impermissible (Charles Leclerc)

t w e n t y n i n e

"That's not nice mum." Lorenzo told her as he put down his slice of pizza also.

"It's just.. I've read some stuff about her and her past and I'm not sure I'm comfortable being sat close to her let alone her making me a drink." Pascale spoke.

Charles defended "Don't talk about her as if she isn't sat right in front of you."

I cut in "Um, if you have any questions about things you've read I'm sure I can assure you that I'm a better person now, half of those articles are fake anyway."

Arthur looked over to me "Is it true that you killed someone?"

Yeah start with that one.

"Yes."

Pascale sighed "See Charles, I'm not sure I trust that she isn't going to hurt you.. I'm not sure that is what I want for my son."

She turned to face me "It's nothing against you Evelyn-

"But it is." I shrugged.

She sighed "It's just another phase Evelyn, you are trying to change to save your image and by doing that you've found the nicest guy in formula one and you're running with this whole nice girl act, we all know this isn't genuine you're trying to clean yourself up."

My mouth flew open, but I closed it just as quickly, Charles interrupted her "Evelyn is one of the kindest humans I've ever met, she's had some tough times and unfortunately the news blasts them."

"Already blindfolded by it, she works fast." Pascale huffed.

"That's not fair mum." Arthur told her in a whisper, but still loud enough that I heard it.

I tried to explain "I have been constantly seen in a negative light because everything that has ever happened in my life is broadcast online, things then get exaggerated and fabricated and everyone hears and reads different things, I really want it to stop but it never will so I've been really trying to stop making mistakes but at the end of the day mistakes make us human, everyone makes them but mine are just a little extreme mistakes."

"I just, I'm not sure you're right for my son." Pascale finally expressed, that's what she'd wanted to say from the moment she stepped into the apartment.

Lorenzo told his mother "we don't even know if they're together."

Arthur mouthed across the table "Are you together?"

"Oh come on it's obvious, Charles wouldn't let just anyone stay at his apartment. How long have you two been having relations?" Pascale wondered.

"We aren't together, officially." Charles told her, I'd never seen someone grin so hard in my life and I'd seen my dads reactions to winning world championships.

"Well then, maybe you should evaluate that situation and let me know.." Pascale told him as she patted his arm across the table.

"Actually yeah I will." Charles told her, great he's going to break my heart because his mummy told him I'm not good enough.

"Let's not do this, it's Charles' birthday." Lorenzo told as he recognised that I was clearly upset.

"Yeah,' I paused standing up "Who wants cake, I will cut it in-front of you lot this time."

"We all do." Charles told me before anyone could reply, I grabbed the candles from the kitchen draw and lit them bringing it over to the table with a knife to cut the cake.

Pascale shuffled backwards in her chair as if I had intended on stabbing her or something, I raised a brow but continued to sing happy birthday with the boys as Charles blew out the candles.

"This is amazing Evelyn." Lorenzo appreciated as he took another large bite of the chocolate cake, "Yeah it is Evs." Charles agreed.

As they continued to eat Pascale kept her eyes trained on the floor, Arthur then randomly asked "Charles can you tell us who your new teammate is? We've been trying to figure it out now for ages."

Charles shrugged "No can do."

"Yeah we want to know." I told Charles playing along, "Your a Ferrari fan?" Lorenzo asked me and I nodded along "Yeah a recent obsession."

Charles and I continued chatting with the boys as Pascale sat in the silence, "Are you okay Pascale?" I asked her as I noticed her lack of presence.

"Is it true that when you were nineteen you got arrested for doing cocaine?" She randomly asked out of nowhere.

"No, I've never been arrested."

She then looked up "But you killed someone?"

I shrugged "Yeah uh, I didn't get any time or parole they just took away my license but I re took my test a couple of months later and now I can drive again."

She chuckled "The things you get away with when you have money, that's ridiculous."

Lorenzo immediately recognised this situation wasn't going to work out and looked down at his phone "Oh I need to head out, mum I'll drop you back at the house."

As he mentioned that we all got up, ready to allow them to leave, as Lorenzo came over to hug me goodbye "I'm sorry she was horrible, she will warm up."

Arthur walked over with his plate in hand, empty "I think you're cool." He mumbled as he took the sink to the dish washer, it squeaky clean of any crumbs.

I took it as a compliment from Arthur, since I was aware of the struggle he'd had since his dad passing away even the little things meant quite a lot "Hey, before you go do you want some cake to take home?" I asked him to which he nodded.

I wrapped up some cake and he was immediately grateful, waving goodbye as he left. Pascale didn't bother to wait around and say bye, so I stood at the doorstep and waved anyway, she didn't wave back.

As soon as the door was shut, Charles turned to me he slid his palm across my cheek and leans into my touch "Tell me I've still got you," he whispered dropping his forehead down to mine "I don't know, I don't want to hurt you, she's right I hurt people." I swallowed.

What his mum said was affecting me already, I loved Charles so much that hurting him would kill me.

"I didn't know she'd be like that Evs." He paused closing his eyes for a brief moment before he pressed a kiss down to my forehead.

"Okay," he whisper clawed at my heart. "Take how ever much time you need. I'll wait."

For some reason his words sent a fresh ache through my chest "Why?"

"Because you're it for me. Whether it's today or tomorrow, a year, or decades from now, that'll never change." His lips brushed against my skin before he pulled back, his face taut with emotion.

"I'm human Ev, I've made mistakes in the past and will continue to do so in the future but my mum doesn't see it that way. But one mistake I won't make is letting you go again, not when there's a chance left for us I'm not letting her ruin this for us. The possibility of you is better than the reality of anyone else."

My heart.

"So, like I said..." he brushed my hair away from my face "Ill wait for you to come to the realisation my mum doesn't know what she is on about for as long as it takes."