SEVEN MINUTES || L. NORRIS

FOUR

It's been seven minutes since I've lost the girl of my dreams

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LANDO

I didn't sleep that night; of course I didn't. I was too distraught and too busy thinking about Isabelle to get any decent rest. Even though there was very little I could do about it right now, I couldn't help myself from thinking about the argument we had. How could such a beautiful evening turn to something so cold, so fast? She looked so beautiful as she sat before me in the restaurant. I couldn't help but think about how much I adored her and how I couldn't wait to take her home and simply hold her. She truly was the girl of my dreams.

Those seven minutes were easily preventable. I didn't have to tell her about my upcoming work plans, they could have waited for a little while longer. All that mattered was Isabelle and I, with the evening to look forward to. I would've held her, I would've made love to her and I would've made sure she was feeling alright. I didn't need to say, "I'm back at work on Monday, baby"; she didn't need to know that we only had four days to spend together before I pissed off again. I saw the sadness in her eyes as she tried to keep smiling at me, to make me think she was alright with it. As soon as I saw the tear leaving her eyes, I knew I should have kept it quiet until the morning.

There was not one single person in this world who I would've preferred to have called mine. From the first moment, I knew Isabelle was the one. And as I lay in my bed as the clock ticked closer to five, I started to reminisce, thinking about the very first day I saw her. We met on my first day at my new school, after my parents decided to move us to a new part of the country, so I would be able to study but also develop my racing skills. I was so lucky to be in the position I found myself in, and I believe meeting Isabelle completely boosted that. I was shy, like anybody would be when they started at a new school, but Isabelle was the first person I came across as I sat in my English lesson. She was seated beside me and I was interested in her. She seemed quiet and shy, just like I was, but there was something about the small glimmer in her eye that made me think about her in a little more than a friendly way. The way she spoke to me made me feel welcome, as if I'd attended this school for years and I'd known her since I was little. There was something about her warm and welcoming personality that I was drawn too. And that evening, I didn't sleep; I spent every second of the dark night thinking about Issy, maybe in a few ways too many for somebody I'd only known for a matter of hours. I thought about her romantically, I envisioned myself holding her cheeks and kissing her like there was no tomorrow. I was young, maybe too young to be considering a relationship, but Isabelle changed everything for me. I had plenty of goals which I was so desperate to achieve, but suddenly, treating Isabelle with love and respect was at the very top of my list. School soon became my favourite place, even more so than the track at times, and shortly Isabelle and I became almost inseparable - the best of friends. She would come along to watch me race every weekend, sometimes she would visit me when I was training intensely every evening, and shortly, the track was my favourite place again, because Isabelle would always be there with me. She was my top supporter, my number one fan, who always made it clear that she was there for me. Nobody else mattered, apart from me.

I started an argument that we didn't need to have. I definitely did not expect it to turn out in the way it did, because I didn't have the first clue about how much being apart affected Issy. We did speak about it, but I never gave it as much attention as I probably should have. I know now that if I could rewind those seven minutes, I wouldn't have lost her and I'd be in bed with her right now. The pair of us would be so close, our bodies intimately connected under the fresh, white sheets of her bed. She would tell me, "Lando, you are the best I have ever had" and I would reply with, "Isabelle, you are the best I will ever have", before one of us would connect our lips with the other's. After sharing a moment or two of raw love and passion, we would be simply lying in bed, her head placed so closely to mine on one pillow, whilst we appreciated one another's company. It was my favourite thing in the world; I looked forward to going to bed and being able to cuddle up close with my Isabelle. My heart was hurting now, because I didn't know if I would ever be able to look forward to that again.