ma chérie | cl16

chapter twenty-two

The atmosphere in Silverstone was simply incredible. Adeline enjoyed spending time with her best friend, her other paddock good friends (mainly Lily and Isa), and Pierre. The fans were also amazing—Adeline was getting recognized by Pierre's fans more and more. They were stopping her, taking pictures with her, and they were so nice to her. They seemed to like Adeline for her paddock insides and her advocacy for women's rights on social media, not only for her friendship with a famous Formula One driver.

After the race, some drivers agreed to have a dinner to celebrate Carlos' win and overall Silverstone. Adeline couldn't wait—first of all, she was happy to have some celebration that wasn't a party (she really didn't need to drink again and get wasted to push away her feelings for Charles), and second of all, Pierre invited Hazel. Adeline was surrounded by her favorite people—Hazel, Lily, and Isa. And Pierre, of course!

And Charles.

Adeline was also thrilled to see other drivers she had met during the weekend—Daniel and Max. Adeline had also witnessed Daniel smacking Lando's face with a space hopper—one of her many favorite moments in Silverstone.

During dinner, the girls sat close to each other, chatting about everything. They were all so successful in their jobs. Adeline thought it was impressive, especially when they were also partners of Formula One drivers, which wasn't easy. There was a lot of pressure on them.

Hazel was also glad to meet Adeline's paddock friends. They all seemed very nice, and Hazel was happy that Adeline had found some friends. She was worried about her best friend; she thought traveling across the world had to be... lonely. It was good to see that it wasn't like that. Even though Hazel knew that Adeline loved her own space, she also knew that a part of Adeline was longing for some company.

"I told you that this restaurant is one of the best," Yuki smiled at the blonde woman after she had said that she'd love to eat in that restaurant for the rest of her life.

"Your taste is immaculate, Mr. Restaurant," Adeline grinned at the Japanese driver, and she had to be a little louder than usual. There were a lot of people at the table, and Yuki was slightly further from Adeline.

Adeline was sitting next to the girls, and the closest drivers to her were Pierre and Alex, talking about something. Lando, Max, Daniel, Carlos, and Charles were also deep into their conversation.

Charles.

He was sitting on the other side of the table, so the only interaction between her and Charles was exchanging quick eye contact. Every time the Monégasque glanced at her, a flush came to her cheeks, as well as a strange feeling in her stomach.

Adeline knew she needed to tell him and she was probably ready to do so. After her drunken confession and hearing all of the nice words from Charles, her fear was slowly fading away. It was still there, but she knew she needed to do something. However, she didn't want to do it at the dinner. After all, they had plans for tomorrow. Their London tour.

Adeline overheard Pierre and Alex's conversation about the possibility of a new Pierre's merch. He had wanted to make some clothing for his fans for a long time, something with the "liked by Pierre Gasly" trend.

"Wait," Adeline interrupted the drivers, trying to come up with something clever. "Hazel could help you with the merch. She's a fashion designer," Adeline pointed with her dessert fork at her best friend.

Hazel was a freelance fashion designer, and Adeline loved her creativity. Hazel also had some free time because some of her projects with clients had ended, and she was lacking inspiration right now.

"Wait, that's a good idea!" Pierre exclaimed after thinking for a few seconds. "Would you like to collaborate with me, Hazel? I'm trying to get a fashion designer for my new merch," Pierre explained the situation to Hazel in case she hadn't been listening before.