SEVEN MINUTES || L. NORRIS

SIXTEEN

Radio's playing songs for me and you

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LANDO

I was restless. Maybe I was simply overtired from training so intensely and struggling to replenish my body by not getting enough sleep. Maybe I was just missing Isabelle far too much and my body was struggling to cope with that. I just couldn't sit in my apartment and stare at the walls whilst trying to force a chicken salad down my neck for any longer. I let out a miserable exhale, before stepping through to the kitchen and scraping the leftover food into the bin. I placed my plate with the rest of the washing up that needed completing, sighing and reminding myself to sort it later on. I simply found some shoes and a hoodie, before reaching for my keys and heading out of the front door, towards the lift. I took myself outside, inhaling sharply at the cool air, briskly walking across to my car. I unlocked it and climbed into my seat, starting up the engine and backing out of the complex.

I didn't know where I was going. I didn't necessarily need to go anywhere, so my plan was to just follow the roads and see where they took me. I had no ideal final destination, apart from Isabelle's front door, however, I knew I couldn't let myself go there again. As much as I wanted to see her, just to check up on her, I couldn't. It would end in tears once again and I didn't want to startle her like that anymore. I wanted to rush to her doorstep and take her in my arms, hold her close and tell her I wasn't leaving her side ever again, but I couldn't bring myself to do that. Isabelle asked for this and I always respected her decisions no matter what they were, so I couldn't stop now because I felt lonely. Admittedly, I'd never felt so lonely in my life. Even when I was working and found myself alone in my hotel room, I knew she was only ever a phone call away if I needed a chat. I knew that I would fly back home to see her, where everything would be perfect again. I missed the feeling I got when I stepped off of the plane at Heathrow, my whole body feeling light with excitement as I knew I was going home to the girl of my dreams. I wanted to have that feeling again.

The radio was playing softly in the background. I didn't pay attention to which station it was, I simply just let it play. I wasn't paying any attention to much, I just let my surroundings pass as I drove through the streets. I could feel my leg bouncing beneath me as I anxiously chewed on my fingernails, my other hand placed firmly on the steering wheel. Not once did I take my eyes off the road; I barely blinked, never mind looked away. No matter how upset I was, I couldn't let anything happen to me, for Isabelle's sake.

As I drove along the isolated road, one which was usually jam packed with traffic, I noticed a familiar melody playing softly through the speakers of my car. Even though the volume was set rather quietly, I was able to recognise the song without looking at the screen which displayed its title, or turning up the radio to make it louder. I knew it was Heaven by Bryan Adams, a song which Isabelle used to sing to me when we were younger. Often, she would sing the full song, whilst her head rested against my chest as I bundled her into my arms, the sleeves of my hoodie wrapped around her waist. Her fingers would be tracing circles against my cheeks, as the lyrics of the song fell delicately from her lips. She sang each line so perfectly, adding that small bit of emphasis onto the chorus; before I fell asleep after she'd been singing to me, she would always whisper the same thing against my ear - "I'm finding it hard to believe we're in heaven" would ring through my ears as she ran her fingers through my hair, whilst pressing a soft kiss against my jaw. My lips began to tremble as the lyrics rang through my ears, in the same way they would when she sang to me; goosebumps formed all over my body, a shivering sensation consuming me for a few seconds as I listened to each word. Those words held such an important place in my heart, with every single one of them relating in some way to mine and Issy's relationship. It did feel like we were in another universe every time we were with one another; we were so happy and so content with the relationship we built and thrived upon. Isabelle truly was my pride and joy.