Lifeline (Sebastian Vettel)

Chapter 16: Sparks & Ash

Hayley slumped against the back of the door as she closed it, squeezing her eyes shut in disbelief. Everything had just changed, irreversibly.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, frantically wondering what to do next. She settled on walking back into the lounge and over to the large glass panelling, looking out over the lake. Not many houses still had lights on, but of the ones that did, the town house was among them.

She wondered how life might be different right now if she had made more of an effort to embrace Tully. There was no denying that the Finn's arrival had been the trigger for Hayley's gnawing insecurity. Would they have got along? Could they possibly have been friends... allies? Maybe she'd missed a huge opportunity to have someone on her side, keeping watch over Seb whenever she couldn't. She felt tears welling in her eyes again as the fantasy ran through her mind.

That would have been the ideal scenario. But something in her gut told her it never would have been that way. An un-subsiding instinct within her said that no matter what, Tully was a threat, and always would be. And now, she'd just firmly shoved Seb in her direction. Bravo.

---

Tully peered into the oven, checking the bread as it slowly turned golden brown. Carbohydrates for dinner were usually not on the cards, but they'd been travelling all day, which was mentally strenuous, and she'd prefer Seb to sleep on a full stomach in preparation for the work they'd do in the morning.

Though now, there was another good reason for it that an hour ago she hadn't foreseen. Comfort food.

As she got two bowls out, she heard the faint crunching of tyre on gravel as the M3 pulled back into the driveway. This would be an interesting test.

Of course, she'd nursed both Stoffel and Olivia through various relationship dramas over the past couple of years, but neither of them had ever cheated on the other. This was a whole new level of drama for her to deal with.

Do not say anything sarcastic. Do not joke. Do not touch him. No questions.

She listened intently as she heard him let himself back in, before appearing at the kitchen counter with a sigh.

"Sit." Tully commanded gently, gesturing towards the stools on the opposite side of the counter next to him. He wordlessly complied and watched with a blank expression as she pushed a full bowl of soup and warm bread under his nose.

She stood on the opposite side of the counter, chewing on a mouthful of bread as she input his calorie intake into the specialised nutrition management app on her phone. She didn't speak or pay him any attention, instead opting to leave him be until if and when he wanted to speak.

"I wonder how many times she's done this that I didn't find out about..." he said finally, staring off into the distance.

Tully glanced across to him and swallowed her mouthful, opting for the safety of maintaining her silence.

Seb's eyes suddenly focused on her, "What would you do?"

Tully couldn't help a tiny smirk crossing her lips as she leaned down and rested her elbows on the bench opposite him, "You've asked me that before."

"And I should have listened to you then." he said bitterly.

Tully shrugged, tearing another corner of her bread roll off and nibbling on it thoughtfully. Seb's phone startled both of them as it suddenly rang and vibrated against the marble bench-top.

"Do you have a hearing problem I don't know about? Nobody needs their ring-tone that loud." Tully said, glaring at the device.

"Sorry." he smiled sheepishly, "It flicked to loud accidentally. I need it like that when I'm at the track or I hear nothing."