AGAIN || MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE

Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

Charles

Now

'I honestly can't believe you're here!' The week we've spent together has been amazing. Céline and I got here on Monday, taking some days just for the two of us before the race weekend, and everything went amazingly. Now the trip is over and we're slowly getting ready to leave and go back to Monaco. It has been nearly a month from Bahrain, and so far I've won all the races. Red Bull isn't doing that well but Céline, for the first time, looks happy with Ferrari taking the lead of this year's championship.

For now at least.

As I'm laying on our bed, in the hotel room we've shared these days, I get lost looking at her. She's trying to fill her suitcase, but when she hears my words she stops, looking at me in disbelief.

'Please stop it. I regretted my choice the moment we set foot in here five days ago.' A laugh bursts out of my lips as my mind goes back to when we got here the first day. 'It was worth it though, wasn't it?' I say, trying to lighten the mood, watching as she folds a dress with a furrowed brow. But Céline glances over her shoulder at me. Her expression, a mix of exasperation and amusement, shows she doesn't agree with me.

'I nearly died! I'm never coming here again, next year I'll support you from home.' I chuckle, popping myself up to look at her properly.

She's serious, and I believe her. I don't think she will ever come back, and I get why she never wanted to tag along before. 'It wasn't that bad, you just overreacted.'

She turns fully to face me, hands on her hips, eyes wide in disbelief. The whole situation is so funny.

'You're joking right? That thing was as big as my hand!' She gestures, making me laugh even harder.

'It was just a spider jeez, relax you're okay.'

'Just a spider?' She scoffs, throwing a pair of shoes into the suitcase with more force than necessary. 'No because there was a fucking snake out of Ferrari hospitality Saturday! A huge fucking snake Charles!' Her retelling is quite dramatic, but I can understand her point, since I know how much she's always been scared of spiders and reptiles. 'You're so funny, but again you should chill. It's our last morning here, our plane leaves in a few hours.'

'Thank god.'

She mutters, zipping up the suitcase with a sharp tug. 'I'll chill when I won't see Australian soil from the airplane window anymore.' Knowing her phobia I really appreciate her coming to support me. To slowly start rebuilding our relationship. This week we've even decided not to hide more than necessary from fans. Ferrari's not really happy with this choice, but these were my conditions for a healthy workspace. We haven't put any label on whatever is going on between us, we need time. She needs time and I'm not going to rush things. We're going to keep everything private, but not secret. So, pictures were taken this week, articles written and I had a lot of questions during media day. We just ignored everything. And now all I want is to hold her close and savor these last moments here before being fed to the paps back at home.

'Great.' I say, patting the space beside me on the bed.

'In the meantime can you just come here? I want to hold you for a bit.' Céline rolls her eyes, but I can see the corners of her mouth twitching, fighting a smile.

'Just because you've won.' She says, pretending reluctance as she crosses the room. 'Yeah, yeah.' I murmur, reaching out for her as she climbs into bed next to me. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close, and she snuggle against me, her body fitting perfectly against mine. I kiss the top of her head, breathing in the familiar scent of hers. I feel a wave of contentment wash over me. It's moments like these that I realize how much she means to me.