Lock Up ⏐Charles Leclerc

Chapter 39

It's been a month since I started this story 🥺

Enjoy!

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The next race wasn't for another two weeks so that gave Pierre a week to relax before he needed to prepare for Baku. Our days have been spent going on food trips around Milan while doing a bit of shopping on the side. I never expected Pierre to be a fashion guy because most of the time, he's wearing AlphaTauri gear in the paddock. He even helped me pick out a few outfits which would look good on me.

We were currently eating gelato in a restaurant just to the side of the Piazza del Duomo. Ever since he took me here the on the first day, I've always wanted to visit every day. I don't know why, but there's just something about it that makes the building mesmerizing. I've sent a ton of pictures to Navi who unfortunately couldn't come because she was swamped with uni work.

"Which flavor is that?" Pierre asked me, pointing his spoon at my gelato. I've tried a different one every time we ate here and I wish I was staying for a few more days to be able to try all of them.

"Tiramisu." I said, offering him a bite. He complied and we both exchanged desserts as I tried out his. "Raspberry?" I guessed at the fruity flavor.

Pierre winked as he passed me back mine and I gave him his. "As usual."

"You really love raspberries, don't you?" I asked him, remembering the raspberry flavored vodka he introduced me to before. I gotta say, I've been looking for that brand every time I'm out for a drink.

Pierre nodded before we both decided to go for a walk while finishing our gelato. From the corner of my eye, I saw someone take our picture and I ignored it. There have already been a few who approached the past week I've been here and of course, our photos were now circulating online. I'm wondering when my interview from a few days back would be posted so that people would finally stop thinking Pierre and I are in a relationship.

It was my last day in Milan since I had to fly back tomorrow to get back to work. I had a few important meetings that I needed to attend and it had to be done in person unlike the video calls I've been having recently. Pierre and I split up when he walked into a shop that sold handmade jewelry while I went inside the small bookstore just beside it.

It's been in a while since I last bought a book despite the stack I had at home that are yet to be read. Knowing that I had enough books to last me for a year, I still grabbed a few and paid for it by the counter. I walked out of the bookstore and moved to the one next door but I couldn't find Pierre there. I asked the woman behind the counter and she told me he left five minutes ago.

I was just walking through the exit when I saw Pierre walking towards me with a cold look on his face as he tightly gripped his phone. "Hey, where'd you go?" I asked and he didn't answer, glancing at his phone before turning back to me. "Are you okay?"

Pierre shook his head and ran a hand over his face. "I think I just scarred myself for life."

"What do you mean?" I asked and he didn't answer, instead, opening his phone before passing it to me. I gasped at a picture of two people– a woman leaning against a wall while the man in front of her had his arm around her waist. They weren't doing anything explicit, but by her messed up hair and the lipstick stains on his neck, it was obvious what had happened before the photo was taken. "Why did you take a picture of two strangers?"

Pierre rolled his eyes at me before zooming in on the face of the woman by tapping his phone. "Look closer."

I brought the phone closer to my eyes and my body froze. The phone slipped through my fingers and it's a good thing Pierre had a good reaction time to catch it. "Oh my god." I turned to him, my eyes most likely as wide as saucers.