Strangers, to lovers, to enemies

6

As we head to the club my feet start to hurt so I take off my heels and walk barefoot on the pavement. Hugo's jacket is placed over my shoulders to stop me getting cold and in exchange he is carrying my handbag. 

The walk from the bar to the club isn't long but as the streets of Monaco are full of fans we have to keep stopping every two minutes for people to take pictures with the drivers. Waiters and waitresses usher people into restaurants with menus in hand all fighting for customers on the busy night.

As we turn the corner onto a little backstreet that Charles is directing us down to get to the club quick, he runs into a little store and instructs us all to wait outside for him. He comes out with a pair of slip on type shoes in my size and hands them to me. 

"You are a lifesaver" I exclaim, sliding them onto my feet

"That's what friends are for" he replies before charging to the front of the group to lead us to the club.

Charles short-cut turned out to not be such a short cut but more as the same amount of time route however it was a lot quieter so we didn't run into any fans on the way down. We walked in pairs having small conversations amongst ourselves. I'm next to Lando and he is currently talking about golf and his drumming lessons. He has the energy of a puppy and it's so cute when he talks about a subject he is excited about. 

We walk down some stairs that lead back onto the main road where the club is, there is a line but we walk straight to the front of it. The bouncer lets us all in straight away without checking IDs. The club is packed and split over three different levels, the first level has the dance floor which is lower in the ground, the second section is where the doors are and the bar. The upper section is around the back and has three steps leading up to it. It has five semi circle booths and bouncers on either side of the platform. The DJ is on the other side of the club raised on their own platform overlooking the dance floor pit.

We head straight through to the booths at the back which have been reserved for us. When we get there a couple of the other drivers are sat there: Ocon, Albon with lily, Sebastian Vettel and Logan Sargent. Yuki and Nyck are at the bar Seb says as we sit down. Me, Hugo and Charles don't sit down for long before heading straight out to the dance floor. 

I don't know what the song is but it has a good beat so I start to dance to it, initially me Hugo and Charles stay in a group but we start to separate as Hugo goes off dancing with someone and Charles heads to the bar to go get us some drinks. 

A hand comes up behind me and grabs my waist. I dance against them, their hand runs up my body and moves my hair to the side before slowly kissing my neck. It felt so natural, so right, so familiar. I turn around and see Pierre. He looks up and as realisation takes hold he steps away from me. Pure disgust over his face he shakes his head and leaves the dance floor. 

I'm left on my own on the dance floor. WTF just happened. 

I head back to the booth, mind still racing not sure what just happened. When I get to the booth Daniel can tell something is wrong just by the look on my face.

"You okay Mags?" He asks leaning towards me so I can hear him over the club music. 

"Yeah... yeah I'm okay just a bit tired." I lie,  I can't tell everyone my life issues. Hugo comes over looking disheveled. His hair has been pushed back and he has this look on his face, the look he gets when he's pulled someone, there is a small smirk on his face as he glances from me to Daniel. His gaze lingers before making eye contact with me... Wait. Did my brother? AND DANIEL? I can't wait to bring this up in the morning/ afternoon depending on how the hang over is.

"Hugh,  I'm going to head out. I'm tired and Cam will wake up early in the morning" I say finishing my drink that was bought for me an hour ago. The sweet drinks goes down my throat quickly, I didn't realise how thirsty I was. I swallow the ice to cool myself down and pick up my bag. I hug Charles and Hugo goodbye and wave to the others before heading out of the back of the club towards the smoking area to pick up a cab. I could walk but don't really want to on my own, plus even though I'm wearing those slip-ons Charles bought me, me feet still really hurt. 

I walk outside and take a deep breathe of the fresh air and let my eyes adjust to the lighting. The music is faint from outside and there is a slight ringing in my ears. I close my eyes for a second and feel the gentle breeze across my face. 

It's been a while since I've felt like this. FREE. No more lies.

A voice breaks me from my thought. 

"What is her favourite colour?" The voice says from the darkness.

I spin around and there stands Pierre, hands in his pockets leaning against a wall. He's drunk. There is a hint of bitterness in his voice, although also some softness. He's hurting. 

"It was pink for years but now it alternates between pink, blue and green. Usually pink though." I say smiling with the thought of Camille running around drawing on all of the walls in pink pen when she was two years old because she 'loved pink'. 

"She's type one diabetic?" Pierre says more as a question than a statement. Type one diabetes runs in his family. 

"Yes, she was diagnosed when she was 11 months old. She's okay now though, she has a dexcom which monitors her blood glucose and an insulin pump" I answer not sure whether he wanted the full story. 

"A toddler with type one, bet that must of been hard" Pierre laughs to himself "What happened Margo? What happened to us? Where did we go wrong?" Pierre starts laughing hysterically now. But I know it isn't out of humour but out of sadness and self-pity. He isn't wrong to be asking it, where did it all go wrong. It was my fault. But why? How did we end up here.

"I want to see her Margo. I want to spend everyday with her forever." Pierre continued. 

The was silence between us, I still haven't fully looked at him but have been looking at the road and admiring the stars. You can see them so clearly at night. I really need to look at the stars more. 

"Charles has offered me a job" I say to break the silence. "It would be as his PR manager, I would have to travel to the grand-prixs. Elle would travel with me as well." I finally turn around and face Pierre fully. There is hope in his eyes when I mentioned I'd have to travel to the grand prix but not because I'd be there but because Elle would come with me. 

"You called her Elle" Pierre says smiling slightly. 

"Of course I did, it's what we agreed." I answer as if it wasn't even in question. "She has your last name, well half of it. On all the legal paperwork her last name is double barrelled. Mine and yours." I say

Pierre takes a step closer. Silence. Then closer again until our noses nearly touch. I fee his breathe on my face, I take a deep breath. He smells the same. He closes his eyes and kisses me. Butterflies enter my stomach and I feel both sick and full of excitement at the same time. He tastes of liquor. The kiss lasts for roughly 20 seconds before he pulls away. 

"Take the Job Matilda" Pierre says before stepping away leaving me outside alone. Matilda. My middle name, something only he is ever allowed to call me. A warmth fills me when he says it. It's strange that after all these years he still has that effect on me. 

I need to clear my thoughts. I end up walking home, forgetting all about my painful feet.