Not My Sister - Charles Leclerc

Chapter 15

Lando bit his nails out of habit worriedly. "Shit, I should've picked a better spot away from the public." With that, he threw his phone onto the bed and laid his body on the soft surface. The young driver let out a frustrated groan. He still couldn't process what really happened last night. The gossip sites on the internet weren't really helping either. He didn't even hear a thing from Clarisse ever since.

Is she okay? He checked his phone once again to make sure if he had sent her a message. Turned out he did, but she hasn't read it yet. Maybe he just had to wait a bit and hope she would show up tomorrow in the practice.

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Clarisse witnessed the sunrise in the early morning through the kitchen window. She didn't get any sleep. She couldn't sleep at all.

Lando...

Clarisse thought she would call him that night, but she didn't. Whatever happened last night was too bizarre for her as well. She couldn't help but feel guilty for Lando.

She glanced at the hallway that's connecting the living room and the staircase. Charles was still asleep upstairs. She didn't think that he would spend the night here, though it's his own house, but still... Everyone in the house thought that he would stay at the hotel since he didn't say a thing since he arrived here a few days ago.

"Clarisse, is everything alright?" she read Lando's message on her phone screen.

"Everything is fine here, Lando. Thanks for asking. I'm so sorry for yesterday." was her reply. She wasn't satisfied with that answer to be honest.

Sigh. She preferred to explain this with Lando face to face rather than through texts. Clarisse decided that she needed to clear her mind. So she started prepping some vegetables in the kitchen to make some breakfast for the family.

-----

The amazing smell drifted from the kitchen. "What are you making?" Charles asked in a groggy voice and took a seat in front of the kitchen island. Clarisse only glanced at him a bit before focusing on her bruschetta again. "Well, good morning to you too."

She noticed that Charles was wearing one of his old sweaters that was still stored in his room. He looked comfortable. Clarisse set up his simple breakfast on the kitchen island alongside the utensils, no words were said.

Charles smiled looking down at his food, ready to dig in happily. So being home wasn't so bad after all. He finally admitted that he missed this feeling. "Um, Clarisse, can I also get-" he asked aloud out of habit.

"Your coffee? It's still brewing. Give me 2 minutes," she said automatically while wiping her hand with a clean kitchen cloth.

His smile grew wider at her response. These little details, he really missed them.

"Come get your food and sit with me," he ordered her. She looked at him with a crooked eyebrow. "I'm gonna get mine later."

"No, eat now," he ordered again, pointing at the empty seat beside him.

Clarisse sighed and plated some of the bruschetta and poached egg onto her own plate, then also fixed the coffee kettle and brought it to the island. She poured some of the steaming hot coffee onto Charles' cup and then hers.

They ate their breakfast in a comfortable silence. As for Charles', it took him long enough to realize that homemade food was way better than the breakfast buffet or room service he could get in any hotel.

"So, are you coming to the practice this afternoon?" Charles asked while wiping his mouth. He noted Clarisse's shoulder slumped down a little at the question. "I don't know yet," she sighed. She's got to meet Lando sooner or later though, to explain everything. Then she realized something.

"I thought you don't like having me around the track?" she asked him curiously.

Charles was taken aback by her sudden question while he choked a bit on his hot coffee. "Ow, shit! That burned," he winced.

He put his cup down and looked at her in a bored expression. "Who said I do?"

Shit. "I thought you-"

"I didn't invite you." he said again bluntly, expression cool.

Clarisse scoffed at his reply. This guy is really-

"Okay then, I'm going but I'm gonna stay at Lando's garage."

"Then, don't come."

Excuse me, sir?

"Well, that's not up to you to decide." well, son, she's winning.

----

They ended up coming to the track together. It wasn't entirely awkward between the two of them, surprisingly. They went separate ways as soon as Charles parked the car. In the end, he yielded and let her come.

Her face brightened up as soon as she saw Lando. "Lando!" she called out.

The boy looked around, finding the source of the voice and she came into view. "Clarisse," he smiled. They shared a brief hug and walked together towards the paddock. "Straight to the point, I'm so sorry for yesterday." She apologized straight away. They had their hands on each other's shoulders and walked slowly.

"Don't be sorry. It's okay, really," he assured her. "But, did something bad happen at the house?" he asked out of pure concern and curiosity.

Shit, how do I explain this one?

"Um... you see..." she bit her lips nervously and Lando looked down at her, concerned. They stopped walking and he gestured to her to sit down in one of the benches, away from people and the press.

After a heavy sigh, she decided to tell the truth. "I've never told this to anyone, ever. Lando, I hope you can understand."

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A/N:

I'm sorry this is a rather short chapter again. Can't wait to write even more but it's been a busy week so far :") I hope you enjoy!