CAPACITY FOR WONDER. | alex albon

xxv. party unplanned

                                                Sometimes, Charlotte had the tendency to half-listen to what Juniper said, which she couldn't particularly blame Charlotte for. She could admit that half of the time, what she was saying was pretty random, wouldn't ever change a life. Juniper did it too with most people, pretended she was listening but only kind of absorbed what they were saying, so she really couldn't be mad at Charlotte without it being hypocritical.

Apart from when, of course, she could be mad.

Such as in the instance where Juniper had very clearly told Charlotte she didn't want the plus one on her invite to Seb's party to be extended to her -- meaning that when Juniper had gone to drop something off at Charles' house on the day of, Charlotte expected that their plus one would be J.

"I said I didn't want it Charlotte, over a dozen times too!"

"I never heard you say that." Charlotte returned, causing Charles and Juniper to share a look. They didn't do this often, they never wanted to be the reason Charlotte ever felt left out, especially given all the times she went the extra mile in order for them to feel included in her events. "But you've got your hair and makeup done differently!"

Juniper knew this was a final attempt for Charlotte to cover her back. "I'm Alex's plus one, that's why I didn't need yours." She told the pair that stood in front of her, Charles looking as confused as ever as Juniper handed him his jacket and made her swift exit.

Alex had been adamant that in order to reduce any further stress that she was definitely going to face, he'd be at her apartment when she needed to pick out her outfit. June wasn't sure if he was actually doing this to be nice, knowing how stressed she genuinely was the last time she had to pick out an outfit without guidance, or if he was doing it for another reason she couldn't yet put her finger on. Either way, as she returned from Charles', Alex was laid waiting on the couch.

"Oh yeah, Lex, make yourself at home!" She said as she saw him, locking the door again behind her before she dropped her bag on the ground and rested at the end of the couch.

"This would've been weirder if I hadn't."

She wouldn't have told him, but that was relatively true. To find Alex either sat awkwardly on her couch or, in the worst case, stood around her apartment would've been so much worse. Still, she would not tell him that because whilst Alex Albon might've needed an ego boost -- with her, her Lex didn't. Though, she thought, if his hoodies didn't fit over his head anymore, she would have the opportunity to steal them all...

She was glad that his voice was there to bring her out of whatever the thought about his hoodies was because, even without it developing, that was weird enough for her.

"So, it's a pretty chill thing but I would say avoid darker colours."

"Why?"

"The venue is pretty light from what I heard and Seb's a bright guy so I don't think darker colours really make sense."

"Lex, you know I know what the venue looks like, right? I planned it..."

If June had ever wished she wore some kind of streaming device where she could watch the way his face morphed easily into confusion and then into a daunting realisation, it was then. She thought he would've grasped it already, considering she knew exactly how long it would take them to get there from her apartment when he'd never given her the address or how she affirmed to him that she was comfortable with everybody that was going. Still, this was Alex. As much as she appreciated his perception skills in some moments, he could also be outstandingly oblivious too.

She waited for his face to settle back to normal before she threw her phone on the couch with him and walked into her bedroom, popping her head back out a moment later. "I'll show you some outfits and you'll say yes or no for me?" She asked and with the way his head nodded quickly and his face broke out into a smile, she would change which moment she wished she had caught on camera. She'd watch his face light up with a smile repeatedly, where the best part was that the cause was her.

She didn't wait for an answer, but he'd jumped up off the couch after he had deemed he'd been waiting too long. She had to give it to him though, she was still standing there looking at her clothes like nothing could ever be suitable enough. He would've made her jump too when he came up behind her if he wasn't so heavy-footed.

"June, it's not that hard. I'll pick some, and it's only relaxed for Seb anyway. This is nothing like what you had to wear for Lewis' party." He reasoned with her before he reached into her closet and grabbed multiple outfits out for her, mainly dresses and co-ords which didn't test his ability to put together an outfit too much.

"Only relaxed for Seb? He's a four-time world champion." She said, and Alex gave her another new look -- one of confusion. He'd seemed to spend a lot of time looking at her today, which she didn't mind, especially considering his face always portrayed his emotions perfectly. "My sister, Lilia, is a huge F1 fan but we don't talk about it much because Kamri doesn't think those are the kinds of things we should talk about given how little I see them."

She pushed him away now, out of her room as she tried on multiple outfits and showed them to him. They all received a unanimous vote of a straight no. When she returned in one of the final outfits that he had picked out, a white midi dress with blue flowers, which Charlotte later pointed out were the exact same shade of blue as Alex's shirt, she found him talking to her phone.

"So she made me jump off this cliff and that was the time your sister endangered my life and now she's heard me so she might try again." He said, and she had caught the end of the explanation to his account of their most recent capacity attempt. He hadn't looked up at her at that point, only aware of her presence after she had (regrettably) kicked the couch to get his attention, but she was glad she finally, finally, had caught one of his priceless reactions when he looked up at her outfit. "Uh, your sister looks really pretty and is staring at me so I'm gonna have to go."

The sad part about her reaction to his compliment was the fact the words were so foreign to her as if they were supposed to have no meaning and had suddenly materialised out of nowhere, never to be used to describe her. And yet, there Lex laid, using such a word - pretty - to describe her.

He'd coughed, prompting a nod from her as she jogged back into her bedroom to grab some shoes and her clutch. It had clearly been a silent agreement, their interaction, that this was the dress to wear.

"We should go, June." He suggested as she nodded, a laugh gracing her lips as she bumped his shoulder with her own -- their height difference diminished due to her shoe choice.

"Considering the time, I think that's a good idea." She mused lightly as they left the apartment, Alex locking the door behind them. The walk was steady, but she was glad for the safety of Alex's hand when the road became uneven underneath their feet.

Then once they had arrived and Alex was taken away by Lando and George, with Charlotte and Charles engaged in a conversation elsewhere, she was grateful to find solace in the only other person there that she knew enough - Pierre, who had always been to the point with her.

That day was never bound to be any different.

"So they've got no idea?"

She rolled her eyes at him now, followed by the shaking of her head, "Hello to you too, they've got no clue."

"None at all? Not even Alex?"

"He's even less aware than you thought he was."