Broken Speed | Verstappen & Leclerc

23 | together

-|- Monaco -|-

"Are you okay?" Charles asked me while he was driving us to the other end of Monaco.

We had just brought Luka and Lio to his mother, as she would watch them while we were at the meeting. It was already the summer break, so everything had settled down a bit. Inside me though was still an enormous chaos as I was quite lost regarding my future.

"Yeah, no, I don't know." I mumbled, playing with the hem of my shirt, "I mean why does he wanna speak to me? Do you think he has a problem that I'm at your garage with the kids? Do you think he maybe thinks that I spy on you?"

As I had heard that Fred wanted to talk to me a week ago, a million feelings and thoughts came up, not good ones tough. The last two race weekends before the break Luka, Lio and I had been at Ferrari as Christian kept his word and had fired me.

I still was a member of RedBull for the rest of the season, but he had made clear that I wasn't welcome anymore. The only connection I still had to the team was Daniel, with whom I chatted quite often.

Also about me and Charles as this was another topic I was quite lost about. I really liked him, loved even, and the way he was with Luka and Lio, the way also his mother had welcomed them, and me, into the family.

It was like coming home, finding loved ones again. I also saw the effect it had on the kids. The last weeks we had spend quite some time with Pascale, whether it was going for lunch, eating cake at her apartment or just walking around Monaco.

Also while Charles had been busy in Maranello and with training, she always asked to see us, welcomed us in her life like we had always been there. She also took care of the kids when I met Daniel or simply needed some time for myself.

She was great and Luka and Lio loved her like a real grandma. Also she was the only female contact they had on such a level, also giving them the opportunity to process what had happened even better.

Today she would be playing with them again while Charles and I would meet Fred at a hotel on the outside of Monaco.

"It surely isn't that bad, you were there the last two times and he didn't say anything." Charles smiled over at me, reaching for my hand before he intertwined our fingers, laying them down in my lap.

"But why else should he wanna talk to us?!" I asked, suddenly realizing something, "What if you're in trouble, because of me? What if he sees what's going on and now he's mad at you for liking me? What if he tells you to stop seeing me, what if he wants to fire you as well?!"

I panicked, wanting to pull my hand out of his, but Charles only squeezed it. He parked the car in front of the hotel, before he looked over at me.

"I'm not in trouble, and so are you, okay?" he said and I wondered how he could stay so calm.

I already wanted to return something as I stopped and my eyes widened.

"Do you know why we're here? Has he say something to you?" I asked, even though I had thought that Charles also had no clue.

"No really, but I might have an idea." was all he returned, smiling at me, before he jumped out and jogged around the car to open my door.

He was being so cute, a real gentleman, which I had also noticed over the last weeks. He slowly helped me back to live, to feel free again and to go my way. A way that was in front of me, a way I only wanted to go with him.