[2] ONE || C. LECLERC

FORTY FIVE

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CAMILLE

"Chicken and steamed vegetables with roast potatoes for you," Max handed me a plate with food piled high on the ceramic. "Chicken and steamed vegetables with new potatoes for us."

Max sat comfortably beside me on the sofa, with Lando on my left hand side. I looked at the food in front of me, a large portion size definitely was not suitable for me right now, because I'd been struggling to eat even a slice of toast. It was Friday and the boys finished their training sessions earlier this afternoon, allowing us to spend some time together, just like we used to. Lando left in two days and I didn't want him to, because he'd been my rock since his arrival the other morning. It was nice to be in the company of somebody else instead of Max sometimes, and Lando's company was the perfect match for me.

Whilst the boys tucked in to their meals and thoroughly enjoyed each mouthful, I picked at the potatoes and gravy on my plate, slowly popping small amounts into my mouth every few minutes. I knew that Max would finish the food which I left, but to please him, I wanted to eat as much as I possibly could. I wanted him to think that I was doing okay, and that I was feeling better. I was, to an extent, because Lando was here and I didn't realise just how much I needed to see him until he arrived, hence why the thought of him leaving made me feel uneasy. I knew that I would see him again next weekend for the British Grand Prix, but I didn't want to be without him until then.

"Are you excited for next weekend?" Max's voice interrupted my thoughts and I thought that he was initially speaking to me. I was relieved when I noticed that his gaze was focused on Lando. "Your first home race in Formula One, huh?"

"I'm looking forward to it. My family are coming and it's the first time they've all been to a race together," I smiled at the thought of being reunited with the Norris family; I hadn't seen them for a while and it would be exciting to spend a little bit of time with them over the weekend. "It'll be a good race."

The thought of going to another race made me feel sick to my stomach. It just meant that I had to see Charles, and I didn't want to, not yet. I was afraid that he would be walking around the paddock with his ex girlfriend on his arm, or even worse, he would try speaking to me. The thought of hearing his voice again made my knees tremble. I didn't want to be reminded of the nights when we were so in love, when I thought nothing would ever change the way he felt about me. I was so wrong and I despised myself for the misjudgement I made about Charles, the man who supposedly loved me.

"Camille?" Max placed his empty plate onto the coffee table before us and looked at me with a sad frown on his face. I was dragged out of my thoughts and I sighed, glancing at my best friend as he sat with a calming smile breaking through onto his lips. "Are you with us?"

"What? Yes. Sorry." I looked down at the plate of food which was resting on my knee. It was full. I'd not touched much, but I wasn't hungry, and if anything, I felt sick. I smiled at Lando and Max, hoping that it was enough to reassure them; I didn't want to have to go into detail about what was going through my mind.

"Aren't you hungry?" Max eyed up the food on my plate, whilst I shook my head and rested it back on the table. I gave him an apologetic sigh but he placed his hand on my kneecap. "It's okay, just promise me that you'll have some toast later before bed."

I shrugged my shoulders. Food didn't sound good to me right now. My appetite had completely disappeared again, despite Lando's efforts and ensuring that I ate something small at least every few hours. I was afraid of disappointing him, but I didn't want to force myself to eat. It didn't feel good.