Call you mine - Charles Leclerc

Chapter 18

May 29th, 2022

The sun was shining down on the streets of Monaco as Ellie, Theo, Mason, and Declan made their way to the famous Monaco Grand Prix circuit. They had arrived back in Monaco an hour ago, and everybody felt like shit. They had gone above and beyond last night, and everyone was unsure of how they would survive the same tonight.

The sound of the engines roared through the streets as they entered the circuit, adding to the excitement of the day. The group made their way to Mercedes to wish Lewis and George luck while filling them in on how much fun they had the day before.

As the cars lined up on the grid, the tension in the air was palpable. The lights went out, and the cars raced down the straight, vying for position. Ellie found herself next to her dad who was in full work mode. She couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement as the cars sped past, the smell of burning rubber filling the air.

As the race progressed, the group continued to cheer on their friends, who were holding their own against the other drivers. Ellie felt her heart sink when Ferrari messed up Charles race, and found her body aching to go towards Ferrari to be there when he got in to see how he was.

As the checkered flag waved and the race came to an end, they made their way down to the pit lane, eager to congratulate their friends on a job well done. Ellie found herself searching for the guy who's homerace had just to shit.

As her and Declan were passing Ferrari she saw Charles's family standing outside. She tried to avoid them, but it was too late. As much as she wanted to see how Charles was, they weren't in a great place, and actually seeing him scared her a little. Before she could escape without being spotted Charles's younger brother Arthur saw her brother and called out his name.

"Dec, hi!" Arthur said with a smile. "Hey guys," Declan replied, greeting them all.

Pascale, Charles's mother, noticed Ellie and greeted her warmly. "It's so nice to meet you!"

Ellie forced a smile. "You as well!"

Arthur stepped forward and hugged Declan "long time no see!"

Declan grinned. "Yeah, it's been a while. You look good!"

Ellie stood awkwardly to the side, feeling like she was intruding. She wanted to leave, but she didn't want to be rude.

Suddenly, Charles emerged, looking exhausted and disheveled. He saw Ellie with his family and walked over to them.

"Hey guys," Charles said, his eyes meeting Ellie's briefly before moving on to greet his family.

Ellie felt a pang in her chest. She remembered the hurtful things Charles and Pierre had said to her in New York, and she couldn't shake off the feeling of resentment. She just wanted to get out of there. No matter how much her heart broke for him now that his home race had gone to shit, when he should have won, she still didn't want to let him treat her like that and then be overly nice to him.

Ellie watched as Declan, Charles and his family talked about the race, feeling like an outsider. She wanted to leave, but she didn't want to be rude. So, she stood there silently, waiting for the conversation to be over.

Eventually, Charles turned to Ellie, trying to capture her attention without everyone else around them listening in. "Ellie, can we talk?" he asked, his eyes searching hers. She couldn't understand what he wanted to talk about, except maybe scold her over the fact that she called him last night before the important race he just lost.