The Blackout ⤖ George Russell

T W E N T Y S I X

Nora frustratedly was going through folders in the living room. She was searching for some papers from the hospital and her notebook. A sigh rolled over her lips, and she threw a stack of paper back on the table.

"Can you find it?"

The eyes of Nora shut up to the person who just entered the living room: George. "No," she shortly said and walked to the closet to continue her search. She blew a piece of hair out of her face, but it landed back on her cheek. A frustrated groan left her mouth, and she stroked the part of hair behind her ear.

George frowned, what a warm welcome... He licked his lips and took off his coat and scarf. "Are you mad?"

Nora stopped searched around and looked at him, giving him a bitchy look, and continued searching for the papers. George nodded and pressed his lips into a thin line: this was not her day.

"Can I help you with something?" He breathed deeply in and out. It kept silence from her side. "Are you angry at me?" George blurted.

"No," Nora mumbled and closed the doors of the cabinet when she didn't find the papers. Without giving George a look, she passed him and walked to the kitchen area.

She was going through some folders, papers and magazines to find the documents. George had followed her to the kitchen and leaned against the kitchen counter. Nora loudly sighed, giving the sign she was irritated. George parted his lips and kept having his eyes on her. She pursed her lips, a slight furrow between her brows and she stared pointedly at George, with an icy coldness in her eyes. It was almost like Nora had turned into Elsa from Frozen, she had a cold look on her face what almost gave George goosebumps. She looked away and put both of her hands on her hips.

"Are you really not mad? Or annoyed?"

Nora rolled her eyes. "I was not mad at all, then you asked me ten times if I was mad. Now I am mad!" She sneered. George held in his breath. "So yes, I am mad!"

He looked away and bit on the inside of his cheek; Nora really was in a bad mood. "Okay," he muttered and looked away from her. "I thought it would be nice to see you since it probably will be the last time before it the season starts," he quietly told her. This probably was a side effect of her medicines.

"I didn't ask for it," she curtly said.

"Nora..."

"What?" She snapped.

"I visit you, and you act like a cranky bitch," George confusedly said and shrugged his shoulder. "You could have said you didn't want to see me," he emotionlessly said.

"I didn't ask you to visit me."

George deeply inhaled through his nose and nodded. "Fine, I will go. No problem for stopping by, Nora," he snapped as well.

Their eyes met once again. "Well, I'm sorry for making you visit me."

"You could have told me you wanted to be alone. Waste of my time," he annoyedly replied to her.

Nora lowered her eyebrows. "This is not my fault, you randomly showed up!"

"Because you asked me two days ago!" George shook his head in disbelieve, and a disappointed laugh rolled over his lips. "I will leave you alone, so you can be cranky on your own. So enjoy," he sarcastically said and turned away from her.

"Thank you very much, I definitely will!" Nora tightened her jawline and pressed the air through her nose.

"Fine!" George shouted back and balled his fists. "Sometimes, you can be so ungrateful," he said in an undertone.

"I can be ungrateful? Perhaps you have to look at yourself," she stubbornly said and started looking for the papers again. She sighed and bit on the inside of her cheek.

"I should look at myself?" He let out a peal of laugher of disbelieve. "Right, Nora." He ran his hand stressfully through his hair. "If I would be ungrateful, I wouldn't be here."

"Yeah, you're right," Nora hissed and pointed at him.

He stayed quiet, even his presence was working on Nora's nerves.

"And if you didn't make that misjudge, I would not be here as well! It is your fault I crashed into that wall!" The words popped out of her mouth of anger. Her heartbeat was sensible in her temples.

George gasped for air and stared at Nora with wide eyes and raised eyebrows; he knew it was bothering her, but this was confronting. Tears filled his eyes, he felt pain flowing through his body.

"If you just observed the situation better, nothing would have happened!"

"You can't say that." His voice was soft, almost fragile.

"It is a fact!" Nora threw the papers on the kitchen counter and shook her head.

"Maybe you should have died!" He raised his voice and threw the words out of his mouth to fight back. Nora's eyes widened, she was shocked. "Because then you didn't have to go through all of this!" The silence fell between them. "And now what? What do you have to say now? You have no idea how I feel about this!"

Nora blinked a few times and raised her eyebrows. She walked around in the kitchen and nodded. "Perhaps that was better, huh?" Her eyes locked with George's eyes. "Perhaps we all had more peace now." Her voice lowered, she was hurt by his words. "But remember, I should have won the championship, I deserved it way more than you do! I should be walking around an F1 car now, I should be preparing for the test days with my team now. But I can't! And you know why? Because you drove into me!"

"How many times do I have to say I made a mistake on misjudging the situation?!" George yelled, his voice began to hurt. He frustratedly pointed at her. "I'm only human, I make mistakes as well! And I am sorry you were part of it!"

"I hate you! I have always hated you, you wet sock!" The bitter lie flew from Nora's lips.

A hurt expression crossed his eyes for a brief second before his anger took over. "I hate you too! Happy now?"

"Drop dead!"

George tightened his jaw and left her alone in the kitchen. The heat was spreading out of his face, and he grabbed his stuff before leaving the house. "She's a pain in the arse," he said to the person who was entering the place and scoffed.

"Bloody hell!" Nora shouted and threw the pile of papers on the ground from the kitchen counter. She ran her hair stressfully through her hair, and she closed her eyes. Her chest was going up and down at a fast speed, and her heart was racing in her chest. Have I just lost him?

Footsteps entered the kitchen. Nora quickly turned around, ready to give George a hateful lecture, but she looked in two different pair of eyes; they were slightly darker. She closed her mouth and pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Are you okay?" Ben looked worriedly at her. "George just left like he has just gotten the worst news of his life."

"I..." Nora began. "I'm fine," she answered and faked a bright smiled. "And you? Long time, no see."

Ben raised his eyebrows and looked at the papers on the ground next to the kitchen counter. "Yeah, right, Nora," he said. "You look like a mess." He looked at the papers on the ground again.

"Why are you here?" Nora blurted and looked unsatisfied at him. She didn't want to see George, Ben or anyone.

"I'm here for the appointment? Like every Thursday?" Ben pushed the corners of his lips down and frowned.

Nora swallowed. "You're right," she said and nodded; I forgot. "Give me a few, I will be right back. By the way, do you know where my dossier is? I have to bring it to the hospital tomorrow, but I can't find it."

Ben gazed in her eyes, she was absent. "I have it with me, like always?" Nora straightened her face and nodded. "You're acting off, Nora. Let's reschedule today's appointment. We're going out and distracting from whatever you're worried about."