Red | Charles Leclerc

Chapter 17

"I hate you," Ella glared at Macey as she sat down at are favourite cafe on the Monegasque harbour.

"What have I done now?" Macey sat down opposite me and next to Ella.

"You told Caitlin about me and Erling, that's what."

"Caitlin wouldn't shut up about it all weekend," I added as Ella continued to burn holes in Macey's head.

"I'm sorry! She dragged it out of me," Macey smiled, obviously not sorry.

"Never telling you anything again," she huffed to herself.

"So," I said. "When do we get to meet him?"

"Never, ever, ever," Ella shook her head furiously.

"Come on you can't be serious," I looked at her in disbelief, but she looked serious.

"Just gonna be me and him, none of you lot there to embarrass me."

"Ella, what are friends for if not to embarrass you?" Macey grinned, munching on her bagel.

"Don't you start, you don't have a boyfriend," Ella said.

"And I don't need one, I am a strong independent woman who needs no man," Macey said proudly, I had to stifle in a laugh.

"Yeah sure you are," I said sarcastically. "You're practically drooling every time you see a picture of Declan Rice."

"Ok, he is my only exception," Macey nodded.

"Jason Mamoa?"

"Ok him too."

"Pedri?"

"Sam Worthington?" Ella added. "In his Avatar form of course."

"Ok, well maybe there's a few people," Macey contemplated them all in her mind whilst me and Ella laughed.

I turned the key in Charles' door. The room was cool and a nice relief from the sticky heat outside. Charles was sat on the couch, on his phone, typing furiously. He only noticed me when I slammed the door 'accidentally'.

"Oh, salut ma choue," he smiled as he saw me walk in.

"You know, I looked up the word 'choue' in French and it translates to cabbage," I looked at him as he chuckled.

"Yes, it does, but it also means my darling, but if you would like me to call you cabbage, then I will," he patted the space next to him as I walked out of the hallway.

"I don't think that's necessary."

"I think it's stuck now, cabbage," he grinned cheekily. "I wanted to talk to you anyway."

He face turned serious and for some reason I got nervous. "What's up?"

"One of my mum's friends kids is getting married at the weekend and she asked me to invite you," he looked at me dead in the eye, I physically couldn't turn away. "You don't have to come, but I thought it would be a good way for you to meet everyone without having the full attention in you."

I contemplated it in my mind. I was going to meet his family. I had never been much good with families and Charles had a big one. Never in a million years had you thought that when I moved to Monaco, I would have a boyfriend, never mind it being Charles Leclerc. This was all still surreal.

"You don't have to come," he spoke up after he'd noticed I had been quiet for a minute.

"No, no I want to," I smiled at him and his whole face relaxed. "It'll be fun, I can't wait to meet your mum, Ella talks a lot about her."

"Yeah, she's great," Charles smiled, thinking about his mother, it was sweet that he held her in such high regard. "She was so strong for all of us after my dad died, you know."

"Yeah I know," I grabbed his hand as he looked out of the apartment and towards the sea.

"Anyway," he stood up, dragging me with him. "We have a Monegasque wedding to prepare for, you're going to love it."