Can't be the dirty little secret anymore!

¹

Underneath the vast sky, Nico Rosberg sat in anticipation, surrounded by his fellow journalists. On the big screen nearby, Lewis and Valtteri charmed the cameras during their post-race interview.

Despite his best efforts to restrain himself, a burning sense of jealousy had started to kindle in his heart as he observed them exchanging laughs and playful banter while answering questions. The longer he looked, the more Valtteri's grin felt like a taunt to Nico. 

"You two seem to have a close bond in such a small period. What do you think of him- Valtteri? And how would you describe your relationship?"

"Well, Val's a very nice guy. Easy-going and amiable, quickly wins over everyone's hearts here, makes the best coffee in the world. And about our relationship - he's a really good friend and....certainly my best teammate ever."
Lewis answered the question with the biggest shit eating grin on his face, and Nico wanted to disappear.

Knowing that currently every single camera was pointed straight at him, he covered his face with a mask of indifference, consciously ignoring Jenson's worried look. Although all he wanted was to stride across the paddock and grab Lewis by the shoulders, yell, "What about me?"but the impulse was quickly subsumed by a wave of insecurity.

What does he have that I didn't?

Why was I not deserving of the same thing?

And seeing Lewis celebrate earlier with Valtteri after the race didn't help Nico's situation. It's normal for teammates to be overjoyed after getting 2 podiums and celebrating crazily, but at the same time, Nico couldn’t help but think that it was never the same as he was there.

The empty chair to his left brought a pang of nostalgia, and for a fleeting moment, he wished he could travel back in time to fix what had gone wrong. The memories ogled him - taunting him about what he'd lost - a friendship that once defined them both. People used to say the story of their friendship was one for the ages, spanning almost two decades of trust, laughter, and seemingly unbreakable bonds. But it took just three seasons for all of that to become tainted by betrayal and strategic deception

People say that Nico was Lewis's everything - childhood friend, teammate, rival - everything but never a lover.

They couldn't be further from the truth.

Nico and Lewis were never really friends. Friends don't know the way you taste.

They were also never really teammates. Teammates don't hook up at night and ignore each other in the morning.

But it doesn’t mean that seeing Lewis and Valtteri like that wasn't painful. "Pain" doesn't do this feeling justice. It was like Nico's heart had been torn apart. Not crushed, not shattered, but torn.

And, although Nico had Lewis now in ways others could just dream of, he wanted more. He longed not to be merely Lewis Hamilton's dirty little secret; he wanted to be so much more. He imagined basking in open love instead of being hushed away into those late-night rendezvous. He wanted a love that didn't disappear with the dawn. Merely existing in the safety of the dark from prying eyes.

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♡Hayat