[2] ONE || C. LECLERC

THIRTY EIGHT

»»——⍟——««

CAMILLE

"Go out there and drive your heart out," I pressed a kiss against Charles' helmet as he sat comfortably in the car on the grid. "This weekend is yours. Be safe, and I'll see you soon. I love you."

Charles lifted his hand above the halo and took mine between his, giving it a tight squeeze in return. I smiled at his gesture, watching as he nodded and just being able to make out his muffled 'I love you', before I headed towards the side of the grid. The Formation Lap was about to get underway, and I was nervous for today's race. Charles was starting from pole position and a win today, on such a special weekend, would be the best anniversary present for both of us.

I waved in Max's direction before slipping away to the side of the grid. It wasn't long before I was back in the Red Bull garage with Victoria and Dilara. Today, of course, was a special one for Max and he was desperate for a win. It was so difficult for me, because I felt obliged to support both my best friend and my boyfriend. I wanted Max to get P1 at his team's home race, but I wanted Charles to gain his first win so much more. I knew how much it meant to him, and we'd already shared an amazing weekend here in Austria; this win would mean the absolute world to him.

Victoria sat on my left, her hand wrapped tightly around my wrist as the race began and the boys started to battle for P1 as soon as the lights went out. I felt so tense, my heart hammering against my chest whilst I hoped that Charles was strong enough to hold his position. I knew he would be; he knew exactly what he was doing. He was doing this for me. I let out a massive sigh of relief when Charles managed to get away, and he was leading the pack with a few seconds advantage. Everybody in the garage seemed to glare at me when the relieved huff of air slipped from my mouth and all I could do was shrug at them. I just wanted Charles to pull this off and I knew he was definitely capable of doing it, but Max was determined to be on the top spot of the podium and he was ruthless when it came to racing. When he was in the car, it didn't matter to him that Charles was my boyfriend, the man who made me happy and who looked after me. To Max, Charles was his biggest rival, and he wanted to take him down race by race.

--

"What the fuck is he doing?" I growled, pointing at the small screen which showed us the exact moment Max made clear contact with Charles' Ferrari. I'd probably be removed from the garage for showing clear favouritism towards one of the rivals, but at this point I didn't care. I was so angry. "He just pushed him off of the track!"

"Camille, shut up," Victoria hissed, reaching for my fist and digging her nails into my skin unintentionally. "Seriously."

"No," I ran my fingers through my hair as I watched Charles slip back into P2. He had no choice but to give in to Max's constant battling. He was so close. He almost had his first win. I felt sick. "I'm so upset. All Charles wanted was his first win and then the cocky little shit that is Verstappen had to fuck it up."

"It's racing, Cami. It's always been like this." Victoria pulled on my wrist to ensure that I was sitting back in my seat. I grumbled, and refused to watch when Max turned the final corner and headed for the chequered flag. That should've been Charles' win. The FIA were apparently reviewing the incident, but it was a total waste of their time because I knew they would favour Max anyway. I wasn't prepared to do that right now; I could handle Max's shit better than anybody else, so a disagreement didn't sound too bad to me.

I headed straight for the Ferrari garage, a scowl plastered across my face as I stormed through towards Charles' side. I returned just as he did and I sighed when he walked straight into my arms. I could feel his heart beating almost out of his chest, his limbs trembling with anger as he embraced me.