DNF - c.l [1]

19:00

The drive way was packed, with every luxury and hyper car you could think of, parked around the fountain in the middle of the drive way.

Men in black tux's and women in elegant evening dresses stood around the door way of the house, a three story modern mansion based in the hills of Barcelona.

Handing the keys to the valet, I thank him, passing him two extra 50 euro notes as I grab my phone from the centre console.

"Wow," Dee says as we ruffle out our dress before stepping through the door way.

An ice sculpture laid in the middle of the foyer, alongside the 1st place trophy Lewis had won today, with a fancy buffet to the side, everything in here looked expensive. 

"There's my favourite girl," George says, kissing me on the cheek as we make our way out into the back yard.

"You look ravishing," he says and I almost blush, "you clean up well too," I say.

"I'll go and grab you a drink," he says to Dee and I, disappearing into the crowd. Dee and I take a seat at the small table, opposite Lando, Daniel, Alex and Lily.

"How long have you guys been here?" I ask Lily, "only since 7PM but there was already a hundred people here when we arrived," she smiles.

"Good evening lads and ladies," Pierres voice almost makes me jump as he rounds the table.

I had done a good job of avoiding him and his texts for the past two weeks, not wanting to hear anymore excuses. 

"This is Kika," he speaks again, I turn to look, seeing the gorgeous girl on his arm, not shocked. 

"Pleasure," I say, as we shake hands, she smiles back at me, she had the perfect teeth and face to be seen with Pierre. 

"Is Charles here yet?" he asks, I'm not too sure who to because I will not be speaking to him and I don't think the boys are too happy with him after what happened in Monaco. 

There's an award silence, no one saying anything as Pierre looks around the table, waiting for someone to reply. 

Lando takes a sip of his drink, realising he's ran out and the loud sucking sound from his straw being the only sound to leave the table.

"Well, I guess we'll go find him," he says, putting a hand on Kika's back, guiding her back into the party.

We all burst out laughing after he was out of ear range, Daniel pointing at Lando, "you had to make a sound with your straw didn't you," he says, almost crying from laughing so hard, Lando covering his face as he lets out a screech.

"What did I miss?" George says, placing a drink down in front of Dee and I, only making Lando and Daniel laugh more. "What? is there something on my face?" George frantically asks, gaining a snort from me as I watch the boys laugh.

"Well I've found Charles," Dee says, pointing into the sea of people in the back yard.

He stood on his own, leaning on the glass fence at the end of the garden, smoking a cigarette with a glass in his other hand, looking out across the city below.

He was wearing a Navy coloured suit, with no tie, the buttons at the top undone exposing his chain he was wearing. His hair hadn't been cut in a while, a little longer than he usually kept it, but it suited him.

"Stare a bit longer and people are going to think you actually like him," Dee whispers into my ear as I notice I was looking for a bit too long. 

"Excuse me," I clear my throat, excusing myself from the table as I walk across the lawn toward Charles.

I stand next to him, placing my hands onto the glass fence, the night air brushing my hair back over my shoulders. He doesn't say anything as we stand in silence for a few moment, listening to the music playing from back inside the house and the subtle chatter of those around us.

He takes one last inhale of the cigarette, before flicking it off into the valley below, placing his hand back on the glass fence a little too close to mine I could reach out and touch him.

"Sei bellissima," he says and I can't stop myself from smiling, "thank you amor," I say, looking at him and giving him a warm smile.

"How are you feeling?" I ask him, turning my back to the fence so I was facing the rest of the party, stretching my arms out behind me.

"Defeated, but that doesn't matter anymore," he replies, taking another sip from his drink, turning his body to face me.

"And why doesn't it matter anymore?" I ask him, taking a step closer to him so my chest was now on his, his arm almost wrapped around me as he has it placed on the fence still.

The liquid courage was really getting to me, as I didn't know what I was doing, I was just doing it. His hand traces up my arm, leaving my skin hot and the pit in my stomach opening up again. He cups the side of my face, looking me in my eyes as he smirks.

He briefly looks past me for a moment, furrowing his eyebrows, I try to turn my head to see what he's looking at, but the hold he has on my face stops me. 

"It doesn't matter because you're here now," he says, dropping his head to my ear, his lips barely brushing my skin, making the hair on my arms stand up, closing my eyes.

He lets his lips linger there for a moment, teasing me, he knew what I wanted the minute I walked over here, but he was playing hard to get.

I wrap my arms around his neck in hopes he would just do it, not caring who was around us anymore.

He pulls away, clearing his throat, pulling my arms away from him.

"Not now amor," he says lowly, dropping his hand from my face, leaving me feeling cold and lead on as he walks back into the crowd of people.

"What's his problem?" Lewis stalks over to me as I watch Charles disappearing into the crowd, "honestly, I don't know anymore, but if he wants to play that game I'm all for it," I say, pissed off with Charles.

"You know back in Monaco when you asked me about thinking you're getting through to someone and they pull away," Lewis asks me, jogging my memory back to that dreadful night.

"Was that about Charles?" he asks me and I look away sheepishly, embarrassed how he's caught on.

"I don't understand him," I say to Lewis, looking at everyone around emerged in conversations of their own, suddenly feeling the cold night air now Charles wasn't around.

"Like I said Madeline, put yourself first."