Driving Me Crazy

Chapter Forty-Seven

Charles

A lot of things changed after my accident, but my attitude toward racing didn't. What happened in Monaco was terrifying and caused our cars to be under inspection for the future, but I can't see myself doing anything other than racing. There are other options outside of F1, but I don't want them. I worked my way to the top and plan to stay there as long as possible. Katana is worried, I can see it on her face, but I can't give up my dreams over one bad accident. I survived, that's what matters.

Walking into the Ferrari office, there is a table filled with men that I don't recognize. We're all dressed in identical Ferrari suits with our logo on the breast pocket, nearly looking like a cult. "Welcome, Charles. I presume you understand why we asked you to be here today," One of the older men with grey hair says. I nod as I sit at the end of the table, "Yes, I do." Every time there is an accident, let alone one of that caliber, they perform a psych evaluation to ensure that you will be safe to return to the track. Some people would be a danger to others if they were to lose their nerves and freeze up during a race, their job is to prevent that.

"We are going to ask you a series of questions and I need you to answer them to the best of your ability. Everything must be answered truthfully and completely, do you understand?" The words ring through my brain as he speaks in a flat monotone voice. The room begins to spin as their words drone in my mind. The accident comes back to me in full force, playing on repeat as I recall all of the information I can think of. The squeal of the tires, the smell of the rubber and burning fuel, the ricochet in my body as the car hit the wall. Everything flows through my brain for what feels like hours. "Alright, thank you, Mr. Leclerc. We believe that you are fit to continue with us at Ferrari and are giving you the all-clear for Barcelona. Stay safe son," The man says as he pushes his chair back from the table and stands up. The rest of the men follow suit, causing me to do the same. We shake hands and go on our way, exiting the building and back to my Pista in the parking garage. I get in my car and take a deep breath before muttering, "They're horrible at their jobs," and driving off.

Unlocking the apartment door, I hear music coming from the bedroom. Closing the door behind me, I make my way to the melody in the other room. When my eyes catch the masterpiece in front of me, I stop and let the doorframe hold up my body as I gaze ahead. Katana is dressed in my red Ferrari merch shirt and nothing else. The shirt flows down to her knees, covering most of her body as she dances around the room, gathering her things and packing them recklessly into a suitcase. "Oh my, holy shit!" She screams as she jumps back from the doorway that I'm leaning against. I fold over in laughter as she walks toward me, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Hi, love. Are you having fun?" I ask, chuckling. Katana rolls her eyes as she finds her white, flared jeans and jumps into them to cover her full ass. "No, please, leave them off. I was enjoying the musical number," I say, walking toward her. "Hmm, tempting... But no. We have to get ready to leave, Romeo," Katana says in her lustful voice that brings me to my knees. She turns to face me and presses her body against mine, wrapping her arms around my neck before she asks, "Are you sure that you want to go to Barcelona this week? Fred said he wouldn't hold it against you if you wanted to take a break this weekend." Breathing in deeply, I lightly kiss her soft, full, lips before pulling back and saying, "If I don't go now, I won't go back. I'll be okay, love. You're right, I need to pack." Once again, she rolls her eyes and lets go of me before shooting me a big smile and pressing play on Chase Atlantics OHMAMI, using her hairbrush as a faux microphone as she mouths all of the words to me. I have to say that her knowing the words is impressive, but all my brain could think about was the way her mouth...

After we managed to pack everything without interruption, we said goodbye to the apartment and walked out. Just as I went on to lock the door, Katana pressed her hand against the numbers placed on my door. I shot her a confused look, but instead of elaborating, she smiled lightly and walked away.

We placed our two suitcases in the trunk, climbed in the car, and drove away to the airport. "Oh, I totally forgot! Here's your key," Katana says, placing the spare key to my apartment in the cupholder of my car. Without jerking the wheel, I take my right hand off and place it atop hers, not allowing her to leave the key behind. "Keep it," I say, "It's a place I want to share with you forever." Without speaking, she pulls her hand back and reattaches the key to her keychain, staring out the window for the rest of the drive.

Katana must be getting more comfortable with the traveling aspect of Formula One because she gets much less anxious every time we board the plane. Lando and Camryn did not join us this time, having already made their way to Barcelona. Unfortunately, we had to stay behind to perform my evaluation before we could head to the next race, but it was only for one day. This time, we got the plane all to ourselves and spent the entire time catching up on Teen Wolf. I don't know what it is, but that show has me in a trance. I am obsessed with it, but I will never admit that to anyone other than Katana. Every once in a while I have to nudge her awake because despite how archaic Carlos is about his jetlag rules, they really do work.

When we arrive in Barcelona, we make our way to the track and get settled into our trailer. "I'm worried about you racing, but I know it's what makes you happy so I want you to know that I support you," Katana says in a quiet voice. I walk toward her as she unpacks her clothes into the closet and I pull her back into me. "I know it's scary, but we fixed the issues with the car, the track isn't as tight here, and I'm confident that I will do anything to make sure I come back home to you," I say into her neck. Her body relaxes as I hold her, comforting her about the issues at the prior race. She spins and places a kiss on my cheek before saying, "Good, because I'll come to hell and kill you myself if you put me through that again."