Rêveries

Chapter 45.

When I wake up the next time, it's because Pascale comes in to take my temperature before she goes to work. She tells me to call her if I need her and she'll come home, but she's ordered Arthur to stay home and Lorenzo to come over with lunch, because we can't trust Arthur with making food. She makes me take more anti-inflammatory painkillers and drink some water, then she lets me fall back asleep.

I fall in and out of sleep all day, reading when I'm awake, eating when Lorenzo brings me lunch and takes the painkillers on a schedule that Arthur has on his phone. In the afternoon I wake up to a text from Charles. It's a picture of him and Seb getting ready to do a challenge together. I ask him how it went and he immediately replies with how bad it went for him. Seb is too good at things like that. Then he also sends me a picture of his own face on a billboard. It feels mad to see.

When he gets back in the evening he comes in with a Ferrari bag. He places it on my bed and then walks out of the room, standing in the door instead. I chuckle and climb up to the bag. I look inside it and just look up at him smiling proudly when I realize what it is. I take out the Ferrari cap with the number sixteen on it. The next thing I pull out is a Ferrari t-shirt with all the sponsors on it. And then there's a jacket in it that has his signature and number printed on the arm.

"Il faudra attendre un peu pour l'utiliser," You'll have to wait a bit to use that one, he says and motions towards the jacket. I look up at him with a big smile on my face and put the things aside on the bed. I'm about to stand up and go over to kiss him, but I remember that I can't and I frown.

"J'espère pouvoir porter ces deux-là dimanche," I hope I can wear these two on Sunday, I say and pick up the shirt and the cap. I put the cap on and fix my hair a little.

"Ne s'améliore pas?" Not improving? he asks, leaning his shoulder on the doorframe.

"Je suis descendu à 38,8 degrés," I've gone down to 38.8 degrees, I tell him and his face turns hopeful. I just took painkillers though, so in about two hours I will probably feel run over by a truck again.

"Tu iras bien d'ici dimanche j'en suis sûr," You'll be fine by Sunday I'm sure, he says with a smile. I nod and then sigh as my shoulders fall a little.

"Je veux être bien d'ici vendredi," I want to be fine by Friday, I say.

"Les vendredis ne sont même pas si excitants," Fridays aren't even that exciting, he shakes his head, but I'm upset that I'm even missing the media on Thursday. I don't want to miss a single part about his home race weekend. It's Monaco. It's one of the most important races and it's so special for him and all the other drivers too. I want to be there.

"Tu n'es pas censé être ici, perds-toi," You're not supposed to be here, get lost, Lorenzo says when he shows up behind Charles. He slaps Charles' shoulder and walks in with a plate that he brings over to me. I put the merch Charles got me into the bag and I put it down on the floor so I won't spill. Lorenzo looks at it and laughs a little, turning back to Charles. "Je t'ai dit de sortir d'ici," I told you to get out of here, he says to him, who hasn't moved a muscle since Lorenzo walked in.

Charles sends him a sour glance and then walks away again. Lorenzo walks around the bed and sits on the bed as I start to dig into the pasta blanco he just brought me. He looks into the bag at the stuff that Charles bought me and just snickers to himself. He places the cap back on my head and I try not to think panic thoughts like: Does he think it's weird? Is he on to us? Is this normal for us?

"C'est comme s'il voulait tomber malade," It's like he wants to get sick, he scoffs as he shakes his head, "Il est impossible de le garder hors d'ici, qu'avez-vous fait?" It's impossible to keep him out of here, what have you done? he asks, and even though he had a joking tone to his voice, I still felt panic through my whole body. I look up, my mouth full of food.