La Rosa Gialla

Chapter 34

May 2024

Monaco. A microstate on the French Riviera. One of the most luxurious and richest places in the world. A place where famous people move for tax breaks. The place where one of the most legendary F1 races takes place. The place where Charles comes from and where his family lives.

Of all the superlatives, it is that last remark that causes me the most anxiety. I only saw Charles' parents once at home in Italy after he joined the Ferrari Driver Academy and Hervé and Pascale came to visit him. He took them to our guesthouse for lunch because he didn't know any other restaurant in the area at the time. But back then, Charles was just a friend that I had a bit of a crush on. He's my boyfriend now.

"Why are you frowning?" Charles asked me on the way from the airport, narrowing his eyes a little. "You are frowning," I grunted, biting my thumbnail. Charles smirked. "Are you nervous about something?" he wanted to know.

"I'm not."

"Adri."

"Charlie."

"You know you can tell me anything," he smiled and placed his hand on my thigh. I sighed and looked at him. The spring sun had painted a few freckles on his cheeks and nose and he just looked more and more adorable with those damn dimples every day. One would think that I would get used to it over time. But no. Every time I looked at him and realized he was mine, my knees buckled. Not just because of how he looks, but mainly because he's just who he is. Our Charlie.

"Whatever," I resigned after a moment as he drew pictures on the exposed skin on my thigh with his thumb. "I'm afraid of your family."

I expected a lot. That he will tell me that I have nothing to fear or, on the contrary, that my fear is justified. But I definitely didn't expect him to burst out laughing so much that it brought tears to his eyes. I frowned at him and he pursed his lips into a tight line and looked at me. "Do you want to tell me more about it?" he asked, still chuckling. "I do not. You're making fun of me," I growled, crossing my arms over my chest and looking out the window. We were high up on a hill and below us lay the whole of Monaco with the football stadium, and the port, just in all its glory. The surface of the Mediterranean glistened as the rays of the afternoon sun reflected in it, and my breath almost stopped. "Come for a walk," Charles said after he pulled into a small parking lot near the lookout and I obediently got out of the car and followed him down a narrow path between rocks and bushes to the edge of the precipice. When we reached a spot where the view was absolutely unbeatable, he stood behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my head.

"It's crazy that you were born here," I whispered more to myself. This place didn't even look real, it felt more like a set from some glossy Hollywood movie. Those green hills and white rocks, the little town hidden beneath them, all those yachts in the harbor, the azure water, the golden rays of the sun and the gentle breeze. Just incredible. "You have nothing to fear," Charles said, turning me towards him. "My family adores you already."

Charles' apartment looked like a bigger version of the one in Maranello. A lot of white and beige, suspiciously tidy, dozens of artifacts from the formulaic world, probably so that no one can doubt what he does for a living. "Do you play piano?" I asked as my gaze landed on the shiny white piano in the living room. He just nodded silently and placed our bags on the wooden floor. "What else do I still not know about you?" I smiled and hit a random key. Charles grinned. "I think this will be all," he said and disappeared into the kitchen, from where he brought me a glass of water in a moment. "Will you play me something? Please?" I sneered and he smirked. "Sure. Later," he gave me a quick but sweet kiss. "But we have to leave soon."

"To where?" I did not understand.

"We have to be at Mom's for dinner in an hour."