The other Monégasque

T W E N T Y O N E

Abby's POV

"So why exactly are you here?"

I stand in the doorway, yawning and look at Charles. "You call me, 3 am, crying because of a nightmare and you expect me to do what? Just go back to sleep?" "I told you to stay home." "Yes, and I didn't listen."

I roll my eyes and walk back to the living room. "As always..." I whisper to myself. "Hm?" "Nothing"

"Go back to sleep, I'll stay on the couch." "Charles, go home." He looks at me with a warning look in his eyes and I higher my hands. "Fine, do whatever the fuck you want. Make yourself at home." He nods and I walk back into my bedroom.

Fucking Charles Leclerc is sitting on my couch at 3:28 am, just because I had a nightmare, a fucking nightmare! I let out a long and deep breath and close my eyes.

With my arm linked in Pierre's we walk out of the hospitality. 11 pm, both tired as fuck, on our way to Pierre's car.

"Fuck." "What?" "I forgot my phone, it's on the table in my room." "Okay, well run. I'm tired, I wanna go back." I say to my teammate and he runs back.

Out of nowhere hands are placed on my face and my vision becomes black. "Uhm, what the fuck? Hey! Let me go!"

With my eyes still covered someone starts walking and I'm forced to walk too. "Pierre? PIERRE?!"

"Shut up!" Gets hissed into my ear. "Let me go, please..."

I hear a door open and close again. The hands disappear and I look up, straight into Lance's eyes. His hand goes up and wraps tight around my throat.

I grab his wrist and try to keep breathing, but he pushes me against the wall. "L...Lance please." I cough and it hurts my throat.

I dig my nails into his arm and I see him bite his lip, but tighten is hand around my throat. I start crying because of the pain but I can barely breathe.

"Abby wake up!!"

"NO! NO, NO. NO! GO AWAY!" I reach to my throat and try to breathe but I can't and start panicking. "Abby, hey! Look at me." "I...can't breathe..!"

"Go away...please." "Abby, I'm not leaving until you breath properly." I recognize his voice, it's not Lance. It's Charles.

"C...Charles?" "Yes?" He talks soft and I open my eyes. He stands next to the bed with eyes filled with panic and sadness. "I can't breathe."

He sits down next to me on my bed and carefully grabs my arms, causing me to grab his too. "Abby look at me, breath on the same pace, I'm with you, nothing is gonna happen."

Charles breathes slow and loud, and I do my best to follow him.

After a few minutes I calm down a bit and Charles and I let go of each other's arms and I see him rub his. I look at it and see dark red and purple ish half moons on both of his arms. Fuck.

"Oh my god, no, fuck, shit, Charles, I'm so sorry!" "It's okay." "No! Look at it! I hurt you!" "Abby, calm down, please, it's okay, it doesn't matter." "I'm so sorry..."

We look at each other and when I blink, a tear rolls down my cheek and Charles wipes it away carefully, keeping eye contact. "Poor girl..." I wrap my arms around his neck and he hold me close. I feel the heat of his body and it helps me relax a bit.

ఌ

I wake up and without moving I open my eyes. I notice one of my arms and my head laying on a chest. Charles chest.

Abby he is your rival you can't sleep in the same bed!

Charles inhale deep and I look up, moving my head to my pillow. "Morning." "Morning..." "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sleep in here." "It doesn't matter, at least I didn't had a nightmare since you're next to me, that's a good thing so, thank you." "Of course Abby."

Charles was still in his clothes he wore when he came to my house last night. "I'll shower and change, I'll see you in a a bit." He nods and I get out of my bed.

ఌ

I wrap a towel around my body and leave the bathroom. "AAH fuck!" I rush to the kitchen and see Charles on the floor. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Charles looks up and his eyes burn on my bare shoulders. "Jow! Hello? Jesus Christ, Charles your head is bleeding." I see a drip of blood rolling down in the side of his head.

I help him stand up and take him to the couch. "I'm fine." "Ha, yeah of course, stay here. And I mean it!" He looks at me, not really impressed. "Sure mom." "Hey it's either I'll help you or you can go to the hospital."

ఌ

"And...all done, see it wasn't that hard." "I don't know what you put on there but it burns like hell." My phone starts ringing and I pick it up from the table. Pierre. "You, I swear shut the fuck up, I don't feel like explaining him." "Like you have to? He's not your dad?" "Jesus man just shut up."

"bonjourno!" "Hey Ab, just wondering how you're doing." I look at Charles who can clearly hear Pierre too and he look at me with a serious expression on his face. "I'm okay Pierre, thanks. How about you?" Charles rolls his eyes and stands up.

"That's good to hear, yeah everything's fine here." "Awesome."

After another small 5 minutes on the phone I hang up. "Yeah? You're fine? You didn't seem that fine last night!" "Charles for fucks sake your not my dad!!" "NO BUT I'M WORRIED ABOUT YOU!" "WHY?!" "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!!!"

"I'm sorry you're what..?" "I...nothing I've to go." Without another words he walks into the hallway and seconds later I hear the front door close.

Because I love you.

Because he loves me? He loves me? He doesn't love me. It was a blurt out, he wasn't thinking.

ఌ

"Charles is your best friend right?" I ask Pierre on the phone. "Yes...why?" "So than you two talk about your love life's and shit right?" That poor guy has to be so confused about me asking him this. "We used to, yeah, but since two months he doesn't let anything go of it anymore. Why tho?"

"Well make sure he does as soon as possible and tell ME!" "I thought you didn't liked him?"
"No I don't and that's the entire problem!" "Abby, I've lost it. I have no clue about what you're saying."

I tell Pierre about the nightmare I had and that I called Charles, and that he came over. That I had another one and he, genially, by accident fell asleep.

"So when I ran into the kitchen he was on the ground and hit his head, bloody and all. So I helped him." Pierre mumbles, wanting me to tell everything. "And than you called, I said I was doing fine while he knew I wasn't and he said like, 'yea, you didn't seem fine last night.' So I kinda screamed, frustrated, why the fuck he cared so much." "Anddd... What did he say?" "Because I love you!" Than it stayed silent.

"HAHAHAHA!" "PIERRE! THAT'S NOT FUNNY! And by the way not even true." "And now you want me to ask him about it, to check if it's true?" "Yes." "Hm, I see, I'll see what I can do." "Thanks, and don't make it obvious it came from me okay." "I'm not stupid hun."