The encounter of a lifetime - Charles Lerclerc

Chapter 65

Today we stay at home quietly to enjoy a bit of the pool. We're also planning on having a little party tonight, so we'll have to go do some shopping.

I'm by the pool reading a book. Charles is in the water playing volleyball with Daniel, Alex and Lily.

Charles gets out of the pool and comes over to me dripping. I put my book quickly on the small table next to me to prevent it from soaking it.

Charles: Won't you come in the water with me baby?
Emma: But I don't know how to play volleyball, I suck.
Charles: But it doesn't matter, I'll teach you. Come on.

I sigh but get up anyway. I've never been a big sports fan, and I'm really not good at any of them.

Charles throws a ball at me and tells me to send it back to the other side of the net. I hit her but she crashes into the net instead of going over it.

Charles: Wait baby here takes the ball. Look you have to hit the ball like that.

He shows me with his hands how to do it. He sees that I can't do too much so he gets behind me and puts his hands on mine to show me. After a few missed throws I finally manage to return the ball and play with them. In the end, it's quite funny.

The others get out of the pool, which I was about to do when Charles grabs me and sinks me. Obviously I fight back, which makes us fight like two children. It reminds me of the first times we met. And it does me a lot of good.

***

Tonight is the party in the house. We prepared lots of cocktails and also drinking games. We want to have fun like teenagers.

With the girls we do our make up all together in one of the large bathrooms. We put the music on and we make ourselves beautiful while talking about the gossips.

Lily: So Léa please tell us more about you and Pierre.
Luisa: But you can't ask questions like that she might not feel comfortable talking about it.
Lily: Oh it's okay, we're between us.
Léa: Well what bothers me to talk about it with you is just that you're friends with her ex so I feel a bit like a thief, I don't know.
Lily: Yes, we're friends with her, but it's not your fault that Pierre left her. We know how to share things.
Heidi: Come on tell us do you like him?
Léa: Well, he's handsome, he speaks my language, he's a little older than me, but not too much...
Luisa: That seems like a yes to me.
Lily: Ahhhh so good.

Lea blushed like a tomato and looks at me as if to call me for help. I nod my head as if to tell her that I agree with them. Léa has the right to like Pierre. She does not know Katerina, and moreover Pierre is single. It's just weird to go in the space of a week from the fact that he is with one of my friends to the fact that he is flirting with another of my friends.

***

We go down and we force Lando to take pictures of our group of friends to put a photo in story.

Once the story is posted, it's time to party.

***

Waking up this morning is hard. We celebrated well last night and slept little. But today we're going to go jet-skiing. I can't wait because I haven't tried it yet. We take taxis and head for the beach. We are equipped with life jackets, we are shown how jet skis work and off we go.

I stand behind Charles. He begins to drive, like all the other pilots. As we had to get into a group of two, everyone got together and Pierre asked Léa to come with him.

Of course they all race. They find it funny to play who is the strongest, who goes the fastest etc. Which means that almost all of us fall at one time or another, because they try so hard to go fast in turns that the jet ski can't follow.

It is then time to change roles: I am the pilot. I start badly, I put the reverse gear instead of the forward gear.

Charles: Oula the pilot must be careful. It would be nice if we didn't hit a rock in the head.
Emma: Ah ah ah too funny. Let me drive you'll see. Hang on my darling.

He's acting the big boy by not hanging on to me, just the jet ski. I put a kick of accelerator and he falls in water.

Emma: I told you to hang on. You will listen to me next time.

He looks at me with hate in his eyes. He goes back up and this time hangs on. We finish our activity and go home.

***

The short stay in Mallorca was really good, but now it's time to go back home and to reality. I'm going to have a few exams to pass before I can join Charles to go see him at great prix in Europe. I can't wait because we have planned for my parents and my sister to come to the French Grand Prix. I can't wait to show them all of this. This new world.

But before that we're going to spend three weeks away from each other with Charles, so I have to take advantage of him. He leaves for Maranello to train in two days so it will be short.

***

To enjoy our time together we decided to have a little movie night. We ordered pizzas and chose the movie Rush which is about Niki Lauda and James Hunt. Charles absolutely wanted us to see that together. He wanted me to see what a strong man Niki was mentally. He likes to talk to me about his idols, like Ayrton Senna. He talks about it with stars in his eyes, it's really cute.

Emma: Do you realize that little boys probably talk about you that way?
Charles: How?
Emma: You know with pride. Like you, you talk about Senna or Lauda.
Charles: Yes but they are legends. I am just a pilot.
Emma: You're not just a pilot. You are a formula one driver who signed a huge contract in one of the biggest teams in history. And you're a world champion too. And you too like Lauda you had a big accident and yet you fought to come back as soon as possible.
Charles: So my accident had nothing to do with Lauda's.
Emma: Maybe, but you went through something traumatic and you got up as quickly as possible and got back into your car. You are a hero to these little ones. And I'm convinced that one day they will talk about you like you talk about Senna.

He kisses my forehead and whispers a thank you in my ear. He then hugs me tightly. We fall asleep peacefully in each other's arms.

*****