ZIA POWMAN'S HOTEL

ZIA walked along the corridor towards her room, her eyes red and face pale. It had been a shitty day.

As she approched her hotel room, she groaned. It was just about to get worse.

"Red Bull?" George Russell asked. He was leaning against her hotel door, hands shoved into his pockets as he watched Zia lumber down the corridor towards him.

"Yeah yeah, come on let's get this over with." She said, waving a hand. When George frowned at her, she sighed. "Y'know... 'how could you do this to Alex?' ''you're such an asshole' ." She said, waiting for him to yell at her. "I wouldn't have taken the seat if I had known what they were doing to Alex- "

"You can't say that." George interrupted her, as he stepped away from the door as she approached it. "You can't base your career around how teams treat your friends. It's RedBull, they make championship contending cars. If I was in you're shoes I would have done the same thing." he assured her.

Zia stared at him for a few seconds before shaking her head and placing her key in the lock. "Yeah well I still feel like shit."

"I get it, but you can't blame yourself." George said.

Once the door opened, Zia went to step inside her hotel room, but stopped herself. She turned to George and sighed. "Do you want a coffee or something?" she asked.

George nodded his head. "Yeah sure. Thanks." He followed her into the room, and sat in one of the round stools by the kitchen island. Zia moved around him and filled up the small kettle, and started to boil it. She took out two mugs, and as she was preparing the coffee, George spoke up again. "I had a visitor off a certain F2 driver earlier." he said, as he watched her.

Zia let out a groan. "Please tell me it was Jack Aitken and not who I think you're on about."

"Unfortunately I think it is who you're thinking of." George said sympathetically. "They gave him the Alfa seat?" he asked, scoffing slightly.

"Seems like you've got the same idea about him as I do." Zia chuckled, as the kettle finished boiling. "I understand why, I mean he's leading the championship right now so- "

"Yeah, but I'm putting my money on Schumacher winning." George said, running a hand through his hair.

Zia smiled slightly as she added the milk to both coffees. "Yeah me too. I did want him to have my seat if I went to Ferrari. I had talks with Fred about it, but apparently my conceded ex boyfriends was the better choice." she said bitterly.

George coughed slightly as he remembered the other half of the conversation he had had with Bryant. "He uh- mentioned you in his little gloat."

Zia pushed the coffee across the island to George, as she sat down opposite him. "Oh god."

"I believe his exact words were "it's best if you stay away from Zia" ."

Zia frowned at him. "Why?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"He thinks we like each other and he doesn't want me in the way when he tries to win you back."

Zia chocked on her coffee. George raised his eyebrows at her, asking if she was okay. Still spluttering, Zia held up a hand, signalling she was okay, and faced him again. "I'm sorry what?"

"He uh- he thinks we like each other?" George said, still unsure if Zia was okay.

"No, no, that's ridiculous. I mean the uh- the second part?"

George let out an 'oh' sound before confirming what he had said before. "He wants to try and get back together with you."

Zia shook her head slightly, letting out a disbelieving laugh. "What a prick." she muttered.

George laughed at her reaction. "I'm assuming those days are long behind you?"

"The only thing I regret in life, is saying yes to that idiot." George let out a laugh at this, and Zia followed afterwards, and the pair were sat together, laughing at Zia's stupidity for going out with Jake Bryant.

After a few minutes of talking, George's phone buzzed. "It's my PA, I've got interviews." He stood up from the island and walked towards the door, Zia walking after him.

Once they reached the door, George turned to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Zia didn't brush it off like she usually would have, but looked up to him as he spoke. "Don't kick yourself about the RedBull seat. Or Alex. He'll come around eventually."

Zia gave him a small smile. "Thanks Russell."

"Still no first names?"

"You want to apologies for Mugello again?"

"Have a good day Powman." George said, as he patted Zia's shoulder, leaving the hotel room. Zia chuckled and shouted a goodbye down the corridor, as she watched George enter the elevator at the end.

Once he was standing in the elevator, he locked eyes with Zia and gave her a small smile and wave as the doors began to close. Zia gave him back a small wave, and the doors shut fully. She re-entered her hotel room and sighed.

She didn't think George Russell am standing at her hotel door would have ended in them having a (more than) civil conversation.

"First time for everything." she thought to herself.

-

so i lost the gif banner to all my stories lol

anyways

THEY HAD CIVIL CONVERSATION