Mark Webber running & trying to catch up with Jenson Button and David Coulthard while still eating (then proceeded to almost choke to death a few seconds later trying to ask a question) - 2016 British Grand Prix
synopsis: A series of transcribed voicemails from your childhood best friend, Isack Hadjar.
trigger warnings: Use of Y/N; Use of feminine pronouns from the reader’s perspective; Use of swear words in French and English; Descriptions of romantic acts and behaviors; Descriptions of car crashes; Descriptions of injuries; Suggestive remarks
a message from the author: This idea came to me just as I was falling asleep. I scribbled it down on a piece of paper (which was almost illegible), and I was thankfully able to craft a story from the “Voicemails, Isack, Best friend. . . More?” that I wrote.
VOICEMAIL 1.
Bonjour, Y/N. I know it is late, I don’t know why I am calling you this late. You should be asleep. If you aren’t. . .stop destroying your sleep schedule. Anyways, I am in Australia right now. As you know. Getting ready for the Grand Prix tomorrow.
And I cannot breathe. It is everything I have worked for, everything I could ever want. But at the same time, everyone is watching me. Just earlier today I was walking down the street and two girls asked for a photograph. That’s never happened to me before.
And I’m not exactly afraid of the attention, but I am. . .How do you put it? Je m'inquiète de ce qu'ils vont penser de moi. (Worried what they will think of me.) You will probably respond to this message and think I am so stupid. Who wouldn’t want to be famous, or whatever? And I’m not unhappy. I just want people to like me. I just want to make my parents proud.
I want to make you proud, Y/N. You’ve been to so many races. So many practices. And I forced you to go, you didn’t want to go at all. But you did it for me, and I want to show that it was worth it.
I am upset you could not fly in this weekend to watch me. I will try to get points. I want to get points. Imagine how incredible it would be, points at my first race. If I get points, you have to come next weekend.
No, wait. You’re going anyway. Merde. (Shit.) I’m so tired. It’s almost five in the morning and I have barely slept. I have had so many nightmares about this. I’m trying to breathe, to meditate or whatever you told me to do.
I’ll stop talking. Thank you for listening.
Au revoir, ma belle. (Goodbye, beautiful.) Talk to you later, hm?
VOICEMAIL 2.
You never pick up the phone when I call you. C'est ridicule ! (This is ridiculous.) I have so many things I want to talk to you about. Suzuka, I’ve heard stories about how hard it is, but it was so much harder than I expected. All those turns? I thought I was going to fly out of my seat.
And you couldn’t make it to the Grand Prix again. I am so angry with your university. Yes, you need an education. You’ve told me how important it is, and I agree. But it’s getting involved in our races. You told me you’d do anything for me.
Well, come to a race. Prove it.
I miss you so much, Y/N. It’s been so long since I saw your face.
Do not! I know you just opened your mouth. Je m'en fiche. (I don’t care.)
Three races in to the season, I want to talk to you. Call me whenever you can. The time differences are hard, but I will sleep late if I have to. You are more important. My best friend.
Oh! I also wanted to say, I listened to the song you wanted me to. The Sabrina Carpenter song. It was funny. Some of her lyrics were very. . .What is the word? Sexy. She is smart, like you. I put it on my pre-race playlist, so you might hear it blasting in my headphones before a race. If you ever come to one.
I talked to your father about the summer break trip to France. He said he is considering it if you pass your exams. If I have to help you in studying, I will. I want to spend time with you.
Putain. (Fuck.) They’re calling for me right now. Call me please!
VOICEMAIL 3.
Thank you for calling me last night. You don’t have to call me back, because I know you have an exam coming up for your organic chemistry class. I do not want to distract you. I only have a few minutes anyway, I am about to go in the car for the first practice session.
I hope you know that I am so proud of you for your hard work. We might not be in contact as much anymore, because of our schedules, but I am always here. You know too much.
My mother reminded me of that one time, when we were little – I let you practice makeup on me. You were, what, six? It was so bad. So much blush. But I laughed. And I kept it on the whole day. A little artist, you were.
Honestly, I don’t know who else I would have let do that to me. You’re special.
I’ve asked you this a thousand times already, but it doesn’t hurt to say it again. Come to Miami. We can go to the beach. You can tan. Read books. Annoy me.
Whatever it takes for us to be together.
J'ai adoré te voir en Chine. Ma belle. (I loved seeing you in China. My beautiful girl.)
VOICEMAIL 4.
I cannot sleep. At all. I’ve tried. It’s — three in the morning. And I went to bed at ten. Don’t tell me to get off the phone and keep trying. It’s not working.
I can’t stop thinking about you. Before you yell at me or tell me to be quiet, I wanted to say. . . I know we are just friends. That we aren’t anything more than that. But I think about you a lot, I care about you more than a friend.
You don’t have to answer. In fact, this was a stupid thing to do. I’m sorry for bothering you.
VOICEMAIL 5.
I saw your post. You look stunning. Putain, I thought I was going to fall to my knees in the middle of the paddock. (Fuck.) That dress is too beautiful. That color, the blue-purple, whatever it is? You look absolutely stunning. I could not breathe.
And that caption? What you wrote?
“Only bought this dress so you could take it off.” Are you trying to kill me? Mon dieu. (My God.)
I can’t wait to see you later this week. Bring that dress. We can do what you wrote. Please, ma belle. (Beautiful.)
I will call you again, later. When you are free. I love you.
Mwah.
Bye.
VOICEMAIL 6.
Dinner was fun with you. Even though you were nervous. You thought that they would kill us, but no! I cannot believe we told your parents that we are together. And they all said, “Finally.” Are we that ignorant? Two idiots in love?
Je sais que je le suis. (I know I am.) Every time I see you, I am worried that you will realize what a fool I am. How utterly in love I am with you.
Since we were eight. Can you believe that? I have loved you, ma belle, since we were eight years old. And it has taken me thirteen years to say something about it. (Beautiful.)