Amour Rouge (Red Love)

Prologue

"How about Red, mate?"

"You know I don't take relationships seriously, mate." She overheard Charles.

Her tears abruptly fell as if they were set to fall as soon as he said those words. She couldn't breathe, it seems like oxygen has gone out of her body. With shaking hands, she tried to grasp her chest and aid herself to breathe comfortably.  Of course, it doesn't help. Not one bit.

"But I thought..." Carlos, was also confused by his teammate's answer.

"You know that I do not believe in love, Carlos."

She wanted to move. She wanted to move those feet of hers and run away from that very corner where she was hidden. She begs all the Gods and saints she could call, asking for somebody to snatch her away from the scene.

"I always feel tired when I'm with her. I need to watch my movements, I feel restrained."

Red scoffed, what an asshole. She clenched her fist, trying to pull herself together. If only she had the confidence to take Charles down in one punch, she would definitely do it right away.

"I don't do love, Carlos. I just don't."

That's it, with all the energy left within her, she moved away slowly. With her hands and breath shaking simultaneously, she ran away as fast as she could.

She feels utterably stupid, she could curse her own self for being moronic.

Red sincerely believed and hoped that she was the woman that could change the infamous prick of the grid. Yet again, her tears fell uncontrollably. Everyone is looking at her running hopelessly. Her smudged makeup didn't help either.

"Red.." finally, someone called her.

She paused, looking for the voice.

"Are you alright?" There she saw Lewis, with a concerned facial expression. She sobbed at the sight of him.

Lewis didn't even have the time to panic, his body moved unconsciously to support and hug the broken woman in front of him.

Without having to say a single word, he caressed her back with so much care and worry. Red felt dependent, as if Lewis is her only shelter. She hugged him tightly, thinking Lewis' body can make her disappear completely.

They stayed like that for a minute, or maybe several minutes. Neither of them had the rational mind to record the time they were hugging.

Her breathing and cries became soft, and that's when Lewis slowly built up his confidence to speak.

"Red, is there a problem?" He asked, not moving an inch from their bodies clasped together.

"I am the problem," she muffled. Lewis tightly closed his eyes as he felt the familiar pain in his chest.

Of course, Charles. He thought.

"What did he do this time?"

"Nothing,"

"Red,"

"I knew right from the start, I knew he's a jerk. It was my fault..." she chipped. "I expected, I hoped, and now, I'm disappointed."

Lewis could only hug her tightly. A pang once again in his heart.

"I ca--" Lewis couldn't even finish his second word when he felt a hand grasping his shoulder with intense strength.

He was forced to move away from the hug, and there he saw the man behind that.

Charles Leclerc, the very reason why Red was crying, is looking very angry with a shaking clenched fist that has just landed on Lewis' cheek.

"For fuck's sake, Hamilton, I told you. Don't touch my woman," he shouted, everybody in the paddock was looking at the scene.

"My woman," he repeated. With bloodshot eyes, he looked fiercely at Red.

I'm not yours. I stopped being yours. I will never be yours. Red stepped forward, covering Lewis. "I do not belong to you." She said with all her might.

"I belong to nobody."