twenty.

287 10 0
                                    

Baku has been interesting to say the least.

Charles has been doing phenomenally. Pole position in quali, pole position in the sprint shootout, and P2 in the sprint. But, it's Sunday morning and I haven't seen him since yesterday morning.

We've both had meetings in different places, constantly have been pulled in different directions, Lissie and I were even sharing a hotel room this time around – so there wasn't even seeing each other at night. Texts and calls have been shared, but there's nothing like seeing each other in person.

Thankfully, Caleigh was letting me watch from the Ferrari garage again. All signs were pointing toward Charles being on podium this race, for real this time. The largest smile stretched across my face as I nearly ran to the garage. Finally, I was able to see my boy again this weekend.

"Charlie!" I nearly screamed as I caught sight of the Monegasque, no doubt getting a few stares.

I watched as he quickly turned around, his eyes searching for me. His eyes found me and the biggest smile I've ever seen showed on his face.

"Je suis si fier de toi!" (I'm so proud of you!) I yelled as I got closer.

He waited with open arms, smile still bright as I ran into them, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Je suis au sommet du monde en ce moment." (I'm on top of the world right now.) Charles mumbled into my neck.

We separated and started our walk back to the garage since Caleigh hadn't been able to release me until 30 minutes before the race. I watched in awe at the focus he had, speaking with his engineers and looking ridiculously calm. He's amazing.

Right as they were calling the drivers over to the grid, Charles jogged over to me. "Allez-vous passer à la radio, Della?" (Are you going to be on the radio, Della?) he had a hopeful look in his eyes.

His eyes look that of a small child, almost as if he were scared to hear my answer. Another smile found it's way to my face. "Pour toi, Charlie? Bien sûr." (For you, Charlie? Of course.)

Charles turned away, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks. It was cute. "On se voit après." (See you after.) He mumbled before jogging off.

I waved to him, wishing him good luck as he went to his car. Let the race begin, I guess?

~~~~~

"Let's go, Addie!" One of the Ferrari engineers waved me on, leaving the garage.

I was almost in shock, it was his first podium since last season. A hand pulled me along, taking me with them until we reached the barrier that would separate us from the top three drivers. I was shaking with excitement and pride.

Sergio, Max, and Charles all pull into parc ferme, parking behind their respective podium placards. I was smiling so wide it hurt as I watched him climb from his car. He jumped out and cheered, rushing over to the sea of red where his engineers stood cheering for him.

They were all patting on him and hugging him, congratulating him for landing on the podium. One of the engineers, the one who had pulled me from the garage, all but shoved Charles toward me. His helmet was still on, but his visor was up, so I could see the excitement in his eyes. I know I couldn't see it, but from the crinkle in his eyes, I could tell he was smiling just as big as I was.

He pulled me into a hug, squeezing me tight before stepping back. Charles shook his head, reaching his hands up and rubbing his gloved-hands across my cheeks. Had I been crying?

Charles jogged off, completing his weigh in and disappearing to the cool-down room to wait for the podium celebration. We all shifted, going to a spot we could see the celebration, waiting for it to begin. This all felt like a dream.

HOME | charles leclerc Where stories live. Discover now