, her mind was spinning. "I don't want to talk about it."

"We haven't talked about it once. I think now is as good a time as any."

The now blonde shook her head as she sighed. "Please, Seb."

"No, Charlie, it's been six months. I'm trying to lay it all on the line for you," Charlie could hear his temper rising the more he spoke. "I love you, we need to talk about it. We need to go clear the air before deciding if we're going to close this chapter of our lives."

"None of it matters now," Charlie sighed as she watched the lamb. "Nothing matters anymore. I'm in England, you're in Germany. We're divorced. We both need to move on with our lives."

Sebastian let out a low groan, "Have you not listened to a word I've said? I love you. I love you so much."

She tended to the lamb with the best care she could before laying him to sleep in the pile of the hay as she spoke quietly. "Please don't play with me, Seb." 

"I'm not playing, Char. All this time apart has made me realise how much you mean to me, how much of a mess I made of everything." The words tumbled from his lips without him giving it a second thought. 

"You know how I feel-felt about you," she corrected herself as she felt her eyes tear up. "I needed you then, Sebastian. I needed you when we were together."

Charlie imagined him sitting at home, he was probably alone. 

The truth was he was laid on the bed they had once shared. His mind was a mess. 

Since the divorce had been finalised there had been so many times he just wanted to call her, he wanted to make things better, to make things right between them. She was the light of his life and the time they had spent together was something special. He knew he hadn't been there when she needed him the most, instead, he'd focused on his career neglecting his wife. 

Sebastian had changed since she left. The people around him had noticed. He no longer went out celebrating after races. Home was a place he frequented more often. None of it mattered now though, he had no one to come back to, no one to share his time with. For now, he was alone.

"I know."