Pole Position - a Charles Leclerc love story

Chapter 4

Marlo grabbed her house keys and purse in one hand, her white jacket in the other one. She stepped outside and carefully closed the door behind her. It was a beautiful summer evening and the streets of Antwerp were buzzing with people mostly on their way to meet up with friends. She smiled as she realised once again how much she loved to live here. The city was always alive, but never too busy. There was enough to do, but it weren't just tourist attractions. She loved the hidden gems this city had to offer, and she was going to show Charles one of her favourites.

It was busy on the streets, but not too buys. She was happy she didn't spot many tourists lingering in front of the stores she tried to just pass by. Sometimes she needed to add five minutes to her walking time because of those people, but tonight she got lucky. She swiftly made her way further to the centre of town and checked the delicate golden watch on her wrist to see what time it was. She was late. She was always late. She just hoped Charles hadn't arrived yet. She felt that she had to be the one waiting for him since they were meeting in the city were she lived. Marlo felt like she was supposed to show him around and therefor be the first to arrive. "Should maybe have left earlier, then", she muttered to herself, annoyed by her own lack of punctuality.

The cocktail bar they had agreed to meet appeared in her line of view. When Marlo closed in on it, she saw Charles. Of course she was too late. She grunted.

She hadn't been nervous up until now. She was rarely nervous anyway. Her friends always relied on her to do the stuff they were afraid to. She was the one walking up to guys and asking for numbers, being an amazing wingwoman to them. She had no problem asking for what she wanted, and a lot of times, not always though, she had gotten exactly what she asked for.

Now that she saw him leaning up against the gate leading to the cocktail bar, she felt the nerves creeping up. He hadn't spotted her yet, so she could inspect him while she made her way over. He looked very handsome. She remembered him being cute, but when she saw him in Spa, she hadn't been as focused. He did look as good in real life as he did in the pictures Camille had shoved under her nose. Marlo smiled internally when she remembered Camille's face when she heard that her best friend would go on a date with THE Charles Leclerc. Camille's hazel eyes had never looked so big and Marlo had to remind her to blink. Marlo shook her head at the memory.

Charles was wearing light blue jeans and a black t-shirt, white sneakers underneath. Marlo was just looking at his hair and admiring how it looked messy yet completely as if he'd done it on purpose, when he turned his head and looked straight into her eyes. Marlo quickly lowered hers and took an unnoticeable, but deep breath before she looked back up. He smiled at her and seemed genuinely happy to see her. She smiled back at him as she closed the distance between them.

"Hi." she said breathlessly when she stood in front of Charles. His green eyes lit up as he said hello and leaned into her to kiss her on both cheeks. She was caught a little off guard, and he noticed right away. "Everything okay?" he asked. She nodded: "We give one kiss on the cheek here," she laughed, "so just a little surprised."

He laughed and his eyes twinkled, his laughter infectious. "In Monaco we give two." he shrugged.

"Ah, Monegasques," she exclaimed dramatically, "splurging on everything!"

He laughed again, his eyes not leaving her face for a second.

Marlo made her way through the big gate, leading in to the secret garden behind it. From the street it wasn't visible, but once through the gates, there were wooden tables and benches everywhere, surrounded by ivy decorated with twinkling garden lights. Charles followed her closely as they walked up to a free table and sat down.

"So you know I'm Monegasque?" he asked curiously. Marlo nodded as she took the menu of the table. "My friend informed me," she said. "I had no idea who you were.". She felt her cheeks turning red when she confessed. He chuckled lightly. The sound made her feel warm inside. "I normally don't expect people to know who I am," he said. "But since you were attending a Formula 1 race, I figured it was safe to assume you'd know... I guess I assumed wrong."

Marlo giggled before explaining why on earth she went to an F1 race: "I went with my best friend. Her brother was supposed to accompany her, but he couldn't go last-minute".

"Why couldn't he go?" Charles asked curiously, looking at her while he sat backwards in his chair, his left ankle resting on his right knee, his hands on top of his legs. He seemed very relaxed, Marlo realised admiringly. She loved it when a man was confident. She loved it when people in general just felt relaxed with themselves and others. Marlo always tried to make people feel that way, because she realised people were their most interesting selves when they felt at ease. Only when all guards were down, the real personalities are able to shine through.

"His wife went into labour.", she stated. Charles raised his eyebrows before replying: "Well, if there's a reason to miss a Grand Prix, I'm sure this is it.". Marlo laughed.

The sky had gone dark, but Marlo hadn't even noticed. She was on her second cocktail and she could feel the alcohol starting to cloud her brain. She probably wouldn't have giggled as much if she were sober. Charles seemed to handle his second cocktail better than she did, he still seemed pretty sober, and he clearly didn't mind her laughing the whole time. He kept joking around, but now the conversation had taken a serious turn. Charles was telling her how his good friend Jules had died a few years ago during a crash. Marlo listened in silence when Charles' eyes filled with tears while he told her all about their youth and the strong connection they had. When he was silent for a moment, looking around the garden they were in, she just let him be for a while. Sometimes she felt comfort in silence, and she hoped he did too.

"Noooo way!" Charles exclaimed, his French accent more prominently present than before. Not that Marlo really noticed. She had other things occupying her mind.

"I mean it.", she stated matter-of-factly. Charles dramatically held his hands for his eyes before speaking again: "You have to be kidding me."

"Nope," she started. "Dune was a good movie, but not as great as everyone likes to make it seem." Charles looked as if she had just said that cows don't really exist, his expression beyond belief. "But it is an amazing movie!" he said throwing his hands up. "It's okay.", Marlo shrugged as she took a sip from one of the empty glasses in front of her. "Where'd my drink go?" she whispered to herself. Charles didn't notice.

"What do you think is an amazing movie, then?" he asked in disbelief. "Easy," she said. "Fight Club." Charles looked at her questioningly. "What?" she asked.

"That's an old movie."

"We should go daaancing!" Marlo exclaimed excitingly. She had already gotten up, and when she found her balance, she knew she had to test it further by dancing. She looked at Charles expectingly and saw the droopy grin on his face, then he got up too and almost fell over before catching himself. He took a few deep breaths and then composed himself. He took his wallet out of his pocket and threw a couple fifties on the table. Then he grabbed Marlo's hand. "Let's go dancing, then."

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A/N: Thank you so much to everyone reading, voting and commenting. It makes writing to much more important when you know people are reading and liking what you've written.

Thank you for everything!