Burning Heart // CL16

Prologue

2022 Singapore Grand Prix

"You can't keep running away from me Charles," I say quietly as I close the door behind me, finally alone with him for the first time in weeks. My heart is beating fast against my chest as the sheer volume of red in the room acts almost like a trigger...as does his current demeanour, the way he holds his body, so tense from just the sound of my voice travelling to his ears. I let the lock click before I step further into the room, apprehension filling my body in its entirety as my mind ran through all the ways this might play out.

"Go away Lacey, I can't do this right now," he moans, French tinge to his accent light as he refuses to turn and face me. It's as though he's trying to deny to himself that I have him cornered in his drivers room. I ignore the pain in my chest at how tired his voice is, how exhausted he is after the race that saw him get a decent result - not the one he wanted, not the one he deserved.
I don't find it in myself to care about that though, too angry with him for avoiding me for the last two months, painfully obvious why but still hurting from it all the same. My main difficulty is...I don't know how to deal with this sort of pain...so instead, I get angry.

"Right now or ever, huh?" I hiss at him, immediately losing my cool as I challenge him. I keep my distance a few steps away from him, trying to keep space between us as my heart beats hard against my chest and my hands clench into small fists. His head drops forward and I see one hand go to his forehead, rubbing it gently as though he is getting a headache and all my anger dissipates as I watch this. My fists unclenched and I reached out a hand delicately, to rub his back soothingly, but before I can make contact he has turned around and my hand is batted away from where it hovered in the air, falling to my side as I take another step back, familiar with the dark look in his eyes.

"Ever. I can't do this ever. It was a mistake Lacey. A huge mistake, I'm getting marr-"

I wince at the words, all expected but none of them pleasant, cutting him off before he finished the sentence. I couldn't hear him tell me that lie all over again. I couldn't stand the pain it caused me.

"What the fuck happened? Huh? Because you didn't seem to care about her when you had your dick inside me, did you?" I hiss and take pleasure in watching him wince this time, not me for once hurt by the others words. I feel like we've been transported back to earlier this year when I first met him and we got off to a bad start. Hating each other. What a fun game to play.
We had been becoming closer though, more like friends that bickered constantly. The rising tension all culminating in one night eight weeks ago. But he couldn't keep ignoring me, not just for me or him but for a much bigger reason.

"It was a mistake Lacey, please. I love Marian." He says the anger gone and pitiful begging returned. My stomach turns with his words, a tugging at my heart making me feel nauseous and so I touch it gently, tying to ease that pain as I look at him and his eyes desperate for me to hear him. But I can't just go, I can't listen to him while I have something to say.

"Would you stop saying that? You do not! If you did it would have never happened! How can you say that it was a mistake?" I ask desperately, taking a step closer and watching his breath hitch in his throat as his eyes flicker down to my lips before quickly returning to my face, instantly undone by our proximity but it doesn't have the effect that I wanted it to have. Instead of the desire I usually saw, all I got was eyes that were as cold as stone and hard with annoyance as they meet mine once more, angered by how little effort it took for me to tempt him. To cause him to become undone just by standing within arms reach of me.

"Yes, it was a huge fucking mistake. Get the hell out of here Lacey!" He yells the last part and I jump slightly as he begins to walk forward, a somewhat menacing look in his eyes that causes me to take steps backwards until my back is against the door I just entered through and he's standing just a couple of inches away from me, head leaning forwards so that his bright green eyes meet mine as his hands lock me in place against the door. "I don't want to see you again, ever. Leave me alone."