Eyes on the prize- Sebastian Vettel

11. Ireland

Silverstone had ended up being a great weekend for Sebastian, even after having missed pole by a fraction and even with a stiff neck due to his rather unconventional sleeping arrangement with Joey that had carried over for the whole weekend; he had ended up bringing home the win in front of a quite unhappy home crowd.

Joey's mood had been swinging all over the place and she couldn't wait to travel back to Dublin the day after the race.

Seb had organised everything himself and, after having convinced her to join the team out for drinks, he had invited her to stay over in his room, ready to fly to Ireland in the early hours of the morning.

Leaving the hotel in the dark and travelling to Heathrow in a fancy rental car, was giving Joey a small sense of naughtiness, excitement but also a big hint of sadness. Liam was still in hospital, stable but in a coma he had been put into to up his chances of survival.

'I know this is quite unconventional, I wouldn't usually do this' Seb told her, once they walked into a small local airport. 'But it's the safest option we have to make it to Ireland without drawing too much attention' he pointed towards a private jet.

'Sure... private jet screams common' she teased him.

'A thank you would be nice' Seb said, pretending to be annoyed.

'Danke schön, Herr Vettel' she bowed slightly.

'You're cute when you try. Good pronunciation of the surname there' Seb mocked her.

'Your brother has spent copious amounts of time teaching me how to say it. I tried teaching him Irish with about as many results as he had with me and German'

'Yeah, you've got a long way to go' the German joked.

As they sat in their seats and the plane prepared for take off, Joey started feeling more and more anxious. Her fingers wrapped around her necklace pendant, nervously moving it from side to side, trying to take in any of the words from the page of her book.

Seb had noticed her change in behaviour, even with his head hidden behind a German newspaper. He slowly put it down, tentatively extending his hand towards her free one. He slowly cupped it with his fingers, giving her a small smile. Joey intertwined her fingers with his, feeling any other emotion leave her and being replaced by a warm sensation in her lower abdomen.

The two spent the remainder of the short flight in that position, not talking much but content with each other's presence.

Seb had organised for a car to be ready for them when they landed and, once he collected the keys he passed them onto Joey, knowing she'd be more at ease driving through the narrow Irish country lanes as they were staying at her grandad's.

'You got a fancy car, I'll have to follow the limits' she joked, entering the Mercedes sports car Seb had rented. 'Mercedes as well, will Maurizio not fire you?'

'He would never, not after yesterday' Seb said, trying to not sound too smug.

Joey snorted quietly; being self-congratulatory didn't really fit the man she had known for a few months, but it was funny to see him try.

Joey connected her phone to the sound system, set their destination and started driving.

Sebastian was a better passenger than most of the drivers she had ever had in a car with her and, except for a couple of warnings about her speeding, he had kept quiet and calm.

Once they were getting nearer to their destination, Joey decided to warn Sebastian about her uncle. She had told her family she was coming home with a friend and that they weren't allowed to ask any questions, however she knew that bringing home Sebastian Vettel and telling everyone he was just a good friend would have only raised more questions than she was ready to answer, or even has answers for.