Death of a Bachelor

#24 Little by little

Simone's eyebrows snapped together as she watched Julien and Lewis, the two made her sit on the couch and Julien strictly instructed her not to move too much because, according to him, the baby inside her stomach would get dizzy. Her friend smirked at her as he passed in front of her, carrying two boxes filled with her belongings, mostly her clothes and personal things. She glanced at Lewis, who was quietly and carefully wrapping her finished paintings while sitting comfortably on the floor. For Lewis, the studio was no longer a safe place for her.

It had been five days and things had only gotten worse, more articles were being published daily and pictures of Simone were circulating all over social media. This constant exposure made Lewis increasingly angry and stressed, he was terrified that something bad might happen to her. The five days spent in her studio had been hard for Simone. Although she wasn't completely alone—Lewis had stayed with her. She had no choice but to ask her boss for another leave from work. The decision wasn’t easy, but they both knew it was necessary for her and her students safety.

Thirty minutes ago, Simone was in a heated argument with Julien. The argument started because Simone was not listening to Lewis' suggestion that she need to leave her art studio for a month or when the media and people finally calmed down. He even hired security guard for her which made her laughed sarcastically, Lewis had repeatedly explained that she was in danger, especially with all the rumors and news about her and him. Julien, trying to help, got frustrated with Simone's refusal to take the advice seriously. Julien is usually sweet and playful, but when he gets angry, it's a completely different story.

His anger is so intense that it’s frightening. As Julien's frustration grew during the argument, his voice became sharper, and his usually kind eyes turned steely. Simone, taken aback by Julien’s rare outburst, she had never seen him this angry before. Julien’s words cut through her stubbornness, and she realized how serious the situation had become. When her friend finally finished talking, Simone fell silent and agreed with him. Lewis who was sitting on the couch that time is suprised by what he witnessed, he realized that Julien is the only one who could keep Simone quiet like this.

After wrapping the last canvas, Lewis glanced at Simone. When their eyes met, Simone quickly looked away, her cheeks flushing slightly. Lewis smirked and shook his head, finding her reaction amusing "I heard you watched the Japanese Grand Prix" he said, a teasing tone in his voice.

Simone's face flushed even more as she stammered “W-Who told you that?”

Just then, Julien walked past the living room, carrying another box. Simone shot him an accusing glare “Julien!” she called out, her voice tinged with frustration.

Julien, caught off guard, quickly made his way to the kitchen area, his steps hurried as he tried to avoid the conversation “I didn’t say anything!” he called back, but his voice was muffled by the distance.

Simone shook her head, turning her attention back to Lewis "Well I did...and honestly, it was pretty confusing"

Lewis raised an eyebrow, curious. "Confusing? oh, well racing can be pretty overwhelming if you're not familiar with all the details. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of everything, especially when things get intense"

"I see" she replied while nodding "aren't you scared, though?"

Lewis shook his head, a faint smile playing at his lips "Not really...but yeah sometimes" he said quietly, his gaze locked onto her hazel eyes "actually It's not so much about fear it's more about the frustration of not reaching the goal I’ve set for myself"

Simone studied him for a moment, her expression reflecting a mix of curiosity and concern "Does it make you sad when you don't win?"

Lewis sighed and crossed his arms "Sometimes, yes. But it’s more about feeling frustrated, disappointment and angry on myself. I put so much effort into preparing and competing. When things don’t go as planned, it’s tough. I’m often more upset about the missed opportunities and the feeling of letting people down"