Apex | Charles Leclerc

Chapter 69

As promised :)

Enjoy!

*****

May 03, 2028 - France

"What did you just say?" I asked in a low voice, my hands still holding the sides of his face as I felt a mixture of both fear and excitement brewing inside me, although the excitement is definitely stronger.

I always knew that there was a possibility that he wouldn't remember anything and day by day, I've pushed myself to accept that they will never come back. It's been months since the accident and there have been a lot of times where I had to remind him about stuff because he no longer held the memories to know them.

Hope is a scary thing to have because it can easily slip away from your fingers. It's part of human nature to hope for the best possible outcome, but when you've seen and experienced the things that I have, hope felt like a luxury.

"I remember the crash and a few more things."

I stared at Charles for another few seconds before grabbing the nearest pillow and hitting him in the head. "And you're only telling me this now?" I glared at him, noticing that he was far from offended by the hit. He was even smiling, eyes moving around my face before meeting my own.

"They were just the little things." Charles shrugged, leaning back and using his right hand for support while the other settled on top of my thigh.

"For someone who had a memory loss, remembering the little things is big. What do you remember?"

Charles bit his lip, eyes glazing over as I watched him literally organize his thoughts. I could feel my body buzzing, eager to know what he's remembered. It felt selfish to hope that most of the things he remembers were about me.

"I remember you smoking. We were on a terrace and if I'm not wrong, I think it was Jimmy'z?" He asked and I nodded my head. "Then there was winning in Monaco, book shopping, and then St. Tropez with Max and Daniel. You already told me about that summer trip we took with the guys and I've rewatched the Monaco race, but I don't get the book shopping. Have you turned me into a bookworm?"

"What exactly do you remember about that?" I asked him.

"I just got a glimpse of me pushing a pile of books and paying for it."

"You bought them for me." I smiled, moving my hands down so that they settled by his shoulders. "I was choosing which one to get when you swooped in and bought all of it. Turns out, chivalry was still very much alive." Charles rolled his eyes and pinched my hip, moving forward as I planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

I was surprised when Charles pulled me forward completely, arms wrapping around the middle of my body as he nuzzled his face into my neck. "This is scary." He murmured, breath tickling my skin.

"I know, but at least we know stating facts work. I just hope you don't get another panic attack."

"I wasn't talking about that." I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion and pulled away, wanting to see his face.

"What then?"

"What if I don't remember anything else? I'm scared that all I'll remember are the little things, or maybe none. I don't know how I'm going to live my life knowing I lost three years."

I sighed and brushed away the few strands of hair that were too long now. Charles' eyes were filled with sadness and I have the need to do everything I can to change that. "We'll be okay."

He shook his head and closed his eyes. "You won't. I hate how painful this must be for you. I wish things were back to how they were before."

"Charles, do you know how happy I am right now?"