Book 1: Leap of Faith -Charles Leclerc

Chapter 23

Chapter 23: November 1st, 2023

Charles was slouched in his seat on the airplane, taking up most of the massive seat. The best part about flying in a private jet was the legroom. And the food, and the wifi, and pretty much everything else about it. He and Carlos were on their way to Sao Paulo, one of the most exciting circuits of the season.

"So, how are preparations going for the big plan?" Charles asked Carlos, who was seated directly in front of him. Carlos looked up from his phone, partially startled by Charles' voice after silence for a few hours.

"I think they are going good, mate. Thanks for your help with that. Caroline told me that you've been so helpful," Carlos reached out to shake his teammates hand. They were rarely formal like this, but Carlos was genuinely really appreciative of his help.

"Of course. Can I ask your opinion on something, though?" Charles said.

"Yeah sure mate, what's up?" Carlos responded, half listening.

"It's about Caroline... we have a bit of... uhm... history and I made a mess of things. At first I thought she hated me but now I think she might be opening up to me again. Has she mentioned anything to you... about me?"

Carlos' eyes went wide, as if they could get any bigger. He nervously ran his hand through his hair, avoiding eye contact with Charles as he thought about what to say. He was at a loss for words. He looked outside at the clouds passing by, wishing he could jump on one of them to avoid this awkward conversation.

"She told me a brief version of what happened. Mate if I'm honest, you really fucked that one up. She was really upset for a long time over you, but it seems like she's finally happy again. So if you want to try and get her back or something, you've got to be sure that you are 100% all in for her. She and I have become pretty good friends, so I'm a bit protective over her now. I love you mate, but I will fight you if you hurt her again," Carlos said, adding a certain sternness to his tone.

"When did you two sleep together?" Charles responded, not missing a beat. He maintained eye contact with Carlos, seeing the shocked look on his friend's face.

"What?" Carlos said, feeling his adrenaline spike, wondering if he had misheard. The tension grew as Charles leaned forward in his chair, glaring at Carlos.

"I know you, Carlos. I know when you've slept with a girl. You get a bit possessive sometimes. And I put two and two together with the photos of you from the club that night. It matched what she was wearing in her instagram post," Charles said, unconsciously making fists with his hands.

The tension on the plane was now palpable, as the two boys stared each other down. They were both feeling protective over the same girl but in different ways.

"Look mate," Carlos said, finally breaking the tension. "She didn't tell me about you until way after that. We were very drunk and I was very emotional over Marie. She was definitely upset over you after Spa, and it just happened. I apologize," he said, trailing off slightly. "I had absolutely no idea that you two were involved at that point," he reiterated, feeling the guilt wash over him. Carlos believed strongly in guy-code. He wouldn't have touched Caroline with a ten foot pole if he knew that she was involved with Charles.

Charles felt jealousy washing over him as he had his suspicions confirmed. He took a few deep breaths, allowing the anger to subside so that he could have a rational talk with his teammate and friend. He didn't like any of this, especially the thought of the two of them getting sweaty in Carlos' bedsheets. Charles couldn't stop replaying those images in his mind. That thought alone made him want to punch his teammate. But now that he heard it from Carlos along with his apology, he wasn't so angry, he was just... sad.

"I get it. I really screwed up so I have no right to be angry. Especially since you had no idea that we were... yeah. I can get past it if you can mate," Charles said, smiling at Carlos.

"She and I have talked about it and assured each other that we are no more than friends. She's leading the effort to get me and Marie back together. It was just a stupid mistake that will never ever happen again."

"Thanks for being honest about it, I appreciate it. Hold on..." Charles said as his phone dinged. The timing could not have been better for him to be getting a text from Caroline.

Caroline: Hi! Thank you for getting the Vegas tickets all sorted. There's a few more details that need to be ironed out, but you've been a massive help to me and Carlos. Good luck this weekend, you know I'll be cheering you on from Monaco :).

"Mate, she just texted me," Charles said, showing him her message.

"Charles, she denies it but she still has feelings for you. She blushes at your name. She smiles when you text her. Don't fuck this up a second time. It's never too late for a grand romantic gesture of your own, you know," Carlos said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"She's shut me down every time I've tried to bring it up and apologize. I really think she wants to just be friends," Charles replied, the sadness oozing from his words. "This is ridiculous. I need to be laser focused on this season and getting the title. Why am I talking about this nonsense?" Charles said, trying to end the emotional conversation before he started to cry.

"It's not nonsense, and you know that." Carlos said, able to cut right through Charles' facade. Charles smiled at his friend's blunt response, knowing Carlos would never bullshit him. Carlos was nothing but their biggest supporter and just wanted to see his friends happy together. As Carlos set up their chess board for their weekly match, Charles looked out the window daydreaming about the two couples enjoying time in the paddock together during a race weekend, hoping that one day that dream would come true.