Lights Out • 1 • Formula One ✔️

Wedding (BONUS)

The ceremony was due to start at half past one in the afternoon. Luckily for us all, the weather appeared to have held up despite fears of showers earlier on in the week. The venue was stunning, having gone there with Cate and her close friends the day prior. We also got our hair cut, me opting to go a little shorter than I usually would. It was a nice day with no judgement from Cate for not telling her, however there were a lot of questions directed at me from lingering and a lot of flashing cameras - just something I'm going to have to get used to.

Since the wedding was going to be outdoors, I did my hair and makeup accordingly. I wasn't trying to do anything too fancy, so tied my freshly cut hair into a high ponytail so that it fell onto my shoulders and applied a light layer of makeup. Pierre had warned me that I was probably going to get some unwanted attention so I decided to keep it all looking inconspicuous. Unfortunately, the dress that Cate had chosen for me to wear long before I had even started thinking about racing in Abu Dhabi was, in simple terms, very extra. She wanted a glam wedding, which I had no idea how to dress for, so she took me shopping and picked out a low-back satin gown that touched the floor even when I was in heels. The front was luckily a high neck or else I would be at risk of flashing the other guests. The thin spaghetti straps were the same shade of pink as the rest of the gown and crossed over in between my shoulder blades. It was a stunning dress, but definitely not my first choice for a wedding.

There was a small knock on my door at exactly midday. The wedding ceremony was due to start in an hour and a half so I knew who was at my door before even opening it - my date. Well, friend-date.

"Hi," I softly greeted, holding up the bottom of my dress in one hand so that it didn't drag. Charles was standing there with a small smile on his face. He looked good in a suit, which I had told him when I went to his fitting and chose out the tie. "You look really handsome."

"You..." Charles exhaled softly, "you're so beautiful."

"Thank you." I couldn't help the warmth that slowly crept up to my cheeks so turned to try and hide it. "If you wait on the sofa, I just need to get my shoes on," I called over my shoulder, moving as fast as I could in my dress into my bedroom. My tall, nude heels were at the end of my bed and I hastily slipped them onto my feet. I spent my Monday breaking them whilst Juliette and Xavier stayed over in the hopes that they wouldn't start hurting my feet within an hour. It was a shame that they couldn't stay out in Abu Dhabi for very long but the sentiment was appreciated on my behalf.

"We missed you at the afterparty," Charles commented when I walked back into the main living space. He was casually leaning against the back of the sofa when his eyes met mine. We hadn't spoken much since I broke things off between us, the only exchanges being confirmations of us going to the wedding together and planning times.

I looked away. "I wasn't feeling up to it. There was going to be too many people and I don't think I could've coped."

"You were brave for telling people." He stood up and walked towards me. In my heels, I was just a little taller than him when he finally stopped about a foot away. "I'm glad you're still letting me be your date."

"It's a friend date," I corrected. "Besides, I promised I'd go with you and I don't back away from promises. You, however..." I trailed off, watching his smile visibly drop.

"Lys, I'm really sorry-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." I waved a hand dismissively. "It's called a joke, Leclerc, learn how to take it."

I picked my clutch purse up from its position on the coffee table and headed to the door. Charles followed closely behind, closing the door behind him so that it would lock. I had all of the necessary items in my bag, like my phone, key card, lipgloss, napkins - basically anything I might end up needing. I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer amount I could fit into such a small bag.