heatwave | Charles Leclerc | re-writing

Chapter 38

Monaco, February 2023 - Victoria Marino

- Babe, can you please help me with my bags? - I beg, almost feeling like I am giving birth to my non-existent baby.

- Oh, of course mon amour, let me just open the door, you know? - He smirks lightly

I giggle and nod my head, letting my grocery store bags fall on the floor.

After he opens it, he comes closer and picks up almost every single one of my many bags, leaving me just with the job to pick up the lightest and smallest one.

- All because of a dinner - I say, faking a sad face and making him laugh.

- It is what it is. - He drops his bags at the kitchen counter - At one moment, you just want to impress your friends with a good dinner and have an amazing time. You blink and you're suddently lifting more weight than you ever did on the gym.

- That's so true. Anyway, let's get to work. The food doesn't get ready alone, neither do us.

[...]

After taking a good shower, finishing off my make-up and putting on an outfit that's both comfortable and pretty, I head to the entrance hall to open the door for our friends.

A long three minutes of elevator trips after, they are finally all here. I greet Heidi, Daniel, Lando, Kika, Pierre and Carlos as they enter Charles's apartment.

Meanwhile, Charles finished the food and setted the table, so everything could be ready for their arrival. Well, Charles Leclerc and cooking in the same sentence is something that scares me, but I did pray to the heavens above to forbid him to make the food taste like shit.

I hope that worked.

We all sit our asses around the table and my beautiful boyfriend brings the food. Pasta. He made pasta. The last time he attempted to cook pasta, it was raw. I hope he did good this time.

I sit between Charles and Kika. Pierre sits at one of the table tops, right next to Kika. At the opposite side from ours, Daniel, Heidi and Lando are sitted. At the other table top is Carlos.

- What have you been up to, Tori? - Heidi asks, sweetly smiling at me. She's the best.

- Not much. You know, social media, of course.

- Haven't you do any campaign for brands? - Lando queries.

- Oh, yes. Recently I worked for Valentino. - I remember.

I use my fork, sticking it into some pasta, bringing it to my mouth. It's bland.

- Charles, my love, you really did your best, I know it - I turn to him, caressing his cheek - but this needs more salt.

Carlos starts chuckling.

- If you had let me cook, this wouldn't be happening - He says, sipping from his glass of wine.

Charles makes a little pout with his lips, making everyone laugh.

- My poor little thing - I kiss his cheek and he smiles - I'm gonna get some salt, for everyone's sake.

I go to the kitchen, I get some salt and, under a few seconds, I'm back at the table.

Charles, Carlos and Daniel were having a side conversation and the rest were silent.

- Back to our Valentino conversation - Heidi gets my attention - Which product were you modeling for them?

- Their perfumes. - I sip from my glass - They smell amazing. But they wouldn't let me bring one home for me, so that was shitty.