Apex | Charles Leclerc

Chapter 34

I just finished watching Kaleidoscope on Netflix and I definitely recommend you guys watch it!! 

Enjoy!

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May 22, 2025 - Monaco

I've always wondered how it'd feel like to stand on the edge of the tallest building in the world. Would it be frightening? Or would it be freeing? How would I feel when I looked down and tried to identify the tiny spots on the ground that were really people looking up? How would I feel when a breeze would pass by? How would I feel if I looked up, seeing that I was closer to the sky than anyone else?

Teetering on the edge has always been within my expertise, a move I always use when it comes to court hearings or settlements. I'd dangle a carrot in front of the person's face, making them think they were winning, until I pulled back and showed them who was really in control of the situation. Standing on the edge meant that there was always a line preventing me from taking another step– a line that could either lead to the best or the worst decision of my life.

Tonight, I crossed that line.

I laid beside Charles on my bed, with me lying on my front and him on his back. My fingers were drawing figures on his shoulder blade as we both came down from the high.

"Thank you." I whispered, realizing that I had been tracing the number sixteen on his skin. Charles' head turned to me with a mix of amusement and confusion on his face.

"Are you thanking me for the sex?" He asked and I didn't hesitate to slap his chest, smiling against the pillow as his body vibrated in laughter. "I mean, it was really good."

"Just good?" I asked, getting along with his teasing. His lips formed into a smirk, his body shifting so that he was propped up on his side, elbow being used for support.

I shivered when I felt his hand snake up my waist before landing on my back, fingers tracing my spine. "Should I be using the words earth shattering, mind blowing, and out of this world?" He teased and I rolled my eyes at him, sitting up and covering myself with the sheets. I leaned my back against the headboard and he followed, shoulders brushing against mine.

"The word great would've sufficed, but feel free to compliment me because this is a rare occurrence for you." I smirked at him and Charles only shook his head, keeping his mouth closed as he looked at me. I suddenly remembered what I was thanking him for, my gaze moving down to my lap as I played with my fingers. "I was thanking you for earlier. It won't happen again."

"What makes you think that?" He asked, placing a hand over my fingers and intertwining it with his. I didn't reply, knowing that there was no certainty that I wouldn't have another panic attack. I still don't know how to handle my grief. How am I going to control the attacks? "We're all a little broken, Nova. Being human grants us the benefit to do so."

"How are you broken then?" I asked, turning a bit to face him and it was his turn to look away. There's a chance that he would brush off my question and completely shut down, but I hope he won't. I want to know more about him– both good and bad.

Charles sighed before running a hand through his hair, his other hand still linked with mine. "You probably don't know this since you're knowledge about my public life can be fit inside a teaspoon." He brushed off my glare with a tight smile, continuing a few seconds later. "I lost my godfather when I was seventeen. I lost my father when I was nineteen." My lips parted in shock as he spoke in a low voice and I was about to speak when he opened his mouth again. "And I lost one of my closest friends when I was twenty-one."