Lock Up ⏐Charles Leclerc

Chapter 74

I made a mistake of counting wrong and this is the second to the last chapter before the epilogue 👀 which I am already writing as I post this.

Enjoy!

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Charles has been doing well during the first two practice sessions, staying within the top three. I still haven't given him the second helmet since I was planning to give it today during his dad's first death anniversary.

We were both quiet as we had breakfast in the room since I ordered room service instead of letting him roam around downstairs at the buffet with so much going on in his head. He's been quiet the entire time but when he kissed my forehead and gave me a smile, I knew he was going to be okay. He was set to leave in an hour so I chose this time to bring out the box identical to the one from Japan.

When he saw me walking towards him with it, Charles chuckled and shook his head. "I had a feeling you were going to do this."

"Your mom helped with the design." I said as I set the box down in front of him and moved my chair so I was sitting closer. Charles looked at me surprised before opening the box. I watched closely, elbows leaning on the table and cheek leaning on my hand as he removed the cover.

As soon as he pulled it out, you could already see his eyes turning glassy. The helmet was free of any sponsor logos or symbols apart from the Ferrari logo on top. The base was entirely white with his number placed on top underneath a small Monaco flag unlike the one he usually had which formed a strip in the middle of the helmet. The date of Hervé's birth and death were at the bottom with the word 'papa' just like he always includes in his helmet designs, the words he and Jules shared placed by the visor instead of the back. It was the single line that took up most of the helmet's body that made Charles speechless.

When I reached out to Pascale, I had a different design sketched up but I didn't feel like it was the one I wanted to give to Charles. Don't get me wrong, the design was good and I still kept it for his future races but it didn't feel like it was the design he needed on this specific day. It was when Pascale showed me a painting that she had at her house that I knew what the right design was.

From the right side of the visor until the other end on the left, a single red line was placed– the last few heartbeats of Hervé Leclerc.

Charles couldn't keep it in anymore and a single tear fell down his cheek. I stood up and stopped behind him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders as Charles held on to me. "Shh, I'm here." I whispered as he leaned back and I placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "It was never my intention to make you cry." Charles let out tight laugh as he wiped his face.

"I think we both know I was bound to shed at least one tear today." He said, tapping my arm and sighing deeply. "This is one of the best gifts I've ever received." Charles said and he pulled my arm so that he'd be able to see me, standing up and wrapping his arms around me for a hug. "Thank you for everything, Valentine."

Charles wore the helmet for his last practice session, the people watching immediately noticing. It was the second most talked subject since Daniel released news of his leave and engagement yesterday. Social media was going crazy with everything happening in Abu Dhabi which meant the interviews the boys were having were longer and more intense. Contract announcements were also made with Alex moving to AlphaTauri, Pierre to Red Bull, and Checo to Alpine since it was announced that Daniil would not be coming back next season.

I was watching qualifying with Isa at the Ferrari garage alongside the Leclerc brothers. Pascale had decided to watch at the motorhome with Carlos' parents who were here as well. Charles was having problems when he drove to the straights, saying that he needed to have more speed if he wanted to stay ahead of Ace. Based on the points, Charles would need to finish in at least second place to win the championship while Ace needed to win the race for him to have his first driver's championship.