I hope it's you - Charles leclerc

Part 12

CHARLES' POV:

Before I left the hotel I left Alice a note, insuring she would make her way to me later in the day. Once I arrived, the paddock was filled with people holding cameras and microphones, ready to ask us the same questions that they usually do. 'How prepared are you for this race?' 'Do you think you can challenge the red bulls'. They really need to start coming up with original questions, it's getting boring now.

After answering a few of the interviewer's questions I made my way to the garage to greet the staff and to talk about the strategy for the weekend with Carlos and the rest of the team. We decided that a two stop strategy would be best and once we had finished I made my way out to the front of the garage to talk to some of the engineers. I saw a young looking girl around my age standing near the front of the garage, soaking in the sun and so I made my way over to start a conversation. It's not like Alice was here yet so there's no harm. Turns out she was one of the engineer's daughter, who was also an influencer named Emily. We talked for a while about racing and her TikTok account when I noticed more people started to arrive to the paddock, one of those people being Alice. She was wearing my T-shirt and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Emily ran her hand up my bicep while she spoke. I tried my best to pay attention but I just resulted in nodding along while trying to steal glances at Alice and I noticed she was looking at me too. Good time to make her jealous. I winked at Emily and as I expected that got a reaction out of Alice. She turned away and walked carelessly. No, not carelessly, she was walking towards someone. Lando. Why the hell was she with Lando? She thinks she can wear my shirt and walk around flirting with Lando like that. Why was she standing so close to him. Might as well of held his hand and gave him a kiss. I couldn't stop watching them, still trying to seem interested in what Emily was saying but my mind was far from talking about 'get ready with me' videos that she makes. Alice was doing this to irritate me and God was it working.

"Sorry, I have to go'' I told Emily and before she could answer I was already making my way towards my fake girlfriend and my close friend.

I slowed down to watch what they were doing. He was talking his hat off. Why was he taking his hat off? He's giving her his hat? Fuck this.
I picked up my pace and started to jog over. My anger bubbling over.

Once I reached them I wrapped my arm around Alice's waist.
"Hey baby, what's up'' I said while watching Lando for a reaction.

Alice placed her hand on my arm that was wrapped around her waist and squeezed it tightly before giving me an 'I hate you' look. Seems like I did interrupt something special.

"Oh I didn't know Alice was your-" I stopped Lando before he could finish. I was too infuriated to let him speak, let alone have a conversation with him. Seeing him smiling and looking at her like that made my blood boil in a way it never has before and I couldn't even explain why. I didn't even like Alice that way. We were friends. That's all it was. She was my friend and she was doing me a favour by helping me get attention from the press. That was all this was and I didn't want that to be ruined. That's all I cared about.

"Yeah she's mine, and if you don't mind I'd like to steal her from you'' I added, giving Lando a sinister smile before putting my hand on the small of Alice's back and leading her straight to my driver's room, storming past all the engineers. I could introduce them later. Right now I had to sort this out.

ALICE'S POV:

"What the fuck Charles?'' I quickly huffed at Charles before he got a chance to speak. He had locked the door to his drivers room. He had rudely interrupted my interaction with Lando. I was just trying to make a friend and of course Charles had to ruin that.

"Me? I could say the same thing to you.'' Charles said stepping closer to me so that our faces were less than ten inches apart. "We are trying to make everyone believe we are in a relationship and you're trying to mess that up by flirting with my friend?'' Charles stated sitting down on a chair in the corner of the room, not without knocking some pictures that were on the wall.

"Are you serious? I was the one who was flirting? You couldn't wait to get a taste of that girl at the front of the garage'' I barked back, pointing at the door to get my point across. I wasn't going to let him blame me for this.

I don't know why he's acting like this but I'm going to figure it out.

"I wasn't flirting with her, I was talking to her while I was waiting for you to get here because you were so late. What were you doing? Getting frisky with Lando in the portable toilets?'' Charles almost shouted. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I couldn't believe that this was the same Charles that offered to drive me from Nice to Monaco. The same Charles that gave me his coat when it was cold outside. He was accusing me of doing things with his friend that I had just met?

"Oh my, you're an asshole, has anyone ever told you that?'' I stated, scoffing and rolling my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest and looking him directly in the eye. I was not gonna let Charles accuse me of this. No way.
"You're the one who said we could date who we wanted on the down low.'' I stated, repeating what he had told me at my apartment that night in Monaco. The things I would do to go back to before we agreed on this pr relationship. Charles and I had really been getting along. Well I thought we were? Maybe he didn't.

"I didn't mean one of my friends'' he stated as he finally stood up making his way to where I was standing. I didn't answer. I didn't know what he wanted me to say. Did he want me to admit I thought Lando was attractive? I would be lying if I said I didn't.

He was towering over me and I could smell his cologne. As I studied his face I saw him glance at my lips and back to my eyes. Was he really going to kiss me after accusing me of flirting with his friend? I mentally scoffed at how much of a teenage boy he was.

"Take it off" he whispered in a husky voice, looking at Lando's hat.

"What?'' I asked, I knew what he meant but I wanted more context from him as I scrunched my eyebrows together.

"If I'm going to kiss you I don't want you to be wearing another man's hat'' Charles stated, confidence in his voice, continuing to glance between my eyes and lips. He looked like he was craving my kiss. Craving the taste of my lips. Craved the satisfaction.

But that satisfaction was not something I was going to give him. Not after he spoke to me like that. If he wanted me he was going to work for it.

I leaned closer to him, our nose touching. His mouth ready to take mine.

"Good thing you're not going to be kissing me then''
I stated, pushing past him, unlocking the door and slamming it before leaving the garage. Leaving him in that driver's room by himself. The image of his cheeks flushed red from embarrassment lit up my head giving me the satisfaction I deserved.

____________________________________

Alice, my queen.

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, more to come🤗🤗