Hot off the Press | Charles Leclerc | F1

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"I still can't believe it," Sadie said, clutching a cup of coffee as Fia threw her belongings into a duffel bag. "Aren't you excited?"

"To be honest, Sade, it's too early for me to feel anything."

Outside, the sun was just starting to creep over the horizon. Fia couldn't remember the last time she'd been up this early. She was still processing the news that she'd scored a paid internship at the press office of her favourite F1 team. When she accepted the offer last week and saw how much she'd be earning, she felt dizzy and was certain it must have been a mistake.

"You get to go to Bahrain," Sadie said. "I'm so envious. Think of all the sexy drivers you're going to meet. Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc."

"I'm going there to work, Sade."

"Doesn't mean you can't appreciate the eye candy," she shrugged.

"I would never date an F1 driver," Fia said. "Big egos and fast cars spell nothing but trouble."

"You should send that lyric to Taylor Swift."

"Ha-ha. You're funny."

"You'll miss my humour when you're gone." Sadie had meant to sound lighthearted, but they both paused and locked eyes. This was going to be the first time they'd been apart—properly apart—since they met four years ago.

"It's not just me who's going," Fia said, pointing to the boxes of Sadie's stuff in the corner. "You're moving in with Paul tomorrow. What will Stuart do without us?"

"Who's Stuart?"

"The mouse."

"Oh. I hate that mouse."

"I know. I've been feeding him."

Sadie let out a quiet laugh and pulled Fia into her arms. They held each other for a long time until their heartbeats synced.

"Stuart was lucky to have you," Sadie mumbled into Fia's hair.

"Paul is lucky to have you."

"I know."

Fia wanted to say, please don't forget about me. Instead, she stepped back and grabbed her duffel bag. When Sadie handed Fia her passport and a Tupperware box containing her favourite sandwiches, she wanted to say, I don't know how to live without you.

Instead, all she could offer was a thin smile.

"Ready?" asked Sadie.

"Ready."

In an uncharacteristically kind gesture, Paul had offered to drive Fia to Gatwick Airport. She put this down to his excitement about finally being rid of her and a large amount of pressure from Sadie, who was coming for the ride.

Fia let Sadie take her bags to the car so she could say goodbye to the flat. She didn't particularly have any warm feelings towards the place, but she couldn't help the strange nostalgia that washed over her when she thought of leaving. Even though she'd spent some of the worst months of her life on the pale green sofa, she patted it one last time as if it might miss her. Then she emptied a packet of crackers onto the floor next to Stuart's hiding hole in the kitchen.

He didn't come out to say goodbye.

____ 🏎️ ____

It was a two-hour flight from Gatwick to Bologna Airport. From there, Fia had to catch a train to Maranello, where Ferrari's press office was based. Pre-season testing was due to start in Bahrain in a week.