Starting Again (A Charles Leclerc Fic)

024 : prema boys

When Katrina told Charles that she wanted to invite the other drivers for a small gathering, she hadn't expected it to come together so quickly. Charles had messaged the grid group chat, while he asked Arthur to invite some of his Prema buddies. Within moments, both groups had confirmed they'd be there.

"What can I say, love? You're really popular with the drivers," Charles teased when he saw Katrina's surprised expression on FaceTime.

After their fight—or whatever you could call it—had been resolved, Charles had gone back to Italy. On his way back to Monaco, the drivers had decided that it would be the perfect day for their "small gathering." By "drivers," she meant almost the entire grid and the reserve drivers, all of whom confirmed they were coming. The veterans like Fernando and others had politely declined, wanting to spend more time with their families before the new season began, which Katrina understood. While she had met most of them, either in person or through online interactions, there was one driver she was especially nervous to meet: Sir Lewis Hamilton. But it wasn't for the reasons Charles might have thought.

When Katrina had first met the guys, she wasn't entirely honest about her lack of knowledge about Formula 1. While she didn't claim to be completely oblivious to the sport, she wasn't a die-hard fan either. The one person she did know about was none other than Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion.

Her connection with Lewis went back several years, to when he was still dating Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls. Katrina was an up-and-coming composer at the time, and she had the opportunity to work with Nicole on one of her solo projects. The late nights spent brainstorming music were a refreshing change for Katrina, and she quickly developed a close bond with Nicole. By association, this also brought her closer to Lewis. She'd heard stories about him and his work, but she wasn't all that invested in racing. In fact, she'd only watched one race—back in 2013—the same day that Sebastian Vettel won his fourth championship with Red Bull. After that, she hadn't watched again, always teasing Lewis about it, which he found amusing. Over the years, their friendship had grown, especially when Lewis decided to pursue music. She was there when he worked on his verse for his collaboration with Christina Aguilera. It was funny how she had initially only hung out with him because of Nicole, but now, he was genuinely her friend.

When Nicole and Lewis broke up, Katrina managed to maintain her bond with both of them, but that was before she decided to retire from her music career as Luna. The decision to retire meant changing everything, including her contact number. She had never responded to any of Lewis's messages after that, which left her feeling uneasy now, knowing that she'd soon be seeing him again. She knew Lewis would recognize her, but what if he told Charles about their past? She didn't know how Charles would react if he found out she had been lying to him about who she was.

Katrina was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize Charles had been calling her name multiple times.

"Can you repeat what you just said?" she asked, adjusting the phone in her hand.

"I said we'll be home very soon. We're already at the airport, using Max and Lewis' private jet to get here faster. I'm sorry I can't help with the preparations, my love," Charles replied.

"It's okay, Bebe. Arthur brought Ollie, Kimi, and Dino over here to help me. Stay safe, okay? Let me know when you land."

"Okay, see you in a few hours, my love. Remember, I'm so in love with you, okay?" Charles said with a wink, his voice filled with affection. In the background, Katrina could hear teasing from the other drivers.

"Hi, guys," Katrina greeted, smiling as the camera turned to show the group.

"Hi, Trina! See you in a few hours!" Yuki said excitedly.

After saying her goodbyes, Katrina ended the FaceTime call with Charles and made her way to the garden, where she saw the boys setting up the table. Arthur was busy cleaning the kitchen.

"I'm really sorry you have to help me," Katrina said apologetically. "I invited you all as guests, and here you are, helping with the preparations. I'm such a bad host."

"Don't worry, Trina, it's okay," Arthur said with a reassuring smile. "If my brother, Max, and the others were here, they'd be helping you, but since they're not, we'll pitch in. The others don't mind, right guys?"

"It's okay, Trina," Ollie said with a grin. "Thanks for inviting us. We don't usually get invited to F1 parties, so it's a good experience for us, too."

"Don't worry," Katrina said with a smile. "I'll send extra meat your way later as a thank you for helping me."

"You don't have to," Kimi said with a grin.

"I insist. Also, my home is always open to any of you," she said warmly. "If you need help or any older sisterly advice, just come to me."

Katrina looked around her living area, feeling truly happy with how they had designed the space. Having the guys around made the process a lot easier. All that was left to do now was wait for the others to arrive in Monaco.