Flores :: Carlos Sainz

Trece

"Ellis," Carlos whispered and stroked her cheek. "Wake up."

The eyes of Eleanor opened, and she looked at Carlos. Her eyes were small and about to close again. Carlos hated it to wake her up; she looked so peaceful. Eleanor pulled the sheets to her chin and turned on her side. Her eyes closed again.

A soft chuckle rolled over his lips. "I'm going out for a run," he whispered. Eleanor nodded. "Do you want anything from the bakery for breakfast?"

"A cinnamon bun," she mumbled.

"Sounds good," he said and kissed her cheek. "Be right back," he whispered.

She nodded again and turned away from him.

The corners of her mouth curled up, and he got up. He closed the bedroom door behind him and said goodbye to his dogs when he left his house for an early morning run.

❁

An hour later, Carlos returned back home. He took a quick shower, assuming Eleanor was awake now. When he entered the bedroom, it was still dark. A frown grew on his forehead, and he put on the light. His eyes fell on Eleanor, who was still lying in bed with her eyes closed. Carlos stepped closer and saw how she was holding her phone in her hand next to her pillow. He sat down next to her.

"Ellis, wake up," he said and stroked her face.

She quietly gasped for air, and her eyes flew open. She looked around like she was lost.

"Hey," he smirked. "Good morning, sunshine."

"You're back already," she surprisingly said and looked at her phone. "It's already half past eight," she whispered confused. "I wanted to close my eyes for five more minutes, but it became forty-five more minutes."

"Yes, I see. You still have your phone in your hand, silly. It's a nice attempt." Carlos noticed the shame and panic in her eyes. "It's fine; we still have an hour and a half left."

"Okay, good. Sorry, this is embarrassing."

Carlos sat against the headrest, making Eleanor move closer and place her head on his chest. "Did you sleep well?" He wrapped his arms around her and started to draw small figures on her back.

She nodded. "You?"

"I did too."

"How was your run?"

"Hmm, could have been better," he mentioned and sighed. "Sometimes, you can't find a good rhythm, and it just sucks. A run can be over within a blink of an eye, or it is endless. Today, it was endless."

"Hmm, yeah, that sucks. But at least you did it."

"Rupert can be proud."

"You can't do more than your best."

Carlos pressed a kiss on her forehead. "Exactly."

It was silence between the two. They were both enjoying the moments of silence and each other's presence. This made them realise how much they liked to cuddle.

"Are you looking forward to Silverstone?" Eleanor whispered, breaking the silence.

"Yes, I do," Carlos softly said back. "It's a little bit like coming home. I've lived in England for two years."

"Yeah, I can imagine."

"Are you going to watch?"

She nodded. "I am. Of course. I hope everything will go well. Good and safe battles. No routes to the hospital."

"Let's hope for it. I will do my best."

"You just try to win."

"We will see," he said and smiled. "I'll do my best for you."