Lock Up ⏐Charles Leclerc

Chapter 68

I wrote two chapters today so expect a double update tonight 😉

Enjoy!

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I couldn't help but grin as I walked through the paddock with Riley, Maria, and Savannah— all three girls hiding their giddiness. When I arrived for qualifying, I immediately looked for them by the entrance, the three paddock passes in my bag. They crossed the barricade after I informed security in case they think they're forcing their way in.

Since not all of them were Ferrari fans, I asked Daniel if he would be open to meeting a fan and he agreed. I can't wait to see Riley's face once she meets her favorite driver. As for Savannah, I wasn't close enough with Max or Checo so Pierre offered to bring Savannah there after letting her go by the AlphaTauri garage. It warms my heart that they would shave off a bit of their time to show the girls around but then I remember that these boys have great respect for their fans knowing the support they give them on the track.

Maria stayed with me as we entered the Ferrari garage, seeing Isa by Carlos' side. "Hey, who's this?" She smiled as Carlos moved to Oñoro, his cousin and manager.

"I'm Maria." She replied and Isa offered her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Maria." The shyness that Maria held lessened as Isa engaged her in a conversation. Turns out, Maria was fluent in Spanish because of her father's heritage and I let her talk to Isa. Carlos joined a few minutes later after hearing his mother tongue being spoken.

While the three talked, I went over to where Charles was. He was sitting by the corner where his helmets were placed, back leaning against the wall and one knee bent as his foot was placed on the counter. His eyes were trained on a blue notebook that I've seen him holding before qualifying and races while a pen was held between his lips.

"Leclerc." I smiled and Charles glanced up from his notebook, eyes brightening at the sight of me and removing the pen from his mouth.

"Hey." He said, putting down the notebook and opening his arms. I stepped into his space and his arms wrapped around my waist while mine settled over his shoulders. Charles' legs were opened as well but they weaved around my hips, making me laugh as he squeezed me. "I missed you."

"You literally saw me this morning." I said and made a move to pull away but he tightened his arms around me. "Leclerc." I laughed and I felt his chest shake against me in laughter as well.

"I can't miss my girlfriend?" He asked, finally loosening his hold but I still stayed in front of him.

"You can but you don't need to squeeze the life out of me." I held his chin and stood on my tiptoes for a few seconds to kiss him. "A simple kiss would suffice." I winked at him and Charles smiled.

"I'll take note of that." He said, kissing my cheek before picking up the notebook again. Since he was now back to his quali mode, I made a move to sit on the bench just a few feet away when Charles pulled my hand. "Where are you going?"

I pointed to the bench. "To sit down."

"Are you tired?"

"I was just going to give you some space to focus."

Charles jumped off the counter and looked around the garage. Without saying a word, he grabbed one of the chairs that the mechanics would sit on during the race and carried it to where I was before jumping on the counter. It wasn't that high so when I sat down, my head was just by his ribs.

As Charles went back to reading his notebook, I let my eyes wander around the garage, his fingers combing through my hair. People were walking all around, mechanics surrounding the car as they made some last minute changes to fit the data they collected from the last practice session this morning.