Book 1: Leap of Faith -Charles Leclerc

Chapter 6

Chapter 6: March 1st, 2023

"Hi Dr. Caroline, this is Lauren Baker from Alpine. We are requesting that you step in for one of our physiotherapists who has recently become unable to travel..."

Caroline skimmed the rest of the email before jumping off her couch and yelling into the empty living room of her apartment.

"OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO MY VERY FIRST RACE" she screamed, doing her most embarrassing happy dance. She immediately went to text Charles, who she considered one of her close friends at this point. He had been busy with meetings, events, practices, training, and what seemed like a million other scheduled items, so she hadn't seen him in person since her birthday.

They spoke often and Facetimed most nights, as it had become a habit for her to hit the call button on her phone when she walked home from work. Caroline recounted every detail of that evening about a thousand times before she went to bed each night, trying to convince herself that it was the wine and the music that caused both of them to lack judgment. She knew that she shouldn't have kissed him back- it was completely illogical. He was Charles freaking Leclerc, the same sentence she had repeated to herself many times. He belonged with the Gigi Hadid types of the world, not a 5'2 science nerd. She was distracted from her thoughts as she saw that he was typing, those three little dots taunting her as she waited for his response.

GUESS WHERE I'LL BE ON FRIDAY!!:Caroline

CL: see you there!!

Of course she wanted to see him, she thought about seeing him every second of every day. But she knew that the deep maroon color her cheeks would turn if she saw him in his race suit would be a dead giveaway, not to mention unprofessional. Caroline couldn't contain her excitement anymore as she texted her friends from home who she knew would all be watching, without her this time.

Guess who's going to be watching Sakhir from the paddock??:Caroline

Emma: literally screw you

Kara: This is NOT FAIR

Lily: PLEASE tell me you'll get Pierre Gasly's autograph for me. I had a dream about him last night.

Caroline giggled at her friend's response, realizing that she still hadn't told them about Charles. She had never kept a secret like this from them, especially one about a boy. Usually they got the full breakdown of every date, guy, and kiss. Part of her wanted to keep this as her secret, only the two of them knowing what happened on the boat that night. She also knew that her friends would strongly encourage her to do something about it and she knew she couldn't do that. At least, not yet.
**

Caroline wandered around the venue, checking out everything that her pass would let her into. She felt like a kid in a candy store, stepping into the world that she had only watched on TV. She hadn't seen Charles and was pretty glad about it, wanting this weekend to be about the work: no distractions. But she couldn't ignore it when she found herself wondering where he could be more than once.

"Am I seriously lost? This is ridiculous. You have a doctorate, Caroline. Figure your shit out." she thought to herself.

"Hi there, you look a bit lost, can I help you find something?"

Caroline was brought out of her head by the tall, slender figure that stood in front of her. The woman removed her sunglasses, showcasing her piercing blue eyes as she extended an arm out to Caroline.

"Sorry, I'm Nicole, Logan Sargeant's girlfriend."

Caroline quickly caught herself up to speed, realizing that she had ended up in the Williams area and had just met the new Williams driver's girlfriend. Naturally, she was effortlessly beautiful and Caroline felt a pang of sadness knowing she could never be one of those girls for Charles.