Lifeline (Sebastian Vettel)

Chapter 21: Trainwreck

Author's note: This chapter and the one following it were originally one massive chapter, but have been split into two. I will release the second half sooner than usual since they both cover the same night. Enjoy!

Seb stood at the bay window in his master bedroom, staring out over the lake and wondering if these last few hours of solitary had been the calm before the storm. His eyes flickered left, to the town house still just visible as the approaching evening blanketed darkness across the village... he wondered if Tully was home. Her lights remained off, for now.

With a sigh he checked his watch for the hundredth time. Hayley would be arriving at any moment, in fact, she was uncharacteristically late already.

He'd spent the afternoon packing and re-packing for Bahrain, before moving his bags down into the fourth bedroom where he intended to sleep, giving Hayley their master room. He knew she would want to talk, and as much as he felt like he had nothing left to say, he would talk, if she wanted him to.

A door closing downstairs suddenly alerted him that someone had arrived. The sound usually meant Tully was there, as it had every morning for the past 2 weeks. He'd go down as soon as he heard it to find her in his kitchen, usually looking like she owned the place as she prepared for their session, helping herself to everything she needed. He wouldn't have it any other way.

The dull feeling in his stomach told him that wasn't Tully down there now though.

---

"Hi Seb."

He looked up at his name as he walked into the living area to find Hayley sitting at the dining table, fiddling with her phone nervously and flipping it over in her fingers.

"Hello." he replied, failing to sound even close to natural. He walked towards her slowly and leaned against the back of one of the chairs on the opposite side of the table.

"How have you been?" she asked, smiling sombrely.

He shrugged slightly, "Not bad, you?"

Her face fell ever-so-slightly, "I've been... okay."

"I'm going to Bahrain tomorrow so, you'll have the house to yourself again for a few weeks." Seb said, for lack of thinking of anything else worth saying.

"Oh..."

He looked up and scrutinised her face as she seemed to find some sort of resolve, pushing her chair back and standing up. She walked around the table towards him and with one wary glance, slipped her arms around his waist and squeezed herself against his chest.

"I missed you so much, Seb. I can't even begin to tell you how disgusted I am with what I did to you. You didn't deserve that." she said softly, feeling tears forming yet again.

"I'm past it, Hay." he replied, placing one arm around her shoulders comfortingly, "You should be too."

Hayley frowned to herself slightly before shaking it off and placing a kiss against the material covering his chest. She practically felt him squirm. His arm around her shoulders was suddenly gone again too as he backed away subtly.

"What do you mean exactly by past it." Hayley asked, looking up and meeting his eyes as he retreated away from her.

"Past what happened. It can't be changed." he replied vaguely.

"Are you referring to that night, or just us in general?"

Seb didn't reply. He wasn't stupid enough not to see that, in less than five minutes, they'd already set straight on course for a fight.