Lucie loved this time of the morning. The sunrise was one of her favourite times of the day. When her mother had Freddie she'd set her alarm and get up early, just to come down to the beach to watch it.
Her house was just a ten minute walk from the seafront, and if she'd stayed overnight at the hotel, that was even closer, just two streets away.
Sandown wasn't as popular as it used to be. The tourists all seemed to be drawn to Shanklin or to Ryde nowadays. They did still have the pier and the zoo though, which attracted the visitors. Freddie loved the zoo. He was especially drawn to the tigers. He had to have a new soft toy every time he went there. At the last count he had nine stuffed tigers sitting on the shelf above his bed.
Today was one of those mornings when Lucie got up and headed to the beach. As usual she was one of the only ones there. The exception being an elderly man traipsing up and down the beach with his metal detector, a woman of indeterminate age wading out for a swim and a figure sat alone on the sea wall, gazing out to the horizon. Lucie couldn't tell from this distance if it was a male or female. Whoever it was was wearing a maroon hoodie with the hood pulled up.
She took her flip flops off as she reached the sand. She strolled slowly along the beach. She loved this place so much. Callum would have loved it too. She wasn't originally from the island. She'd moved here to be with her mother after Callum had died. Oxford just hadn't been the same for her after losing him.
She hated the sympathy in her friends' eyes every time they saw her. Joel had been the only one who had treated her how he'd normally treated her. He was the bestest friend she could have ever hoped to have. He visited as often as he could, which was usually once a month. He hadn't been this month though, as he was in holiday in Italy with his boyfriend, Sam.
She covered her mouth as a yawn escaped. It had been a late night. She'd been working until 1 am at the hotel, and by the time she'd got home, had a cuppa and brushed her teeth it had been two o'clock. She'd had just three hours sleep before her alarm had gone off.
Luckily her mum and Graham were taking Freddie swimming this morning, so she planned on having another couple of hours when she got home.
She laughed as she watched a pair of seagulls bickering, pecking at each other, before flying off. She dug her toes in the cold sand and watched as the sun rose in the sky.
The world really was a beautiful place. There was so much of it she would love to see one day when Freddie had grown up. For now she was content on this little island. It was her safe haven. Here, she was Lucie, Freddie's mum. Not Lucie, Callum's widow.
She glanced around the beach. The man with the metal detector had given up and gone. She could see the bobbing head of the swimmer in the distance, swimming parallel to the shore.
The hooded figure had stood and was walking along the beach in her direction. As the person neared she realised it was a man. He was wearing cutoff denim shorts and the maroon hoodie. He had a pair of Converse or Vans on his feet, or maybe a cheaper imitation brand.
He was unshaven and looked fairly young, maybe a little older than her 30 years. He was very good looking and seemed somewhat familiar.
As he passed her he looked in her direction. He had the most stunning blue eyes. Their gazes locked for a few seconds as he passed. Then the moment was over and he carried on walking up the beach towards the pier.
***
Seb hadn't been able to sleep so he'd come down to the beach to watch the sunrise. He'd always loved this time of the day. It was still a little chilly so he'd pulled on an old hoodie.
He'd been here on the island for three days now. He'd managed to find a room in a small B&B run by a pair of elderly sisters. It wasn't much but it was exactly what he'd been hoping to find. A safe haven away from the world. He'd briefly turned his phone on to text his parents, Britta and Antti so they knew he was safe and he'd been bombarded with messages from Natasha begging him to forgive her, saying that she loved him. He'd sent his texts, then turned it off and slipped it inside the dresser drawer in his room.
He sat on the sea wall and gazed out. He'd forgotten how beautiful the ocean was. His life was in the mountains and he was always too busy on a race weekend to visit the beach, even if the track was near one.
He was enjoying the peace and quiet when he spotted movement out the corner of his eye. He glanced to his right and he saw a girl sat on the beach about 20 metres away. She had long dark hair that fell halfway down her back.
Seb was no good at reading expressions, but she looked deep in thought, maybe a little sad. He wondered what a beautiful woman like her had to be sad about.
Suddenly he heard a squawking sound and saw a pair of seagulls fighting. He grinned as they reminded him of the stupid pair that had been on the track in Canada all those years ago. He heard the girl laughing as she watched them.
He watched the sun rising for a few more minutes, then decided he'd head back. He wanted to have a shower and a shave before gojng on a drive to explore another part of the island. He really liked what he'd seen so far. Maybe he could even get a holiday home here?
He stood and decided to walk past the girl to see if she was as beautiful close up as she appeared from a distance.
She looked at him as he passed. Their gazes locked. She had the most amazing ice blue eyes. He hadn't been expecting that. She wasn't a girl, he realised. She was a woman, probably not much younger than him. And she was beautiful.
Seb was tempted to stop and talk to her but he didn't. He was here to get some alone time, to get over what Natasha had done,not to chat women up.
Throughout the day the woman on the beach kept popping into his head. Who was she? Did she live here? Was she a holiday maker? He had to stop thinking about her. He'd probably never see her again anyway. And he'd had enough of women to last him a lifetime. From now on he was concentrating on himself. Getting his mind healed. Getting his body fit and getting back on top of his game.
He was determined. He would rise again. He would win again. He would be champion again.
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Perfect Strangers (Sebastian Vettel)
FanfictionHe's a 4 time Formula 1 World Champion. Having split with his long time partner and his career on the decline he's hiding away from the world. She's a widowed mother just trying to get by and provide for her child. One summer their worlds collid...
