Teach Me Something // LH44

Chapter Fifteen

"So... what's the news?" I ask him as I turn over in the hotel bed. We seem to have mutually agreed we don't want to leave because leaving means getting on a flight and going back home. So, we're still laying here, the winter sun streaming in from windows larger than necessary as we're both covered only by the sheet we're sharing. We're laying at different ends of the bed, a platter of food between us as we talk and refuel before we finally actually do have to leave the blissful bubble we have once again created.

I know I have to get on a plane at some point today. There are still two weeks of term left but the idea that I don't have to leave right this second is reason enough to stay. Lewis shakes his head at me, choosing instead to hold up one hand, poised to throw another grape from the platter between us my way. I'm currently surrounded by grapes from my inability to catch them and yet he still throws them as the slow but content morning continues. The food was from the breakfast we ordered when we first woke up but we got a little distracted before we were able to actually follow through... after we finished he put the fresh fruits between us to snack on but seemed to either have it against grapes or thought that watching grapes bounce off my face was the most amusing thing in the world.

I'm pretty sure it was option two.

"What news?" He asks, fairly confused as my question has come out of nowhere. I roll my eyes as I kick him with my foot for being annoying for no reason and he laughs, catching it in his hand before throwing the grape and giggling when it hits my nose once more. "Oh come on, you could have caught that!"

"You're actually so annoying - I swear you are missing me on purpose," I tell him, pushing his hand away from where it was running up my leg with my foot before I throw a grape at him. I'm left to watch him catch it with an ease and elegance that I simply don't possess, further frustrating myself as I eat one of the grapes near me on the bed in annoyance. "I mean general news obviously. You've been gone for two months... what's happened? How have you been? We haven't actually discussed any of that... obviously, you did pretty well or they wouldn't give you the world's ugliest award - no offence," I ask him, trying to check in once more.

He tries to smile through the question before the sigh escapes him and he throws a grape up in the air for himself to catch, laughing when I get to my insult towards the award that had taken a dramatic turn in the last twelve hours. He was quite clear on the fact that while it wasn't his intention to have it stolen, he couldn't care less that he didn't have it. That being said the organisation was making him say he wanted it so that they didn't look bad.

"Difficult. It was difficult. I almost won a race but the team messed up the strategy... and then I got disqualified anyway so... I guess it was good that I didn't win. The last race of the season was a total nightmare - the car was all wrong. I don't really like the sprint format but I support them trying to do more racing... they just need to figure out how to make it work still. I went to a few parties, drank a tonne of alcohol, and went sky diving, surfing and stuff. Then I needed to come back for this award ceremony, which by the way, I'd like to apologise again that it wasn't in Paris. I thought that's where it was going to be given that's where all the officials live but they decided to fly everyone to Baku for reasons unknown... I still want to take you to Paris though. I'd take you today if I didn't need to get you home at a reasonable time," he grins as he finishes talking.

It was almost funny to watch actually because he began a little deflated, throwing himself back on the pillows at his end dramatically before slowly talking himself back up to his previous position of laying on his side, titanic style. Actually, it would have been funny if it wasn't for the fact that I knew he was talking about the sport which was meant to be his passion with such disdain. That's what made it a little hard to watch. It was only the conversation of all the other stuff that brought a smile to his face. Particularly the one around Paris which he doesn't hesitate to wink at me suggestively to push the point home.