lemon and mint | Charles Leclerc

8.

August 2012

Pia and Charles were holding hands while walking on the scorching sand on the beach of Tenerife on which the sun's rays fell. It was almost sunset when they sat down. Everything was so soothing and tranquil. It was something that Pia needed for some time. She needed peace.

"Let's just watch the sunset," those words interrupted the silence between the teens. Pia knew she wasn't the only one who needed to rest. Charles seemed throughout the few last weeks so tense. It was probably because of the stress from karting and going around Europe.

"Okay," she agreed.

The sun was sinking beyond the horizon, leaving the orange-gold stretches far and wide, the colour of fire hearths and tangerines mixed with a little bit of dove grey with a subtle hint of purple. Charles' eyes were steady to the horizon, face aglow with the last orange rays before twilight beckoned the stars. His lips bore the semblance of a smile, just enough to show that he was enjoying his thoughts, whatever they might be. He seemed genuinely happy at that moment. Pia knew that she'd cherish this picture in her head for a long time.

Pia moved closer so that he could feel her presence, yet he reminded quiet, allowing him to stay lost in the moment a while longer. She leaned her head on his shoulder and just watched this splendour. Tenerife sea, sunset, and him. It felt like she found that missing piece, at least for a moment. She felt like nothing was missing.

Maybe she felt that happy because of Charles' family. They were truly together. Being with Leclerc's made her feel normal. It was a bit sad when she reflected on it. Her mum would do anything for her, and she couldn't deny it. On the other side, her dad was a workaholic, and it seemed that he sometimes forgot that he has a family. And then there was Sebastian. Pia sometimes felt like he wanted to fill that hole her dad caused, but he couldn't possibly do that. The only person that could fill that hole was her father himself.

"What are you thinking about?" Charles asked when he noticed that Pia was too long in her thoughts. He already learnt it's not a good thing. Pia was one of the most encouraging and kind people he knew. He was fully aware that she wanted to make everyone happy, but when she wandered a longer in her mind, she wasn't that optimistic. After all, everyone has a dark place in their head.

"Oh, nothing important." A smile appeared on her face, but Charles recognised it wasn't a genuine one.

"Do you know you can talk about everything with me?" He wanted to reassure her that he was there for her no matter what. It was a bit crazy he had to remind her of this after a year of relationship, but Pia was a person who needed a bit of reassurance from time to time.

"Of course," Pia quickly nodded. She didn't want him to feel like she didn't trust him. "I was just thinking about my parents," she explained.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Well, was there something wrong? It was a question that Pia asked herself a lot too, but she didn't know the answer.

"No, but it's just, you know, I would like to have my dad home more often," She admitted. He was busy ever since she knew him, yet during her early childhood, he seemed to be home more, but now he was rarely there. Pia didn't know if she didn't pay much attention to it when she was little, or if her father had really started to go home less and less.

"Oh, P." A sad smile appeared on his face. He quickly wrapped his hands around his girlfriend and hugged her tightly. He was so sorry for her because he could imagine how hard it had to be for her. "Did you say to him that you miss him?"

"There's not when. He's always so busy."

"Just call him. Actually, do you know what? Call him now," Charles said.

"Give me just a few more minutes. I want to adore you for a bit longer." She just looked at him. He was so special to her. She couldn't even describe how much he meant to her even though they were kids.

"I think I'm in love with you, is that okay?" He said without even thinking about that. The first 'I love you' isn't something that should be rushed, but it also shouldn't be dragged out. Charles felt like he didn't rush it at all. He wanted to say these words to Pia for some time now.

"I hope it's okay because I'm in love with you too," she said and pressed her lips to his. It was a sweet and gentle kiss.

"I'm gonna tell this to mum," Arthur's voice disrupted them from kissing. Younger Leclerc started running away from them to his mother. Charles quickly got up and ran after him.

"Mum. Mum. Mum." Arthur was shouting at his mother while still being chased by his older brother.

"Arthur, I swear, you're a dead man walking," Charles threatened Arthur.

"Do you want to know what I've just seen?" He said with a cheeky smile. He loved to annoy Charles more than anything.

"No, I'm sure mum does not want to know," Charles emphasized the word not.

"I saw Pia and Charles kissing,"

"You're so dead," Charles said and started running after his brother again. He couldn't believe that Arthur actually said that to their mother.

---

"Hello! You've reached the voicemail of Anhonie Teunissen. Please leave a message." The disappointment was what Pia felt when her dad didn't answer her call. She was almost sure that he wouldn't pick up, but yet she hoped.

She waited for a bit before she gave it another try. It rang for a bit, and then Anthonie's voice filled her ears. She couldn't believe he did actually pick up.

"Hey, dad," Pia greeted him. She was so excited. Perhaps he really did care for her.

"Oh, hey, Pia. I'm kinda busy right now. Do you mind if I call you later?" It was always like this. He would pick up the phone, say he was too busy and promise to call later, which he never actually did. Or maybe he did not, she thought.

"Yeah, sure. It's okay," Pia said sadly.

"Bye." A brief goodbye reached Pia's ears, and she could feel tears in her eyes.

"Dad?" she asked, but everything that was coming from the phone was just the end call beep. "I love you," she said to the void because she knew her father couldn't hear it. A few tears streamed down her cheeks. She was so done.

She watched the sea before deciding that she would call someone else.

"Hi, Twinkle. How are the holidays? Is everything okay?" It rarely happened that Sebastian wouldn't take her call. She was so relieved that she didn't bother him. He was busy almost every time. He had to train, do photoshoots, interviews, and shows, and still, he managed to find a time to answer her call. He always said to her that she could never bother him.

"Hey, yeah, everything is okay. Don't worry. Tenerife is amazing. I think you would love it here." Pia tried to sound happy, but in the end, her voice cracked. She was sad because of her dad. She was so hurt.

"Oh, Twinkle, what's wrong?" She could hear that Sebastian cared by a ton of his voice.

"I just miss you so much," she said while sobbing.

"Oh, Twinkle, I miss you too. You don't even know how much." She was fully aware that it wasn't her dad who said these words. She just had to hear that someone cared and misses her as well.

"Do you know what? I'll pick you up at the airport, yes?" Sebastian suggested.

"You would do that?" She asked with disbelief.

"Of course, P." They talked for a while after that. Pia told him about the delicious dinner they had yesterday and also about the water fight between her and Charles.

"See, I told you to call him," Charles said when he joined Pia again. A brief smile was playing on her face, so he guessed that the call with her father went well. Little did he know that she didn't speak to her dad but to Seb.

"Yeah, you were right." Pia just agreed. She didn't feel like explaining it to him. How could she explain to him that her dad didn't feel like her dad anymore?