Precious Star

Unbelievable

"Valentine."

"What?" Max repeated, completely confused as to what the problem was with my name.

"Valentine! He called me Valentine," I repeated, waving my hands in the air like a complete maniac. "No one calls me Valentine, not even you. What gives him the right to do it."

"Your father and Jules used to call you that, why wouldn't he?" Max questioned, as he crossed his arms across his chest, leaning back on his chair. We were currently sitting outside a small cafe near the track. He had in fact been here exactly 10 minutes after I called him, no later or earlier.

"Because, that was their thing, not his," I replied defeated with the situation.

"It was his thing too, and you know it." He was right. Papa, Jules and Charles have been the only people to call me Valentine. But I thought I made it clear to him to never call my that name after the incident. "I still can't believe you got so wasted that you didn't realize that Charles wasn't I."

"I still can't believe that douchebag took me to his room when my room was literally right in front of his."

"I could believe that," Max replied, taking a sip of his coffee.

"What?"

"Alaina, he's completely-"

Before Max could finish his sentence we were interrupted by a certain Spanish, "Alaina, Max!" Coming up to us he sat between us to making himself comfortable. Reaching for my cookies I slapped his hand away. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"For leaving me alone last night you, bitch."

"She did that to me too, mate," Max nodded, once again sipping his coffee watching as the scene played out in front of him.

"You told me you wouldn't drink since we all pretty wasted by the time we got to the bar," Carlos said as he rubbed his hand.

"Yeah well thanks to your drunk ass Leclerc had to bring me back."

"Charles?" His eyebrows raised and a sly grin grew on his face, amused by my confession.

"Why the hell are you grinning?"

"No reason, but hold that thought I need to make a quick phone call," he replied as he stood up taking his phone out and going to a more secluded place. "Pierre!"

~

Monaco. Home. After having coffee with Carlos and Max, having to replay the whole night to Carlos who's grin only grew more and more as the story went on, I called Grace and asked her if she could change my flight. I had originally planned to back home by the end of this week, wanting to look around the city. But after everything that had happened all I wanted to do was be home. So here I was walking down the little secluded part of Monte Carlo that Papa and I had found when I was a little girl. With all the fans and paparazzi there were only two places where Papa and I could be left alone. That was on the rooftop of our home and this little area by the beach. The small breeze that overcame my body as I dipped into the gorgeous clear sea only brought a sense of relief. Besides the track and my roof, this is what brought me absolute peace and comfort. Being surrounded by the ocean, no people, just the sea and I. No one could take this away from me. After about an hour of swimming I stepped out and began to sunbathe. It had been a while since I last came to the beach, with everything going on with my career I barely had me time. This was all I needed.

"Valentine?"

No fucken way. Keeping my eyes closed, hoping this was just my mind playing games with me. But the sun was blocked by a figure.

"Hi, how are you?"

Opening my eyes and being meet with the brunette Monegasque. This is my death penalty. "Unbelievable," was all I said as I stood up picking up my belongings wanting to be away from him.

"What? Valentine-"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" I screamed turning to look at him, dropping everything in my arms. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT AND YOU KNOW IT!" He knows what he did. Why does he act so naive about it.

"I know, I'm sorry." He surrender, raising his hands up as I began pointing at him. "But you have to understand, I wanted to stay."

"Yeah, well you didn't. You left me with saying anything. 3 years I knew nothing about you. 3 damn years Charles. I lost the three most important people in my life, all in the matter of an year."

"I'm so sorry, please hear me out."

"I called your mom and your brothers and they knew nothing!" I was fuming, he doesn't understand everything I went through. My mental health and physical health plummeted to its lowest. Within those three years I blamed myself for his disappearance. I blamed myself for Jules' death. I blamed myself for my fathers death. I blamed myself for everything.

"I know, I know-"

"I needed you. More than you could imagine." He looked down at his feet, kicking the dirt not sure how to respond. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. I pour myself out and he has nothing to say.

Not wanting to go over this right now I turned around picked up my belongs once again and headed out the beach without another word. The one place, the one place I could be alone and out of everyone it had to be him, again. I felt tears begin to form in my eyes as I walked out the beach and began heading to my car. Don't cry, Alaina. It's been nearly a decade since you last cried, you are not going to cry over him.

But it's not just him I'm crying for.