Apex | Charles Leclerc

Chapter 30

I couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath when a replay showed the car of Daniel, only inches away from the wall. I'm amazed at how much control they have over these vehicles and from my experience of sitting inside Charles' old car, it was very difficult to see everything.

"You'll get used to it." Isa said from beside me, a warm smile on her face.

"Get used to what?"

"The fear." She said and I could sense a bit of the emotion in her voice. "These guys put themselves at risk every time they get into the car and it's not easy to care for them when they're playing around with fate. As loved ones, we just wish and pray that everything will be alright."

Loved one. Right.

I didn't reply to Isa and only nodded my head. The race ended with Charles bagging his second win of the season while Carlos came in third after Lewis made a move on him during the last five laps. Everyone in the motorhome erupted in cheers with the podium finish for both drivers, all of us making our way towards the stage.

I couldn't help but wear a small smile on my face, seeing how happy the mechanics are as they clapped one another on the back. Isa and I ended up standing behind a metal barricade that was separating us from the area where the top three cars would be parking.

Carlos was the first to arrive, the Ferrari team cheering for him as he got out of the car. He ran towards where his race engineer was before he saw Isa, giving her a sweet kiss on the cheek. Carlos gave me a small smile and a nod before moving to a guy who was wearing an FIA uniform, a weighing scale beside him.

My eyes met Isa's and she laughed upon seeing the teasing look on my face. "By the blush on your cheeks, I'm guessing Carlos isn't the type to be affectionate in public."

"He has his moments." She smiled back, bumping her shoulder with mine. "Neither of us are the type to show PDA but there's a bit here and there."

A few minutes later, Charles came in after Lewis. The cheers only got louder as he clapped the two other drivers on their back before running in the direction of the mechanics. I couldn't help but laugh when one of them even kissed the top of his helmet in pure happiness.

He first walked towards the FIA officer to get weighed, removing his helmet and balaclava and ruffling his hair afterwards. His face was a bit flushed from the heat of sitting in the car and there were a few lines from his helmet. My eyes met Charles' and he flashed me a smirk. I gave one back, leaning forward on the railings with my elbows on the top.

I could hear whoops and cheers from around us as he headed for my direction, stuffing his earphones and balaclava into his helmet. Charles caught me by surprise when his right hand swiftly moved to the side of my neck, thumb by my jaw, and he leaned down slightly to meet his lips with mine.

The cheers only got louder and I could even hear Isa going along with it. Around us, cameras snapped photos nonstop but none of this grabbed my attention from the man in front of me. My hands moved to settle on his chest, feeling the fabric of his race suit. The kiss wasn't that long but it didn't lack the usual passion and fierceness that being this close with Charles entailed.

When he pulled away, I could feel him smiling against my lips and I found myself doing the same. "You could've warned me that we were upping the performance today." I whispered, low enough that only he would head.

Something passed between his eyes that was unrecognisable for me but it quickly went away as he showed me a smile. This was different though. At the back of my mind, a voice was telling me that I shouldn't have said those words but the logical side of me was saying those were the words we both needed to hear.