Summer Roadtrip | A Charles Leclerc lovestory

Chapter 1 | Roadtrip

Sophia just finished her masters degree in communication and design. She had a whole fun summer ahead of her, where she would enjoy herself before things would get serious and she would need to find a job. Until things all of a sudden changed, Sophia had never felt so alone in her life. Her boyfriend of three years had just told her that he wanted to take a break from their relationship right after her graduation ceremony. She was devastated, confused, and heartbroken all at once. All her plans were out of the window and she didn't know what to do with herself. They have been planning to start looking for an apartment together after graduation and move in together. Sophia locked herself in her room in her student house for the weekend and was only crying and watching rom-coms, which she probably shouldn't do. Luckily she was living with three of her best friends. They took care of her, making sure she had food and drank enough water. They came in to hug her once in a while. Sophia was so happy she met these girls at the start of her bachelors degree 5 years ago.

While the four of them had been wanting to plan a fun trip for the summer they didn't really get around to it yet. So as a surprise Sophia's three best friends, Sarah, Emily, and Jess, knew that she needed a break from her everyday life to help her heal. So they planned a week-long road trip to the south of France. They would roadtrip their way down south from the Netherlands. Emily could borrow her dads car since her parents were out of town for a couple of weeks.

On Sunday the girls came into Sophia's room with a suitcase. 'SURPRISE!' the three girls shouted. Sophia looked up from her bed. 'What is that supposed to mean?'. "We are kidnapping you for a week, we are leaving tomorrow morning very early, so you better get packing." Sarah explained. Sophia was in shock, these girls were the best friends any girl could wish for. Sophia had so many questions, but the others wanted to keep some secrets. They helped Sophia pack her suitcase. Lots of nice summer dresses, bikinis and some party outfits. Within an hour Sophia was all set to go. At this point the girls all went to bed since their alarm would go off at 5:30 in the morning to start their adventure.

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As they drove through the scenic countryside, Sophia's thoughts drifted to her semi ex-boyfriend. She couldn't help but wonder what she had done wrong, or what she could have done differently to keep him from wanting a break. After about an hour of driving, when they left the Netherlands and entered Belgium her friends told they were road tripping to the south of France. Something Sophia always wanted to do with her best friends. They would be spending days on the beach drinking wine, cocktails and enjoying all the nice food. This was exactly what she needed right now to get her mind off of things.

Halfway through their journey, the group decided to stop at a charming little village for a bite to eat. Sophia tried to put on a brave face, but her friends could see how much she was struggling. "Come on, Soph, let's enjoy the journey!" Jess said, giving her a warm smile. "We're going to have the time of our lives in the south of France!"

Sophia managed a small smile, grateful for the support of her friends. As they continued their journey, Sophia tried to keep her mind off of her ex-boyfriend and focus on the adventure ahead.

Around 19:00 they stopped for their break, they had been driving for hours on end and they made it just past Lyon which was over half way south in France. They had dinner at the chateau the girls booked. It was magical, the sunset over the vineyards. Sarah, Emily and Jess revealed their real first stop for tomorrow, Monaco! Sophia was surprised, she had heard of Monaco, but didn't really think anything of it. After dinner the girls went to there rooms, they were split 2-2 and went straight to bed since it had been a long day.

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When they arrived in Monaco just after 12:00 in the afternoon, the group set out to explore the beautiful city of Monaco. They visited the famous Monte Carlo Casino, took a stroll around the marina, and even managed to catch a glimpse of some fancy cars racing by.

It was amazing to do this with her friends. Sophia was able to let go of the sadness she had been feeling the past week. Around 15:00 their AirBnB was ready and they decided to drop their bags and enjoy the sun on their balcony since they had been non-stop going for the past day.

"I think we should go out tonight to start off this amazing week ahead of us" Sarah suggested. Emily and Jess started cheering at their friend's suggestion. "Amazing idea Sarah" Jess said. Sophia had an unsure look on her face Emily noticed. "It will be fine babe, this is exactly what you need after the week you had, we will have some drinks and dance the sadness away together" Emily said. Sophia nodded, Emily was right, maybe this is what she needed to fully let go of her ex-boyfriend. They cooked some pasta for dinner and started drinking wine to get into the mood a bit.

They decided to go out and party at one of the hottest clubs in town. They were all dressed quite sexy since they wanted to go all out in Monaco. The music was loud, the drinks were flowing, and Sophia felt herself starting to loosen up and have a good time. Their favorite songs kept playing and they kept going to the bar to get drinks and did shots each time.

One of their favorite songs came on and they quickly made their way back to the dance floor. At this point Sophia was quite tipsy and so were her friends. They all let loose on the song. As she was dancing, a handsome young man with dark brown hair and green eyes approached her. "Hi, can I get you a drink?" he asked with a smile.

Sophia couldn't help but be drawn in by his charming smile and sparkling eyes. "Yes sure, would love to" she replied while getting lost in his eyes. "What can I get you?" the boy asked. "Something mixed is fine thank you" Sophia replied while she felt the corners of her mouth curl up. She scanned the boy up and down while he made his way to the bar. Sophia turned around and she saw her friends smirking at her. She knew they were very supportive of her. She also saw Emily getting cozy with another boy as well.

The boy returned with two glasses. "Sorry I didn't get your name yet" the boy said while he handed Sophia her drink. "My name is Sophia, what about you?" she said while getting closer to his ear. She could smell his cologne and it gave her butterflies. "It's Charles" ,he said with a big smile. A new song came on, "I love this song" Charles said, "Will you dance with me?" he asked. Sophia nodded and started to get into the rhythm of the song. They talked and laughed, enjoying each other's company as they danced the night away. Sophia noticed him looking at her a lot and when they would lock eye contact there would be butterflies tingling in her stomach.

They couldn't help staring at each other. As the night went on she noticed Charles get closer to her and put his hand on her waist while dancing behind her. She loved the feeling of his warm hand on her skin. She turned around and noticed he was looking at her lips. Would he want to kiss her? she thought. The thought made her legs weak. He came closer to her ear and whispered, "You look amazing and I have been wanting to do this all night". He took his head back and she saw his eyes wander to her lips again and before she knew it she felt his soft lips on hers. The butterflies that had been in her stomach all night went crazy. She wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. The kiss got more passionate once she felt his tongue wanting to meet hers. His hands made their way down her body towards her bum. After a bit she pulled away and looked him in the eyes. She could see him blushing and she knew she was doing the same. When she looked over his shoulder she saw her friend's shocked faces, but they were also happy for her. She also noticed the club was getting more empty, she hadn't noticed since she was enjoying her night with Charles. "I see my friends want to head off, but I would love to see you again, can I maybe have your number?" Charles asked, with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Sophia felt a spark of excitement in her chest. Maybe this was the fresh start she needed, a chance to move on from her ex and start a new adventure. She gave the handsome man her number, feeling a sense of hope that she hadn't felt in a long time.

As she left the club with her friends, Sophia felt a renewed sense of energy and excitement for the journey ahead. She couldn't wait to see what the rest of the road trip had in store for her.