Rêveries

Chapter 63.

Charles didn't celebrate his first win at all. While I went home, he went to Maranello. He wanted me to come with him but I knew that Elliòtt would be furious if I missed the whole week when I was already going to miss Friday because of going to Monza. I really did feel bad about telling him I couldn't, but Elliòtt and I don't need more reasons to not agree with each other.

We talked every day. He told me we were invited to the funeral, two days after Monza, so I got to let Elliòtt know beforehand that I wouldn't be able to practice. There's no way he can get mad at me when letting him know in advance that I'm going to a funeral.

When he got to Monza on Wednesday, he sent me videos of the crowds outside the hotel and the track, just waiting for him or Seb to come out. It was crazy to see and I was just a tiny bit worried about having to be there amongst all of that, even if I wouldn't be the center of attention, I'd still feel trapped.

One day, Arthur, who had flown out to meet up with Charles on Tuesday to be there for most of the week, called me. I heard that he was around a larger crowd and he was hushing people around him.

"Hé, C, d'où vient ta... tenue de qualification hongroise?" Hey, C, where's your... Hungarian qualifying outfit from? he asks, and I furrow my brows in pure, complete confusion.

"Je ne sais même pas ce que je portais," I don't even know what I was wearing, I reply.

There's a beep against my ear and I notice he's calling me on facetime, so I reply and see him, smirking and trying to hold back laughs as he looks down onto me, then up at someone in front of him that I can't see, until he turns the phone to face a girl he was talking to who just looks embarrassed.

"Cosa indossava?" What was she wearing? he asks the girl.

"Quel top blu e gonna blu con fiorellini e un cardigan bianco," That blue top and blue skirt with little flowers and a white cardigan, she says and I start to remember the outfit, but I don't know where it's from, so I walk over to my closet.

I ended up looking where all the pieces were from and then Arthur explained that he had lost the bet against a fan and had to call me and ask about the outfit. Some fans proceeded to ask him if I was coming and he nodded, telling them I was going to be there on Thursday evening while I was still on Facetime with him.

Thursday afternoon, when Elliòtt and I had finished our practice, Lorenzo and I got into his car and we drove four hours to Monza. We got to the hotel and we managed to park the car properly, but when we were on our way inside, there were fans waiting outside for the drivers who immediately spotted us. Lorenzo put an arm around me and led me right into the lobby, not giving me any time to talk to anyone, and he probably wants to avoid getting in the middle of that.

I got a card to Charles' room that he had left for me in the reception, and then I went up. The room was larger this time and it was higher up, making sure I could see the track even better from here. I had only been there for five minutes and I was looking out at the track, sending a photo to my mom, when Charles walked in. He dropped a bag on the floor and said goodnight to Andrea before turning to me with a warm smile.

"Ma journée s'est tellement améliorée," My day just got so much better, he said as he held his arms out, walking up to me.

"Pourquoi? Avez-vous obtenu une augmentation?" Why? Did you get a raise? I asked before he captured me in a tight hug. He scoffed as he leaned his head back a little to look back at me. He keeps smiling as he scans over my face and then he finally leans down to actually kiss me. "Qu'est-ce que ça fait d'être un vainqueur de Grand Prix?" What is it like to be a Grand Prix winner?