Book 1: Leap of Faith -Charles Leclerc

Chapter 7

Chapter 7: March 11th, 2023

Caroline was never the type of girl to pursue what she wanted, she much preferred to sit back and let herself overthink it enough to end it all. But she decided that this was a new Caroline, a more French Caroline, who was sexy and sophisticated and wasn't afraid to ask men on dates.

"Okay, maybe not a date. Just a casual friend... hang? Not a date though. He only kisses me when he's drunk, which, like, doesn't even count for anything."

At least this is what she told herself all day, working up the nerve to text Charles. Even if it wasn't a date, she just wanted to spend time with him as she really enjoyed his company. It was her lunch break and she knew that this was the right time to do it so that she wouldn't be checking her phone every 30 seconds to see if he responded. She took a deep breath, clicking open her phone.

Hi! Busy tonight?: Caroline

She decided to leave out any further details, opting to keep it vague instead for the first time in her life. Caroline threw her phone onto the desk as if it was on fire, letting it lay there while she finished her lunch. Without checking it, she got up to get through the rest of the day, letting the thought linger in the back of her brain.

Caroline grabbed her phone at the end of the day, wincing as she turned it over. Nothing.

"NOTHING?!" she thought to herself, letting the emotions wash over her. Sadness, anger, frustration- it all seemed to pile on top of her as she grabbed the rest of her stuff. It was a familiar sting of rejection, a feeling she practically lived in after Thomas. Just as she was locking up the building, she felt her phone buzzing in her hand. Her heart skipped a beat, hoping for what her brain knew wasn't a reality. She didn't check it for a minute, letting her heart catch up to her brain. When she turned it over, she saw that it was just a group chat message from Lily, detailing the cheese she had bought that day.

"See? I told you, he clearly doesn't want to see you. You just need to take it on the chin and get over it. The boat and the hallway were drunken mistakes," Caroline thought to herself. Her internal dialogue quieted down in her head as she took the walk home without calling him, opting to stay in the present and enjoy the beautiful scenery around her. It was finally starting to warm up in Monaco, and Caroline enjoyed the brisk walk. She smiled at the stunning views, as they never ceased to bring her out of her head. At this moment, she felt so lucky to be here, men be damned. Almost as if he knew what she was thinking, Caroline felt her phone buzz.

CL: Hello! Sorry I was streaming with some of the guys. I am not busy tonight, what do you have in mind?

And with one sentence, Caroline was back in her feelings.

It's a beautiful night, drinks and a walk around town? There's a restaurant I'm dying to go to. :Caroline

Caroline had read about this place on Tripadvisor for weeks, but it was too 'date-y' for her to go alone. Her outfit was already planned out by the time she had finished reading the reviews. She was back to her old tricks, letting her brain play out a situation before the opportunity to actually have the experience presented itself in real life. But now, it was really a possibility.

CL: Sounds incredible. 8pm, I'll pick you up?

Perfect :) :Caroline

**

A few hours later, Caroline was standing outside her door, trying to look casually at her phone while she was secretly trying not to throw up. She had changed her outfit a thousand times, eventually landing on a casual sundress with wedges. She left her hair down, knowing she would need something to help cover the blushing that would come from her face. Still choking down her nausea, she watched as Charles pulled up in his Ferrari 488 Pista Spider. As gorgeous as he normally was, that didn't even hold a candle to how sexy he looked behind the wheel of that car with a hand casually thrown over the steering wheel. He smiled as he approached her door, the car coming to a light grumble as he stopped.