Right where you left me - Charles Leclerc

Chapter 5

Madeleine

A loud knocking on my hotel door wakes me up from my deep sleep. Last night ended after midnight after we spent the evening talking about how Charles felt and how his life changed in the past few years. But we also talked about completely random stuff. After that he dropped me off at my hotel room and kissed my cheek before muttering a goodnight. Due to this I couldn't fall asleep for a good half hour because my stomach kept doing somersaults.

"WHAT" I yell towards the door before throwing on an oversized shirt shirt and swinging the door open.

"You ditch me for a DATE with Charles and didn't tell me?!" Pierre parades into the room like it's his. I'm too stunned to react because of the sleep still leaving my body and mind.

"What the fuck are you on about?"

"We've all seen the instagram posts, put two and two together, it's not hard" Pierre rolls his eyes as he shows a tweet with my instagram post next to Charles' instagram story. However I did not realize he also posted the view of last night and even if he did, I wouldn't have assumed that people were going to think we're out together. That is until I read his comment on my picture.

"Bahrein is small, who says we were together" I look at him in disbelief, trying to deflect from the actual facts.

"This does" And I'm defeated as he shows a picture on his phone of us sitting together on the ledge, his head on my shoulder and it looks more intimate than it should, maybe it was more intimate than we both thought. "Come on, enlighten me as you pack because we're leaving soon!" He pushes but it feels too confidential to share with him even though he's my best friend but he's also Charles' best friend. His struggles are not mine to share.

"He just wanted to hang out and catch up, that's all" I say. Taking out my suitcase and throw in most of the clothing lying around.

"It doesn't look like that's all" Pierre raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms.

"But that's what it was. We talked and want to be friends" I'm not really lying because that's not all I want and that's not all that happened but it's none of his business.

"Just.. be careful, Maddie. I don't want you to end up hurt." He frowns, examining my facial expressions.

"I'm not going to end up hurt and if I do then it'll get me good new songs?" My voice goes up at the end of my sentence like I'm even questioning herself.

"Maddie" He warns.

"I know, I know. Now get out with your lecture because I need to finish packing. There's nothing to see here." I say, pushing on Pierre's back and out of the hotel door. The instant he leaves I go on social media to check the posts they've made about us.

Every post is our instagram posts next to each other and a little further down there's a photo from a fan who saw Charles and took pictures of us behind our back. Not once did it come to mind that we should be careful about our surroundings. Not like we did anything wrong but the internet is making it into a whole lot more than it was.

1 new text message

Unknown number:

Are you alright? The media is making up a lot of things

Mads:

I'm assuming this is Charles? Everything is fine, we didn't do anything wrong.

Charles

To me this felt different. It was intimate and I shouldn't be getting so close with my best mate's girlfriend. I'm just waiting for Pierre to turn up on my doorstep at this point, and punch me in the face for trying to interfere with his relationship. Her not having my contact saved however also being a punch to the heart.

But all I can think about is Madeleine and how I wish I could've kissed her last night. How I should've kissed her. How good she looked in the setting sun and how familiar and exciting it all feels. To be next to her again and be able to touch her and talk to her again after dreaming about it for all these years.

I walk down the hotel hallwat heading down when I see a door further down open up and Pierre is being shoved out of the room. If I didn't know the room number so well, then I wouldn't have thought anything of it but I know that it's Madeleine showing him out of her room and my heart sinks and my knees give in a little. Suddenly feeling a little unstable on my feet as I see my best friend coming out of my ex-girlfriend's room after they surely spent the night together. I make a sharp left and head to the other elevator so I don't need to take the awkward ride down with my best friend.

"Yo Leclerc, wait up!"

Well, so much for that. I turn around and watch Pierre catch up to me, patting me on the shoulder.

"Saw that you had quite the romantic evening last night" Pierre starts and squeezes the back of my neck tauntingly.

"Hardly" I deny, however to me it was one of the most memorable nights of the past year. But Pierre can't know that. He can't know that every time Madeleine looks at me, all I want to do is kiss her and make her mine again. Like a fucking schoolboy with his first crush.

"I know you and Maddie have a special connection, no need to deny that" Pierre continues. He wants to lure me out of my cage but it only makes me more nervous and jittery.

"We talked about how it all went down and decided to be friends again. That way we don't have to have those awkward situations again. C'est tout." I didn't mean to come off so blunt but I want this conversation to end as soon as possible. We reach the elevator and as soon as the doors open and get in, we see a small figure in the distance, running with her suitcase.

"Wait for meeee" She squeals as she runs towards them, almost tripping over her own flip flops. Pierre presses the hold button multiple times, whilst I hope the elevator doors fail and close in on us, no matter how cute she looks right now. Hell, I'd rather have the elevator crash down than be in an elevator with both Madeleine and Pierre. She catches up and her fruity perfume hits my nostrils when she enters the elevator.

"Meeerci" She smiles widely at Pierre and continues to smile at me.

"Good morning, Charles." She grins, sounding like she's got an extra pep in her step and nothing like the beginning of the season.

"Morning." I answer shortly and slightly more blunt than I should. I can see the way she does a double take and how her eyes lose a little bit of the pep she first had. But I try my best to avoid eye contact. I don't want to talk about last night or let anything slip out. I can't let Pierre notice the way she makes me feel. I can't look at her or I'll make it too obvious that I long for her.

"Are you alright?" She questions. The contrast between last night and now couldn't be bigger and I know she must be confused as she shares a look with Pierre who also eyes me even more suspisciously right now.

"Yes, fine" I reply without raising my head. Pierre and Madeleine share another look before both shrugging and leaving me be. An unsettling feeling sets in my stomach as I watch Madeleine's body language and notice the slight slump in her shoulders and the way she's biting the inside of her lip. I hate how every time we hang out alone, everything is how it used to be but it all has to change once we're in public. And she might be comfortable with being open towards and see me just as a friend but I can't hide how I feel about her.

The car ride towards the airport is almost as awkward as the car ride back from the circuit. No one speaks a word except when Pierre directs a question towards us but other than that, Pierre keeps talking to Max who's sitting in the front seat of the taxi. It's only an hour drive but Madeleine fell asleep on Pierre's shoulder. The sight alone makes me want to pull my eyes out or less drastically, glue them shut. I long for her touch and the fact that she's sitting in between the two of us isn't helping as our legs keep touching and ignites sparks throughout my entire body.

"Hey love birds, we're here. Wake up" Max throws his empty water bottle at the two of them whilst I'm already hurrying out of the taxi. Knowing full well that I can't escape them since we're all taking the same private flight for the next two to three hours. I don't look back as I keep walking towards the plane. Already getting in and ignoring Max's calls behind me.

Just looking at Madeleine pulls at my heartstrings. The way she looks so sleepy walking up to the plane as I sit at the window, taking her in without her knowing. If it was up to me, I wouldn't have woken her up and just carried her onto the plane. But that's not mine to decide anymore.