VIPER || Oscar Piastri

Chapter 28

[POV: Andreanna Saunterre]

It was easy to tell that Charles knew I was on my way over; he purposefully looked away just as I started coming closer. He hadn't spotted Oscar yet.

As I pulled Oscar through the crowd, my eyes not leaving who was straight in front of me, his girlfriend spotted us. She nudged Charles' arm and pointed at us, smiling, as she usually did, and was clearly excited to see us.

Charles had to act like he hadn't seen us coming, so he widened his eyes and put on a smile.

Why the act?

"Oh my goodness!" His girlfriend exclaimed, putting a hand over her mouth in surprise. "Does this mean that you guys are—" Before she finished the sentence, I brought Oscar around to my side and nodded; I smiled in a way that made me look reluctant and shy, as if I was too happy and overcome with emotion to say anything out loud.

I can put on an act, too.

Charles' girlfriend started squealing in excitement, clapping her hands and looking towards Charles for his reaction. It was then that he spotted that mine and Oscar's hands were intertwined.

"Oh, wow!" He said, blinking far too many times. He wrapped an arm around his girlfriend. "So, you two finally decided to speak up, huh? Good for you."

"Yep!" I said instantly, "It's been a long time coming, I think." I leant in closer to Oscar, nudging him as if to prompt him to say something too. I looked up at him, smiling in a way that made me look proud, but he was already looking back at me. He got the message.

"That's right," he said. "We just thought— hey, what's the point in keeping it a secret?"

Charles didn't face him when he spoke; he faced me instead, as if he was trying to figure me out, to catch me.

Well, I won't let that happen.

His girlfriend chimed in happily, "Ahh, I'm so happy for you both! You guys look great together." She looked at me when she said it, as if to reassure me or to make an effort to connect with me. I have to admit, I was reassured. What she said meant that we looked believable; believable enough to fool everyone. Believable enough to fool him, too?

She then nudged Charles again."Yeah, yeah, I agree. It was about time." He said it icily, and he knew I caught his tone. I tried to refrain from reacting, but my face must've dropped for a second too long since, when I resumed back to my happy face, he tilted his head, smiled, took his girlfriends hand in his and left.

My heart was racing. He saw it, I thought. I stood where I was for a while, processing his response and his words.

It was about time?
You didn't mean that, I know it.

Are you making fun of me? Is that what this is?

Can you see through this?

Already?

...You know me too well not to.

[POV: Oscar Piastri]

Once Charles and his girlfriend left, Andi started rushing out of the crowd, pulling me along with her. I wasn't sure if she knew just how strong her grip was on me, since after a while it started to genuinely hurt, all the while she showed no signs of relenting.

"Andi?" I said, trying to, first of all, see if she was aware I was here at all. Sure, she'd been holding my hand this entire time, but something about the way she was acting told me she wasn't properly concentrating on anything but... well, him.