Crash

Arthur

That was the first time Penelope had ever felt angry at Charles. 

In her heart, she knew it wasn't that big of a deal. There were a lot of people that she'd lied to about the nature of the relationship she had with him, and adding his brother to the list probably wouldn't change that much. But the fact that he hadn't told her? That pissed her off to no end. 

"You didn't tell me that I was meeting your family today," she said through gritted teeth as Charles waved his brother down. 

"It...slipped my mind. I'm sorry."

Penelope dug her nails into her palm, trying not to get annoyed. "Slipped your mind?"

His fingers brushed against hers, but he didn't take her hand the way he normally would. "I promise I'll make it up to you. Please don't be mad."

Charles's brother was only a few feet away now. They were out of time. 

"Fine," Penelope muttered, before she feigned the nicest 'Hey, I'm your brothers sort of though not really girlfriend' smile she could muster. 

The blonde brother didn't seem to pick up on the tension. He broke into a grin as he got closer, laughing as he tackled Charles with a hug. 

"Hey, bro!" the blonde boy greeted, clasping Charles face in his hands. "Look at you! Still the uglier brother, no?"

"Ah," Charles mused, patting his brother's cheek. "Arthur. Good to see you are still as stupid as ever."

Arthur laughed swatting Charles's hand away before letting his eyes fall on Penelope. "Hello! You must be the friend Charles told me about."

Charles nodded. "Arthur, this is Penelope. Penelope, this is my little brother Arthur."

Arthur winked at her, the same charismatic way that Charles did. "Less of the little, huh Charles?" He smiled, and from the few minutes she had spent with them, Penelope could tell the two brothers were close. "Nice to meet you, Penelope. What brings you to Monte Carlo?"

"Sightseeing. It's a beautiful city."

Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her, as though he were sizing her up. "It is. Long way to travel for just a weekend trip though, hm?"

It was obvious that he was trying to catch her out, but she wasn't taking the bait. She was no stranger to overbearing brothers and she wasn't going to let Arthur Leclerc get one over on her. "I travel a lot for work. I don't mind a long flight."

"Understandable. Still, Charles doesn't normally have visitors as pretty as you."

The atmosphere jolted slightly. Charles gave his brother a sideways look, and maybe it was nothing, but Penelope could have sworn she saw a flash of defensiveness there.

Penelope smiled. "I guess being charming runs in the family."

Arthur slung his arm around his brother's shoulders, giving Penelope another wink. She felt like she was back in high school, entertaining her own sibling's friends as they tried to win her over. "If he's not showing you a good enough time, I know some pretty nice places here too. I don't mind giving you a tour."

Another disgruntled glance. Penelope shook her head, meeting Charles's eyes before looking back to Arthur. "Thanks, but I'll pass. One Leclerc brother is enough for me."

Arthur laughed again, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "I like this one, Charlie! I gotta run, I've got a car to drive, but Penelope if you ever get tired-"

Charles coughed loudly. "Okay, Arthur. We'll see you later."

Charles put a gentle hand on Penelope's shoulder, steering her away. Arthur waved at them before walking towards the Ferrari, and Penelope wasn't necessarily upset to see the back of him. She turned to Charles, raising an eyebrow as she looked up at him. "Charlie?"

This time, there was no mistaking the pink blush on his cheeks. "It's what my mother used to call me when I was small. It sort of stuck."

"That's adorable."

"Don't get any ideas."

"I'll try my best...Charlie."

"I'm gonna kill my brother," he grumbled. "Ruins everything."

********************

That night, after another dinner in a quiet restaurant downtown, Penelope sat in Charles's bedroom alone. He had been pulled away by an important work call, something about contract discussions. Penelope had lost count of the number of apologies he had given her, despite the fact that she'd told him she didn't mind. It was the truth - she was the last person who could take a stand about working too hard. 

The room itself wasn't overly interesting. It was plainly decorated, nice but not very personalised. The dressers and side tables were tidy, neatly packed and organised. There was a box of expensive jewellery, a wardrobe full of tailored suits and a wall stocked full of Ferrari memorabilia. She figured a lot of it was race winnings or memories, messages from fans and good luck charms. It was like a whole chapter of his life that she'd only seen the opening pages of; intriguing but still missing information. 

The only other personal item in the room was a framed set of pictures on the bedside table. Penelope sat cross-legged on the bed, her eyes lingering on the photos one by one. The first displayed a young boy who was clearly Charles aged maybe seven or eight years old, sat in a go-kart with a grin so wide it was almost infectious. Next to the kart, wearing a matching smile, was a kind-looking man in his late forties or so. The resemblance between them was striking and it didn't take Penelope long to figure out that this man was probably Charles and Arthur's father. Since she'd known him, she hadn't heard him bring up his dad once. Whenever they spoke about family, he'd mention his brother or his mom, but never his dad. She always got the impression that the subject was painful for him to talk about, and now she had her suspicions as to why. 

The second photo was more of a mystery. It showed Charles again, only this time older and in a bigger car. He was sitting at the wheel of a Ferrari, the sun shining down on him and the handsome man in the passenger seat, who didn't seem to be that much older. He looked familiar, and it took her a moment to remember why she recognised his face. Years ago, she'd read a story about a crash that occurred during a race, taking the life of a young man called...Jules. This was a memorial to the people he'd lost. 

Seeing those faces made Penelope's own heart ache. She found her mind wandering back to her own family, the people she loved and those she'd lost. Her biological parents, her abuelo, her brother...

Frankie. Penelope's soul whimpered at even the sound of his name. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd failed him. Maybe she hadn't been a good enough little sister. Hadn't given him enough time, awarded him enough understanding. Every time she felt Frankie drowning, she thought she'd been pulling him ashore, but maybe she'd been pushing him deeper under the waves. 

The weight of her phone was weirdly heavy in her pocket. She took it out, turning it over in her hands a few times as she deliberated, before finally pressing the button. As she'd expected, it went straight to voicemail, but that didn't matter. It didn't stop her from saying what she needed to. 

After a deep breath, she began. "Hey, Frankie, it's me. I know you don't want to see me right now, but I miss you. I hope you're okay, but um, I wanted you to know that I don't mind if you're not. Whatever's going on, you're still my big brother. It won't make me love you any less." She paused for a moment to catch her breath, a stray tear slipping down her cheek and landing softly on the pillow. "Call me. I just wanna hear your voice. Just call me."

******************