Crash

Jeddah

Penelope spent the next few days avoiding her phone.

By the time the weekend rolled around, she had countless missed calls and texts and voice messages, all of them stemming from Carlisle. She didn't need to answer them in order to know what they'd say. She could picture the abundance of yelling and cursing and general telling off that she'd receive if she made any effort to pick up. She was almost certain that Jasper had gone straight to their coach after their fight, and she just didn't care enough to pay attention. 

Anyways, she had a plane to catch. The flight to Saudi Arabia was a long one, and she spent most of it either sleeping or watching the qualifying recap on her phone. Charles had come in second, which seemed to make him pretty happy. She watched the interviews after the race, smiling to herself every time he came on screen. He'd sent her a million messages, buzzing about the drive, blissfully unaware of how her own career was falling apart just as his was flourishing. 

It wasn't that Penelope was scared to tell Charles what happened with Jasper. She knew that he was the type of guy to support whatever decision she made, but she also knew that he wouldn't let her just quit without a fight. 

But she also knew that she was too stubborn to go back on her decision right away. They'd end up arguing for hours, neither of them willing to give in, and she didn't want that. The last thing she needed was another lecture from someone who thought they knew best.

Thus, Penelope's plan was simple. She just wouldn't tell Charles about what happened, and that way there was no issue. He would be able to focus on the race at hand and she could just sit back and watch. Then, when they were back in L.A. and the dust had settled between her and Jasper, she'd tell him she was quitting. Maybe it could even be a good thing for them. No more skating meant a lot more free time for her to travel to Monaco, or audition for film roles based in Europe or something. You could even say that she wasn't giving up on her career, she was just...prioritising her relationship.

Perhaps if she told herself that enough she'd actually start to believe it.

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

The atmosphere in Jeddah was just as electric as Bahrain. Crowds of people lined the streets, sitting under sun umbrellas, chatting about race predictions or cheering support to drivers as they started to file in. It was vibrant and exciting and full of life, and it was almost enough to make her forget about her problems completely.

Unfortunately, life wasn't going to let Penelope off that easily. Granted, she wasn't trying to hide from the press today, but they found her quicker than she'd hoped. As soon as she emerged from the black car that Ferrari had sent to pick her up from the airport, she heard people calling her name. Penelope was a good sport, waving to the cameras and smiling for pictures just as she'd been so well trained to do. The intern that had been sent to escort her to the paddock scurried close behind, meekly telling her that they had to be there within the next half an hour or she'd miss her boyfriend completely.

"Penelope!" a male voice called to her right. He was accompanied by a camera and a Sky Sports logo, and she knew she had to stop. This interview was probably live or at least close to airing, and if she carried on past, she ran the risk of being labelled as 'too important to speak'. Not shockingly, she didn't fancy getting cancelled on Twitter this weekend. 

"Hi," she smiled, adjusting the VIP pass hanging around her neck. She'd stayed true to her word, wearing the short, white summer dress that Charles had told her he liked many, many times. She looked pretty, put together, maintaining the image of the A-list celebrity she'd built over the years. She wasn't stupid, she knew her presence at the races was a big deal. Despite that, she didn't want anything she did to distract from the job Charles had to do. This was his thing, and she wanted to be able to support him regardless of who they were.

"Welcome to Jeddah!" the man mused, gesturing to their surroundings like he was some kind of tour guide. "How are you liking it so far?"

"Oh, it's amazing," she said. "It's so exciting to see everyone and of course it should be an exciting race."

The interviewer raised an eyebrow. "Certainly. Hoping for another red win this weekend?"

Penelope laughed, keeping it lively. She had to play this right. "I'll proud of Charles no matter what happens on the grid, but I think if he was here, he would say yes. They're gonna give it their all, so let the best man win."

"And you think that man is your boyfriend?"

Penelope winked at the camera as she turned away. "Obviously."

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

The rest of the walk went just as smoothly. She did a few more interviews, took a lot of pictures. The intern kept checking her watch like it was the countdown counter on a bomb, and eventually Penelope started to get a move on. She was buzzing to see Charles, and she didn't want to be late and miss him before the race. 

As they got closer to the paddock, she started to pick out familiar faces. She saw Lewis breeze past, giving her a warm smile and a wave. The two McLaren drivers were laughing with each other outside their offices, a small circle of mechanics watching on. The fun didn't seem to last for long though, one of the windows on the second floor flying open as a middle-aged man with greying hair yelled at them to get their asses to the pits.  

Penelope heard Charles before she saw him. She could hear him talking to his assistant, asking questions as she nodded attentively. 

"You're sure she's here? Who did you send?" he was saying, his brow furrowed as he leaned against the railings. 

"The new girl, Lexi. She sent a message saying they were five minutes away. I sent over VIP passes so access isn't a problem. They probably just got held up."

"Can you find her, please? I want to see her before the race."

Penelope waved as her eyes met his assistant's. She nudged Charles arm, pointing in Penelope's direction. As soon as he saw her, his eyes lit up, like she was the only thing in the entire world that could make him that happy. 

"You talking about me?" Penelope grinned as she held her arms out, Charles hugging her tightly before kissing her, then hugging her again. She closed her eyes, shutting everything else out and focusing solely on this moment. Despite being half way across the world, she was home. 

"You're here!" he exclaimed, his hands in her hair like he was scared to let go. "I was worried I was going to miss you."

Penelope kissed the tip of his nose. "I got held up, but everything's fine I promise. How are you? Are you excited?"

"It's gonna be a tough race. But it should be fun. You watching from the paddock?"

"Yeah. I get so nervous though I can barely watch."

That seemed to amuse him, smiling as he laced his arms around her waist. "I promise I'll be careful."

"It's not funny! I don't think I'll ever watch a race where I don't spend the whole time worrying."

"I know the feeling. I've been in a car when you're driving. It's scary stuff."

Penelope wasted no time in hitting him, shooting him the dirtiest look she could manage. He chuckled as he kissed her, squeezing her hand. "I have to go," he told her. "I love you!"

"Yeah, yeah. Love you too."

He turned away but stopped himself before he could take a step, suddenly pulling her close to him. "By the way," he murmured, his lips brushing against her ear. "You look really hot in that dress."

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