the playlist | charles leclerc

trois

ESTÈE'S POV

I heard a knock at my door.

I quickly wiped the tears away from my face, sniffed to clear my throat and stood up.

"Hello?" I called out.

There was no reply, just some muffled scratchings and then a big thump.

"Owww Adelie, you are such a fucking idiot you know I bruise easily!!" whined the voice of one of her best friends Shaun.

"You cannot be seriously complaining about how easily you bruise when we are about to surprise Estèe! and shut up, or she'll hear you!" scolded her other best friend Adelie.

I stifled a snort. "you two are the worst sneaker-upperers i have ever seen! are you for serious I can literally hear everything you are saying."

The door swung open almost hitting me in the face and the first thing I saw were the all be it slightly sweaty, but glowing with excitement faces of my two best friends. Adelie greeted me with a warm hug, and Shaun engulfed me with an even bigger one. "Hey, Estèe! Ready for the big surpr-" Shaun asked, barely containing his enthusiasm, earning himself a harsh elbow in the ribs from Adelie.

The sight of them immediately put a smile on mg face. The kind that makes your lips hurt and even more so mine because it felt like I had been missing happiness in my life since the passing of my grandfather.

"Soooooo!!???" I questioned "why are you guys here?" their heads turned to face each other and Shaun looked like he was about to burst with anticipation. "Weeeellllllll" Adelie began...

"Wait!" I interjected "Do you guys want to come in? Shaun looks like he's about to blow an aneurism, and  based on your mannerisms it seems like you guys have quite the news to tell me..."

"Alright" Shaun bubbled.

I was touched by their thoughtfulness. They knew I'd been feeling down, so they wanted to do this face-to-face. It was the kind of support I was grateful for. 

I welcomed them inside, feeling a mix of emotions as we settled down in the living room. Adelie couldn't contain herself any longer, "Okay, so here's the thing, Estèe. We got our hands on paddock passes to the Monaco Grand Prix! You know how much you've always wanted to go!"

My eyes widened in surprise, and my heart skipped a beat. Paddock passes?! That was a dream come true! I felt a rush of joy mixed with a hint of guilt. Part of me thought I shouldn't be celebrating right now, but another part knew that life went on, and my grandfather would want me to embrace moments like this.

Trying to find the right words, I managed a smile and said, "Wow, guys, that's incredible! Thank you so much! I... I really appreciate it."

Shaun and Adelie exchanged a glance, and I could tell they understood there was more to my response than meets the eye. Adelie gently placed a hand on mine and said, "Estèe, we know it's been tough for you lately, and we don't want to push you if you're not ready for this. We just thought it might bring some joy to your life right now."

Tears started welling up in my eyes, and I nodded gratefully. "You're both the best friends anyone could ask for," I said, my voice cracking a bit. "And I'd love to go to the Grand Prix with you. It's just... It's been hard, you know?"

Shaun put an arm around me, and Adelie leaned in for a group hug. "Of course we know, Estèe," Shaun said softly. "We're here for you through all of it. We can take things at your pace and just be there together."

"ANYWAYS!" Shaun yelled, "enough with all that mushy stuff, no offence Essie... Do you think we'll meet the drivers!? Like I mean I know hes straight and all but Mick Schumacher is sooooo fine!" 

"GoD I KnOwwww" Adelie gushed, "Like can we just take a moment to appreciate the fact that Lando Norris is just the most perfectest specimen in the whole world!"

"What about you Essie?" Shaun enquired

"What about me?"

"Well who do you fancy?"

"Ummm well I guess Charles Leclerc is pretty gorgeous." I hummed. 

Shaun slammed his hands down on the coffee table and screamed "I bloody know right! He is the most drop dead, lava veins hottie mctotty you can ever imagine!!!!" 

"Woah, keep your raging hormones to your self Shaun the sheep, I'm not even going to talk to him, you lot are absolutely crazy." I reprimanded them softly while shaking my head fondly.

Adelie chimed in "Estèe, I reckon you could write a song about how simply simply lovely he is." 

I let their voices fade into the background and as I looked at my two best friends, I felt a sense of relief and comfort. These two had always been my rocks - or as Shaun would describe himself; a muscular boulder, and I knew that even amid my grief, I had something to look forward to – a thrilling adventure at the Monaco Grand Prix with the best friends a girl could ask for, and maybe some added benefits of hot drivers.

Welp that's another chapter *acts as if she didn't disappear for two months*

It's a bit of a short one today 880 words and I promise (lol my promises aren't very reliable) that I will update more often.

- L <3