Starting Again (A Charles Leclerc Fic)

010 : the only person in the room

Author's Note : 

I edited some of the previous chapters so you might notice minor differences. Also, all photos are from pinterest and from google, please don't mind the inconsistencies. 

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Charles asking to meet up had become a regular thing for Katrina by now, so she should've been used to it. But every time, her heart still skipped a beat as she stared at the message on her phone.

One part of her was excited about the idea of seeing him after his brief trip to Italy, while another part was nervous. She couldn't quite wrap her head around why Charles Leclerc—the Charles Leclerc of Monaco—would want to spend his free day with his neighbor instead of some supermodel.

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Hi Charles, I don't have anything to do later.
Why?

Do you by chance like ice cream?

I do, why? 

Perfect. do you want to eat ice creams with me?

Yeah Sure, what time?

I'll pick you up in 30 mins?

 Alright. See you

See you K

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Katrina dropped the book she'd been reading and quickly changed out of her pajamas into something more appropriate. It had been a few months since she moved to Monaco, and in that time, Charles had made it a habit to stop by after his morning run whenever he was in town. One of the perks of living just a few blocks away from the Leclercs and the other F1 drivers, she thought.

It had also been a while since the other drivers had been around. Their schedules were all over the place, depending on where their teams were based, especially for those whose main hubs weren't in Monaco. Sofia had mentioned this when they first met, but they always made sure to drop by whenever they could, even if it was just to say hi.

The doorbell rang, snapping her out of her thoughts. She peeked through the peephole and saw Charles standing at her door. She quickly gave her apartment one last glance before rushing to open it.

"Monsieur Leclerc, you're early today," she teased him.

"I have no one to talk to at home, so I figured I'd just wait for you here. Flowers for you."

"Thank you, Monsieur. You're in luck, I'm actually ready. I usually take longer than this. So, where are we going today?" she asked with a playful smile.

"We're going to my friend's restaurant. She's been asking me to visit for a while, but I haven't had the chance since I've been in Maranello for so long."

"Which friend?" she asked, curious.

"I haven't introduced you to her yet, but I will. They're adding desserts to their menu, so we've been invited to taste-test the ice creams. They want my feedback, so I thought I'd invite you along."

"Here I thought you just wanted to treat me to ice cream," she said, pretending to be hurt.

He laughed and tugged playfully at the strings of the hoodie she was wearing.

Katrina couldn't help but smile at how Charles, a huge figure in both Monaco and his industry, always managed to make her feel so comfortable. There was never any pressure to dress up or keep up appearances when they hung out—he was perfectly content in his shorts, hoodie, and cap. He was just a regular guy who happened to drive a flashy, customized Ferrari.

I went to Lumiere earlier today and saw Charles with a girl. They looked so cute together. Charles was staring at her like she was the only person in the room. I was able to take a picture with Charles and this was his reaction when I asked if the girl with him was his girlfriend. He's down bad

charleslecfan : what did he say? are they dating? 

 ↪ ilpredestinato16 : he said no but he said she was special to him

 ↪ leclerfan : do you have a picture of the girl he was with? 

 ↪ ilpredestinato16 : I do but I won't post it, Charles asked me not to. All I can say was that she was nice unlike the previous one and she even took my picture with Charles. 

 ↪ charleslecfan: whoever she is in his life, I hope she makes him happy. Charles deserved happiness above everything else.