SEVEN MINUTES || L. NORRIS

ONE

It's been seven minutes now since I've lost my way

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LANDO

I don't understand how I could have ever been so stupid. How did I, Lando Norris, manage to put my career before the girl of my dreams? How did I manage to lose her like this?

I slammed the door of her apartment, biting on my lip to stop the tears from falling, as I headed down the staircase to the ground floor. Her teary-eyed face was glued in my mind, the thought of her so upset broke my heart - but it was over. It was over, for good, and there was nobody to blame but me. As I stepped outside, the cool air hit my cheeks and I felt a tear push its way from my eye. I wiped it away quickly, before rushing over to the McLaren which was parked in the corner. I unlocked it and climbed in, resting my face against the steering wheel as I allowed my emotions to pour out. Tears were steaming down my cheeks, my hands shaking, as the night sky engulfed me and welcomed me to its darkness with open arms. It felt like my whole world was crashing down.

My career was important; it always had been and everyone around me, my family, my friends, were able to accept that. They were all so proud of me, for climbing the ladder and eventually signing as a young driver for McLaren. Motor racing was always the dream and now I was finally here, everything seemed perfect.

Isabelle supported me from the very first day we met; I made my career goals clear, and she did the same with hers. We mapped our lives out with one another and I knew she was the love of my life. She was so beautiful, undoubtedly, the most beautiful woman I had ever met in my life. I was prepared to love her and cherish her until the day I died. I never understood how much of an impact my career had on her. She came to every race possible, even when I wasn't a driver in Formula 1, she would always be there to support me. I knew that her workload became bigger - university was tough for somebody who had such a passion for writing. Issy had her academic work to focus on, along with a part time (which seemed to be pretty much full time) job at a local bookstore, not too far from either of our apartment's.

I missed her whilst I was away. Of course, being apart from somebody you loved so dearly would always be difficult, but Issy and I fell in love on the very first day we met, making it so much harder to deal with.

The love we shared was so different to that of other people. Isabelle Jade Martin was the absolute love of my life. I met her at school, and even our teachers would comment on how perfect we would be together. I was so afraid to ask her on a date, even though we became close friends within a matter of weeks. Spending time away from her whilst I was racing proved hard; sometimes I would be away for days, then potentially weeks, and it was tough because I knew I wasn't providing her with the best I possibly could. And even though she knew this was what I wanted to do and what my career would entail, it was difficult for her to accept how far away I had to be sometimes. Her anxiety would only get worse, the longer we were apart. I understood how tough it was for Isabelle and I wanted to do as much as I possibly could to make things easier for her. Of course, whenever she could miss a few shifts at work, I willingly brought her along to as many races as possible.

I started the engine of the car and backed out of her apartment complex, wiping the tears away from my eyes. My vision was already blurry, my heart rate and breathing both completely erratic. I panicked; Issy and I argued very little, so whenever it did happen, it really meant something. The anger built up over time and something so small tipped one of us over the edge. My tears didn't stop, they kept coming, gushing down my face as I did my best to get rid of them, as I kept my eyes on the road.

All I could think about was Issy. My beautiful Isabelle. I thought about the way her blonde hair fell so perfectly down her back, brushing against my face whenever she would rest on my chest. Her blue eyes, as calming as the ocean, would melt into mine every single time she looked at me. Her kind and caring heart was almost as loving as her delicate soul; I loved the way she would lie in my arms and wrap herself around me. Even when she woke me up crying, feeling like her whole world was falling apart, she was the most beautiful and most amazing person I could ever meet. She was the one and only woman who I wanted to love. I wanted to turn around and drive back to her, but I knew she meant it this time. I knew how exhausting life was for her already and she didn't need me dragging her even further into the ground. As much as I loved her, I wanted her to be with somebody who didn't travel for a living. I wanted her to love someone who didn't have to leave her every other week - someone who would always be there for her. And I was; even if I was on the other side of the world, I would always be there to comfort Issy, but a phone call or a text message would never compare to me holding her in my arms. Even though I told her it would be alright and I would be home soon, it was never enough. I could only blame myself for losing her.

Seven Minutes passed and the tears did not stop. The lights on the road only became brighter and clouded my vision more. I've made a huge mistake. I knew she would never come back, not until I was able to settle down and stay at home, to be there right by her side when she needed it. At nineteen years old, I knew that wouldn't happen in the foreseeable future. I would be travelling to every corner of the globe for many years to come. This was my life and I loved it with everything I had, but I loved Isabelle more. She was the only person who ever understood me, the person who understood me more than I did myself.

My life was going to be completely different without her. I knew she didn't want me back; I knew that the anger which she expressed tonight had been a burden of hers for a while now. I loved her - she knew it - but it wasn't enough to keep her, no matter how important my career was. I understood, even though I didn't want to. Nothing would be the same without her. Before I met Issy, everything was a little harder. She was peaceful enough to bring the same feeling to me and I was so grateful to have that sense of calmness and warmth in my life. I'd lost my way a little, feeling like I'd been knocked off course and was heading in the wrong direction. I wanted to simply curl up in her arms and have her play with my hair, whilst whispering in my ear reassuringly, to tell me that everything would be alright.

I needed that more than anything right now.

Each time I stopped at a red light, I let out a shaky exhale and felt the tears dripping off of my damp skin. The roads were quiet and isolated, there was nobody around and I felt more alone than ever. I expected Issy to appear from the back seat and lean over to kiss me, or climb into the passenger seat to hold my hand. I missed her. I loved her with all of my heart and I stood so helplessly in her front room, listening to her sob as she told me exactly how she felt. She yelled at me, questioning why she ever let herself fall in love with me. She told me to never go back, that she didn't want to see me again. This is what I'd done to her; all of her pain was my fault and it was unforgivable. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with me anymore, our relationship and our love all went to waste; but even still, I would take her back in a heartbeat, yet I knew she wouldn't be able to do the same.

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