SEVEN MINUTES || L. NORRIS

TWENTY SEVEN

I forgot to love you, love you

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LANDO

After training, I returned home to find Isabelle peacefully sleeping on her side of my bed. I had to pinch myself, to confirm that I was not dreaming and that she very much was here before my eyes. I smiled as I stood in the doorway, watching her sleep peacefully, her head tucked under the duvet and her breathing heavy, yet constant. I didn't want to disturb her. She looked so beautiful every time she slept and I felt lucky that I could see this with my own eyes for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. I wanted her back so badly. I wanted her to agree to my idea of quitting her job, moving in with me and travelling around the world to attend races with me. I knew that eventually, she would agree to it, but I didn't know how long that would take.

Not wanting to wake Isabelle, I tiptoed through to the bathroom, reaching for a towel and hoping that I'd left at least a clean pair of underwear in there, so I didn't have to disturb her after my shower. Thankfully, I emptied my luggage last night and left a t-shirt, along with a pair of joggers, on the shelf, with my underwear sat neatly on top of the other clothes. I smiled, before stripping from my sweaty gym wear and turning the shower on, stepping into the cubicle to allow the water to hit my bare back.

I was terribly confused. I thought Isabelle really did hate me. The words she spoke to me on the evening of our argument rang through my ears constantly, like a burden which weighed me down.

"You're too fucking busy," I closed my eyes as I listened to the sound of her voice playing over and over in my head. "You do this for you, for the fame, for the money. I'm not happy."

I reached backwards and my hand hit the ceramic tiles on the wall. I felt so light all of a sudden, my head almost spinning as the boiling water scolded the skin on my back.

"I hate you." It replayed in my mind time and time again, the tone of her voice becoming harsher every time I heard it say those words. I whimpered, thinking that it must have been true. Isabelle didn't want to be with me anymore because I put Formula 1 before her and I knew now that she wasn't lying. Being apart from her made me realise how difficult I'd made things and I understood that it was my fault. I took the blame and I wasn't afraid to admit that I'd hurt her, but her words were haunting me right now and there seemed to be nothing I could do about it.

I quickly showered, wanting to wash the sweat away from my body, but also wanting to get rid of the fear which was growing inside of me. I knew that she wasn't emotionally ready to try things again and I accepted that. Her feelings were the most important thing to me right now and I wasn't going to ignore them just because I was desperate to call her my girlfriend one more time. I wanted us to work for good this time and I knew that Issy had to be comfortable more than anything else. I wanted to know that I was making her happy again.

"Lando?" She was stirring from her sleep when I entered my bedroom again and I rushed to her side, so that I could be there when she properly woke. I wrapped the towel securely around my waist before crouching down by her side, running my fingers across her warm cheeks.

"I'm here," I whispered and watched on as her lips turned upwards into a soft smile. "You're okay."

I saw her relax into the sheets, her whole body loosening up as she rolled over tiredly, patting the space beside her. I looked down at the towel around my waist, chewing on my lip nervously, but she shrugged her shoulders and reached up to pull the towel away from my bare body. She smiled as her eyes moved up and down my body, before lifting the sheets up for me to slip under.