Eyes Don't Lie | Charles Leclerc

Part 2 | Remember Me

January 1, 2023

"Good morning Charles."

I blinked rapidly, my mind trying to catch up to my memories of last night, but everything was still blurry. The way this woman was looking at me made me nervous, almost like she could really see me. "Good morning...uh?"

"Aria, Aria St. Dua." 

Thats where I recognized her from. She was a brand ambassador from APM Monaco. Brief memories flickered through my head from an event we had together last season. Back before my entire life spiraled. But the real question was, what the hell was I doing in her apartment with hardly any memory of last night.

"You're probably wondering what you're doing here" she laughed.

"That obvious?" I couldn't help but smile in return, while scratching the back of my head. 

"I found you last night. You were drunk and passed out in a bush near Jimmy Z's when I asked you if you were okay. I was heading home from a brand dinner when I saw you. I didn't know it was you at first, but I figured it wasn't smart to leave THE Charles Leclerc passed out in public on New Years Eve."

"Hello... Are you okay?" I remembered hearing from last night.

"Did...did we?" I struggled to ask, referring to the fact I woke up in just my boxers. I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. 

"No, of course not. I tried to get you to tell me where you lived, or find one of your friends but to no avail. So I brought you to my apartment where I took you out of your dirty clothes and let you sleep in my guest room. Let me tell you, Formula 1 drivers are much heavier than they look."

"I... Thank you so much. You don't know how grateful I am to you for taking caring of me. You could have left me, but you didn't. I'm basically a stranger and let you me in your home, so thank you."

"No need to thank me. I did what any good person would do. But, do you want to talk about it? I made some breakfast for us."

"Talk about what?"

She motioned for me to sit at the counter, placing a plate of fresh fruit next to an omelet for me. Next to the plate was a glass of juice, specifically grapefruit, which was my favorite. She also handed me a cup of coffee, which I graciously took. I couldn't believe a 'stranger' was being so nice to me. 

"Why you were crying in your sleep and calling out for someone named Emma? I tried to soothe you and watched over you until you went back to sleep."

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stick up, dread washing over my entire body. Why would I say Emma's name in my sleep, it's been months? I suddenly felt light headed and all my anxieties came crashing down at once. I felt my throat close up, it was getting harder to breathe. No Charles, c'mon not now. You can't have a panic attack in front of this girl.

I heard my heart thumping in my ears, the sound of Aria's voice slipping further under the darkness that was consuming me. All my worst thoughts about myself came bubbling to the surface. It tried to count my breaths. 1, 2, 3, 4. Inhale then exhale. I briefly saw Aria growing concerned and trying to get my attention, but I couldn't see properly. Everything was blurry, but I felt a warm hand on my cheek, another on my chest.

Not good enough.

Ruining Ferrari.

Playboy.

Nepo baby.

Overrated.

Just a pretty face.

Will never be a champion.

"Charles? Can you hear me?" I closed my eyes and let the darkness consume me. It was easier to give into it, rather than feeling helpless and defenseless against myself. I had become my own worst enemy. 

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

Author's Note: Appreciate you all. The story will start off slow as I try to give some context into characters and the future/past etc. ❤️