Lifeline (Sebastian Vettel)

Chapter 13: Sleep

Author's note: ALRIGHT here it is. This chapter got really long, really fast. I wanted to split this one up into two but it just reads better all in one so what the hell, we'll make it a special one-off. Anyway, hope you guys like it! Gimme your thoughts at the end and please forgive me for any grammatical hiccups. It's so long that it'll take me a few read-throughs to pick up all the errors!

The following morning, Tully awoke bright and early, ready to go out with Seb and Heikki for their morning session. She threw her legs over the side of her bed and stood up, stretching and yawning as she gazed out of the window at the hazy blanket of sunshine falling across the buildings below.

She walked across her room and grabbed the first bag of Red Bull gear that she reached, tearing it open and hunting through it for a pair of shorts and a racer-back singlet. Eventually, she managed to extract what she was looking for and got dressed. She then pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail and wandered over the the mirrored cupboard curiously, taking in her appearance for only the second time while wearing her new team uniform.

The navy blue suited her. She bit her lip happily and twisted around, checking the back. She suddenly felt very much apart of her new life with Seb and Red Bull.

Satisfied with her appearance, she left her room and made her way into the kitchen, grabbing a few pieces of fruit from the counter and some celery and cucumber from the fridge. She then blended 2 fresh juices and sat at the counter to drink hers while she read the newspaper that the hotel staff had left at the door.

10 minutes later, a very sleepy-looking Sebastian scuffed his way into the room. Tully, upon hearing his footsteps, looked up and smiled at him.

"Good morning!" she called brightly, taking particular note of his adorably-messy hair, sticking up in a weird direction from the way he'd slept.

"Hey." he croaked, rubbing his forehead sheepishly before approaching the counter and noticing the fresh glass of juice, "Is this for me?"

"You don't see any other professional Formula 1 drivers around here do you?" Tully teased, looking over her shoulder for effect.

He grinned and picked up the glass, talking a large gulp before looking across the room contemplatively.

"What's your verdict?" Tully asked slyly.

"Better than Heikki's juices." he replied with a nod.

"Well obviously, but what are your preferences?"

Seb snickered at her relentlessly competitive attitude, "Whatever is in this is perfect. The only thing I really hate is carrot."

"No carrots." Tully nodded, making a mental note, "I'll consider them a banned substance."

"What? No lecture on why they're good for me?" Seb chuckled, taking another long swig from his glass.

"I'll just hide supplements in your food. You'll never know." Tully waved her hand in the air causally before throwing him a cunning smile.

Seb laughed and set down his now-empty glass before checking the time on his watch.

"Heikki will be here in 30 minutes." Tully informed him, "Can I check what has tensed up since yesterday in the simulator?"

"Of course." Seb agreed, trying not to sound too eager.

"Couch please." Tully said, pointing him over to the lounge area. He made his way over obediently and sat on the edge. Tully followed him over and stood beside him, pinching the material of his t-shirt and tugging it gently.

"Oh." Seb muttered, realising what she wanted. He pulled his shirt up and over his head and balled it up in his hands as he felt her fingers land on his skin for the first time since her trial.