Burning Heart // CL16

Twenty One

"So this is your place?" Charles asks as he looks around the living room of my flat and I just nod as I turn my attention to the dog that was sat next to me on the sofa, trying not to panic as he lets himself fall onto the grey suede L shape sofa that was one of my most prized possessions - the first expensive thing I ever bought for myself. He's difficult to ignore though, now dressed in grey sweats and a simple black t-shirt, hair still slightly wet from the shower that I offered him when he arrived forty minutes after me and with a cap and glasses to cover his eyes to try and disguise himself from others in my building.

I don't really know how we ended up here but I was okay with it, having spent twenty minutes consoling Charles on a race well fought I'd made an off the cuff comment and things had just spiralled.

"Ugh, I don't want to go back to Maranello...I'm so angry still. I'm happy for Carlos but I don't understand?!" He tells me frustratedly and I just nod and listen to the rant he's been on for the last ten minutes. It was easy with him right now, surprisingly so given how much tension there has all been, it feels like it has just melted away. We were still gravitating towards one another and I found myself just nodding when I was requested by Lucia once more to meet him in his room - now the tension was replaced with a sense of comfort and ease, both of us happy that this was sort of allowed even if we both knew it wasn't totally smart still.

"Why don't you just stay in the UK? Delay it and just head straight to Austria?" I suggest and he just laughs as he strips out of his race suit, purposefully slowly as he watches the way my eyes rake over his body, biting lightly on my lower lip as I watch him. His smirk lets me know that he's seen me and the way he pauses before getting dressed again let's me know he's enjoying my eyes on him.

"Where would I stay? I can't have a hotel selling the information to a magazine... especially not after Mattia telling me to stay calm is going viral," he whines and I can't help the snort that escapes me at the words as I flick through my own twitter feed and seeing the memes that back up what he is saying.

"Why not stay with a friend? Didn't you say that you have friends all over the world, surely you have one in London?" I ask haphazardly and only watch as he freezes midway through pulling his jeans on.

"Er, yeah...you..." he says sheepishly as he resumes pulling clothes on and a blush runs up my face as the words run around my head and a smile soon follows at the implication. Friends...

"Well, yeah, if you want?" I say before I can stop myself and see him look at me with a new smile across his face, mixed with some surprise but a lot of happiness as he nods quickly, not giving me the opportunity to rescind the offer. "I have a guest room," I mumble secondarily as I watch him turn away from me and check the outfit in the mirror, eyes flicking to me in the reflection and I see his head tilt to the side as his eyes meet mine in the reflection, clearly amused at my panic.

"Of course, principessa," he says softly, turning on his heels to squat down between my legs, resting his hands on my legs in a way that made my heart lurch in my chest at his smile and the look in his eyes. "Grazzi," he mutters before pressing a kiss to my cheek and I realise that the tension hadn't gone anywhere, it was just less guilt ridden. It was so much better and lighter. "I have an engineers meeting still but I'll let the team know that I'm not going back with them - that I need a break before Austria and then come to yours if you send me your details?"

"Sure...by the way, I know you're disappointed but you can do it Charles, I believe in you. You'll totally ruin the day for the Bulls at their home...promise," I say with a smile and he just nods, an affectionate smile coming over his face as he leaves the room, a clear spring in his step despite the poor race.