She's mine - Charles Leclerc

1.3

Race day - Las Vegas (race results are different from the real race)

"OK Charles, radio check," I hear Xavi's voice through my ear while looking at the engineers holding the wheel covers. "Copy," I reply. It's race day in Vegas, and there's a sense of excitement in the air since it's the first race since Zandvoort that Isa is attending. "Give everything, there are opportunities today," Xavi says, while I slip my gloves on my hand, getting in the zone.

"Okay, copy."

Before the race, Isa wished me luck. "I believe in you Charles, I think there's a win possible here. Just be careful," Isa said, giving me a comforting hug. "I'm always careful, and I'll give everything today," I reassured her, my heart beating a little faster. "Okay, I love you, Charles," she adds almost casually. Those words echo in my mind as I take my position on the starting grid. We're just friends, but why did it feel different this time?

*

The race has gone well so far, and I've managed to hold onto second place. The mechanics are on top of their game today, and the strategy is finally working. Verstappen is in the lead, but he's been handed a 5-second penalty for forcing me off the track earlier. If I play my cards right, a win might be possible. "Okay, Charles, last lap. Verstappen's only 5.7 seconds in front. Give it everything you've got," Xavi tells me through the radio.

"Copy."

I push hard, trying to make up for lost time. But in turn 5, I make a small mistake. "Fuck," I mutter under my breath. "Keep going, Charles. Verstappen's only 5.4 seconds in front," Xavi encourages me. I push the throttle as hard as I can, feeling my leg ache. As I cross the finish line, I'm flooded with relief. "P1, Charles, P1!" Xavi shouts over the radio. "Let's go, guys!" I exclaim, unable to contain my excitement.

It's hard to describe the feeling of winning, especially in a Redbull-dominated season. I jump out of the car and raise a fist in the air. I quickly do the weight check, and run to the team.

Jumping into the arms of your team must be one of the best feelings ever. Being part of Ferrari has always been my dream. Winning races with them is even better.

When I went past all the engineers, I see a very proud Isabella standing on the right side of my team. She embraces me and a tear escapes my eye. I pull back from the hug and Isa holds the sides of my helmet.

"I knew you could do it," she says, and she places a kiss on top of my helmet. My smile is so big that I'm sure she could see it reaching my eyes. I squeeze her shoulder and walk towards the interviewer.

"I knew you could do it," I said, watching the emotions rush through Charles's eyes. He had just won an amazing race, and I knew how much it meant to him, though probably not as much as his win in Monza. That was one for the history books.

I placed a kiss on Charles's helmet, and he squeezed my shoulder, his eyes sparkling with joy. His smile must have been huge under his helmet. Charles walked over to the interviewer.

"Hello, Charles. Your 9th win, how do you feel?" the interviewer asked, and Charles beamed.

"Yeah, amazing honestly. The team has pushed so hard the last few months, so it feels incredible that it's paying off."

"Can you talk us through the last lap?"

"Yeah, it was crazy. It was really tight with Max, and it took a big effort to close the gap, but with the help of my engineer and the hard work of the team, we succeeded in closing the gap, so that is nice."

"We're in Las Vegas. Are you going to celebrate your win?"

"I'm sure there will be a party. We'll see," Charles smiled, giving back the microphone and walking towards the cooldown room. I watched the screen and chatted with Andrea, who had come to stand next to me.

Checo walked onto the podium, followed by Max. The Red Bull team cheered, and I applauded the two drivers. Then Charles came running onto the podium, a proud smile filling his face. The Ferrari team roared, and I heard the crowd behind me cheering him on. It was incredible how many people supported him.

The trophies were handed out, and Charles raised his trophy into the air, pointing to the night sky, a small tear in the corner of his eye.

Did he just...?

I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw Lily standing behind me, softly smiling. I looked back at Charles on the podium, who was spraying champagne all over Max.

"Did he..." I mumbled, and Lily squeezed my shoulder in acknowledgement. "I think he did."

*

Charles is busy with his media duties while I'm sitting in his room, staring at the wall. I've been at home for more than two months, so 'being under the people' was something to get used to again. I decide to watch the broadcast channel to kill the boredom. Coincidentally it starts with an interview with Charles.

"Congratulations Charles, how are you feeling?" Will Buxton asks.
"Really happy. It was a great fight out there, and I'm happy that I can give this result to the team."
"It's your ninth win. Do you think there are more in the future for you?"
"I hope so. We'll see."
"On the podium, it looked like you pointed to the sky. Was there a special meaning behind that?"
"There was. This year, the little brother of someone close to me died because of cancer. He was still a little kid, and he meant a lot to me, so I decided to dedicate this win to him," Charles says, and he softly smiles. My heart skips a beat, and I wipe away a tear. I think Sam would have loved this. He was always so excited when Charles won.
"That's beautiful Charles. Thank you."

I turn off my phone and walk to the outside of the Ferrari hospitality. Between the crowds, I see a really happy Charles running towards me. I open my arms and he lifts me up and spins me around. "I'm so proud of you," I whisper in his ear. He puts me down and smiles. We look to our side and see a group of photographers. We both smile awkwardly. "Let's go inside," Charles says, and we walk into the hospitality. Charles does his usual round, thanking all the engineers and staff. I wait for him and smile, seeing how much the team means to him.

When he thanked all the engineers he walked back to me, and grabbed my wrist.

"Lets go party."

AN:

Hi, a short chapter for you.

I'm doing better, and felt like writing last week, so here is chapter 13!

I don't know if I'll be updating regularly, because I'm busy with school, and still working on my mental health. But I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

How do we feel about Carlos' win in 'straya??

Also, 'She's Mine' has hit 6k reads! thank you so much! I appriciate the support.

All the love, take care of yourself,

Ivy.