The calm before the storm - Max Verstappen x Charles Leclerc

13

I woke up to Charles being stressed. "What is it?" I asked, half asleep. "We forgot to set the alarm so we have to leave in 10 minutes" said Charles stressed. I wasn't tired anymore and hurry up to get ready and pack everything. We went to the airport and there we met Max, He was going with us. We went to check-in knowing we would make it all. We checked in 1.5 hours before the flight was due to leave so we sat down and waited. My eyes got heavier and heavier and couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I fell asleep against Charles' shoulder.

Charles POV:

I noticed that Francesca had fallen asleep against my shoulder so I tried not to move too much. I continued to talk to Max about this weekend's race but couldn't stop looking at her. She looked so peaceful and was cute even when she was watching. I could have woken up next to her every day just to see her. "do you like her" I heard Max whisper. He whispered safely so as not to wake her. "I enjoy spending time with her and she's very pretty so that's just a plus" I whisper back. He laughed quietly because I had turned red in the face from his question.

Max POV:

I thought Francesca was very beautiful but it was hard to get alone time with her now that she would be spending her time with Charles. When I saw that she had fallen asleep against his shoulder, I felt a pang of jealousy. Why was I jealous of? When I asked if Charles liked her, I noticed that he got red in the face. It was enough to make me jealous again. I knew Charles and I both liked her. Ever since the first time I saw her, I was enchanted by her brown eyes, the way her laugh filled up an entire room. I couldn't stop looking at Francesca and it was something that Charles picked up on. He didn't say anything, just grinned at me.

Francesca POV:
I wake up after 20 minutes. I noticed that both Max and Charles went quiet when they noticed that I was starting to wake up. "Did you sleep well" Charles said, laughing lightly. I gave him a light push which made Max laugh "you're not a morning person I guess" Max said in a teasing voice. "getting up at 6 in the morning is not for me" I said back and sat down comfortably. I got a text from Louise.

Louise:Hi Francesca. Where are you this week? Several became interested in you after our photoshoot and they would like more pictures.

Francesca:Hi, I'm in Australia until the Grand Prix.

Louise:I'll check if there are any photographers there, i'll catch up later.

I put the phone down and got excited. Another photoshoot, I think that was my breakthrough. The guys noticed that I was happy about something and they asked. "what is it Frankie" said Charles. "Maybe I'll have another photoshoot" I said back with a big smile on my face. I saw their faces light up and I noticed how proud they were. "I'm so proud of you Frankie" Max said and gave me a hug. I couldn't stop smiling. After 10 minutes we started moving towards our gate. Everything went smoothly and we got on the plane without any problems.

I had always had a slight fear of flying. Or yeah at the beginning of the trip. I was sitting next to Charles and when we started flying I got scared and out of pure reaction I grabbed Charles' arm. "Are you afraid of flying" asked Charles when I grabbed his arm. "not a fan of it" I replied back and let go when I realized I had grabbed him. "It's okay Frankie" he replied and smiled at me. His smile always made me melt and I could look into his eyes for hours without getting tired. I hadn't known him that long but he made me feel special. "Are you not going to talk to me or" said Max, laughing. We also started laughing and everything went on as usual.

Max POV:
I felt like a third wheel because Charles and Frankie talked a lot. They sat next to each other so I understood why. After half an hour Frankie had fallen asleep again so Charles and I started talking about the race this weekend. I couldn't stop glancing over at Frankie who was sleeping so peacefully. How could she look so beautiful while sleeping? I noticed little things about her. How she had a little birthmark under her eye, her freckles. Everything was really perfect with her. How could someone like her like someone like me? When she told me on the beach that her dream job was a model and at the airport that she had a photoshoot booked, a great feeling of pride washed over me. I knew Charles liked her which made me feel like it was a competition against him. When you think about it, it's very silly because we sound like little children.

Francesca's POV:
I wake up after two hours to Charles and Max laughing loudly. "what's the fun" I asked confused and rubbed my eyes. "Charles sucks on Uno" answered Max and continued to laugh. "No mate, you're the one cheating," replied Charles between laughs. They asked if I wanted to join. At first I hesitated because I was bad at card games, but when Max called me a coward, I joined right away. We played several times and then had deeper conversations to get to know each other better.