Mon Amour | 𝑪.𝑳

Part 53

All the happiness Pierre had gotten from his podium has disappeared after he'd found Arden.

The entire plane ride back to Nice airport, Pierre had his head in Lyla's lap and was playing with a loose thread on his hoodie sleeve.

Lyla just ran her fingers through his hair and tried to offer him comfort. She didn't know what it was like to find the man you love in bed with another person but she could feel the sheer pain and hurt that was radiating from Pierre's body where the sunshine had been only the night before.

Lyla had honestly never seen Pierre as quiet as he was throughout the flight and the drive back to Monaco. It was like something had clicked in his mind and his entire body was on shutdown mode.

She couldn't help but be worried about him.

Charles decided to order food in for them when they got back to the apartment whilst Lyla went around opening windows and balcony doors to circulate fresh air into the stuffy and warm air. Pierre trailed along behind her and placed his bags down in the guest room when they entered.

Lyla turns around to face him, offering the Frenchman a small smile which Pierre returns before she stands on her tip-toes and pulls him into a hug.

The sigh he let out as he tightened his grip around her let her know that he needed that hug.

So she didn't let go until he was ready.

Charles quirked an eyebrow at the two of them as they re-entered the living room. He was scrolling through Netflix on the tv trying to find something to watch and he smiled when Pierre jumped over the back of the sofa and stole the remote from his hand before plopping himself down next to Lyla.

"You little shithead." Charles mutters.

"You little fucker." Pierre grins back.

Lyla shakes her head at the two of them as Pierre places himself across the sofa with his head lying in Lyla's lap. When she glanced over at Charles, she couldn't help but notice the jealous look that had crossed his face causing her to beckon him over.

Charles happily sat down next to her and they all shifted positions so that Lyla was sat between Charles' legs whilst Pierre sat next to him with Lyla's legs across his lap.

Their evening was pretty chilled out just watching random films and tv shows on Netflix. When it got later into the night, Pierre headed off to the guest room to get some sleep in a lot happier mood than the one he had been in when he arrived in Monaco a few hours before. Hearing the door shut, Lyla tilted her head back to look up at Charles who was staring off towards where his best friend had disappeared to.

"Are you worried?" Charles asks, glancing down at Lyla.

"Of course I am." She replies. "Arden's been playing with his feelings for so long that Pierre was really starting to think they had a chance together."

"If I even lay eyes open your brother he's getting his head knocked in."

"Maybe that's a good thing. It'll knock some sense into him."

Lyla's mind travelled back to the conversation she'd had with her brother the night before when she went to collect Pierre's things from Arden's hotel room. She just sighed, closing her eyes and trying to push her head further into Charles' chest causing him to turn his full attention to her as he tucked her hair back behind her ear.

"What are you going to do?" Charles asks quietly after a few minutes silence.

"Honestly?" He hums in response to her question. "I don't know, Charles."

"That's okay." Charles reassures as she opens her eyes and looks up at him.

"I'm annoyed at him but I also feel like I can't just drop contact with him because he's my brother and he raised me after Papa died, you know."

Charles' fingers gently brushed her hair out of her face again or skimmed her cheek as she spoke. The action brought Lyla a sense of comfort that made her want nothing more than to sink into his embrace and forget about the world around them.

She wanted them to go back into their little bubble of happiness.

She didn't want to face the world right now.

Lyla also didn't know how she was going to spend a week away from him. Charles was leaving for Maranello in a day and a bit and Lyla was heading to Surrey with Lando and Daniel. They would be staying at their respective team bases right up until the French Grand Prix so they wouldn't be seeing each other in person.

For Lyla, she was dreading not having him close so she could steal stupid lovesick glances at him whenever she felt like it.

For Charles, he was dreading the fact that he wouldn't be able to have his hands all over her like he usually did whenever he could.

So, for the time being, they let a bubble of happiness cloud over them in the living room of their shared apartment in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Blocking out the outside world and the trauma, sadness, stress and anger that came with it.

"We'll figure it out." Charles says softly, smiling down at Lyla. "We always do."

They had a full day of utter bliss before they were forcefully separated from each other. Pierre drove the two of them to the airport in Nice and said his own goodbyes to the two of them before backing away from the emotional and cringe worthy (his words not mine) goodbyes between the two of them. They found a secluded area of the car park after Pierre had driven away and said their goodbyes, ending with a quick kiss on each other's lips before they walked side by side into the airport.

Lyla discovered the awaiting Lando and Daniel and the four of them headed through security together. Being forced to spilt away when Charles had to head to the jet waiting to take him to Maranello and Lyla, Lando and Daniel heading to the jet waiting to fly them into London.

The Italian found herself bouncing with excitement and unable to sit still once they were aboard the jet. Lando and Daniel found the scene extremely amusing and even made sure to pull out a bunch of their own separate McLaren merch they had secured for her. Lyla was left squealing and laughing as the Lando Norris number 4 cap was wrestled onto her head by the Brit.

"You have to get used to it eventually, you know." Lando says to her, watching her pull the cap off and throw it back at him playfully.

"Never." She grins. "Forza Ferrari."

"No! No Forza Ferrari!" Lando shouts, smacking her leg. "All Hail McLaren!"

"There's not point trying to change her mind." Daniel sighs. "Lyla is Ferrari or nothing."

"McLaren can be my second favourite." Lyla offers.

"Fine. I can deal with that." Lando nods in agreement.

He and Lyla shake hands before the announcement comes over from the pilot saying they were getting ready for take-off. Daniel slumped down into his chair and did up his seatbelt.

It was known worldwide that Lyla Andre-Accardi was a Ferrari fan and that fact would never change. Her Uncle Michael had been driving with Ferrari when she met him and won 5 of his world titles with the team, Kimi had won his title with the team and spent a significant amount of time decked out in the bright red colours, Fernando had spent some of his career in the red as well as Sebastian. Jules was meant to adorn the prancing horse symbol but that dream was now being lived on in Charles who had secured the longest contract with Ferrari in the history of the Scuderia.

Even though that piece of history was the one thing slowly destroying him.