Eyes Don't Lie | Charles Leclerc

Part 26 | Tongue Tied

March 2nd, 2023

Sitting on the plane headed to Bahrain for the first race weekend of the 2023 season, I couldn't get my mind off that moment with Aria. The first kiss we shared was perfect, everything about it felt right, but now, I didn't know how to handle the aftermath. What were we now? Were we still just friends? Or was this something more? 

The questions had been swirling in my head for days, and I hadn't figured out what to say to her. We had texted since then, but neither of us had brought up the kiss. It was like we were both tiptoeing around the conversation. Carlos, sitting next to me, noticed the anxiety I was trying to hide. He smirked, giving me a knowing look. 

"Mate, you look like you're about to jump out of this plane, what's wrong?" 

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "It's about Aria. We...um...we kissed the other night, but I haven't figured out what to say to her about it. I don't even know what I want to say." 

Carlos leaned back in his seat, laughing softly. "Ah, the classic 'what are we' dilemma. Relax, Charles. If the kiss felt right, then it was. Just talk to her. You're both adults, right? Ask her how she feels." 

"I know, I know, but..." I trailed off, playing with the silver rings on my fingers. "What if she doesn't see it the same way? What if she only wants to stay friends and that kiss was just a...moment?" 

Carlos raised an eyebrow. "And what if she feels the same way you do? Look, you're overthinking it. Just send her a message, something light, see how she responds. Maybe she's waiting for you to make the first move." 

I stared at my phone, already drafting and deleting messages to Aria in my head. "But what do I even say?" 

Carlos grinned, rolling his eyes. "Start with 'I can't stop thinking about our kiss.' Or, better yet, just ask her how she's been and then steer the conversation in that direction." 

I sighed again, but this time with a small smile. Carlos had a point. "Alright, I'll send her something. But if this goes terribly wrong, I'm blaming you." 

Carlos laughed, nudging me with his elbow. "Trust me, it won't go wrong. If you both felt a connection, it's already halfway sorted. Plus you should invite her to a race." 

With that, I opened up our chat, fingers hovering over the keyboard. The words still felt heavy, but Carlos was right, I needed to say something. If I didn't, the tension would only build. I was hesitant to invite her to a race, to subject her to the craziness of the media, the press, some of my intense fans. 

Aria and I had left so much unspoken between us, and I wanted to clear the air. Whatever we were...whatever we were becoming, I didn't want to mess it up by staying silent and letting her think I didn't want this.

I leaned back in my seat, letting out a deep breath after sending the message to Aria. My thumb hovered over the screen for a moment, as if waiting for an immediate response, but I knew better. She wasn't the type to rush things. Neither of us were. 

Carlos nudged me from the seat next to me, giving me that knowing look. "Did you text her?" 

"Yeah," I whispered, running a hand through my hair. "I invited her to dinner when I'm back in Monaco." 

Carlos grinned, leaning back in his seat like he had won some sort of bet. "Good, mate. You've been stressing about it for days. You gotta keep the momentum going." 

Despite all the doubts I had about myself, despite not feeling ready or good enough to pursue her, I knew that I couldn't just leave things the way they were. I couldn't keep pretending that I was fine with just being friends when every part of me wanted more.