All of Me (Sebastian Vettel)

22. The Lunch Date

Seb had kept himself to himself in Monaco. He hadn't been in the mood for anything other than doing the job he was there to do.

Tanya had tried to talk to him, obviously regretting walking out on him in Spain, but he'd just brushed her off, telling her that  he was too busy to talk. He was done with her, it wasn't fair on her to keep using her as a substitute for the woman he really wanted.

The reality was Alyssa was the only one he desired. He'd never wanted anyone like he wanted her. He wished he could stop wanting her, but he knew that was impossible.

Since being away from home he'd texted her every day. She'd replied,  but her texts were all strictly platonic now. Their flirty tone had gone.

Already in bad mood because of his and Alyssa's falling out, Lance had annoyed Seb further by continuously asking him about Alyssa. 

He just didn't want to talk to anybody other than for work reasons, so away from the track he just stayed in his hotel room, ordering from room service when he was hungry.

His mind may have been stuck on Alyssa, and his mood may have been shitty, but on track he managed to block everything out. He qualified on Pole and won the race by twelve seconds, showing everyone that he was definitely in contention for the championship. The media had said that Miami was a fluke, but now after three wins in a row they were beginning to take him seriously.

After the race he attended the compulsory interviews and the debrief before leaving for his hotel. As winner he'd been invited to dine with the Monegasque Royal family, but it was the last thing he felt like doing. He wanted to go home. He wanted to hold Alyssa in his arms and know that everything was ok between them again.

Britta had managed to persuade him to go though. She'd told him how the press would speculate about why he wasn't there,  and he didn't want to offend Prince Albert and Princess Charlene.  He'd agreed as long as she went with him.  There was no way he was facing it alone. Britta had agreed.

He'd gritted his teeth and got through it before heading back to the hotel to get a couple of hours sleep before checking out early to drive to Nice to catch the 7 am flight.

He spent the flight thinking about what he was going to say to Alyssa.  He wanted to tell her how much he desired her, and how beautiful she was to him.  He knew he'd fucked up big time by taking Tanya to his bed. 

Yes, he'd already been friends with benefits with Tanya when he and Alyssa had met again.  And yes, there was nothing official between Alyssa and himself,  but it had been a dick move.  He just hoped things hadn't gone too far to save whatever it was between them. 

"Everything ok?" Antti asked him as they made their way to the long stay car park at the airport.

"Yeah, I'm just worried about Alyssa, about what's going to happen.  She said we'll talk once I'm back. I just hope she's in a more agreeable mood than she was before I left."

"Take my advice," Antti told him. "Kiss the girl! Actions speak louder than words."

Seb rolled his eyes. He wished things were that simple. Alyssa probably wouldn't even want him near her, let alone kissing her.

They reached the car and loaded their cases up and were soon on the road.  It was rush hour so it took longer than it usually did to reach Seb's house. 

When they arrived Seb pressed the button on his remote to open the gates. Antti drove through and up the gravel driveway.  Seb breathed a sigh of relief as he noticed the Porsche was parked outside the house.  She was there. He began to feel nervous.