[2] ONE || C. LECLERC

SEVENTEEN

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CAMILLE

My head was pounding as I rolled over and felt Charles' hot body, his arm wrapped around me and his face pushed into my neck. Last night was great, and I enjoyed spending my evening with my friends, but I regretted how much alcohol I'd consumed. I was happy to be curled up beneath the thick bedsheets, Charles' body also radiating plenty of warmth on this cold first day of the year.

2019 really did have so much in store for us. My career in modelling would only progress and Charles had a seat at one of the biggest teams in Formula 1; I was so excited to see him do his stuff and impress everybody with his talent. I couldn't wait to watch him make Papa and Jules proud; I knew exactly what he was capable of and now he had a better car at his disposal. Winter testing could not come quick enough.

I remembered the evening when Charles told me about his move to Ferrari. He told me that he had an exciting surprise for me and I felt so anxious because I had no idea what I was supposed to expect. Already, he'd taken me out to a nice restaurant in Monte Carlo, the same one where we had our first date after the Monacan Grand Prix, so I didn't know what else to expect. He told me that the only person who knew about his news was Pascale, as he'd been told to keep it quiet, only telling me the day before it was officially released. His hands were trembling with excitement as he tried to keep himself calm. I was afraid, but when the words slipped from his mouth, I felt so happy, so excited for him. I'd never felt pride like it.

"I've got a seat at Ferrari next year."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I looked at him, to see tears relaxing at the front of his eyes, which only drove me to begin crying at the table. I felt like an idiot, because nobody came to such a fancy restaurant like this one to cry, but I was simply so overwhelmed, I couldn't believe Charles' luck, and I was so proud of him, for dedicating his racing career to some of the most important people in his life. Unfortunately, Papa and Jules were no longer with us to hear the news, but I knew how proud they would be as they watched down on Charles, who bore tears in his eyes as he finally told me his secret. Nobody deserved this more than Charles.

I never thought that after such a short amount of time, I would feel like this about a man. I thought my romantic connections with men were non-existent, after the way Stefan made me feel about myself. I didn't believe that it was possible to even look at somebody and picture myself in a relationship with them, because I'd blown myself a bubble, one to protect me from anybody who might hurt me as I got to know them. This explained why I was so cautious around Charles, and I couldn't understand why he was so desperate to stick around and work on it, but now, everything made sense. His love for me was so warm and so meaningful, even I could see it just by the way he looked at me, and how he touched me during the night when the darkness surrounded us.

He began to stir in his sleep beside me, and I knew that his hangover would be a little worse than mine. From midnight until four this morning, there wasn't a moment when Charles didn't have a bottle of beer in his hand. He never had any alcohol during the season, unless it was for a special occasion, so this was acceptable. I knew that he would regret it anyway until he was able to properly open his eyes without the blinding sun straining them.

"Camille?" He grunted, as he tried to lift his head from the comfortable pillow. His cheeks smashed against the pillow immediately. "Fuck. My head is banging."

"Mine too," I giggled, curling further beneath the covers to allow our faces to be at eye level. "You drank so much more than I did. Do you want water and an aspirin?"

"No, I'll be okay. Stay here." Charles whispered into my hair and wrapped his arm around my waist. I smiled as he tightened his grip on me, nuzzling his face into my neck and a smile curled up on his lips. I felt so warm and comfortable in his arms and I wanted to be here with him forever.