Heartdriven: Too Driven To Drive

18. Fool Me Twice

    The second race of the season ended with a podium for Sebastian, and Alice could feel him a bit more chipper about the weekend. Malaysia was a track that he liked and his excitement rubbed off on Alice.
    She had felt a bit distant to him for weeks now, as he had gotten more into his work to not let the frustrations of the car get to him. He would still touch her, but never let it get further, so she tended to just leave him be when he returned in the evenings. He wouldn't approach her about some 'fun times' either... but with that look on his face, she hoped tonight would be the night.
    It was a Mercedes 1-2 with Sebastian taking the third spot, but the season that was to follow, was starting to become clear. Mercedes were out a head and the rest couldn't keep up.
    But Sebastian was happy with his podium for today, and Alice took that as a win for him. She had kept in the back of garage for most of the weekend, shadowing the hard working mechanics, and after the debriefs, the night ended with a celebration of the whole team. Alice stayed back for Sebastian to have a moment with the team and met up with Daniel outside the paddock. He had received some penalties during the race and was less chipper than his usual self.
    "Ya' need a ride to the hotel?", trying to cover up his disappointment by focusing elsewhere.
    "No thank you, I'm just waiting for Sebastian," she looked over her shoulder to see if he was soon on his way.
    Daniel's smile soon appeared at the topic of something else, "Yeah, he seems to have turned that frown upside down."
    "At least for today. I don't know...," she looked down, a bit shy or not wanting to admit her observations, "He feels a bit... off."
    Daniel did catch her hesitance, trying to keep it cheerful, "What do you mean? Hasn't he just been pouting?"
    "Yeah, pouting. But just... distant. He hasn't felt happy since we came back from Vegas," saying the words made her more insecure and she kept her face down.
    He tried to comfort her, he truly did, but he always felt avoidant to real topics, "You're not overthinking it? I'm sure he's just focused on the season."
    "Maybe it's the massive focus on the season that's got him so downbeat. He deserves a break"... wondering how she could give him one.
    He chuckled at her, "Girl, it's only the start of the season."
    She finally looked back to him, slightly annoyed at the insinuation that Sebastian should be immune, and she gave him a frown, "But you know how much he puts into this. And he doesn't get much in return from the car."
    "It hasn't been that bad," slightly shrugging, he couldn't cover up his own disappointments.
    "It's different for you, Daniel. It's an upgrade for you, but he strives for perfection and he can't reach it without any trust in the car—", he quickly interrupted her, "You'll arrive in Bahrain on Wednesday?"
    She looked back as Sebastian hand went over her shoulder, and she relaxed at the sight of the smile remaining on his lips. "I just follow wherever he goes," nodding her head towards Sebastian.
    "We're actually going tomorrow," Sebastian cleared up.
    "Aight, see y'all then." Daniel gave Sebastian a wink and turned on his feet.
    Watching Daniel leave out the gate, Sebastian still had his arm around her, "He told you about the penalty?"
    "Yeah," she didn't really want to talk more about the race, she just wanted to keep him in this mood, "Can we go back to the hotel now? I feel sweaty."
    His hand moved up under the back of her shirt to get a feel of the sweat, "You should have joined me in the shower, when I washed the champagne off."
    "I would have, if you had told me about it," shoving herself against him, before taking his hand and leaving the track together.

    Feeling fresher and clean after her own shower, Alice came back to the bedroom to find Sebastian sat at the foot of the bed. She quickly brushed her hair, before walking over and sitting on his lap. With her arms wrapped around his neck, she gave him a few kisses, feeling his lips give her some back. Smoothly pulling open her bathrobe, she let it fall off her chest and he didn't need any encouragement to touch her breasts. His touch was so delicate across her nipples and her hair dripping on her chest, gooseflesh was spreading over her body. She leaned up against him and his lips moved down her neck, before just as quickly pulling away, "I'm actually kind of tired."
    "Really?"
    "It's been a long day," yawning to showcase it for her.
    She pulled her bathrobe close, "Alright." Shaking her head in frustration with herself for thinking something would happen, as she got off his lap. His lap hadn't felt tired like he proclaimed, rather he felt ready for her. She went up to the bed and laid down with her back to him and she heard a heavy sigh coming from him, "Are you angry at me for something?"
    "No... I'm just confused."
    He followed her to the bed and laid down behind her. Touching her waist, he rolled her on her back towards him and opened the robe back up, continuing where he had left off, kissing her neck and soon finding her breasts in his hands again. But before his fingers could travel further south, she closed the robe again and rolled away from him. "I'm not in the mood anymore."
    "Now I'm confused," throwing himself down on the bed.
    She laid quiet, listening for his next move. Either he was going to pick at this or fall asleep. She herself was not going to do either but simply lay and pout until he made up his mind. The following snores coming from his nostrils let her know. Annoyed and frustrated, she had no choice but to join him and promptly fell asleep.