The Race Director's Daughter (Sebastian Vettel)

27. Secret Romance

Seb woke early, the sunlight was streaming through a gap in the curtains.   He smiled as he looked down at the woman sleeping in his arms.  Leah.  His girlfriend.   He couldn't believe she was his.   Then he remembered the things she had told him the night before.    He knew that they had to take things very slowly but he was determined to rebuild her trust in men.   Not all men were bastards like her ex best friend was. 

She murmured something in her sleep.  He gently pressed a kiss to her forehead.   "Leah," he said gently.  "Baby, time to wake up." He didn't want to wake her up. He was perfectly content just laying here with her in his arms, but he knew she needed to get back to her hotel and get ready for work.

She slowly opened her eyes and she smiled as she saw him looking down at her.

"Hi," he said, gently.

"Hey," she replied. Neither of them seemed to know what else to say. They just both lay there smiling at each other.

"I thought you'd better head back to get changed for work," Seb finally said, breaking the silence. She nodded and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "I don't want you to though.  I'd love to lay here all day holding you like this."

The memories of the previous night came back to her. She'd agreed to be Seb's girlfriend. She felt conflicting emotions. She was happy, happier than she'd been in a long, long time. She'd told Seb her secret and he'd been great. He hadn't been put off of her. He still wanted her. He was willing to take things at her pace. There was however one big problem. Her father.  Shit.   What would happen when he found out about her and Seb?  Would there even be a her and Seb once he found out who her father was?

She jumped out of bed and headed to the bathroom.  "Leah?" Seb called after her. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, desperate for a wee."  She locked the door behind her and sat down on the toilet.   Then she gave in to her tears.   What the fucking hell was she going to do?   She'd got herself into a right mess.   She just liked Seb so much, he made her feel safe.  He made her feel wanted.   He made her feel alive again. How was she going to tell him that her father was the race director that had it in for him?

Seb had seen the look on Leah's face as she'd dashed to the bathroom. He didn't know if it was regret or nervousness or something else, but he knew something wasn't right.

He got out of bed and tapped on the door. "Leah, are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she answered, but her voice sounded shaky.

Seb sat down on the bed to wait for her to emerge. A couple of minutes later he heard the toilet flush and the tap turn on. A few more minutes passed before he heard the door unlock.

He could see straight away that she had been crying. "Baby, what is it?" He stood and held his arms open. She walked into them.

Holding her tenderly, he kissed the top of her head.

"Leah please, tell me. Are you regretting telling me? Because I promise you, I don't think any less of you, and I won't tell anyone."

"No, it's not that," she said, pulling out of his arms. She sat down on the bed. "I'm just feeling very overwhelmed by everything. I wasn't expecting you to ask me to be your girlfriend."

Seb felt his heart skip a beat. She'd changed her mind, hadn't she? "It's ok, I get it. You're not ready."

"I never said that."

"Leah, you're confusing me."

"I don't meant to. Hell, I'm confusing myself."

"Do you not want to be with me?"