Forever and always

Chapter twenty-six

Olivia's pov:
August 2021

I woke up to the soft rustle of sheets and the quiet hum of rain tapping against the hotel window. Charles lay beside me, his face calm in the early light. For a moment, I watched him, warmth pooling in my chest. Today was Saturday—practice, then qualifying. I just hoped things would finally turn in Charles' favour.

Slipping out of bed, I headed to the shower. The hot water helped me shake off the sleep, but not in unease hanging in the air. When I stepped out, Charles was sitting up in bed, finally awake.

"I have a weird feeling about today" he murmured, meeting my gaze in the mirror.

I turned, toweling my hair. "Shake it off. It's going to be fine"

He offered a half-smile. "If my good luck charm says so, I guess I have no choice"

"Your good luck charm thinks you're too sweet" I replied, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips.

We got ready in comfortable silence, and once we were dressed, we made our way to the circuit. The drive was smooth despite the gloomy skies, and the familiar buzz of the paddock greeted us as we arrived.

Charles split off to attend a meeting with his manager before practice, and I made my way toward a familiar face I hadn't seen in a while—Isa.

"God, I missed you" I said, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"Same! It's been way too long" she grinned.

As always, our conversation drifted to our boyfriends, but today I flipped the script. "So, how's everything with you two? We can always talk about Charles and me another time"

Isa beamed. "Honestly? Amazing. It just keeps getting better. We're really happy"

"I'm so glad to hear that. You two are prefect for each other" I said genuinely. "Wait, how long has it been now?"

"In two months—it'll be five years"

My jaw dropped. "What! What long?"

She laughed. "Yeah, it sneaks up on you"

We chatted until the boys returned from their briefing.

"Hey girls"Carlos greeted, wrapping Isa up in a cute hug from behind.

"Hey" we chimed together, grinning.

"What's are we talking about?" Charles asked, flopping into the seat beside me.

"Nothing special" Isa answered, suspiciously casual.

"Nope. Nothing at all" I added with a smirk.

"Aha! They're lying, Charles!" Carlos said, dramatically pointing at us.

"You don't have to know everything" I teased.

"Oh, but I do" he replied, ever the nosy one.

The. Carlos nudged me subtly and gestured for me to follow. We walked a bit away from the others until we were out of earshot.

"Carlos? What's going on?" I asked, noticing the nerves dancing in his eyes.

"I need a favour. A big one"

"Of course. Anything"

He leaned in, lowering his voice. "I'm going to ask Isa to marry me. And I need your help to figure out her ring size"

My hand shot to my mouth. "Carlos! Oh my god! Yes! Of course I'll help!"

He exhaled, clearly relieved. "Thank you. I knew I could count on you"