IL PREDESTINATO | Charles Leclerc |

Chapter 12

August 13th, 2021, Rubiera, Italy.

Christina couldn't sleep that day. She pulled an all nightery, and at 6 a.m., she was up and running. Literally running. Shadow needed to have his walk, and she needed to blow off some steam.

"Okay, off you go," she said as she released Shadow and allowed him to go to the garden. Christina sat on the porch to catch her breath. Running with Shadow was really tiring.

"Little dancer"

She turned to look at the other porch, the one beside hers, and there he was. Her neighbor was sitting there, looking like he had just woken up. A small smirk on his lips as he looked at her.

"Can I help you?" she asked. "Can you stop breathing so loud? There's no reason for you to be running at 6am," he stated, bringing his hand to his face, wiping that sleepy look. "Why are you running at 6 am, little dancer?

"I needed to walk Shadow, so I did it now that the sun isn't fully out. Plus fitness program for work, " she explained.

"I could've joined you. My job makes me run, but I'm not a psycho doing it at 6 am." Charles replies, leaning against the rails. "I don't even know you,"

"Yes, you do. I'm piano boy, your neighbor."

"Okay, but I know nothing about you. What you do, or your favorite color, or even your name!" she said, finally getting off the floor.

"But you don't need to know my name or what I do. I'm piano boy from Monaco, and my favorite color is red, " Charles replied, smiling down at her. "That was the least important of the three"

During that time, Charles had gone down his stairs and up hers. Now sitting beside her as they talked.

"My turn, what's your favorite color?" he asked.

"Green," she replied as they looked at each others' eyes. The corners of his lips curled up. His eyes were green. "How old are you?

"24. You?" he asked back."21"

"Why are you here alone? Charles asked once more. "I'm not alone, I have Shadow" Christina replied, trying to avoid actually answering.

"Would you like to come inside?" she offered, heading towards the door of her house. "But I don't even know you," Charles joked, laughing as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Coffee?" she asked him as they walked inside the kitchen. "Sure," he replied, taking a seat before he looked at her confused. "You don't drink coffee."

"I don't," Christina replied, surprised that he remembered. "Then why do you have coffee?"

"The owner filled the cabinets with some supplies before I came." Christina was quick to go make him a cup.

"Do you stare like that at everyone you meet?" Christina asked him as she could feel his gaze glued at her. Measuring all of her moves.

"No, but I also don't walk into their houses." Charles replied cheekily. "Yeah, because you're the one concerned of stranger danger." she rolled her eyes at him as she pulled the bottle of juice out of the fridge while waiting for his coffee to get ready.

"Hey! You were the one stalking me through my window. Not the other way around!" Charles exclaimed, pretending to be offended. "You literally kidnapped me!"

"I gave you a lift back home," he corrected her. "Whatever rocks your boat"

"How do you want your coffee?" she asked him, taking the cup in her hands. "Could you put a third of the mug milk?"

"So specific."

"You asked me!" they laughed. Christina passed him his coffee before taking a seat as well. "Questions?"