Crash

I love you

That night, Charles pulled out all the stops.

It took them a while to get back to the car, interviewers and fans stopping them every 3 metres to ask for a quick word or an autograph. Penelope lost track of the number of selfies she took and the number of young fans she hugged. She felt like she was at a premier or a meet and greet, only this wasn't her event. It struck her suddenly, just how big her career had gotten. She wasn't just a child actor anymore, she was a fully fledged actress and with that came a certain responsibility. She had a duty to the fans that followed her, to be a role model and show them what it was to be a good person. For the first time, with Charles by her side, she felt like maybe she could do just that. 

After what felt like forever, they finally made it. The entire journey, Charles seemed to be buzzing with an excitement that felt unrelated to his victory. Every now and then, he'd sneak a glance at her, turning away when she noticed him looking. 

Penelope's eyes narrowed as she tried to figure him out. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. 

"You have that look on your face, like you're up to something. I can tell."

"Who, me? No, of course not. You must be confused."

Penelope laughed in disbelief, pulling his Ferrari jacket around her shoulders. The action took her back to their first date, when he'd draped his dinner jacket around her after their swim in the pool. She still had it, hanging in the back of her wardrobe at home, the scrunched up slip of paper with his number scrawled across it still buried in the pocket. 

"I'm confused?" she asked with a playful smile. "Whatever, Leclerc."

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

When they got back to the hotel, Penelope still had the sense that something was off. Charles was still smiling to himself, but there was a nervous glimmer in his eyes, like he was trying to build up the courage to do something important. He walked slowly, like he was trying to buy time, making them stop and look out practically every window in the complex. 

"Charles," Penelope eventually said, tugging on his fingers as he tried to show her the flowers on a potted plant. "Is there something you wanna tell me?"

Again, he gave that same suspicious expression. "Me? No, no. Oh look! If you look past that building you can almost see the track."

"What's going on? You've been acting weird ever since we left."

Suddenly, she heard his phone buzz in his pocket. He must have heard it too, because he pulled it out faster than she'd ever seen him move. His eyes scanned the message before he turned to her, giving her a flirty grin. 

"Weird? Don't be stupid. Now come on, it's this way."

Penelope was so bewildered that she struggled to even form a reply. Now, he was like a man on a mission, leading the way as he marched them towards their hotel room. When they got to the door, he blocked the entrance. 

"Close your eyes," he instructed. 

"What?"

"Just close your eyes! I promise it'll be worth it."

"You're such a weirdo," she grumbled as she begrudgingly closed her eyes. Knowing her luck, he'd probably set up some strange driving simulator in the room so that he could scare the shit out of her again. 

Gently, he placed a tender hand on the small of her back, guiding her inside. The room had a different smell than before, like roses or flower petals. Soft music was playing, something romantic and mellow, like the score from a romance movie.