Lock Up ⏐Charles Leclerc

Chapter 5

Okay, not creepy at all.

I sent a text to Navi and Aurora that if I don't send them a message within ten minutes, call my parents. I pushed the door to Charles' house and quietly walked through the foyer. His interior was similar to mine when it came to the structures but the design was completely different. The owner of the place obviously renovated the place compared to how it looked when I was buying a house. It was more modern and the walls were painted completely white.

I looked for him in the kitchen and the living room but he was nowhere in sight. The backyard was my next option but at the sight of the empty garden and neatly fixed workout gear, he was obviously not there. I was getting worried so I trecked up the stairs and checked each of the rooms. I was about to open a door that should've been a bathroom based on the layout of my own house when I heard a sound coming from my right.

Soft tunes were pouring out of a room at the end of the hall. Quietly, I moved towards it and was relived to find Charles sitting down in front of a black grand piano, left elbow leaning by the music rack while the fingers on his right hand played the keys. I pulled out my phone to text Navi and Aurora but was bombarded by texts from them instead.

Aurora: what's happening???
should i call the cops

Navi: wtf
what have you been doing
this would've been easier if you told me where you are 🫠
but you didn't so ugh
VALENTINE WHY ARENT YOU ANSWERING ME
ARE YOU DEAD
YOU BETTER NOT BE DEAD
I ALREADY BOOKED OUR CONCERT TICKETS FOR SEPTEMBER SO YOU BETTER BE ALIVE

I shook my head at Navi and sent a quick text to the both of them, promising Aurora I'll explain later. I can't really explain what happened to Navi but I'll try my best to calm her down, although I know that'd be impossible.

A deep sigh brought me back to where I was currently in and I looked up to see Charles frowning. He felt different. It was similar to how he was yesterday but this time, his feelings felt heavier. The room wasn't helping either with the only light coming from the one outside that was seeping through the gap in the curtain.

I knew I shouldn't be here and I should leave him alone, but I can't command my feet to do so. I'm debating whether I should make myself known because if I don't, he's going to see me and I feel like that would be worse.

I tap the door twice with my knuckles and watched as Charles slowly looked up from the piano. My breath caught when our eyes met, brown eyes meeting green, and I couldn't help but notice how pale he looked especially with his red rimmed eyes.

Charles didn't say a word and just continued playing so I took it as a sign that I was not intruding. Slowly, I walked into the room and saw that there was nothing else inside it except for a leather sofa on the other side of the room. His things were hastily thrown over it along with his phone that hasn't stopped vibrating with calls and messages.

I sat beside him as Charles began playing a different tune. He wasn't ready to talk so I did the only thing I could do– offer him my presence. I've come to learn that when people don't actively speak up about their problems, it doesn't mean they want to be left alone. Some do, but there are others who just want someone to sit with them in silence.

He played a few more songs before closing the piano and leaning his elbows on it, palms over his face. I've come to observe it as an action that he does whenever he's stressed. I was surprised when he moved and leaned his head against my shoulder. My body froze as a reaction but relaxed after a few seconds.

"You okay?" I whispered to him. It didn't feel right to speak loudly because of the atmosphere and besides, we were the only two people in the room.

"No." Charles replied, voice laced with sadness. "I just–" He stuttered and abruptly stood up, pacing behind me. I turned around on the piano bench and watched as Charles tried to find the words to interpret what he was feeling and the difficulty was evident in his face. "I don't know what to do, Valentine."