IL PREDESTINATO | Charles Leclerc |

Chapter 6

"Why the long face? Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas?" Pierre asked sitting opposite of Charles around the coffee table.

It's Wednesday morning and the F1 drivers had arrived the previous night in Australia for their racing weekend.

Charles was currently on the balcony of his hotel room. He was having breakfast there since he wasn't in the mood to go out.

And Pierre joined him.

"Texted Christina an hour ago. Told her I wanted to meet her since she came here earlier" Charles explained while looking at the view in front of him.

Pierre looked at the Monegasque and could swear that there was smoke coming out of his ears. His face was red, and he had a harsh expression.

"She said she couldn't cause she is busy with that Tanner guy who apparently came to Melbourne with her and went to her room last night after I went to talk to her" he added, and Pierre chuckled once he realized that his best friend was jealous.

"She said she didn't want a relationship I get it and I'm not jumping in conclusions but why would he be there at that time of the night? Why would he come here at all? And who the hell says "Hello lovely"?"

"Okay, did you ask her if she was available another time today or this weekend? So you could talk" the French man asked grinning. He found Charles' jealousy very amusing.

"I did. And you know what she replied? That she's really busy with him this week and can't make time for me"

Pierre's eyes widened as his eyebrows narrowed and his grin dropped. There was no way Christina didn't have time to spent with her friends during her time in Australia. And if she truly didn't, she'd make some.

That's how Christina was.

She preferred sleeping one hour less than not going out with them.

"Maybe it's work related, and she has to be with him this weekend"

"That's what I thought at first. Didn't want to jump in conclusions. But then I saw her having breakfast with Lewis, alone" Charles exclaimed.

Charles was a sunshine most of the time, he didn't get angry easily. He knew how to keep his composure, but Christina was making it really hard for him this time.

He was angry, really angry. And he had every right to. Apart from being rude Christina also lied to him. He didn't expect her to leave her job just to meet with him but her way of dealing with this situation wasn't exactly the right one.

"Why did Charlotte just posted being in an airplane coming to Melbourne?" Pierre asked after he took his phone in his hands. "Because she's coming to Melbourne"

"Did you invite her? Got mad with Christina and took Charlotte back?" Pierre asked looking at the Monegasque with a scowl, his voice harsh.

"Of course not. She just uses the F1 race to get some spotlight, don't you know Charlotte?"

"How do you know anyway?" Charles asked his best friend. "Kate sent me her story"

"Kate? As in Katerina Berezhna? Your Kate?" Charles asked leaning against the table.

Katerina and Pierre were dating for almost two years when they parted ways some weeks ago.

Pierre was on the floors for her, and she looked like she was madly in love with him too. But they wanted different things from life.

Pierre just nodded his head not looking at Charles but keeping his gaze glued at his phone.

"My Kate" he sighed. "I didn't know you were still talking" Charles stated trying to get something out of his best friend about the situation with the influencer.

"She's checking on me from time to time. And I check on her through her insta. Can't actually have a conversation with her"

Charles nodded in response.

"We were major bachelors, Charles. And now two little girls have us wrapped around their fingers"

Later that day Charles arrived around noon on track for his media duties, like the rest of the drivers. He was wondering around the paddock when he saw Christina filming with the McLaren boys. Eddie was behind the camera following her around but he wasn't the only man.

Daniel and Lando were giving her and Tanner a paddock tour. And that guy was following Christina around like a lost puppy.

He wanted to punch him.

They stopped outside the McLaren garage where the two drivers found their team principal and went to discuss something. That Tanner guy went wherever and Christina was alone.

"You still can't find a hat that suits you" he said joining her as she was sitting outside the McLaren pitbox, looking at her phone. "I think I have, actually"

"If you had then you'd take this off" Charles explained pointing her hat. "I'm not taking this off"

Charles chose to stay silent for a moment. He only looked at her with an expression that Christina couldn't really interpret.

"What is the deal with this guy?" he asked, referring to Tanner. Her eyebrows furrowing. "What do you mean?" she asks confused. Christina found his behavior weird, she couldn't understand where was this coming from.

"Are you guys dating?" he asked looking her dead in the eye. "Jesus, no" Christina replies.

"Talking"

"No"

"Hooking up?"

"Why would you care? Isn't Charlotte here for you?" Christina asked slightly irritated with the situation. She didn't have any interest in Tanner and she thought that was obvious from the way she acted around him.

Charles on the other hand was very close with Charlotte since she arrived in Melbourne. But Christina knew that they were close friends before they even became a couple and they were still friends after. Plus they were together for years, they couldn't just cut off from each other.

"So you are. Is he the 'not something serious' you wanted?" he asked stepping closer and looking down at her.

"What is wrong with you?" If they weren't in the middle of the paddock, Christina would have probably slapped him. But before Charles could answer, the conversation was interrupted.

"Hey, lovely." It was Tanner, again! Charles chuckled in disbelief before walking away leaving Christina behind confused and speechless.

A day later and Charles and Christina hadn't got the chance to talk about those texts yet but not because Christina didn't have free time.

Charles acting like the stubborn man he was, ignored the girl the most he could and whenever the two were forced to interact he was being extremely rude towards her, especially when Tanner was around.

Tanner, opposite of Charles, was extremely friendly and touchy with the girl which pissed Christina off. Although she had hinted many times that their relationship was nothing more than professional, he couldn't take the message.

Friday night and after a long day on track, the group decided to spend some of its night on a quite bar close to the track there in Melbourne that Daniel suggested.

Although they couldn't get drunk and actually party like they wanted to, they still went for it since there wouldn't be any celebrations after the race on Sunday because of the hectic schedule.

"Where's Tanner, Christina?" Sebastian asked as she and Lewis joined him on the separated from the others table he was.

"We might work together Seb, he's not my dog following me around. And I don't want him to, coming to Australia was already too much"

"Might work together I hear. What's wrong?" Sebastian asked, wanting to strike up a conversation with the girl.

"I don't know. He just radiates this weird energy. I don't like him" Christina replied sighing before downing the drink that Lewis had brought her.

"Easy there, love." Lewis muttered taking the glass away from her hands. Christina had a brooding expression on her face.

"You can't be like that just because of Tanner. Did something else happen?" Sebastian asked a question once more.

"Charles has been rude to me since yesterday and I don't know why" Christina replied taking her glass back from Lewis' hands and refilling it with whiskey, a bottle of which was placed on the table.

"Already trouble in paradise?"

"He's just jealous of Tanner" Lewis states replying in Sebastian while Christina continued drinking. "You think?"

"Oh, I bet. Haven't you seen how that idiot acts around Chris? He's totally into her and Charles has picked up on that" Lewis explains taking both the glass and the bottle from Christina.

The girl turned to look at him. Letting a harsh breath out as she accepted her defeat on the stare contest, she placed her hand on her chin and leaned on it.

"I understand that he's probably frustrated with the situation but it's not like I'm leading Tanner on. I'm just trying to be polite because he might get the role." Christina said.

"And apart from that why would he think I'd pick Tanner over him? He should know that for me it's him or no one"

The three glasses of straight whiskey she had downed had already started getting to her and she was becoming tipsy, letting easier words out.

A stupid grin formed on Sebastian's lips at the sound of Christina's feelings. He was listening repeatedly from Pierre how Charles had a crush on her since Abu Dhabi and now he knew for sure that Christina returned the feeling.

"I think I'll head to the hotel. I have to wake up early tomorrow." Lewis stated getting of his seat with Seb agreeing and following him.

"Come with me? Please." Lewis asked the girl offering her his hand. "I'll stay a little more, Lew Lew. If I go back now Tanner will pop out of nowhere again and I'm not in the mood to deal with him"

"Are you sure you want to stay alone?" Lewis asked looking down at her. "Yes, Lewis. I have my driver waiting for me outside. Go rest" Christina replied before placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Ready to drive back?" Sebastian asked the British man. "Nah, I have to do something first" Lewis replied as he walked towards the VIP area where the rest of the drivers were sitting.

"What the hell?" Charles asked when Lewis grabbed him by the shirt and lead him out of the bar, trying not to draw attention.

"What are you doing?" Lewis asked Charles as they and Sebastian finally reached the exit. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about" Lewis told him angrily.

When the Mercedes driver learned about Charles crush on Christina he found it cute. He said that he'd help and he did with his own way. Always bringing Christina to social events so he could talk to her or talking to her about him. But that wasn't the treatment he expected for his best friend.

"What do you want Lewis?" Charles sighed. "I want you to like her! Even if what you wanted didn't work out, I want you to treat her well because she'll be with us for a year and I can't have her depressed over your ass!"

Lewis sounded furious. Charles couldn't remember him being do angry before.

"And if you can't like her, at least pretend!" the British man scolded him.

"I am pretending" Charles replied. "Do better!"

"Okay. How about I go in there and tell her how much I like her?" Charles asked, taking a step towards Lewis.

"That I've been thinking about her non stop since we met? That  I like her that much that I can't believe my damn bad luck that you met her first!" It was Charles turn to yell.