lemon and mint | Charles Leclerc

~ quarantacinque ~

🌸 note 🌸

Hey (yup, I'm still alive)

How are you? Let's celebrate Max's third with a new chapter 🕺 I hope you'll enjoy it.

Loads of love and happiness<3

• 🌸 •

Monaco, October 2019

Pia's heart raced at the news of the negative drug test, but the doctor's mention of something else immediately raised her concern. She glanced at Arthur, who was listening intently, his brow furrowing.

"What is it?" Pia asked, her voice tense.

Dr. Lefebvre continued, "While the drug test was negative, we did find some abnormalities. Your glucose levels are significantly lower than they should be, which could indicate an underlying issue. I think that in your case the cause could be," he stopped himself because he had to choose his following words wisely. "Well, your dietary choices. However, I highly advise you to follow up with a healthcare professional to investigate the cause."

Pia's anxiety deepened as the doctor's words sank in. Lowered glucose levels due to dietary choices - it was a euphemism for what she had been struggling with. She exchanged a worried glance with Arthur, who seemed equally concerned. Just half an hour earlier, she was telling him she was doing better, but this didn't really confirm it.

"Thank you, Doctor," the Italian replied, her voice quivering. "I appreciate your honesty." With that, she ended the call.

As Pia ended the call with Dr. Lefebvre, a heavy silence hung in the air between her and Arthur. The weight of the doctor's words bore down on both of them, casting a shadow over the positive news of the negative drug test.

The younger one couldn't hide his concern any longer. "Pia, are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with worry.

Pia's eyes met his, and she sighed, a mixture of emotions playing across her face. "I... I don't know, Arthur. I thought I was getting better, but... then there's always something wrong."

Anorexia was like a relentless little monster that clung to Pia, sinking its fangs in deeper with each attempt to shake it loose. Something that started relatively as fun was now tearing her apart – both mentally and physically.

"Pia," Arthur said gently, moving closer to her, "It's okay. You'll get yourself checked, and it'll be alright. Progress and healing aren't linear."

The older one appreciated Arthur's comforting words, and she nodded. His presence provided a sense of security. It suddenly felt like he was the older one.

"You're right," she replied, her voice softening. "It's just... I was starting to believe I was making progress, but this... it's a reminder that it's not over yet."

The Monegasque reached out and gently took her hand, his touch warm and reassuring. "It's okay to have setbacks. What's important is that you're taking the right steps by addressing this with professionals."

---

"I think that if we want to watch the race in Charles' apartment. We should go grocery shopping," the Italian said while looking at her feet. She didn't want Arthur to see the state of the fridge. Two cans of energy drinks, five eggs, half a litre of old almond milk and cucumber together with two tomatoes – that was everything that was there. 

Normally, Charles was the motivation for the Italian to have everything in order. She liked to cook for him more than anything. It was a part of her way how to express how much she cared for him.