that august night - c.l.

18. If I get a podium...

"I am sorry, could you give me five minutes just so I greet some friends?" - Charles asked like he needed a permission from her. "Charles this is your night, spend as much as time alone you want to. I am pretty sure Isa is somewhere around here as well." - She assured him and after little doubting, he left. Charles didn't want her to feel uncomfortable in a place she has never been in before. She lives in Monaco now and she had been here for a visit few times but that doesn't mean she knew everything like Charles did. But she is sure she could take care of herself for a bit.

Elena texted Isa who said how she and Carlos would arrive in ten minutes or so and she decided to order a drink for herself, sitting at a bar. "Dark blue? Red bull girl?" - Elena heard familiar voice behind her after taking in her first sip. None other than Max Verstappen who surely has nothing to celebrate today. Surely not after Charles even overtook him in the championship and took his lead, but it wasn't big difference at the end of the day.

"Nah, sorry. I am Ferrari girl. Just happened to find a dress." - Elena commented trying to sound as nice as she could. "Well, I do think the blue looks beautiful on you." - He added as she smiled. "Well thank you, Max. You here alone tonight?" - She continued the conversation as she figured he would make good company for short period of time. Now recognizing his intentions of this conversation. Men aren't that smooth with their expressions after all.

"I brought some friends, to celebrate Charles' win. I think he deserves it. After many years of bad luck." - Max answered as Elena nodded. "Have you known each other for a long time?"

"Oh yeah, we have been in karting together. But we were like enemies then, we were children and we didn't quite understand how winning and losing worked. Today I am happy we have good stabilized friendship. He truly is a good person to have around. He has good intentions for everyone." - Max talked as Elena listened to him carefully. He answered like she asked him heartfelt question and she was happy it was that way.

They were rivals but still had a good and strong friendship behind all the racing which was pleasant to hear. "Max, mate. I am glad you could come here." - Charles spoke from behind Elena as he was soon in her sight, standing in between them as they sat on bar chairs. "Yeah, it is an important day for you mate. How can I not be here?" - They side hugged each other as Elena watched them with a smile.

Little kids who were hating each other in and out of their go-karts ended up being rivals for the championship with a strong friendship behind, a heart-warming story.

"Charles, love, we were just talking about you." - As soon as Elena had a nickname for him, he knew she was comfortable enough for them to be close around someone else so Charles moved to stand beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Really? What exactly?" - He asked looking in between Max and Elena.

"You two know each other?" - Max asked, ignoring Charles' question. "Max, mate, meet my girlfriend, Elena. Elena, this is my dear friend, Max. But I suppose you already know each other." - Charles introduced them like they just hadn't had a conversation before he came. "Girlfriend- oh my god. I am sorry I thought you were- I am really sorry guys, why didn't you tell me you knew Charles, I was talking stupid things you probably already knew?" - He turned to Elena as she smiled friendly at him.

"None of the things you mentioned I knew. I wanted to know more and I was praying you tell me about an embarrassing moment Charles had so I can fuck around with it." - Elena answered as Charles sounded hurt. "That's so not nice. Max, mate, back me up, you wouldn't do that right?" - Charles asked Max who stayed silent for a couple of moments. "Mate if you didn't get here on time, I would've been in the middle of telling her how you gave a flower to a girl you liked without knowing she had a boyfriend and was allergic to those same flowers." - Elena's lips formed into a smile.

"Charles Leclerc had his heart broken? Oh my god I need to hear all about it." - She turned to Charles as he dramatically answered: "It was my first heartbreak, I won't ever tell anyone how I felt when I was just a boy with thirteen years of age, barely in puberty." - Elena laughed at his tone as, Max probably had flashbacks of the scene once he gave the poor girl flowers and she just started sneezing like crazy in front of him.

"Well, I will leave you guys, have fun. See you both around." - Max left, going to his friends. "We can tell our closest friends about us. But the internet can wait." - Elena spoke as soon as she saw Charles' look. She knew he wanted to talk about sudden relationship outburst. "Yeah I agree. You just caught me off guard at the moment." - Charles smiled as she shrugged her shoulders. "He had to find out somehow. He thought I was Red Bull girl?"

...

"I love the dress on you! Where did you get it?" - Isa complimented her as they were sitting at a bar while their boyfriends were off in the club with their friends as they decided to let them have their night. "Thank you so much. I don't know to be honest. I think I got it for my birthday years ago. I also have similair one, same color just less revealing. Whenever you want to use it, I'll give it to you, seriously." - Elena assured her as Isa's smile grew wider. "That would be so nice because I am attending the wedding witch Carlos next week after race in Canada." - Isa explained.

"Sure then, I'll wash it tomorrow when I find it, and give it to you. For how long are you staying here in Monaco?" - Elena continued the conversation as she sipped on her drink. "Until Wednesday, then I am leaving with Carlos and Charles to Canada for the next race." - Isa answered as the realization hit Elena. She is starting her job and there is no time to walk around the paddock as much as she thought she would.

"Will you be there?" - And like Isa knew, she asked. "No, I won't be able to. I am starting work tomorrow and even though I don't work the weekend I want to settle in for good, then maybe I go to one of next ones, how many more are there before the summer break?" - Elena asked. "There is Canada, Silverstone, Hungary and Belgium left. There is a week pause between Silverstone and Hungary." - Isa answered as if she had a Formula 1 calendar in her head engraved.

"I'll see what I can do with Belgium I would love to attend at least one more before the break." - Elena spoke yet again taking her drink as they watched around them at the people who passed by. Until a strong smell of alcohol hit them. They turned around and saw Charles barely holding Carlos as they walked towards them.

"Oh, hi there beautiful." - He looked at Isa with smile and blank thoughts behind his brown eyes. "Carlos, you are so drunk. Why did you drink that much?" - She asked as if he would be able to answer her. Carlos only kept staring at her and observing her face with a smile. "You are pretty when you're mad, what's your name?" - He asked. "But no, I have a girlfriend. She is even cuter when she is mad." – He corrected himself same second.

"He played some game and I found him like this by the table." - Charles, who stood next to Elena, talked instead of Carlos who wasn't really in the state to do so. "I am sorry guys, I am taking him to the hotel." - Isa mainly apologized to Elena as she was leaving her alone, in a place filled with people she barely knew. "I'll stay with her Isa, don't worry. Do you need help?" - Charles asked as he spoke for both Elena and himself when he asked if she needed any help. "No I think he will walk after me, he's been staring at me like he'll do so." - Isa joked but he actually followed her out of the club after she greeted with Charles and Elena.

"You didn't drink?" - Elena asked Charles who sat on Isa's place, across from her. "So you can put me in handcuffs because I was driving us home under alcohol influence. No thank you." - He joked as she smiled at him. "I would've driven us home. Anything I had since we got here is alcohol free." - She stated as his eyes wandered over the place and Elena got suspicious.

"That's not the real reason you didn't drink, is it?" - She asked judging his face that soon had playful smirk plastered over it. "Maybe, I wanted to be sober for tonight. Remember what you said?" - He stood up approaching her as she acted dumb even though she knew what he was talking about. "And what is that?" - She asked. "If I get a podium..." - He started as she nodded. It seemed like he didn't forget about it, all weekend along.

They resisted the urge to place their lips one on another in front of all these people. They stared at each other without words, but their hungry looks gave out their thoughts. "Let's go." - She whispered out and he read it off of her lips. "I'll meet you behind where we left the car. I will just say goodbye to my friends." - He hesitated to bring her closer to himself before she nodded and walked through the club and at the parking they left his car.