Race & Rally // Charles Leclerc

23.00

The day has finally come. The June Italian sun is seeping through the bedroom windows as I help Charles with his tie.

It's Thomas and David's wedding day and Charles and I are looking forward to our week off. Our sporting seasons are going incredibly well, both of us attending each other's events when it's possible.

This will be the last bit of quality time we have with each other before I go into an intense training block for Wimbledon, and Charles leaves for three race weekends in a row.

"I'm so nervous, and I'm not even the one getting married," I laugh, pulling his tie tighter and adjusting its placement. Charles lets out a soft chuckle.

"Are you nervous for David? Or are you just nervous for your big speech later?" he asks, earning a cold glare from me in return.

"I'm joking, I'm joking! You have every right to be nervous amour. David is your best friend after all," he says softly, tucking a wild strand of hair behind my ear. "In case I didn't mention it ten times already, you look so beautiful."

I can see his eyes admiring my blue flowered dress. A light blush creeps onto my face, making me glad I have makeup on so that it goes unnoticed. "You don't look so bad yourself Leclerc," I smirk, running my eyes over his navy suit.

"Now, I'm going to find Arthur, Lily and Alex. You go find Lewis, George, Lando and Max. And then I'll see you at the chapel ok?" I say and he nods in agreement. I grab my keys from the counter and give him a hurried kiss.

-

"I'm not even excited anymore, I'm just straight up nervous," I whisper, making quick eye contact with Thomas, who's standing anxiously at the alter.

"Everything is going to go smoothly don't worry," Charles notes, placing his hand on my bouncing knee to try and calm me.

I turn my head to meet him smiling softly at me, his eyes full of reassurance. "Ok," I say in agreement, moving myself closer to him and leaning my head against his shoulder.

Around ten minutes has passed and there's still no sign of David. I can hear murmured whispers come from the people behind us, as I watch Thomas' best man try to calm him down. I bite my lip nervously, glancing around the room.

"I'm going to see if I can find him," I whisper to Charles as he frowns at me. "I need to make sure he's ok," I explain, slipping out of my seat and rushing to the exit of the chapel.

The breeze hits my skin, as I begin my attempt to search for David. It doesn't take too long as I spot him sitting outside the main entrance, his head in his hands. His sister Arabella is standing next to him, looking as anxious as everyone inside.

"What's wrong?" I mouth to her and she just shrugs her shoulders in response. "Give me a minute with him?" I mouth again. Arabella nods before walking further away to give us a moment.

"David?" I say, kneeling down to him so I can get to his eye level. "Are you ok?"

I move his hands away from his face, his eyes were filled with panic. "Aria, what if I'm making a mistake?" he questions, looking at me as if he was pleading for help.

My frown softens, as I reach my hand out to his cheek. "David, it's completely normal to feel this way on your wedding day. But one thing I do know is, you're a person who never makes mistakes," I claim.

"How would you know that?" he huffs, and I let out a small chuckle.

"I know that because, you could've easily made a mistake when you took me up for coaching. But you stuck with me. Why? Because you were right about me. And even after every single fail, every time I lost a tournament, you stayed. You could've left at any point when I was trying to find my feet in the sport, but you didn't. You seen the potential in me. That was definitely not a mistake," I state earnestly.