RACING HEARTS: trapped between two champions

Chapter 3 //

Standing up, Mia rubbed her puffy eyes that she almost cried out a few minutes ago. She needed to go back there, it was nearly the end of the race and Max couldn't know what happened. Her heartbeat was insanely high, and her sugar level was too low. It felt like the end of the world, but it wasn't, she had survived way worse. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself she needed to get her shit back together. She knew it wasn't Mick's intention to make her feel like this. Mia needed to face it, she couldn't live like this her whole life.

Taking a deep breath once again, she began walking back, her mind consumed with thoughts. She paid no attention to her surroundings, occupied with checking her reflection in her phone camera to ensure her eyes weren't too red. The last thing she wanted was for people to notice she had been crying. "Jesus, I look awful." Mia thought while staring focused at herself.

As she continued scrutinizing her appearance, she suddenly collided with someone, nearly dropping her phone. "Oh god- I- I'm so sorry." She looked at the man in red standing in front of her. "Oh no, totally my fault. I apologise." said a very familiar voice with thick, German accent. She recognised this man. He wasn't very tall, and his bright blue eyes seemed to stare deep into her soul. "Wait...Mia?" Now she knew who he was, the German way he said her name was engraved into her soul. It was Sebastian Vettel.

Mia and Sebastian were never close friends. They knew each other through Michael, he was his best friend, and she was his secret lover. Their interactions were mainly centered around Michael's presence. Although, during races when he was on the track and Sebastian wasn't, Mia and Seb found themselves in occasional conversations. Both shared a deep admiration for Michael and never missed a chance to watch him race. Their conversations mainly revolved around his performances, so they didn't really know much about each other. Despite that, there was a sense of mutual respect between them. However, their interactions came to an end after the accident. They no longer found themselves in the same circuit watching him race together. Each dealt with his situation in their own way, and their paths haven't crossed since then. Until now.

"Sebastian, hi." Mia didn't expect running into him today, not at all, so she was quite surprised when she saw him. "Gosh, I haven't seen you in forever." Sebastian pulled her into an unexpected hug, but she quickly made herself comfortable and wrapped her arms around him as well. "It's good to see you too, Seb."

He hasn't changed much over the years, but there was one thing that caught her eye. He was wearing a Ferrari race suit, just like Michael all those years ago. Even though her brother was a racing driver, Mia refused to watch a single race and to read, or hear anything about Formula one since the accident, so there was no way of her knowing that Seb left RedBull. "Ferrari huh?" she remarked while still hugging him. "I felt like I had to." He replied, a knowing look passing between them. Tears began forming as everything started reminding her of Michael all over again, but this time she fought them. She couldn't allow herself to cry in front of Sebastian. After a moment, they broke the embrace and Mia took a step back, composing herself. "How are you?" was the question she could never answer without lying. But it was obvious why he asked that. While Sebastian remained unaware of Mia's and Michael's relationship, he knew that she meant the world to him. As best friends, he witnessed Michael and Mia being inseparable, spending nearly every day together and Michael basically raising her. But regardless of Seb's and Schumacher's friendship, what was between him and Mia remained a secret.

"Im great." She answered plainly.

"Yeah, of course." Seb responded with a sarcastic tone, sensing something off. "Your eyes are all puffy, your nose is red, your hair is tousled, and when we bumped into each other you looked stressed out. Plus, there are tear streaks on your cheeks, and your smile seems forced." He read her like a book. "So...wanna tell me what happened?"