ma chérie | cl16

chapter twenty-seven

The sun's rays invaded Adeline's peaceful slumber. She blinked several times, gradually adapting to the glaring brightness, and released a sleepy yawn. Unaware of the exact time, she was certain that it wasn't too late. Her internal alarm clock had always woken her up before 7 a.m.

Adeline realized that her head was resting upon something firm but soft at the same time. It was Charles' naked chest, and a smile crept onto Adeline's face as she gazed at his peacefully sleeping face. He looked so adorable. She wished she could simply grab his face and kiss him.

His presence was so soothing, so comforting. Every brush of his touch resembled the gentle warmth of the sun lighting up her world. Even though there were so many things they needed to discuss, and Adeline was more than afraid of it, she felt at peace.

Charles beamed, his lips curving into a smile. "Are you staring at me?" His emerald eyes sparkled as he peered down at the cascade of Adeline's golden locks.

"Don't flatter yourself," Adeline let out a chuckle, dropping her chin onto Charles' shoulder.

"You're still staring, though," Charles smirked at Adeline, who rolled her eyes at him, but then she shrugged her shoulders with a smile lingering on her lips.

"I am," she admitted as she succumbed to her intrusive thought, allowing her finger to playfully poke into Charles' dimples. "Sorry, I've always wanted to do that."

"You can do whatever you want with me," Charles said with amusement dancing in his eyes. He was unable to tear his gaze away from the blonde woman snuggling to him.

He had been dreaming about this moment for such a long time. The thought of waking up beside her, embracing her with a kiss, and feeling her touch had been consuming him. From the very first time he had laid eyes on Adeline at the café, her grumpy expression captivating him, he couldn't help but immediately catch feelings for her. He adored that grumpy face of hers. But right now, seeing her brimming with joy and radiance; he adored that face even more.

"I'm planning to do a lot of things with you," Adeline teased, raising an eyebrow playfully. Charles gently rested his hand on her bare back.

"I hope so. I'm planning to do a lot of things with you, too," Charles responded, allowing his fingers to trail along her back, feeling the warmth and softness of her skin.

As Charles caressed Adeline's back, he noticed the texture of her scars. Approximately ten scars adorned her skin, their healed nature making them softer compared to the surrounding skin. Charles recalled Adeline's story about falling off the horse, but he also knew that Pierre had denied it. There were two options. Either Pierre was unaware of Adeline riding a horse, although it seemed unlikely, or Adeline had simply made up the story. And Charles was scared to ask; it was too soon, anyway. He didn't want to mess anything up. And honestly, he was scared to find out the truth.

"What time is it?" Charles widened his eyes, remembering that it was Friday. The day of qualification.

Adeline rolled up to the side, grabbing her phone from the nightstand. "It's half past six. You need to go get prepared, right?"

She didn't want Charles to leave her hotel room—ever. She somehow liked this bubble. They didn't need to hide, and they didn't need to talk about anything. However, Adeline knew that they had to step out of their bubble. Charles had an important race ahead of him. She knew that leaving the bubble would eventually lead to a conversation about their... situation.

"Yeah, I need to go eat some breakfast, and then I need to go to the track," Charles sighed, gazing into Adeline's deep green eyes. "Will you join me for the breakfast?"