lemon and mint | Charles Leclerc

22.

May 2014

Pia spent the weekend before the Spanish Grand Prix with Jules in Monaco. She didn't intend to spend the weekend there, but he called her on Wednesday afternoon, and he sounded desperate. She knew the reason behind it. It was Daniel and his fake girlfriend - Jemma.

Sebastian wasn't happy that Pia would be away since he wanted her to focus more on school, but when he heard that Jules cried Pia on the phone, he allowed her to go.

When Pia told the couple about Anthonie's concerns, Daniel reacted quickly. He told Jules that it would be best to have a fake girlfriend, at least for a while. He needed to make Anthonie believe that he was straight and what would convince him more than having a girlfriend.

Jemma was Daniel's friend from Perth. They stayed in contact even after Daniel moved to Europe. For him, Jemma was an obvious choice. She had known him for years, and he was comfortable having her by his side. But what seemed like the obvious choice for Daniel was a hard pill to swallow for Jules.

At first, he didn't have a problem with that. Jules understood Daniel was doing it to protect them both, but as weeks went by, it was harder and harder for Jules to watch it. It was hard to see them holding hands while walking through the paddock. It was hard to watch them laughing while doing interviews. It was hard to see them hugging tightly, kissing each other in front of cameras. Jules couldn't bear the fact that she could do everything he ever wanted with Daniel. He should've been the one who would hold his hand, hug him, kiss him, laugh with him. But there was one big catch - he wasn't a girl, and that was wrong.

"Where is Daniel, Ju?" Pia asked Frenchman in front of her. He looked tired. Dark black circles under his eyes were clearly visible. His cheeks were hollow. Pia would swear he was skinnier than last week.

"I don't know. He's spending his weekend with Jemma. I think he took her to Paris." He took her to the city of lovers. Last night, Jules went through the photos of Daniel and Jemma that fans took. They seemed to be perfect for each other. Perhaps, he needed her in his life and not Jules. This thought hurt Jules that much that he cried himself to sleep.

"Oh, Ju." That was everything that she said. She didn't know what else she could say. She just tightly hugged him, hoping it would help even though she was fully aware that it was just a little patch for his heart.

She tangled her fingers into his brown curly hair. It was messier than usual. They both knew that he could use a visit to the hairdresser. She messed his hair even more, but he didn't mind it. Daniel used to do the same thing. And there it was... His mind drifted back to his Australian lover. It drifted back to his smile, to his laugh, to his thick Australian accent, to his imperfect Italian, to his boyish ideas.

In his mind, he was still in Australia. Everything was alright back then. They were happy there. He was thinking about that day when Daniel took him to his home. It was Jules's first time in Perth. He was so nervous about meeting Daniel's parents, but he wouldn't admit it. His hands were sweaty and shaky, but he claimed that it was caused by the hot Australian weather. Jules was fully aware that Daniel was a mama's boy, so he had to make a good impression on her. He didn't have to worry about it in the slightest because when Grace saw a shy, smiley Frenchman in front of her, she wanted to hug him as her own son.

It was a sunny Monday afternoon when Daniel gave Jules a tour around the farm. Daniel was telling him about all the spots where he ever hurt himself. He used to do a lot of biking when he was a child, so it wasn't surprising for Jules.

Daniel was talking about another accident from his childhood when he noticed Jules didn't listen to him at all. He was looking at him but not listening. You're not listening to me, he accused Jules, causing him to start blushing. The young Frenchman softly apologised with red cheeks, and the Australian reacted quickly. I cannot blame you. I'm just way too good-looking. This statement made Jules laugh, which annoyed Daniel, so he pushed into Jules, causing him to lose balance. Daniel tried to catch his lover, but he failed, so they both hit the dusty ground.

So, they were there, lying in the middle of a dusty road. Sun was shining directly into their eyes. They were laughing from all that joy. Daniel was so content that his parents accepted Jules, and Jules was just so happy to have Daniel. Looking at Daniel, Jules had realised how much he loved him. A thought of them living there together once they would be old crossed his mind. He wanted to grow old with Daniel. He could imagine them in their fifties, looking at the Australian sunset while talking about their memories.

Jules loved this memory from Australia. They were happy there, but things weren't like this ever since they left Australia. It wasn't the same since they learnt that Anthonie wanted to know what was going on between them.

"Do you think he still loves me?" The Frenchman curled into Pia's arms.

"Of course, he does, Jules. He's doing this all because he wants to protect your relationship," the young Italian tried to reassure Daniel's lover. She was doing something that Daniel should've been doing for the past weeks. He should tell him every day that his heart belonged to Jules. Daniel should hug him tightly whenever the Frenchman would have any doubts about their relationship and whisper to him into the ear that everything would be okay. Then kiss him on his temple or forehead and tell him how much he loves him. He should call him in the evening, letting him know that even though he's with her, he's thinking about him.

"I'm not so sure about it anymore. It looks like he's enjoying himself," Jules replied. He knew Daniel would never cheat on him, but this somehow felt even worse than cheating. "Anyways, let's go talk about a happy relationship. How are you and Charles?" If the Frenchman should be honest, he was surprised that Pia and Charles were still together. He thought it would be just childish summer love, but it somehow turned out into a happy relationship that had already lasted almost three years.

Pia let out a few giggles. "He's busier than he used to be, but that's okay. Charles will come to Italy next weekend. He will stay over and take me on a date, but dad cannot find out about it. He wants me to focus on school." The delightful smile on her face told Jules more than enough without Pia's explanation. He was so happy for both of them. He was also delighted that she had finally taken that step and started calling Sebastian a dad.

"Really? Did he tell you where he's taking you?" Jules was curious. He always wondered how Charles was like in a relationship. Jules always thought he would be horrendous, but it didn't sound like it from what Pia said.

"No, he said that it's a secret. You know him. He always wants to be so mysterious." She tried to say it annoyedly, but her smile blew her cover.

"Typical Charles," Jules agreed with Pia's statement.

"When we're talking about secrets. Don't you want to tell him that you and Daniel is a thing? Like last time we spoke about you, he said he's starting to think that you and Joanna are together." Pia had to laugh at that idea. It was so crazy to think that Jules and Joanna could be in a relationship. They were friends for many years, but that was it.

Jules was laughing, but then suddenly, the amusement in his eyes shifted to worry. He was worried about the young Austrian.

"What is it, Jules?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh, it's about J. I'm worried about her. I don't even remember when was the last time I really spoke with her," he admitted. He was worried about his friend. Jules knew that sometimes she struggled with bad moods and stuff like that, but this time it felt different. She felt more distant than ever before. Pia knew the reason behind it, but it wasn't her secret to tell.