: ̗̀➛ part three of the
one for the road series
SNOWFALL / CL16
in which two childhood friends reunite. a formula one driver wants to learn how to snowboard and it just so happens that the daughter of his mum's be...
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✧ ˚ · . CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO . · ˚✧ you can hear it in the silence
paris, february 2023
This had to be the biggest secret I had ever kept from Charles, and so far it had definitely been the hardest. The past three days had left me bubbling with the urge to tell Charles the incredible news. I had returned home late after spending the day with Lorelai, talking about everything—mostly trying to help her decide what she wanted to do. That meant that now, in between the hectic chaos that had become the rest of our lives, the three of us were planning an announcement at the café to tell Alfie.
Now that not only the gala was coming closer but the beginning of the Formula 1 season was as well, time felt like it was slipping through my fingers like sand. I was knee deep in planning appointments for potential new projects, while also trying to spend as many of my last moments as possible with Charles before he left.
With all of our lives entangling in multiple ways, the only option for Lor's surprise reveal for Alfie was right before the gala, which was starting at seven today. Which meant Charles and I were hurriedly getting ready, his suit hung right next to my stunning dress on the double doors that led from my bedroom to the living area.
The sound of the shower running caused me to look away from my phone, from the text thread between Lorelai, Celine and I which detailed all of the preparation for this late afternoon. Butterflies of excitement and anxiety fluttered through my stomach. If there was one thing I was certain of, it was that Alfie was going to be surprised. I just truly hoped it would be a good surprise and not a bad one.
Placing my phone away so that I could focus fully on curling the last couple of strands of my hair, watching as the dark brown waves appeared glossy and bouncy just above my shoulders, I couldn't help but smile in the mirror. Even with the nervousness causing my shoulders to tense, I was still, at the same time, giddy with joy for Lorelai and this new chapter of her life.
The shower turned off, and I knew it was only moments before Charles would come out of the bathroom. I turned off the curling wand, admiring what I had done to my hair and adding some oil to the ends, before taking in the many products I had laid out beside me for the next step—my makeup.
I was midway applying foundation to my skin when the bathroom door opened, and in the reflection of my mirror I was immediately graced with a mouthwatering sight. Charles with only a fluffy white towel wrapped around his waist, skin and hair still damp from his shower. When his eyes met mine through the mirror, he smiled mischievously—the right side of his lips tilting up in that way that had butterflies still fluttering through my stomach regardless of how many times I had seen that smile.
Charles made his way over to me, stopping just behind where I was seated at my vanity. Goosebumps appeared on my skin, an immediate response to feeling his presence, the air shifting from cold to warm. My senses were overwhelmed with the scent of his body wash, a clean fragrance reminiscent of a rainy day.
