Forever and Always

Be Careful

The weekend passed quickly, and soon Emi found that it was Sunday - race day. When she came out of her room, Charles was waiting for her on the couch, a large smile on his face.

Charles had been dominant all weekend, getting in the top two in all practices and finishing Saturday with a pole going into today. Emi found herself very proud of him.

"You look gorgeous as always", Charles said, standing up and looking at her with wide eyes. She wore a simple black mini dress and a vintage-looking Ferrari jacket over the top with her black and red Jordans to match. Her long blonde hair was in a loose low bun and a Ferrari cap topped her head.

"Thank you, Charles", she said quietly, reaching over to grab her handbag before they had left. Charles gave her a small, admiring smile as he stood up and placed his hand on the small of her back and they left the apartment.

Just like all weekend, as Charles and Emi drove towards the track, thousands of fans recognized his car and started calling out to get Charles' attention. It didn't take them long though until they reached the circuits private car park and they got out of the car and headed to the paddock entrance.

Cameras followed them as they made their way to Charles' driver room over in the Ferrari motorhomes. When they finally made it behind closed doors again, they sighed a breath of relief. 

"Charles! Emi! Hello guys", a voice suddenly came from behind them as they began to walk down the hallway. They turned around to see Carlos standing behind them with a cheeky smile on his face.

"Good morning Carlos", Charles replied, a look of his face that suggested he wondered why Carlos looked so pleased with himself.

"Hey Carlos", Emi replied, looking between the two.

"Where are you two going?", Carlos asked, curious.

"My drivers room, mate. I'm meeting Nicolas in there quickly", Charles replied. Carlos nodded and Emi looked on between them.

"Well, I better let you go to that meeting then. Nice seeing you Emi. Lord Perceval, see you soon", Carlos finally said before leaving the motorhomes all together.

Emi and Charles once again began walking down the hallway, entering Charles' driver room and seeing Charles' manager, Nicolas. For a while, Charles and Nicolas talked about the race and the media afterwards while Emi just sat in the corner and listened. By the time they were done, Charles had to start running around to prepare for the race. Ice bath, stretching, some quick reaction and agility tests, and a meeting with the team before he finally came back to the room and began to get ready for the race.

Emi watched as Charles put on his race suit in front of her, tying it around his waist like always. She thought he looked good like that - race suit half up and his fitted fireproofs showing off his muscles. The red suited him too. When he had gotten his stuff together, he pulled Emi up from were she sat until she was right in front of him. They were close, very close.

"You've got to win today, you know. First race win at home. How exciting would that be?", Emi whispered. Charles' face lit up at her words, and she felt warmth spread over her cheeks.

"Very, especially with you here to see me. You're one of the few people I want to be there for my first home win", Charles replied, looking into her eyes. Emi felt her heartrate pick up and she felt a smile creep up on her face.

"Oh yeah. Who else?", she asked.

"My brothers. Mama and Papa. Jules", Charles said with a glimmer of emotion in his eyes. Emi knew only two out of the five people he listed would ever be able to see that happen now. Just like her, he had lost people close to him too. His mama from a stroke, his papa from cancer, and Jules from a crash. But what was sweet about Charles was that even if he had to walk over broken glass, he would always try his best for his loved ones. Through heartbreak and hell, love and passion, he'd do anything for them.