So, this is going to be very long...
Céline's starting to open up with Charles
and the first truths begin to surface
Enjoy & leave a comment!
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CHAPTER 30
Charles
Now
'Charles, I... I got it. The internship at the New York photography company.' Céline's voice trembles with excitement and fear, her hands fidgeting nervously. My chest tightens, but I force a smile.
'That's incredible, Lin. Really. You've worked so hard for this.' And I mean it. I've seen her pour her soul into this application. She's earned this, and I'm genuinely proud of her. But beneath the pride, a sense of sadness and anxiety makes its way in me. Her eyes glisten as she looks at me, hesitation flickering across her face.
'I leave in two weeks.'
The words hit me like a blow. Two weeks. It's too soon. In a week I'm going to be gone for the next grand prix and I'm not going to be home in time to say goodbye.
I try to focus on her achievement, on how much this means to her, but it's impossible to ignore the implications.
'That's amazing.' I say again, but my voice wavers.
'I'm so proud of you! Of course I'll miss having you here every time I get home but we'll figure it out... We'll make it work.' But Céline shakes her head, her hands clasped tightly together. 'Charles, listen to me. I've been thinking about this a lot...' I look at her confused.
'What do you mean 'a lot'? How long have you known?'
'A while.' She admits.
'I've been trying to find the right moment to tell you, but every time I was about to do it... something stopped me.' Her eyes try to escape mine, looking everywhere but at me.
'What? What on earth stopped you, Céline?' I'm trying to stay as calm as I can, but right now it seems a little bit difficult. 'The consequences! The consequences for us!' Her voice lowers to a whisper and the floor seems to drop away beneath me.
'No... no, I told you, it's going to be alright Lin!'
She takes a shaky breath, her voice soft but resolute. 'I don't know Charles. Long-distance is never going to work for us. We couldn't manage a month away from each other last year... how are we going to do this?'
The realization of her words starts to settle in me, but I don't have the time to process her first sentence, that another one follows right away. 'This is only going to hurt us both, Charles. We'll end up breaking up over FaceTime in a month, and I can't... I can't do that to us.'
'Lin...' I start, stepping toward her, desperation now rising in my chest. 'Are you saying it's better to end things? Because if you are, you're wrong, we don't! We can make it work. I'll come to New York whenever I can, and you can visit Monaco during breaks. Please, don't do this.'
She looks down, her fingers twisting together.
'I've thought about that. I have. But it's not just the distance, Charles. We both have our careers to focus on, and this thing between us can't work if I'm on the other side of the globe. You're a Formula 1 driver, and this internship is everything to me. If we try to hold on to this, it'll only be a distraction. Put more stress on us.'
Her words come like a wave, each one pulling me under. I've always admired how logical she is, but right now it feels like she's using that same logic to dismantle everything we've built together.
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AGAIN || MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE
Fanfiction'I don't want to see him, I can't. I could never look him in the eyes again, because all I'd think about is how it was all my fault.' Two years. That's the time Céline has spent away from home. A few hours. A few hours in the big metropolis to chang...
