Always Under Pressure - Charles Leclerc

Chapter 8

With a loud sigh, Charles got out of bed and made his way to open the door. He was already resting back in the hotel room after the big shunt previously that day. He had been lucky enough to escape with just minor injuries and a sore body but was clear to partake in qualifying and the race. 

He found Diana standing with her hands in her pockets, elbows out, staring at the strange carpet pattern in the hallway. 

"I'm not in the mood, Diana." He said as he held the door only half-open.

"I don't care." With a simple gesture, she barged in pushing him out of the way.

Diana wasn't sure if Charles had already talked to his fiancé or not, or even if he believed her or not, but at that stage, all she wanted was to make sure he was fine. She had to see it with her own eyes. 

She was feeling even more ill than before and she was sure that whatever her housemate had, she had caught it too. She was nearly breathless as she had taken the stairs instead of the lift, shivering with cold, staring at Charles, not sure what to say next.

"What do you want? To say more bullshit about Charlene?" Charles wasn't thrilled about her presence and Diana hit him back with an impatient sigh. 

"I just wanted to make sure you were fine. I know you crashed because I was a bitch..."

"Bitch doesn't even begin to cover it, Diana! You tried to mess up with my head before I got on a high-speed car!" 

"I just wanted to keep you in the loop, but I guess you chose to trust her instead of me..." 

"Do you think I'm even going to bother Charlene with that?" Charles interrupted her. "Did you really expect that I believe in you after the messed up stuff you have done to keep my girlfriend away?" 

Charles was getting increasingly more agitated. Diana closed her eyes as if trying to remain calm. She felt her body faint, but it was time she showed him the photos she had. She sat on the swivel accent chair, placed on the far end corner of the room. Her hands were trembling with cold but at the same time she was hot and sweaty, but she managed to unlock her phone and open the Photos app. 

"Is this enough for you to believe me?" She said turning the screen to Charles. He approached her, slightly limping, eyes so wide as if he was a deer in headlights. 

"What the hell?" He muttered as he took Diana's phone into his own hands. "Where did you get this from? Is this some sort of wicked photoshop trick you're pulling on me?"

"No, Charles. Believe me, I was into you but not that much anymore." 

"Enough to send someone to the hospital..." 

Diana sat still on the light blue chair, patting her forehead with the back of her wrist. 

"I have said sorry for that! I fucked up but it wasn't my intention to hurt her!"

"Fuck..." Charles said as he swiped between photos of his now fiancé and one of his best friends sitting close together, his arms around her body, in a very romantic setting, on a yacht in Monte Carlo. 

"Where did you get these from?" He asked her as he sat on the edge of the bed. 

"You will not like the answer to that because you're a goody-two-shoes... do you believe me now?" 

Charles didn't reply. He locked her phone and placed it to next him, the screen facing down as if trying to make those photos disappear from existence. Slowly, he fell backwards, the back of his head hitting the mattress and he just stood there, staring at the ceiling fixture.

 After a few minutes of awkward silence, Diana decided it would be best if she left. Charles was definitely in a bad place after the shunt and the terrible news and she assumed he wanted to be alone. As she stood up, she saw her own reflection in the mirror, pale and frail. She felt her legs shaking and she had a light head. 

"Bye Charles... sorry about all this." Diana said with sincerity and it was the first time she felt any sort of remorse in her whole life. 

As she took her phone from next to Charle's body, he propped himself upright on his elbows, looking up at her weak but beautiful figure. 

"What is wrong with you anyway?" He asked with a puzzled frown.

It was the first time Charles had asked her anything without any aversion showing in his voice. Did he seem to be even worried about her well-being? 

"It's just a cold... I'm going out now to find a pharmacy and get some paracetamol." Diana as she reached for the door handle. 

"I have some." He got to his feet and headed to the bathroom where he opened a small bag containing toothpaste, some creams and painkillers. 

Charles came back into the room, filled a glass with water and handed it to Diana as well as the paracetamol. 

"Thank you." She replied hesitantly as she accepted what felt like a peace offering. Her whole body was shivering and her teeth chattering. 

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you look like shit now. Just sit down." He said and pointed down at the bed. She complied without even saying a word. It felt like she would pass out at any given moment. 

Charles touched her forehead with the back of his hand. Diana was burning up and she looked as if she wasn't present. It was an unusual and disheartening sight considering that she was a headstrong woman and always ready to fight back. 

"Just get under the covers. Where is your room key? I'm going to get your belongings and you're staying here tonight." 

Diana didn't even protest and simply nodded in the direction of her small handbag sitting on the desk. She wasn't too fond of having someone taking care of her or bossing her around, but she didn't have the energy. Whatever kind of flu she had gotten from Elena, it felt like death. 

Charles left the room, leaving Diana on her own, curled up on his king-size bed with soft cotton linen. His phone was going off on the nightstand located on the left side of the bed. She lifted her head enough to see who was calling. She mustered to smirk as she held his iPhone. It displayed the word "Amour" and a heart next to it. She knew it was Charlene and couldn't believe her luck. It was her opportunity to show that woman whom she utterly despised that she had won. 

Her index finger hovered over the slide to answer banner and she found herself putting the phone back on the nightstand instead. For the first time ever, Diana didn't act on impulse. She thought about Charles and how her actions could affect him. She wasn't sure what was happening to her, but it was a side she had no idea existed.