❥𝑹𝒆𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆

Chapter 55

Narrator

It was night. Or at least late in the evening.
Charles looked around.

Was he in... Monaco?

How did he get home?

He went around the kitchen counter near the front door.

Strange.

His mind went full with questions.
Was he alone?

»Valerie? Carlos?«, he shouted through his house.

No answer.

»Maman? Arthur?«

Nothing.
The air stayed silent.

He felt the adrenaline pumping in his veins and his hands began to sweat.
Why was he upset?

It tightened his airways.
Breathe, Charles.

What the hell was going on?

Something told him to continue moving.
His feet carried him down the hall, to the bathroom.

When he opened the door, his heart sank to his feet.

»Valerie?...«
She sat on the cold floor, leaning against the cabinet beneath the sink.
Her head was strangely tilted sideways, her eyes closed.

Charles rushed on his knees, taking her hand.
»Valerie! Wake up!«

She didn't react.
Panic overcame him.

»Valerie!«
He tried to get her pulse, but he couldn't feel anything under his fingers that were pressed tightly to her wrist.

Charles took her face into his hands.
»Valerie, please wake up!«

Tears flowed down his face.

»I need you, please...«

His voice got weaker, almost a whisper.

Then, his head turned to a little box on the sink where he kept some medications.
He went through it fast, searching for something that could help her.

»You were supposed to protect her.«

Charles' face hissed to the side.

Carlos leaned in the doorframe, looking down on him with nothing but disappointment showing in his eyes.

»Please, help me!«
Charles held the dead body of his girlfriend in his arms, trying to make her breathe.

Snap.

Charles looked around.
It was dark.

He was laying in bed.

»Valerie?!«

His head went to his side, his hands trying to feel her presence next to him.
But the spot besides him stayed cold.

Was it... just a dream?

Valerie just died in his arms, it felt so.. real.

His body was covered in cold sweat, his breathing going rapid and irregular.

The anxiety attack crawled up his skin, letting the blood boil inside his veins.
With shivering hands Charles touched his chest, feeling his heart beating too fast.

Valerie's okay, she's fine,
he thought to himself.

Over and over again.

But it wouldn't stop the water forming in his eyes and rolling down his cheeks.
He felt like a mess.

He was a mess.

He felt like he would drown in his fear and worry, trying to catch his breath.

It was like the air went inside - but never got out.

Uncontrolled, Charles' hand reached to his phone that was laying on the bedside table.
He landed in his contacts list, his finger floating above Valerie's name.

What am I doing?

Charles couldn't call her. It was the middle of the night. What should she think?

That he couldn't manage to go a few days without her?

No.

Charles put the phone away.

Just breathe, just breathe.

He laid on his back, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. With that, he tried to fall asleep again, terrified that he would fall into the same dream again.

And like that, Charles drowned in his anxiety attack, his hand still on his chest.

***

Charles

»You got everything?«, Carlos asked as we stood at the front door, our suitcases beneath our feet.

I didn't hear him correctly at first, my thoughts still somewhere else.
»Hm?«

»Mate, you okay?«
I didn't expect his hand on my shoulder, so I flinched slightly.

I faced him, hoping he wouldn't notice the dark spots beneath my eyes.
»Sure, I just didn't sleep much.«

Understatement of the year.

After I - more or less - had calmed down, I barely slept. Every time my eyes rested for too long, I startled up again.

»Don't worry, my sister will be back soon.«, he remarked sarcastically, not knowing that it would scratch at the wound from last night.

I gave him a side-smile. He shouldn't know that I didn't have more than 2 hours of mere sleep.

»We good to go, then?«

I nodded.

When we arrived at the airport, our jet was already set up.
Airline-staff took our suitcase and we entered the plane.

As soon as I sat down, I immediately fished my phone out of my pocket.

A smile wandere across my face when I saw Valerie's name on my lockscreen.

Good Morning, amor❤️
Text me when you landed safely in Spa.
Love you<3

I chuckled. She was everything I needed in that moment.

Morning❤️
I'm flying there right now, I'll text you later.
How's your girl trip?
Hope you have fun,
Love you more<3

When the jet finally landed, we first went to our hotel to settle ourselves.
It was Monday, so we had to go to the paddock to some meetings and a seat-fit.

As Carlos and I drove to the parking-lot of the paddock, multiple fans were already waiting.
We happily greeted them and signed their stuff.

It was always nice and relieving to meet the tifosi.

We made our way through the crowd, when I saw a familiar face walking up to me.
He limited the fans to a certain place to made sure me and Carlos wouldn't be overran.

»Good morning, Charles,« he greeted me, but his face wasn't showing the usual politeness, »where to?«
That was the first time Raphael called me by my first name. I wasn't sure if it should bother me.
Always hearing "Mr. Leclerc"' didn't seem right either.

Something bothered me about his face, though.

»We'll head to the briefing room first.«, I explained, making my way to the paddock entrance.
Raphael walked in front of us, keeping the way clean.

It was something about his attitude.
Normally, he walked besides me, maybe having a small-talk. He was polite. He at least looked me in the eyes.
Today, he just marched in front, barely facing me, not talking.

But why was I bothering anyways?