On and Off the Track

F O R T Y N I N E.

Charles finished up talking to the team while I waited with mila. We left the track quickly just wanting to get back to the hotel. The car ride back we sat in silence, but it wasn't awkward. It was comfortable, intimate. We didn't need words to understand each other, a look, a touch, a shared smile was enough. Enough to know we were both okay. I was sitting on the bed as Charles finished getting ready for tomorrow.
'What do you want to do for dinner? We don't need to go out,' I asked.
'Yeah but that means I break your promise'
'You have a very good excuse to break my promise. I wont mind'
'No I want to go out, I don't want to be stuck in this room over thinking the race tomorrow'
'Okay that's fine, where do you want to go'
'I don't mind,' my face lit up with an idea. It would be a stretch that it would work but it was worth a try.
'Ive got an idea' a devilish smile was a charming mask for my mischief.
'Okay...'
'We sneak out the back of the hotel and go somewhere no one will recognise us'
'And how will we do that'
'Easy hoodies and sunglasses'
'Hoodies and sunglasses when it's summer and nighttime. Yeah brilliant plan Bronte'
'No hear me out. It might just work. We sneak out through the back of the hotel. Nobody would expect it.'
'I don't know Bronts' his surprising nickname brought a contagious smile to my lips, 'why are you smiling'
'I don't know, I like that nickname. But seriously I think it will work.'
'And if it doesn't?'
'We come back here and get room service. Please just trust me on this'
'Fine' he groaned.

Before I knew I found myself calling the hotel reception to see if there was a way out with nobody noticing. The grin on my face grew when they told us we could leave through the kitchen and out the door that way. I stole one of charles' black jumpers and paired it with black jeans. Hoping it would make me blend in. Charles however said I just look like I'm trying to be a spy and would stand out even more. He didn't get the memo and proceeded to wear any clothes he picked out. I couldn't contain my laughter as we snuck through the kitchen, Charles telling me to be quiet as I pushed the door open.
'See told you we could do it' I said as I fell out the door frame, spinning in a circle in freedom.
'Well done Bronte you got us outside, now where are we going'
'Anywhere we want'
'Go on then' I took Charles' hand and crept our way to the front of the hotel. Luckily for us George Russel who was staying in the same hotel as us was leaving to go out. This meant everyone outside the hotel had their attention pinned to him. This allowed us to sneak behind them and onto the street behind them. Charles' face was in shock the entire time, he was positive it wouldn't work but was pleasantly surprised when it did. 'Okay I didn't think that would actually work' I rolled my eyes and pulled his arm so he walked beside me. The already large smile on my face grew even more when he placed his arm around my shoulder. 'Okay so now we can go anywhere we want where are we going'
'Lets just walk and find somewhere'
'Okay deal'
We walked for over an hour, with nobody recognising us. In all fairness the town became more desolate the further we walked. It was so quiet, I could have put my hood down but I didn't want to risk this. Risk being able to be with charles. It felt so natural walking down the street, his arm around me, laughing and talking without worrying if someone saw us. After walking for what felt like miles, we stumbled across a tiny corner restaurant. The one that nobody knows about and is only kept afloat by regulars.
'What about here?' I asked.
'Yeah, i'm starving so anywhere will do' we stepped inside and put our hoods down.
'Bonjour, es-tu toujours ouvert?' "Hi, are you open?" I asked the old man who stood behind the counter. My French was rusty and had an accent which he could definitely notice.
'Oui, nous sommes ouverts, que puis-je vous offrir' "yeah, we are open. What can I get for you" he responded. The man had no idea who we were or pretended that he did which caused me and Charles to exchange a smile. I looked up to the menu board above him. Both me and Charles ended up ordering the same thing, a galette complète. We went and sat down at a booth. The food came out almost instantly. He placed the food in front of us as we thanked him, but both of us noticed his puzzled face as he did so. I looked over to Charles and mouthed 'we're busted, he knows'.
'tu ressembles à quelqu'un de célèbre' "you look like someone famous" he finally says, taking a good look at Charles.
'Oui, on me le dit souvent' "I get that a lot" he responded as he wore a small, polite smile.
'Es-tu pilote de Formule 1?' "Are you a formula one driver?" my French wasn't brilliant but I knew exactly what that meant. I began to prepare myself to get up and leave, but then the man spoke again. 'vous appelez Lando Norris?' "Are you Lando Norris" my cheeks puffed out as I tried to hold in my laugh. Charles' nose turned up in disgust, then a cheeky grin appeared on his face.
'Oui' he responded, my brow furrowed in confusion unsure where he was going with this.
'C'est décevant, j'espérais que tu serais l'un des meilleurs pilotes' "that's disappointing, I was hoping to meet one of the better drivers" I really did laugh then. Charles' face dropped but then remembered he wasn't talking about him then proceeded to agree with him. He even went as far as saying how he wished he was like Charles Leclerc, the best driver on the grid. His ego was quickly deflated when the man said he didn't know who that was, earning even more laughter from me. I wanted to stay here all night, as Charles tried to talk this man into thinking Charles was the best driver and why it was a bad thing he didn't know who he was. After humbling charles more than anyone has before, he left us to eat our food.
'I think that was the funniest thing I ever watched, Mr Norris' I taunted, a cheeky grin on my face.
'Yeah don't ever call me that again.'
'Noted' we went back to eating our food but Charles quickly dropped his cutlery.
'How did he not know who I was'
'Charles it is what we wanted.'
'True but still. He knew Lando and not me.' We quickly finished up our food and paid. As we thanked the man the restaurant was still just as empty. Charles and his interaction only got funnier when he asked for a photo, Charles happily agreed.

The street was dimly lit with golden light. I got the first splatter of rain, I looked up to Charles to see if he noticed. But he remained walking, oblivious to the dark clouds forming above, I took his arm to take shelter under a canopy but he stopped in his tracks.
'What are you doing' droplets of moisture began to drip from the roofs. They were sprinkling onto the floor like a gardener's hose.
'It's going to rain' as soon as I said that the rainfall became more intense. A wall of rain moving over us and the drops were drumming against the roofs surrounding us. So much rain was falling that the sound blurred into one long, whirring noise.
'So' he said, pulling me to the centre of the road.
'We are going to get wet'
'So, it's just water.' The rain came crashing down, thick drops pounding onto us. His eyes caught mine and I couldn't bring myself to look away. The rain slickened our hair as I watched his face glisten with water. Both of us stood laughing in the middle of the street. He pulls me closer, both of us wet from head to toe, yet neither of us mind. Nothing matters at this moment, nothing except him and me. The clouds thicken and the sky engulf the remaining stars, flashes of lightning shine against our faces. His breath as he came closer, the warmth of his face and the rumbles of the thunder grazed my neck. We kiss, as the lightning cracks and the thunder rolls, with rain running over our lips. There was something so heavenly about this kiss, a tender moment that just wouldn't wait. Neither of us caring if the water soaks through to chill the skin. Never had a moment been so perfect, the greatest moment of our lives. After the kiss, I realise what I think I already knew. He was my better. No one else could make me feel like this, I wanted to have this every single day. His arms holding me so tightly it made me feel more secure than I'd ever felt in my life. I felt more than secure, I felt adored. I felt seen and heard. I felt like the most important person in the world. Suddenly he sweeps me up into a frenzied embrace, causing me to erupt into laughter.
'What are you doing?' I was laughing so hard that it was almost impossible to understand me. Charles smiled listening to my distinctive laugh that he found infectious, he could hear it across a crowded room ten years later and would know it was me.
'I'm getting you back to the hotel, you are going to freeze'
'So it's just water'
'It's just hypothermia but i'm not risking that either'
As we walked back, he was always touching me, but not in a way that made it feel like he was trying to mark his territory, there was no one around to do that to. He was just super physical. His hand was always somewhere on my body. Usually his fingers which dangled over my shoulder pulling me closer towards him or sometimes he brushes my hair back. He was always kisses my temple or my cheek. It wasn't like he was telling others I was his, it was his way of telling me I was his. And under the soft glow of the streetlights, our hug felt like a private world.

When we arrived back at the hotel it was late, way too late. There was only one person in the lobby who was rather shocked to see us soaking wet. As soon as we got into the hotel room I went straight to have a shower, the cold had now reached my bones and I was shivering uncontrollably despite the summer night. I felt Charles hug me close, my back pressed against his chest. He whispers nonsense in my ear and I melt back into his arms. He kisses my temple. Pulls me, somehow, even closer to face him. My hands land flat above his collarbones, my fingers curling into his t-shirt. I touch my lips to hide the smile on my face while he runs his hands over my sides, pulling me into him until my chest bumps his. I look up at him and he kisses me again, sliding his arms around my waist. Somehow we're against the wall and his hands are around my neck and I feel his hot breath against mine and that small sound of pleasure which drives me crazy, floods my body with heat and desire.

We lay in the bed, he pulled me closer and I curved into his body. His warmth covered me whole as I wrapped my legs around him. There were no sounds around us, only his inhalations and my exhalations. He nuzzles his lips against my neck.
'Bronte' he says softly.
'Yeah'
'Thankyou for tonight'
'My pleasure' we fell asleep in the sanctuary of each other's arms.