heatwave | Charles Leclerc | re-writing

Chapter 34

Bahia, February 2023 - Charles Leclerc

I meet Victoria again and now it's officially dark outside. I've been eating this whole time and I haven't seen her laying her fingers a single time on the food.

- Aren't you hungry? - I ask, passing my arm over her shoulders.

She leans back on her seat and her head touches my neck.

- No. - She simply answers.

- Have you had lunch?

- Yes, I did.

- What did you eat? - I raise my left eyebrow and she sighs.

- A green salad. - She quickly pulls herself together on the chair and runs her fingers through her hair - Why do you even care?

- Because we've been here the whole afternoon and you didn't eat anything.

- I'll be fine - She side-eyes me.

- You need to eat, Victoria. Right now.

- You don't own me, Charles. I do what I want, do you understand that?

She gets up from her chair quickly and immediately stops. She looks a little winded.

She closes her eyes really hard and opens them again. She starts walking through the tables really fast and I go after her.

- Victoria Marino -

I feel a bit dizzy and I want to throw up what I don't even have on my stomach. But that doesn't matter, I just want to run away.

Even though I didn't want to talk about this situation, I am kind of hoping that Charles will follow me to where the hell I'm going now.

I kick the bathroom door and I lock myself inside of it. After a few seconds, I hear knocks on the door.

- Victoria, please, stop beeing childish. Open the door, please. - The french accent comes to my ears through the door.

I remain silent, maybe he thinks that I'm not here. Or dead.

- I know that you're in there and alive. Please, open the God damn door.

Does he know how to read minds?

- I don't want to.

- I do not care. You're not gonna solve things like this.

- Go away, Charles. - I say, sinking my face on my hands.

- I'm not leaving until you let me in. Stop being childish, for the love of God.

I sigh and slowly unlock the door, openning it.

- Finaly! - He says, getting in and locking the door behing his back.

He simply pulls me in for an hug and my face rests on his chest, his arms wrap around me and his chin lays on the top of my head.

I feel a pressure on my throat and tears threatening to come out. A single sob comes out of my lips and his arms get thighter around me.

- It's ok, let it out. - He says.

My arms go around him, making me feel more stable. I break down in tears and my mind gets filled up with bad thoughts about myself.

- I feel so bad - my muffled voice fills the nonexistent space in between us and he doesn't say nothing - I feel like a teenager again.

- Is that a good or a bad thing? - He says, sweetly and lighly swinging our bodies, kind of making me feel like a baby.

- A really bad thing.