On and Off the Track

E I G H T Y S E V E N.

We spent the next few days in the outskirts of Mexico city, with the sun shining brightly over our villa. One particularly sunny afternoon, while lounging by the pool, I checked my phone and saw a flood of notifications. Among them, a message from Mila caught my eye, her clothing line had officially dropped! A rush of excitement coursed through me as I remembered the countless late nights and hard work she'd put into this moment.
"Charles!" I called out, my voice filled with enthusiasm. "Mila's line just launched!" He looked up from his sunbathing, a curious smile spreading across his face.
"That's amazing! Are you going to call her?"
"Yes, I have to!" I replied, quickly dialling Mila's number. It rang only once before she answered, breathless with excitement.
"Bronte! Did you see? We sold out in minutes!" Mila exclaimed, her voice brimming with joy.
"No way! That's incredible! I knew it would go well! You deserve this so much!" I replied, my heart swelling with pride for her.
"Thank you! And guess what? I saw those photos of you wearing my pieces. You look stunning, honestly. I can't believe how well everything is doing!" Mila said, her excitement contagious.
"I was just wearing them because I love your designs! I didn't expect them to blow up like this. It's all thanks to you and your vision," I said, my voice filled with admiration.
"Let's celebrate when I get back! I wish I could be there with you guys right now. How's Mexico?" she asked playfully.
"It's amazing! Charles and I are having a great time. You would love it here!" I replied, glancing over at Charles, who was now resting with his eyes closed, a content smile on his face.
"Don't let him distract you too much! You've got your own success to celebrate, too!" Mila teased, and we both laughed. After we hung up, I felt a rush of pride and happiness for Mila. She had worked so hard to achieve this dream, and it was thrilling to see it all come to fruition. Later that evening, as we got ready for dinner, we chatted about her success, who was equally thrilled.
"It's fantastic! I saw the photos, too. You looked amazing in her designs," he said, pulling me into a gentle embrace.
"Thanks! It means so much to me that Mila's hard work is finally paying off. She's been so passionate about this," I replied, my smile wide. As we enjoyed dinner at a local restaurant, a sense of warmth washed over me. The combination of celebrating Mila's success and sharing these beautiful moments with Charles made everything feel perfect. We toasted to Mila's achievement, promising to have a big celebration for her when we returned.

2nd

I knew Charles was planning to drop a summer vlog, filming little snippets of the summer break to create a video for his fans. When it finally went live, I was both excited and a little nervous. The vlog wasn't entirely focused on us—Charles had kept it mostly about his summer training routine and the off-season work he'd been putting in. It showed his early morning runs along the coast, hours spent on the karting track, and gym sessions with his trainers. But in between the training and the workouts, I'd occasionally pop up in little snippets. I was expecting this but I wasn't expecting how much of us would be in it.

The first clip with me was just a passing shot: Charles had the camera in selfie mode, talking about how he felt after training. In the background, I'm there laughing at something, and then I nudge him playfully as I pass by. The way he looked over at me, just smiling in this warm, unguarded way, felt like a little secret suddenly shared with the world.

Another clip shows our day on a boat, with Mila and Pierre. Charles is laughing with them, and the camera briefly catches me lounging with a wide sunhat, laughing at something he says. It's just a small moment, but fans noticed how he kept the camera lingering a few seconds longer than necessary, capturing my smile against the sunlight glinting off the sea.

Later, there's a glimpse of us at an event. Charles is filming his night, capturing the laughter and energy of the crowd, and the camera cuts to me mid-laugh as I turn to meet his gaze. It's so subtle that you'd miss it if you blinked, but fans picked up on the warmth in his eyes, how he kept coming back to these quiet, candid shots. The comments were flooded with timestamps and heart emojis.
"Every look between them is everything. They're perfect."
"The way he sees her, omg he's smitten."