Race for the Throne | Formula One

21. Bora Bora

The next few days passed in a blur. Following the Canada win, Charles, Carlos, and I along with a few of the other drivers returned to Monaco. I had gotten close to the Spaniard over the past race and enjoyed spending time with him. He was currently sitting next to me on the plane, explaining the book he was reading. Charles was sitting across from me, our chairs facing each other. My legs were stretched out and in his lap, his hand resting on my ankle as he looked out the window. Max and Daniel were giggling from their seats, so I knew they were getting up to some sort of trouble. I smiled at Carlos, I felt more at peace right now than I had ever felt. Unfortunately, the plane landed not long after and we all parted ways for the rest of the day.

Over the next week, the five of us got together often whether it was to do something or just to spend time doing nothing together. I loved getting to know the drivers. Each one was so different and in some ways completely different than how the media liked to portray them. It was impossible to stay completely quiet in the media as the five of us were often out and sometimes Arthur, Charles' brother, would join us as well. However the media was mostly positive. Although there was a lot of speculation surrounding us. Was I dating one? Was I the mystery girl in Charles' Instagram story? When we were out and about, Charles and I kept things very quiet, opting for no public displays of affection. We preferred to keep our still new relationship out of the media for as long as possible.

The next few races passed quickly. Going into the break Charles and Max only had a few points separating them in the driver's championship. What surprised me most was how they could go from battling on the track to laughing about an inside joke afterwards. For the break, we all decided to go to Bora Bora. Our group consisted of Charles and I, along with Carlos, Lando, Max, Daniel, Pierre, and Alex Albon who had become a part of it somewhere around the Austrian Grand Prix, as well as all of their girlfriends. Ines was going with Lando. I was excited to spend time with everyone, especially Charles. We had been officially together for a couple months now but between his races and my royal duties we didn't see each other that much. After the few days after the race in Canada, I would only see him for a day or two as he stopped in Monaco on his way to his next race and I would go to races when I could fit them in with my schedule becoming busier. After running off to Crete, we all agreed that it would be best to be seen at more royal events so that people would know I was ok and that it wasn't getting to be too much for me, basically that I wasn't cracking under pressure. So I was looking forward to relaxing.

We all met at the airstrip and then we were off. Despite us all being excited, we were also exhausted. We landed just before sunset and made our way to the beach cabins we had rented. Mateo and Alvaro had arrived the day before and were also staying on the island but a little more inland so that we could all have our privacy but also close enough incase of an emergency.

Charles put our bags in the corner of the room before walking out onto the balcony to watch the sunset. I joined him, wrapping my arms around his waist from behind.

"This is beautiful," he breathed, eyes not leaving the sunset.

I watched as the orange glow washed over us. This was perfect. We stood there until the last of the sun had faded from view. We had all agreed before landing that we would meet at the firepit for dinner so Charles and I showered and changed. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt because nights on the water were a little chilly.

We ran into George on the walk over and I started chatting with Carmen. When we got to the bonfire we saw that Lando, Carlos, and Pierre had already gotten it started. Max and Alex showed up next carrying food boxes while Daniel brought up the rear with wine. I curled up against Charles' side as we chatted and ate Chinese take out. I wasn't sure how the guys got it but I wasn't in the mood to ask questions. None of us had brought cups and we didn't want to go back so we just passed the wine around drinking from the bottles. Charles wrapped his arm around me, fingers tracing shapes on my leg. The wine mixed with the food, warmth of the fire, and the laughter and voices of everyone caused me to start dozing. I felt completely at peace, I was surrounded by people I cared about and trusted.
I'm not sure how long I was asleep before I felt myself moving. I could feel Charles holding me as he walked us back to our cabin. I buried my face in his neck, soaking up his scent and warmth as we moved farther away from the fire.

He laid me down on the bed and took my shoes off before joining me. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me to his chest.

He kissed my temple. "Good night princess."

I mumbled a response, already drifting back to sleep. I felt him freeze for a moment but I was too asleep to wonder about it.