Meet you in Monaco [F1 - Pierre Gasly / Charles Leclerc / George Russell]

Chapter 6 - Moving Day

Isla's first week at AlphaTauri went swimmingly, she was making good progress in the simulator and working with the technical staff. The team principal appreciated Islas' technical knowledge of the motor and engineering side of the car.

Pierre and her were getting along and being friendly at work and in the car rides too and from headquarters.

After getting set up with a training program, it was time to get settled in Monaco. Heather helped Isla get her bags into the hallway and headed downstairs with them into the team car to head to the airport.

Isla was the last one out of their apartment, the door closed behind her rather loudly and was heading to the elevator with her bag.

"Isla!!" she heard from down the hallway

"Oh hey Pierre, I'm just heading to the airport" She said with a smile.

"Oh.." He paused "where are you going?" He finished

"I'm finding an apartment in Monaco" Isla responded

"Oh," he paused again. "I thought you were living here?" He sounded confused.

"I figured you would want your space, and not have to worry about a teammate across the hall or in the same city" Isla explained

"This is because of my silence on your first day isn't it?" He asked

"Kind of, Yeah" Isla said, pondering the first two days in Milan.

"About that, I am sorry, I was going through..." He was cut off by someone behind him in the hallway.

Islas' gaze drifted, she noticed it was the blonde from the other night. The one Pierre was arguing with in the window.

"Pierre?" The blonde said from down the hall. He turned to look at her.

"One second" He said shortly, as he turned back to look at Isla.

Isla's eyes flickered from her to Pierre. "I think I understand," She said. "Don't worry, we are still friends and teammates, Right?" She asked, waiting for reassurance.

Pierre's eyes looked at hers, Isla wondered if something else was there, a longing or an apology. "Right," He paused. "Friends" he said with a bit of disappointment, his eyes looked down to the ground. "I'll see you in Spain next for pre-season testing" He said looking up and smiling at Isla.

"Can't wait" Isla said and looked at Pierre, he gave her a bit of a small wink before turning around and walking slowly back down the hall.

Isla was waiting for the elevator, she turned to look down the hallway and saw Pierre looking down the hall at her when they made eye contact, he quickly looked away and stepped into his apartment.

Isla stepped into the elevator, the doors closed and she smiled. She thought her and Pierre would make a good racing team.

The airport was rather uneventful, the plane landed in Monaco, and that's when the butterflies started for Isla. This was the big leagues. Where most of the F1 drivers lived. She felt a bit like an imposter stepping out onto the streets of Monaco in her team jacket with her now manager. She didn't really believe this was real, but here they were looking for an apartment in Monaco.

Heather directed them to her apartment first to drop off her luggage. Then they set off to look at the three apartments Isla was interested in renting. In the first place, they walked into a historic pinkish-red brick building, with a grand lobby.

The apartment Isla was looking at was on the top floor, it had two bedrooms and had recently been remodeled with modern furniture and finishings. She stepped out onto the balcony that was about the same size as the living area. The moment she saw the water, she was sold.

Isla turned around to Heather "I'll take it!" she said excitedly.

"We still have two more to look at" Heather said laughing

"Honestly, I don't care. This one is it. It reminds me of my house overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Vancouver. This is exactly what I need!" Isla said grinning.

"Alright!" She turned to the landlord who was waiting in the kitchen. She helped Isla get the papers signed and then they quickly walked back to Heather's apartment which was only a 15 minute walk away, they grabbed her luggage and brought it back to the apartment. When they returned Heather said her goodbyes to Isla and let her get settled in the new place.

By the time Isla had finished unpacking it was night and the lights from the city reflected on the water. Isla wandered out onto the balcony and snapped a photo. Isla then opened up Instagram and posted the gorgeous photo. With the caption: "Life moves fast, and I'm going to enjoy the ride"

She put her phone down and sat overlooking the water, her phone binged a notification from instagram "Pierre Gasly has liked your photo"
So Pierre is always on instagram, Isla thought. She then got a notification about a DM. She checked her inbox but assumed it would be from Pierre.

It wasn't. She sighed and opened the message from George Russell.
"Hey babe, I didn't know you were moving to Monaco, but now that you are here, want to catch up?"

Isla rolled her eyes, babe? Really... Isla thought. They dated in highschool and a little into university. But Isla broke it off when she found out he had cheated on her with a schoolmate named Faye. She was hurt by him but something still lingered when it came to her feelings towards George. He was her first love, she figured she may as well at least see him.

She messaged back "Sure, I'm free tonight. Any good places around?"

"A bar called Duke, I can meet you there in an hour" He said back rather quickly

"See you then" She said as she put her phone down and went to get ready to meet up with George.