#f1preference

You took a quick look at yourself in the mirror near the house’s front door and shrugged at your flushed cheeks and simple outfit before leaving the family house. You were supposed to meet Carlos for coffee downtown and, at this point, you didn’t really care if your outfit wasn’t the most impressive. After all, you were never one to show up with the fanciest outfits or crazy makeup looks, and you were meeting up for coffee, not at a fancy restaurant.

The sun was burning your skin and each step bringing you closer to the location where you would meet the Ferrari driver made your heart beat a little faster in your chest. You had been texting Carlos almost everyday ever since you both finally engaged in a conversation at dinner in Monaco. 

Sometimes you would just send him Formula One memes —preferably in Spanish, but you two would mainly talk about anything and everything. You had also obviously been very keen to show your support before the race in Azerbaijan and to congratulate him after, even though you knew he wasn’t really satisfied by his result. In all honesty, this race probably had to be your favorite of the season so far, mainly because your best friend Pierre had finished on the podium and that the battle between him and Charles by the very end of the race had brought you back to childhood when you would be in the stands and watch them battle it out in karting competitions.

You recognized him for afar, noticing how his white t-shirt emphasized his naturally tan skin. You blinked a few times and took a deep breath before walking towards him, trying to look confident even though you felt weak in the knees simply by looking at him from a distance.

His eyes lit up when he saw you and he rose to his feet, being quick to open his arms and give you a warm hug, “Hi (Y/N)!”

He pulled out the chair for you and you gave him a bright smile as you sat down in front of him, “Hey! You had a nice trip back?”

Carlos vividly nodded, “I slept all the way through, I was so exhausted.”

“Yeah, I bet! I honestly don’t know how you guys do it all the time.”

He shrugged, “Habits, I guess. What about you though?”

You cocked your head to the side, “What about me?”

“How was work and everything?”

And that was something you had learned to appreciate from him. Ever since you both started talking regularly, you had found out that he didn’t want the conversations to be mainly about him. He actually wanted to know how your day was going, what you had to do at work, what your hobbies were and he would gladly listen to you for hours on end even after a long day of training.

If you weren’t deeply infatuated with him before that, this part of him had you now in the palm of his hands.

“Quite uneventful actually,” you confessed, “I could’ve easily worked from home on that one. So... I don’t really know why they flew me to Italy but, yeah, it was alright.”

“So, you’re saying you could’ve come to the race?”

You chuckled, “I mean, yeah... but I can’t afford to travel that much, my bank account isn’t endless.”

“You know, that can be fixed by adding your name to a list.”

“You don’t think Charles and Pierre didn’t try that one trick before?” You asked, “I’m not really into the trophy wife type of thing. I mean, not that it’s a bad thing or whatever... Plus, I’m not dating any of them but, like—”

“Yeah, no, I understand,” Carlos interrupted, now feeling stupid for offering so bluntly something like this.

Just like at the restaurant where you had actually started talking for the very first time, a waitress made her way to your table and you could tell she had recognized the Formula One driver. She had a light twinkle of admiration in her eyes and a shy smile at the corner of her lips. You could so relate to the feeling, recalling the very first time you had met Sebastian Vettel as you had been obsessed with him for years when you were younger. Of course, Charles had exposed you and it had led you to wanting to dig a hole and disappear under the surface of Earth but, now, crossing path with Sebastian was just as normal as ever. You still felt immense admiration for the man but you two were very friendly and he was always looking forward to your little chats on the paddock.

“Are you two ready to order?” the waitress asked.

Carlos looked in your direction and you nodded at the girl, “Yeah, I’ll just have a latte with oat milk, if you have that.”

“Yeah, we do!”

Carlos shot you a surprised look, “Oat milk?”

You chuckled, “Yeah, you should try it, I promise you it’s good.”

Carlos squinted his eyes as if he was trying to see you flinch but you simply raised an eyebrow and smirked as the longing eye contact made your heart skip a beat. It wasn’t like you didn’t know what you were doing, in fact, you were pretty self aware that hanging out with him and texting him every day would only cause your crush to grow bigger and stronger. You just never thought it would go that fast. It was like you were seventeen again and that your brain would make up new scenarios every second —with crystal clear details, involving the man sitting in front of you.

Right now, your brain was offering you this beautiful movie scene where you and Carlos would be exactly there, waiting for your coffees, except you could feel his knee gently rubbing against yours and his hand would casually grab yours, entertwining your fingers before bringing it to his mouth and pressing a soft kiss on your knuckles. It was simple but it was sweet and it made your heart flip in your chest.

“Okay, I’ll take the same thing.”

The waitress nodded and was ready to walk away but she spun on her heels and scratched the back of her head, “Hm… I’m, I’m a big fan. Could we… take a picture?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, sure!” Carlos replied with a smile.

The waitress pulled out her phone with a shaky hand and you were quick to extend your hand, “Here, I’ll take it.”

You leaned back on your chair and made sure to snap as many pictures as you could, trying to find the best angle and praying the girl would be pleased with the result. Secretly, you were glad that this girl had asked for a picture with Carlos because your cheeks were flushed from that imaginary scenario and that phone in front of your face was surely covering it.

You handed her the phone, “Here!”

She was blushing like crazy and, again, you could relate, “Thank you…”

And, as you had predicted, Carlos loved the drink and you made a mental note to make him try absolutely every single thing you would order if you were both finding yourselves in a similar situation in the future. You spent most of the day together, just walking around the city and enjoying the sunny day together. As expected, Carlos was approached by many fans and, even though he appreciated all the support, he kept apologizing because you were being interrupted but you were quick to reassure him every single time that you didn’t care and that you had gotten used to it since being best friends with Charles and Pierre had put you in this situation many times before.

By the end of the afternoon, Carlos had offered to walk you home. You were about to reach your house that you felt your phone buzzing in your pocket. You frowned at the whatsapp notification :

chaaaaaaarles added you to the group “monaco break baby!¡!”

- (y/n) i hope you’re ready to be on team loser for golf because i’ll never forgive you for last year

You didn’t contain the chuckle that escaped your lips as you couldn’t believe Charles was bringing up this golf “tournament” he had set up during the previous summer break. To your defense, you couldn’t golf and Charles had proven to be the worst teacher on the planet. Probably because he wasn’t a good player himself but that was something he would never confess.

“Wait, you’re going to Monaco too?”

You looked away from your phone to see Carlos had his own in his hands as notifications kept popping up on his screen. Glancing back at your screen, you realized that everyone in the group chat was currently texting, making your phone buzz incessantly, “So, you’re going, uh?”

“Yeah, Charles invited me.”

You internally cursed, knowing all too well that even if the two Ferrari drivers were good friends which could explain the invitation, Charles was probably thrilled to know you two would be spending an entire week together in Monaco.

You looked at your feet for a second, praying Carlos couldn’t sense your body tensing, “Well, I guess I’ll see you in Monaco then?”

Carlos nodded and the two of you stood in front of your house, uncertain as to how to say goodbye. It wasn’t like you two had been hanging out for the longest time but it would be a lie on your part to say you wouldn’t want a hug from him.

The awkwardness slowly faded to become something a little electric. As if something invisible was happening between your bodies as neither of you knew exactly what it was or what to do with it. For a split second, you swore you saw Carlos was ready to step forward, as if he was seeking a way to get closer to you but you saw him glance behind you and his body froze.

As if something had disrupted your privacy.

Carlos scratched his throat, returning his shy self, "Hm, it was really nice... Today."

Your heart sank in your chest in disappointment, "Yeah, it was."

"So... see you in Monaco?" Carlos said, "You can be on my golf team if you want."

The grimace that contorted your face made him laugh, "Yeah, I’m not sure you want me on your team, I’m awful at golfing. Like... really awful."

"I’ll teach you."

You bit your lip as your mind was quick to create a scenario in which Carlos was being your private golf instructor. You mentally cursed yourself and blinked a few times to stop your brain from taking things a little too far, "Deal."

Once you step foot into your house, you released a heavy breath you had been unconsciously holding in for way too long. You rubbed your sweaty palms over your legs and let out a small shriek at the sight of your sisters smirking at you.

"So... Carlos Sainz, uh?"

"You stupid bitches watched the whole thing through the window, right?" you accused, now understanding why Carlos had decided not stepping closer earlier.

Your younger sister raised her hands defensively, "Don’t know what you’re talking about," as your other one grimaced, "Guilty..."

… … …

You walked out of the bathroom all dressed up for the night awaiting you and all the people who had been invited to spend the week in Monaco.

Charles had rented a massive mansion that gave a wonderful view of the city and you remembered how your jaw dropped when you discovered the place. The previous years, Charles’ house was big enough to fit in all the guests. This time though, Charles had to invest a little more in this vacation since most of his friends were now in serious relationships, meaning some girlfriends would join and that the couples would want some privacy.

You had been graced with a wonderful bedroom with your own bathroom and you had felt obligated to offer some financial compensation which had led Charles and Pierre to laugh at your face, clearly turning down your proposition.

"Uh, I’m sorry but I could pay, you know?" you retorted as you dramatically dropped your bag on the floor.

"Oh, I know," Charles said, "I just don’t want you to."

"Yeah, I’ll just transfer you money," you said before locking yourself in your room.

Next thing you knew, Charles was banging on your door, "No, you’re not!"

When you finally walked downstairs, the living room was loud and filled with people.

Charles, Pierre, Daniel, Max, their respective girlfriends and some of your childhood friends were there, all chatting before heading out to the restaurant.

You were wearing a red and white tweed suit with the first few buttons opened, revealing just a bit of cleavage without overdoing it. Sensual but chic at the same time.

Daniel shot his eyes wide open and let out a loud whistle, "Alright, you’re snapping heads tonight, damn."

You chuckled, praying that the compliment didn’t show off on your skin, "Stop it, Dan."

Soon enough, you were all making your way to the restaurant where all the other guests were already waiting for your group.

Charles was walking beside you, a smirk growing on his lips as he noticed someone already staring at you from the other side of the room. He leaned into you, "Yeah, you got him in the palm of your hand."

You frowned, "What?"

But Charles being Charles, he decided to just walk away, wiggling his eyebrows at you before sharing a warm embrace with Lando.

And you finally made eye contact with Carlos. When you spotted him, he was already looking at you and he carefully walked in your direction as you did the same thing.

He was wearing a casual outfit and you couldn’t help but tell yourself that white really suited him. You also noticed jewelry dangling around his neck and you had to look away from his hands, too caught up by the rings he was wearing and the effect it had on you.

He hadn’t even said a word and you were already a mess.

Awkwardly, the two of you stopped in front of each other, simultaneously saying "Hi!" and you looked around you, feeling flustered by the moment.

Carlos had his mouth slightly opened, very rapidly eyeing you up and down, as if he wanted to say something but before you could say anything, you were all called in to sit at the large table.

This time though, you were sat next to Charlotte and Katerina as Carlos was on the other end of the table, way too far for you to engage in any sort of conversation.

During dinner though, you could feel him glancing at you occasionally and you didn’t mind the way your heart would beat faster every time it happened.

Ever since that time you two met in Madrid, the texting hadn’t stopped. It had become a habit for the both of you and it was like you always had something to talk about. It was thrilling and it felt like the beginning of something beautiful.

You still couldn’t figure out if Carlos was flirting with you sometimes but it definitely had something to do with your own self confidence. Not that you didn’t like yourself, you appreciated the person you were but you hadn’t dated anyone in awhile and your last relationship had wrecked you more than you would ever admit.

And to top it off, pictures of you and Carlos had invaded the internet and now people assumed you two were dating.

You were trying to keep your composure but your thoughts were flowing in your mind at an incredible pace, the whole situation making you nervous when a notification popped on your screen.

carlos

you’re okay?

The text brought a smile on your face and you looked at him, nodding gently. He stared at you, trying to see if your smile was genuine. His gaze was strong and intense and you had to blink a few times in ordee to control your increasing heartbeats.

y/n

yeah, i just spaced out ✨

A few minutes later, you excused yourself and made your way to the bathroom, enjoying this alone time to relax. You had been hanging out with Formula One drivers for years and you had grown somehow popular in the community, even though it had never been part of your plan. You only ever wanted to be there for your best friends but quickly realized being low key wouldn’t be an option in this environment.

You heard the bathroom door opening and remained quiet, not really caring for a bathroom chat with a girl who would want access to the table filled with famous drivers. You didn’t mean to judge every woman by that thought, you just knew how Monaco could be sometimes.

And you were right this time.

"You’ve seen all the photos going around recently?" a girl asked.

"What photos?"

The first girl gasped, "Of Carlos and Y/N, wait let me show you."

Your heart could not beat louder in your chest and you suddenly felt nauseous, feeling like you were back in middle school, walking fearfully down the halls for a bully to pop out of nowhere and throw you against a locker.

And the laughter began. Snarky and mocking and for a second you wondered if you hadn’t made an unwanted trip to the past where these sounds felt demonic and seemed to follow you everywhere.

"Wait, are they dating?" the second girl asked.

"I really hope not," her friend spat in disgust, "I don’t get why she’s even friends with them, seriously."

Your head started spinning and you knew, deep down, that these two girls were just jealous. Jealous because you hung out with famous, attractive and rich men on the daily. Maybe also jealous because you didn’t perfectly fit the standards and that you were never once pressured to change the way you dressed or presented yourself to stay near them. Probably jealous because you could be seen on Pierre and Charles’ social medias all the time and that you could call most of the drivers real friends.

But once they left and that you finally walked out of the stall, you were facing your reflection on a mirror that could deserve some cleaning and you hated what you saw.

In a matter of seconds, you had been torn to pieces by two women you had never seen in your life and you hated that strangers could have that effect on you.

You tried to compose yourself and finally made your way back to the table, completely oblivious to the words Charles and Pierre exchanged when they glanced at you.

Because, no matter what, you would never be able to hide anything from your best friends.

You two had met when you were literally infants because both of your mothers had been best friends forever. You grew up together and, as cliché as it might sound, your friendship looked like those portrayed in movies. Under the loving looks of your mothers, you would do anything to spend time together. You went to the same schools, tried every sport together, made sure you would always be paired for school projects and would have sleepovers five nights a week. And, when Sebastian got serious about motor sports, you would always be in the stands cheering him on. And Sebastian did just as much for you in return. Because, as his life quickly started spinning around fast cars and world travelling, your life started spinning just as fast around your true passion. Writing. And you were pretty good at this. At the age of twenty, your first screenplay was directed and sent your career high above the clouds, making you one of the top writers of your generation. And Sebastian was there for the premiere and all the others that occurred ever since.

The love you had for each other was highly palpable and people often thought, over the years, that it would just be a matter of time before you both revealed you had actually been dating for all this time. But it never happened. And people quickly realized you would have your love lives on the sideline, dating some people here and there, but never anything too serious. As if you both knew the right person was right there but you were too terrified to make a move. But these were just assumptions and neither of you ever commented on the rumors that were once making the headlines in magazines, causing those said rumors to vanish like a cloud of dust when the hype of the medias fell short.

And, because you were a writer, you could work from anywhere and, in the blink of an eye, you came to the realization that you were attending almost every Grand Prix and living the life you and Sebastian had dreamed of when you were just kids. To be together forever.

And tonight, as you stood in front of the large mirror of your hotel room, scrutinizing every little details of your outfit, hairstyle and makeup, it was no exception. You were wearing oversized suit pants that tightened your waist perfectly alongside a very elegant silky blouse that was slightly see-through —revealing subtly your lace bralette underneath. You had considered a dress earlier but you knew what tonight would be like. A hell of a party. And you knew damn well you would want to be able to dance your heart out and not care about the hem of your dress slowly but dangerously rolling up your body. You just wanted to have fun and your outfit was pretty damn cool, making you look like the badass woman that you were. You sprayed some light perfume behind your ears and looked at yourself one last time before being interrupted by your phone vibrating on the bed.

sebbb : you ready gorgeous? picking you up in 10

And, as you were about to reply, an incoming call popped on the screen, revealing the name of the producer you were currently working with for your upcoming screenplay.

"Fuck," you muttered under your breath, as you accepted the call and put it on speaker, opening your conversation with Sebastian at the same time.

y/n : sorryyyy on the phone with my producer, i’ll meet you there!!!

sebbb : okayyy dont make me wait too long

Fourty five minutes later, you were finally making it to the yacht. Some photographers were on each side of the barriers, snapping as many pictures as they could. They tried to stop you a few times but, by now, you knew it was better to ignore them —it was not really your thing to stop and strike a pose, as funny as it may sound considering you had to do that quite often in your very own career. But screenwriters were never really in the actual spotlight, at least not as much as others in your industry, and you didn’t really want that to change.

So you swiftly breezed past all the flashes and saw the security guard unlock the red rope for you to walk all the way to the deck. And, as usual, you were right. The music was on full blast with waiters walking around carrying champagne glasses and cocktails on silver trays, dressed in formal tuxedos and classy bow ties. You scanned the area and smiled as you saw all the drivers were there, many of them comfortably laying on velvety cushions, drinking and cheerfully talking with on-track rivals, off-track companions and friends.

And for you, it was such a lovable sight. Because people often thought that friendships couldn’t exist outside of work rivalries and, even if this happened to be true in some cases, most of the time, it was quite the opposite. And you were more than glad to be able to witness that with your own eyes. You noticed Sebastian sitting alongside Lewis, Fernando and Daniel and bit the inside of your lips as you took in his appearance. He hadn’t really made too much of an effort, wearing a loose dark green shirt over a pair of bleached straight jeans and some sneakers, but that looked really good on him and you had to refrain throwing a flirty comment at him, since he hadn’t noticed your arrival. It was yet another thing going on between the two of you that had originally started the fire on the potential secret relationship going on between you both.

The constant flirting.

It was no secret that Sebastian was known for spilling flirty comments whenever he could. Either it be at a journalist or at any driver he was particularly fond of, Sebastian was just the flirt of the grid. But you were the one he flirted with the most. And you would flirt back just as much.

It had started when you were in your late teenage years —for some odd reason you had found yourself pointing at Sebastian during a stupid truth or dare game at a party when the question had been « If you were to marry anyone in this room, who would it be? ». And for the rest of the night, all of your friends had tried making you get the dare to kiss him but miserably failed.

It was a few days later —after you had recovered from the excruciating embarrassment of this one moment, when you were hanging out with Sebastian before he would have to leave the country for another season, leaving you alone for your final high school year, that he had said what became your most infamous not so private joke.

"You know, (Y/N), I’d say yes if you asked me to marry you," Sebastian said with a smile.

You had almost choked on your drink and put the glass down before slapping him across the shoulder, causing him to let out a loud laugh, "Shut up, Seb."

"What?! Just telling the truth, you’re the smartest and prettiest girl I know. Plus, you make me laugh all the time," Sebastian added, "I’d be lucky to marry you..., hell, I should ask you myself."

And that is when the flirting started. Whenever Sebastian could, he would make a comment about how pretty you looked, about how you were the girl of his dreams, about you being his lucky charm on the track. He would wink at you at anytime and stare whenever you would walk by, not once ashamed to be caught checking you out by drivers, team members or journalists. He just couldn’t help it and, soon enough, you were doing the same thing. Longing touches, playful stares, stolen glances and quick winks, you just couldn’t get enough of seeing him getting slightly flustered at anything you’d do. You absolutely loved seeing his cheeks go pink whenever you would look at him up and down and tell him how handsome he looked, causing him to brush of the redness of his face by flirting with you even harder. And occasionally, either one of you would drop the « Let’s just get married. » bomb.

And here you were, daydreaming on the deck of the yacht for what felt like hours in your mind when it had just been a few seconds in real life. You were brought back to reality by the sight of two women you had grown to adore, Charlotte and Kelly. They looked beautiful, as usual, and you offered them a genuine smile. Because you knew that with them both by your side, you would have the time of your life tonight.

"(Y/N)! You made it!" Charlotte exclaimed, "Seb told us you were stuck at the hotel with work!"

"You know I’m always down for a crazy party," you replied with a wink.

"Okay but that look is red carpet material," Kelly gushed, "I’m feeling starstruck right now."

You playfully rolled your eyes before waving your hand in her direction, "You can speak for yourself, looks like you stepped out of a magazine."

You saw a waiter coming near the three of you and were ready to grasp any glass coming your way that Charlotte spoke up, "We saw you checking out Seb by the way..."

"What? No," you replied, looking away as quickly as possible.

"Mmh... you can’t lie to us," Charlotte said, "But, hey, you know damn well he’ll be checking you out all night in this outfit."

"As he should," Kelly added, "I mean... I’m with Max but that won’t stop me from looking at you."

"Okay, so bi Kelly is a thing now, I see," you laughed, "Let’s just go get some drinks so you can all stop embarrassing me."

The three girls were quick to reach a waiter and grasp a glass of champagne each before sipping on the bubbly liquid with enchantment. You greeted a few people —mainly team members as well as a few drivers who would walk by and that you hadn’t seen all day. But, as you would usually just go straight to Sebastian and enjoy as much time as humanly possible with him, this time you decided to stay a little longer with the girls, as if an uncharacteristic shyness had suddenly creeped up in your body. As if, this time, you wanted things to go another path with him.

What you didn’t know though, was that on the other side of the yacht, Sebastian had finally noticed you. Suddenly, the conversation he was having with the three men was no longer interesting. Because you were there. He stared longingly, unable to take his eyes off of you, and thought —once more, that you were most certainly the most beautiful girl he had ever laid his eyes on. You didn’t need to show off any skin to shine in a room —not that he ever judged anyone for doing so, you didn’t need to laugh harder, speak louder or dance any crazier to exist amongst a crowd. And Sebastian knew, deep down, that it was only ever you for the longest time.

Not like an evidence but like the perfect build up. For all of these years, you two had grown up together and, whatever life threw at either one of you, the other one was there to offer a helping hand, an ear to talk to, a shoulder to rest on, a loving hug to feel cared for. Of course, Sebastian had often thought the two of you just had a friendship that exceeded the usual amount of commitment and trust expected. Sebastian had fallen in love with other women before. His heart had been crushed several times, he had hurt women just as much. But, no matter if he was in a relationship or not, whenever Sebastian needed to be truthfully himself, he would come to you first. And it was only ever with you that he felt loved for exactly who he was, without ever being judged, disrespected or taken for granted.

"I think we lost him," Daniel said with a giggle as he shot his eyes open when Sebastian looked at him, "Nevermind, he’s done staring."

"Uh?"

Lewis laughed and kicked him on the shoulder, "Just go for it man, what the hell are you waiting for?"

But when Sebastian didn’t react with a usual remark openly assuming his undying love for (Y/N), Lewis knew something was wrong. Probably because he knew Sebastian for longer than anyone else currently on the grid, certainly because he knew that what seemed to be carefree flirting between you both was actually meaningful for you and him.

So, Lewis and Daniel exchanged a glance and decided they should start the festivities between you two.

"Quite bold for a bride’s dress, uh, (Y/N)?" Daniel shouted with a wide smile.

You turned around, shaking your head with a laugh. You made eye contact with Sebastian and gave him a smile that melted his heart instantly. His chest was burning and he wished he could watch you smile like this at him forever.

"I mean, I could get married wearing a suit, you know?" you replied, wiggling your eyebrows, "And, out of Seb and I, I must say he didn’t really make an effort. Even though you look smoking as hell, not gonna lie."

That last comment had caused everyone to whistle and scream both of your names like a bunch of teenagers witnessing their best friends finally making out with your back pressed against a hallway at a lame party.

You faltered a little when Sebastian didn’t say anything back, as if he had lost his tongue. Instead, he stared at you for a few seconds, making you feel incredibly small under his eyes, and then gulped his glass before standing up to go get another one. Everything started spinning in your mind and you started wondering if he was done playing this little « game » of flirting. Maybe he had grown bored of it. Maybe he was currently seeing someone and didn’t want to screw it up. But he would have told you if he was ever dating someone. Or maybe not, maybe scared it would hurt your feelings? Maybe this time he thought he had found the one and wanted to be sure before telling anyone? You started feeling dizzy at all these thoughts that were deeply, and secretly, hurting you more than they should and you finished your drink in one sip, walking faster than ever to grab another one.

You knew drinking wouldn’t solve a thing but you had originally come here to party, not to panick at one of Sebastian’s reaction. Maybe he was just tired after all. So, as planned, you partied. You got tipsy rather quick —because you couldn’t resist the champagne and hadn’t had dinner before coming, and melted into the crowd, dancing and chatting around. But Sebastian never once left your mind and you wished you were goofily dancing with him, as you’d always do at events like this one.

At some point, you noticed him standing near the boat rail, further from everyone else and you decided to join him. He sensed your presence and glanced at you, offering you a smile that removed this enormous weight you had over your shoulders. You couldn’t help but notice the way the moonlight would enlighten his face, creating soft shadows and making his eyes glisten.

"You doing okay there?" you asked softly.

"Yeah," Sebastian replied quietly, "You seem to be enjoying yourself on the dance floor."

"Actually, I like it more when you dance with me."

Sebastian chuckled softly, "I always look ridiculous next to you."

You shook your head with a smile but noticed he was back to looking in the distance, "You look a little off, Seb. What’s going on?"

Swiftly, Sebastian looked back at you, intensely this time. In a sense, it felt like he was scanning you or trying to communicate his thoughts without having to actually open his mouth. For the second time of the night, you felt your breath getting stuck in your throat, you felt like the Earth wasn’t spinning anymore, you felt like he was the only person around.

"Let’s go dance," Sebastian finally said, calmly, as he offered his hand for you to take.

You looked down at his palm and then back at him, faltering for a second. In all these years of friendship, it was certainly the very first time that you knew he had held back what he really wanted to say. It had never happened before. Because there had never been any filter between you both. You trusted each other so deeply that you knew you could do or say anything and the other one would never flee or run away. But, this time, Sebastian didn’t trust you enough to tell you what he really had in his mind.

And Sebastian noticed the hesitation. It was scribbled all over your face. But he knew he couldn’t tell you what was on his mind right here, right now. Not like this. Not at a party where both of you had been drinking. He needed privacy. He needed to be able to look at you fully. Now was not the right time. But he also recalled his conversation with Lewis, just a little earlier.

"She’s gonna slip between your fingers if you don’t tell her, man," Lewis said, "Look."

And Sebastian did look. He saw you, dancing with Charlotte and Kelly, surrounded by men who were trying to start a conversation with you, who were trying to dance with you, flirt with you. He saw you laughing at some jokes here and there. Sebastian wasn’t the jealous type. He had never really been. But he wasn’t really enjoying seeing these men gravitating towards you lustfully.

"Why you think she hasn’t settled down with anybody yet?" Lewis asked rhetorically.

Sebastian shrugged his shoulders, "I don’t know, she doesn’t talk to me about that very much."

Suddenly, a very tipsy Charles showed up out of nowhere —after spying the conversation, "That’s cause she loves you, mate! Come on, it’s obvious!"

And, just like that, the young Ferrari driver left the four men, causing them to burst out in laughter as they all watched him stumble his way to Pierre.

"I wouldn’t have said it any better," Lewis laughed, "Just fucking do it, man!"

Sebastian blinked a few times when you put your hand in his, linking your fingers together. Firmly, and with a soft smile, you walked to the dance floor and everything vanished around you both.

At first, you tried to actually make an effort and follow the rhythm. But the inner child in you two was stronger and, soon enough, you were goofily moving around, making each other laugh so hard you swore you were both crying at some point. And you couldn’t care less about the cameras of your friends pointed in your direction —probably recording you to embarrass you guys on social media the next day, because, for you, only Sebastian existed in that moment. And for him, it was just you. This little bubble that you had built all those years, it was finally back. And it felt better than anything you had known in your life. Never once had you been able to create a bond that was this raw and pure.

Hours had gone by and you were exhausted. Sebastian had noticed and had offered to go back to the hotel with you. He couldn’t deny he was tired as well and wouldn’t mind a good night of sleep. So here you were, in your hotel room, as you had locked yourself in the bathroom to change into something more comfortable and wash your teeth and face.

When you walked back inside the room —wearing an oversized tee-shirt that originally belonged to Sebastian and a pair of shorts, you found him sitting on your bed, flipping through the latest version of your last script.

"You’re almost done with the ending," he pointed out.

"This is the end, actually," you replied with a chuckle.

"Wait, what?!" he exclaimed, "But... we don’t know who she caught!"

"That’s the point. You know I love my open endings."

Sebastian grunted, putting the script back on the table, "I hate when you do this, just tell me!"

You shook your head, "Negative. You’ll have to pay attention to the details to guess."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and fell back on the bed as you plopped next to him, "That’s really not nice."

"Don’t care," you said as you started playing with his hair, making him close his eyes and sigh in appreciation, "So, what did you plan for the summer break?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I don’t know. What did you plan?"

"Well, I gotta see the producer in New York in three days but... other than that, nothing."

"We should go to Cuba," Sebastian blurted as he looked at you straight in the eye.

You opened your eyes wide, "Cuba?!"

"Yeah... it’s on your list, right?" Sebastian asked, "The one you made when we were kids."

You laughed, "Yeah, it is."

"Well, then let’s book a flight!"

Sebastian almost jumped out of bed and grabbed his phone, typing on the screen for a few moments —as you chuckled beside him. It was like the Sebastian you knew was finally back to you.

He dropped the device on the mattress and turned his head to look directly at you, "Done! We’re going in four days."

"You’re insane, you know that?"

"Yeah, well even more when I’m with you," Sebastian said.

That is when you stared at him. You would do that often but, when you did, most of the time Sebastian wasn’t looking in your direction. You loved glancing when he was focusing before a race, when he was doing interviews, when he was chatting with other drivers. It was quite rare for you to observe every detail of his face when he was this close and perfectly aware of your actions.

Sebastian’s gaze faltered and he felt his cheeks burning, "W-What’s going on?"

"I was scared you were getting bored of me earlier," you admitted.

"What?"

"That was stupid," you sighed, "But... like... you were a bit distant and everything. I don’t know. I guess I just got used to you shouting how we’d get married and stuff. But, that was dumb, I just misinterpreted your silence."

Sebastian remained silent, as if to process what had just come out of your mouth. But his quietness suddenly made you more self-conscious and all you wanted was to disappear. Because it became clear in your mind that Sebastian was really the person you could not live without. For as long as you could remember, Sebastian had always been there, one way or another, in anything you did. Whether it was support or inspiration, he was a part of every accomplishment and you were thankful everyday to have someone like him to lean on.

He was your best friend, yes. But he was also more than that and maybe it was a way to cope with the reality to turn your actual feelings into some light flirting. But, earlier this evening, when Sebastian hadn’t flirted back, it had actually hurt you more than you would have thought. For others, it might have been a detail, but for you, it was this little something to hold onto as you hoped it would turn into something more, one day.

Sebastian brought you out of your thoughts as he started speaking softly, "Remember what I told you when we were seventeen? There was this party and this one question. You didn’t even think before pointing your finger at me."

You looked over at him and simply nodded. You could never forget because that was when everything had switched between you both. Switched but still, as if nothing had changed for real.

"When you came by before I had to leave Germany, I told you I’d say yes if you ever asked me to marry you," Sebastian added.

You two made eye contact and your heart started beating incredibly faster. His eyes were piercing right through you and all you wanted was for him to keep talking.

"It was never really a joke," Sebastian confessed, "I’d say yes immediately. You’re my favorite person on Earth, there’s never a moment with you where I’m bored and I always dread the time you have to leave me, even if it’s just for a few hours."

You opened your mouth slightly, shocked by Sebastian’s words. You wondered if all of this was just a dream, if he was really saying that for all of this time, the jokes were just a cover up.

"I just... I just never knew how to say it like that, I guess," Sebastian babbled, looking at his feet in embarrassment, "I mean, it’s probably really weird but it doesn’t have to change anything—"

"Sebastian Vettel," you interrupted, "Would you marry me?"

He looked at you with his eyes wide open, blinking a few times, "W-What?"

You crossed your arms over your chest and squinted your eyes, "What? You said you’d say yes if I ever asked for real so... Would you marry me?"

The man standing in front of you looked like he was experiencing a mental bug and you let out a small chuckle, feeling bold enough to step closer to him, so close you were now a few inches away from his face. Delicately, and after observing his features for a few seconds, you placed your hands on each side of his face and —as if Sebastian was brought back to life when your skin touched his, you two worked like magnets as you kissed. Time stopped and both of you finally felt complete as the kiss went from soft to much more needy in a few seconds.

When you pulled away, you were both panting heavily and Sebastian lifted you off the ground, as you shrieked, so your faces could be at the same level, "Yes, yes (Y/N), I want to marry you."

"Hm, wait I’m not sure I really heard you," you giggled as you lifted your eyebrows playfully at him.

"(Y/N)," Sebastian spoke gradually louder, "We are getting married!"