𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙 - Charles Leclerc (CL16) [Book 1]

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚢

I'm in the bakery serving customers alone today, Flora is in class and Raegan won't be back until later today. She headed back to England with Lando for a couple of days after Qatar as he needed to go to the technology centre and she decided to visit her family.

The further away from summer we get, the quieter the bakery gets. Taylor Swift is playing quietly in the background and I'm giving the counter a clean.

The bell rings to announce a customers arrival and I look up and see Carmen walking towards me with her signature smile on her face.

"Hello lovely!" I greet her, and go round the other side of the counter to give her a hug.

"Hey Li, how are you?" she returns the hug.

I offer her a coffee and cannoli and we take a seat in the bakery, it's a quiet day okay? I'm allowed a break. We chat for around half an hour, where she updates me on her work, George and everything that has been going on around them. It's pretty calm, they are very happy and just enjoying life at the moment.

"Are you busy after work?" she asks before getting up to leave.

"I have a date with Damon Salvatore, but otherwise I am free!"

She laughs, "A very important date of course. G and I are organising a group to go to an escape room - do you fancy it?"

"OH MY GOD, I love an escape room. Count me in!"

I am so there, escape rooms are my THING. When I was a teenager in Italy, me ande and my friends completed all the escape rooms available in my town. I'd consider myself an expert by this point.

"Oh amazing! We're looking at booking for around 7pm, it isn't far from here - I'll text you and confirm?"

I agree, and say goodbye before returning to work with a pep in my step. I love an escape room.

The rest of the afternoon drags, with little customers and my cleaning all done I'm just sat waiting for the day to finish.

Carmen texts to confirm they have booked the escape room for 7pm that evening, and said they will meet me at the bakery as they will walk past anyway.

I sit in the office and touch up my hair and makeup. I try to do some work, but I am just so excited. It has been so nice the past few months getting to know more of Raegan's friends so I don't feel alone in France. Before now I would have just returned home and sat rewatching one of my favourite TV shows.

After a while I look at the clock, and notice it is 6.55pm. I decide to lock up and head outside to wait for them to approach.

I'm perched against the small wall around the outside area of the bakery, when I see three people approaching me. Carmen... George...

... and Charles.

I haven't seen him since that day on the boat. I mean, we haven't really spoken to be completely honest, he has text a few times but it has just been polite conversation.

He is wearing dark jeans and a grey sweatshirt, with glasses on.

I can feel my heart start to pound, and I look down at my feet.

He looks good.

The last time I saw him, we fucked in the linen closet of Max's boat before going back out to our friends and pretending nothing happened. He has been in Qatar almost since that day.

And now here I am, stood outside the bakery with him walking towards me.

I should be chill, I have a date with Nicolas at the weekend.