heatwave | Charles Leclerc | re-writing

Chapter 26

Monaco, January 2023 - Victoria Marino

My phone shakes on the bedside table and, as the room is dark, I tap everywhere, trying to reach it. Lando's name can be seen on my screen.

▪︎ call on ▪︎

Lando??

Hi.

What happened, are you alright?

No.

What happened, kid, you can talk with me

Yesterday, after I talked to you, I started having an existencial crisis and I was just overthinking so bad. I went to bed at four AM and cried my ass to sleep. Now I woke up and cried again.

Oh boy, that is no good news. Don't worry, everything's gonna be alright. Do you need something?

Can you please come to my appartment, pleeeeease.

Of course, sweetheart, drop your location, yeah? I'll be there in a bit, let me just take a shower.

Okay, I'll be waiting.

▪︎ call off ▪︎

I rub my face with my hands. Thank God I didn't have much to do. Basically nothing.

Jeremy is still sleeping, snooring as hell.

I go to the bathroom praying to the heavens above to make this wake me up.

After the shower, I get dressed, I pack my bag and I write a note for Jeremy, explaining what is happening and leaving it on his bedside table. I close the hotel room door behind my back and I call an uber.

[...]

I press one more time the door bell, cursing Lando for not answering it the first time. I get on the elevator and I press his floor number, checking myself on the mirror. My sweatpants are wrinkled and my sweater is asking for peace, since I've been wearing it for four days now. My hair is up on a messy ponytail, making me look a bit crazy. My face is washed, the lackness of make-up showing off my dark eyebags. But it's fine, it's just Lando.

The doors shut open and I leave the elevator, searching for his door. I recognise the number of his apartment and I knock on the door. A phew seconds after, the door opens and Lando pops up. He hugs me and I hear a voice coming from the inside, a very familiar one. I let go of Lando, getting in without even asking permission and I find the last person I wanted to see right now.

- Tori, babe! - He comes straight to me, holding my arms and wrapping his around me - I missed you!

- What the hell, Charles? - I push him away. - What the fuck are you doing here?

- I invited him. - Lando says, closing the door - It makes sense, you know, inviting you both.

I sink my face on my hands. I can not believe this.

- It's not your fault, Lando. It's actually Charles's. Tell me, why did you ignored me this long? - He doesn't say nothing, so I continue - The night after the day you left, my brother broke into my house and would spank the shit out of me if Jeremy wasn't there. He literally burst his bottom lip for me. I went to the fucking hospital with him. I needed you, and you? You didn't answer me for two weeks. You're an asswhole and it's my fault for believing in you. I won a prize, you didn't say nothing. You knew I was in Monaco and you didn't say nothing.