Rivals - Charles Leclerc

Where are you?

Chapter 12

Ava's POV

The gym echoed with the clatter of weights and the low hum of conversations as Max and I prepared for a long training session. Our trainer, Alex, a burly figure with a no-nonsense attitude, greeted us with a nod.

"Alright, you two. Today is all about endurance. Let's hit it hard," Alex declared, his eyes narrowing in anticipation.

Max and I exchanged glances, giving each other a slight acknowledgment of the intensity of what we were about to go through. We kicked off the session with a series of dynamic warm-up exercises, both of us sprawled out on the floor as we stretched.

"So, Ava, how was your time off?' Ma asked, turning slightly towards me. "You do anything...I don't know...worth mentioning to me?" he added, his tone questioning as his eyes looked into mine as if he was asking me a very specific question.

I laughed nervously, furrowing my eyebrows. "Uh, not that I can think of. Why?" I asked, curious as to why he was being so crude.

Max grinned, punching my shoulder lightly to get my attention as he smiled back at me mischievously. "Holding out on me huh," he teased "I see how it is,"

I could tell what he was getting at. Guessing that it had something to do with Charles and I's surprising new friendship. But I shrugged it off. Not interested in going into too much detail with Max during a training session of all places.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I repeated, playing dumb something that made Max burst out in laughter.

"Oh come on, don't leave me hanging. After all, you can't blame me for wanting some of the details behind this strange friendship you have," He exclaimed.

I shook my head, pretending not to hear him as I moved into a downward dog pose. I was curious as to how Max might have gotten his intel from. After all, there were no reports,at least that I was aware of, and I knew for a fact that I never said anything to any Red Bull staff.

I thought for a second that maybe Charles had told him. My mind leaped at the idea that our friendship was something worthwhile for Charles to want to share with other people. Maybe our friendship meant something to him. But I figured that I was just daydreaming. Guessing that the reality was that Max was just well plugged in or something.

The workout continued as Max and I pushed each other to the absolute limit. I had been working super hard, and it was finally starting to show in my performance. As the workout concluded, I felt super proud of myself for doing so well. Earning well-deserved praise from Alex which made my entire day.

"Good job, Ava. You're getting faster," Max remarked, a genuine note of praise in his voice.

Hearing this from him of all people, the current world champion, was music to my ears. It meant more to me than anything else, and I couldn't explain how good it felt at that moment.

I grinned, wiping a bead of sweat from my face. "Coming from you, that means a lot. Thanks, Max."

After the workout, I headed home, the exhaustion a welcomed reminder of the effort that I put into every exercise. Having taken a week off, jumping back into the swing of training felt good. Don't get me wrong, the vacation was nice, but there was always something invigorating about getting into a nice workout routine that added an extra balance to my day. Even though the racing world was crazy and unpredictable at times, the training sessions and workouts were always something I could control.

With the break, things had started to settle down, at least for a short while. Fans had given me a slight break, and I was finally able to walk into my apartment building fairly uninterrupted for the first time in a long time. The idea of having a sense of normalcy again made me feel at ease. I hated having all this attention on me, even if it came along with the job.