The other Monégasque

E I G H T E E N

Charles' POV

We arrive at my hotel as I needed to pick up an new outfit for tomorrow. Abby walks in front of me towards the elevator. "What floor?" "Seven." She nods and the doors open and she presses the button and the doors close.

I open the door and let Abby walk in first. I watch her looking around my room and then she walk to the doors of my balcony and opens them. I decide to leave her for a moment and put some clothing, my tooth brush and toothpaste in my bag and close it.

I look at the time and see it's already 1 AM. I walk to the balcony and see Abby looking down. She must be exhausted. "Have you ever just, wanted to let it all go? Just leave this world and be happy somewhere else?" She doesn't turn around but she must feel my presence.

"A lot of times." I stand next to her, leaning my elbows on the railing and look down too. "But I could never leave Arthur and Lorenzo or my mom, or Pierre." I feel her look at me but I keep looking at the ground far below me.

"I'm sorry for everything you've been through."

I lock my eyes with her and smile sadly. "Thanks." I let out a sigh. "It's hard but they're always with me." She smiles and nods. "Yes, they are and they're proud of you."

We stand there for another 10 minutes when she speaks up. "Shall we go? I'm pretty tiered." "Yeah let's go." We leave my room and go back to my car.

ఌ

Abby closes the door of her room and I look around. It's so clean, her clothes are fold on top of her suitcase, fanart shoes next to it and the bed is made.

"I'm uhm, gonna pull on my pj's and make ready for bed okay?" I look down as she stands in front of me. "Yes of course, I'm right here okay, just call if you need me." Without saying anything she smiles. She grabs her pj's from under the blanket and disappears into the bathroom.

I notice she doesn't lock it and I hear the tap. I sit down on her bed and fall on my back, looking at the ceiling.

ఌ

"I'm done." I sit back up and see her standing in the doorway of the bathroom. She sits down next to me and let out a shaking breath, her head falls on my shoulder and I close my eyes.

"Pretending to hate someone takes so much energy."

I open my eyes but don't move. She lifts up her head and I look at her. "What do you mean?" "Pretending to hate you, I mean it costs so much unnecessary energy." She's so right. I acted like an idiot, 'hating' her and for what? "Yeah.."

"You can use the bathroom if you want." "Thanks." I stand up and walk into the bathroom doing my usual things.

When I dry my face after I washed it I hear a scream coming out of the room. Within a second I drop the towel and run into the room. I see Abby curled up in the bed holding a pillow in her arms and screaming into it.

Without thinking twice I run to the bed and pull her into my lap, but the throws the pillow away and wraps her arms around my neck and totally breaks down. I don't even try to hold my own tears back, it's useless.

ఌ

She isn't crying anymore but she doesn't let go of my neck and I lay us down. I've one of my arm wrapped around her waist while I move my free hand through her hair. She lays on top of me with her head on my chest and it almost feels like a dream, that I'm not really here, that she's not laying in my arms but her speaking up calls me back to reality.

"Can we maybe go to Pierre in the morning?" "Yes, we'll go to him tomorrow. Are you going to tell him?" "I think so yeah, or at least I'll try."

"I will be right there, if you want me to." "Yes, thank you." I quietly whisper an 'of course' and stroke her back.

"Congratulations on your win."

I'm confused as she starts the subject but I just go with it, I'm sure she wants to get her mind off of what happened tonight. "Thanks, it sucks you had a blowout." "Well bless you I did, otherwise it would've been a second place for you."

I laugh and she sits up, next to me and looks at me. "You can laugh all you want but I can't remember you having a race win in your rookie season." I shot my hand to my chest and close my eyes. "Ouch!"

She laughs at my action and I open my eyes, just watching her laugh and it caused a smile on my face. In between laughs she speaks up. "I'll go to the toilet otherwise I'm gonna pee myself." She stands up and goes to the bathroom and even in there I hear her laugh.

I let out a giggle and look around the room. My eyes fall on a picture of Abby and an older woman, standing on the night table. I carefully pick it up. It's a picture made in the paddock somewhere and she looks so happy.

"Imola 2018, my seventh Formula 2 race. It's the only race she's been to." She sits down next to me and looks at the picture in my hands. "She was supposed to come to Monaco, my seventh Formula 1 race, but yeah, you know..." "She's with you every race." "Yeah, I know."

ఌ

"What are your gonna do?" I turn around as Abby speaks up. "Make up my bed on the couch." "Okay.." She lays back down again. And a few minutes later I strip down my clothes and lay down on the couch.

"Goodnight Abby."

"Goodnight Charles."

ఌ

"NO! NOOO!! STOP!!" I wake up. "NO!" Abby! I get up from the couch and run to the bed. "Abby. Hey Abby. Wake up!" "NO! please don't.." "Abby come on, you're having a nightmare. Open your eyes!"

Her eyes fly open and she pushes me off the bed. "NO! Go away."

I stand up and see her hiding behind the blanked and pillow. "Abby, hey it's me, Charles, I will never hurt you, it was a nightmare, nothing will happen I promise you, I'll take care of that myself." I talk slow and soft and slowly she let the pillow down. "Charles? Omg Charles I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, don't be, it's okay, I'm fine."

I hug her till she calms down again. "Are you okay?" "Can you stay here? Like here, here?" "Yeah of course." We lay down under the blanket and she lays her head on my bare chest and wraps her arm around my stomach.

"You're warm." I feel her smile against my chest and wrap my arms around her, holding her close.

Minutes later her breathing gets slower and she falls asleep.

I carefully kiss her head, not waking her.

"Goodnight Abby."

And I fall asleep too.