Palmer went to France to escape and restart. What she last expected was Charles Leclerc to enter and disrupt her new beginnings.
Balancing an old and new epic love, Palmer has to make a choice. To sacrifice what's in front of her or face what she l...
I laid sprawled out in bed staring at my phone. It was early for vacation time, but the relaxation was keeping me on my usual schedule which I didn't oppose. If it was 7 here, it would be 10 back in Seattle.
The text glowing in front of my face. The group photo making me smile simply looking at it. The night had been incredibly fun.
It started with Charles guiding us down the mountain slope fearlessly. I couldn't remember a time there was so much adrenaline pumping through my veins. The ride he led making me confident enough to take Alice down the mountain on the sled as Matteo and Danielle rode beside us.
In terms of the sledding tournament that the guys put on, Charles took his first second place since the event started 4 years ago. He took the defeat graciously as his friend Antonio went down the mountain fastest.
Charles and I's chat from the ski lift continued after the festivities concluded. We stayed up until midnight talking, just the two of us, by the fire pit. Conversation surrounded interests like his boating, places to see in Nice, and our shared passion for surfing poorly. Every chat building to be so comfortable and filled of energy I could not deny. The conversations brought out sides to me that I thought were buried as I flirted right back with him.
I looked at picture and message again.
Avery: Wish you were here. Last night's sledding competition was so fun!
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The smile from my face slowly faded though as I realized the shift in emotions. The feeling of having so much fun last night subsided the growing guilt in the pit of my stomach. Avery missing out, I didn't want that.
I deleted the crafted message. The picture going first followed by each word. The cursor blinking and mocking me until I eventually gave in and locked my phone throwing it out the bed.
The covers looked appealing as I grabbed them and pulled the material completely over. I grabbed the pillow under my head and put it over my face focusing on my breathing until the pit in my stomach eventually subsided and I threw everything off.
Energy that felt so good moments ago was zapped, and I got out of bed needing a coffee. The living room was dark when I walked in not bothering with the lights. The dim lighting was soothing.
I tried taking away the emotions as the coffee brewed by shaking out my arms. Adding in a spin, I was surprised to see Matteo walking out of Danielle's door.
"Oh," I gasped while my hands immediately went to push down the silk of my pajama dress creasing it downwards. "Good morning," I said shocked.
"Sorry," Matteo said stopping by the couch clearly surprised too. "I didn't realize anyone would be up."
