Her || Charles Leclerc

32. Work, Noodles, Sleep, Repeat

Galileo and Matilde entered the hotel after a busy first two days during the Singapore Grand Prix. The night was warm and humid, a stark contrast to the air-conditioned coolness of the hotel lobby. It was late. They were living in the Singaporean time zone, but they were operating in the European time zone. Confusing, but also nice because there was no jet lag to deal with.

"I'm gonna go for a cigarette," Galileo announced as they walked across the polished marble floor. Before Matilde could comment, he added, "I'm trying to quit. But I'm longing for it so badly."

Matilde threw her hand up in the air. "I'm not judging you." For a moment, she was deciding if she should join him or not. "I'm actually gonna join you." She pressed the button for the lift. "If you don't mind."

"Sure, you do you," Galileo replied with a shrug.

They made their way to the top floor, where there was a rooftop bar and also a smokers area. They stepped outside into the warm night air. The city was still alive, lights reflecting off the skyscrapers, the faint hum of traffic in the background. Galileo put his bag on the floor and grabbed his cigarettes. Matilde was leaning against the railing, taking in the city. It was a habit from Galileo to offer a cigarette to the person who was with him. As he stuck the package to Matilde, he knew he could expect a no.

But to his surprise, Matilde accepted his offer and took one of the cigarettes. He didn't say anything about the sudden situation. They both lightened the cigarette and both took a drag.

"I did not know you smoked, Matilde," Galileo broke the silence.

"Hmm," she hummed and blew the smoke out. "I don't."

He looked at her and raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, right."

"Sometimes... Whenever I feel like it," she answered his question. More like stress. "It's bad, I know."

"Hey, who am I to judge? This isn't my first one."

She smirked. "How's Gino?" Their eyes met, and she spotted a small spark of panic, but also a bit of shyness. "You can bring him more often, if you want to. Just let me know and I will fix it for you."

"How... How do you know about me and Gino?"

"I see you every day, I can see it in your eyes. When Gino walked over to you, the look in your eyes changed." A smile grew on her face. "He is a beautiful man. He looks like he came straight from a runway show."

A soft laugh rolled over Galileo's lips and he looked down. "And your man?"

The topic switch. Matilde noticed he didn't want to share about Gino yet, and it was fine. Who was she to push him to talk about it? He confirmed his relationship. Period. Matilde took another drag from the cigarette, in sync with Galileo, but she let the smoke linger for a moment before exhaling slowly.

"My man?" she chuckled. "I don't have time for a man." Her eyes drifted from Galileo back to the cityscape.

Galileo observed her quietly, sensing the weight behind her words. "No time, or just not the right one?" He was trying to fish for confirmation.

"Both," she blurted. "How do I have time for people when I have to restrain a bunch of men and women?" She looked at him. "This job... it consumes everything. Time, energy, even emotions. There's barely anything left at the end of the day."

"And yet," Galileo mused, "you're here, smoking a stress cigarette with your assistant on a rooftop in Singapore."

She let out a laugh, shaking her head. "Touché. But even then, it's hard to let someone in when you're always running at full speed."