The encounter of a lifetime - Charles Lerclerc

Chapter 2

Just before we leave, Leo catches up with us to talk to us.

Leo: Tomorrow we're going to go to the beach at the end of the afternoon and we'll probably have a little party after that, would you like to come?
Chloe: Oh yeah of course. What time are you going there?
Leo: I don't know yet, I think around 5 or 6 p.m. But can I just take one of your numbers to tell you the exact time of the meeting and tell you where we meet?
Chloe: Yes wait a minute. *Chloé takes Leo's phone to add his number to his contacts* There you go. So we'll see you tomorrow.
Leo: Thank you, see you tomorrow sleep well.

***

The next day we got up to go do some shooping before going to the beach with the others. Then we go back to the hotel to get ready for this little evening. We take out our best bathing suits, a little beach dress on top and we do a little makeup in natural mode. Leo wrote to us that he would pick us up in front of our hotel so that it would be easier. He must realize that we don't know Monaco at all and that we would never be able to find the exact place where they are on the beach. So we go down to join him.

Leo: Hi girls. How are you?
Emma: Yes well and you?
Leo: Yes perfect. If ever there will be a little more of us than we were last night. So don't be surprised if you don't know everyone.

I look at Chloe with a little stress in my eyes. I don't really like going to places where I don't know everyone, but I know she'll tell me that's how you meet people. She's far too sociable and I'm too shy. But at least she pushes me to do things that I would never have dared to do alone.

We walk for about 20 minutes before arriving at the beach. In front of us, a large group of about thirty people is already there. We join Lou, Inès and Noah and don't really say hello to other people we don't know too well.

We barely have time with Chloé to have a drink when people pull us to go play beach volleyball. Not being at all good at sports, I step aside and just watch Chloe play with the others.

*Voice*: Hi my number one fan.

I turn around and see Charles coming to sit next to me in the sand. My heart beats at around 10,000 bpm.

Emma: Hi. Let's calm down already, number one fan, we're not going to go that far. I am not a groupie.

Wrong, that was totally wrong. I was a groupie who was happy like a 5-year-old kid that Charles Leclerc himself was talking to me. As long as it happened I could die in peace. But I was still not going to tell him that I was a huge fan of his.

Charles: Mh, I'm a little disappointed but okay. I thought you were going to flatter me all day because you like me sooo much but okay.
Emma: Wooow sir took the big head. Do you like to pass yourself off as a star in fact?!
Charles: Well, I'm a star so obviously.

He looks me in the eyes before bursting into laughter. His laughter being the most beautiful and angelic sound that the earth has ever known.

Charles: I'm gonna stop saying shops. Yesterday I asked myself a question after you left. You told me you were Swiss, and I was wondering if you could advise me places to visit. I've been planning a trip there for a while now.
Emma: Ah yeah so cool. Well listen there are lots of things that are beautiful in Switzerland, it depends a bit on what you are looking for. If you prefer the mountains or the big cities or nature etc.
Charles: Well, if you had to choose one place to go in Switzerland, where would you go?
Emma: Mh I think I'll either go to Zürich because it's the biggest city in the country, or to Bern because it's the capital and the old town is beautiful. Or afterwards if you want for skiing there are plenty of cool resorts.
Charles: Oke thanks for the advice. And where do you live?
Emma: I grew up in a small town that you won't know, but here I have been living in Geneva for a few months for my studies.
Charles: Oh, are you studying?
Emma: I'm studying marketing and communication.
Charles: Okay cool, cool.

A small white settle in the conversation. Should I continue the conversation, or would he prefer that I leave him alone? Or will he take it badly if I don't say anything again? ... This stress of talking with people is going to kill me. While I'm trying to think whether I should continue the conversation, a guy comes to talk to Charles to tell him to come and swim in the sea. He gets up and holds out his hand to me, offering to accompany him. Clearly at that moment my heart stopped. How can he be so nice and perfect.

So I follow him into the sea, and as soon as I'm in the water he deliberately splashes me. So I throw him a nasty look and splashes my turn. This goes into a water fight which ends up with him going underwater so he can come sink me. S-U-P-E-R I had done my makeup and my hair and now everything is undone and I will be ugly in front of him. Even though I know there will never be anything between us, I don't want to be ugly in front of such a handsome man. As soon as I raise my head from the water, I see him looking at me smiling. I get up and push him to try to knock him down, but I end up in the water again. I get up and try my luck again to make him pay. I walk over to him and he grabs me by both arms to stop me from coming too close. He has so much strength that I can't pass. So I decide to bend down quickly and grab his legs. What I manage to do successfully and he collapses in the water. Except that as soon as he gets up he starts running after me. I try to run as fast as possible, but he comes against me and throws himself on my back, almost hugging me in the process to throw himself with all his weight into the water with me. As soon as we take our heads out of the water, we look at each other and laugh. We then decide to make a truce because we were tired of running after each other to get along.

I get out of the water and go to the beach to join Chloe.

Chloé: Are you ok ma'am, am I having fun like a kid with my Formula 1 driver crush?
Emma: Stop it's not my crush.
Chloé: So you're going to tell me it's by chance that you have photos of him on pinterest in your photo gallery.
Emma: If you could avoid telling anyone here that kind of information that would be fine with me. I don't want to come across as a profiteer who hangs out with Leo and the others just to get to see Charles.
Chloé: Yes, don't worry, I won't say anything.

The evening is quickly coming to an end and people are all starting to return. Only Chloé, Léo, Inès and Charles remain. But we are also starting to put away our things because the sun has been down for a while and it is starting to get really cold on the beach.

Charles: Emma if you ever want to come tomorrow with your friend we're going to have a party on a boat. There will be Leo and the others and maybe even a surprise for your friend. If you'd like.
Emma: Yes that would be so cool thank you for inviting us.
Charles: Oke cool see you tomorrow then.
Emma: See you tomorrow.

***

We have just arrived in the hotel room with Chloé and there we have to do a debrief of today's day. I tell him that Charles was too cute, that he came to talk to me and then we played in the water like kids. She tells me that she thinks he has a little "crush" on me and I explain that it is not possible. Especially since he knows he's my favorite pilot so I think it just makes him laugh to have fun and that's it. But still, I'm going to bed happier than ever, because from now on he knows I exist and you could almost say we're friends.

********