ma chérie | cl16

chapter thirty-six

🎶 back to december by taylor swift (her version)
"maybe this is wishful thinkin'
probably mindless dreamin'
but if we loved again, i swear i'd love you right" 🎶

"This is so good," Adeline let out a sigh, tasting the chocolate millionaire with a vanilla ice cream. The dessert was exceptional, but Adeline had to pause for a while before eating it. She ate the ice cream, of course. Even with a full stomach, letting the ice cream melt would be a crime!

Club Gascon was a restaurant Adeline hadn't visited before. It was a restaurant specialized in French cuisine—a perfect pick for Adeline, who had grown up in France. The interior was something that caught Adeline's breath—the combination of the marble, shiny walls combined with wooden piles and huge windows, accompanied by warm, soft lightning, was more than pleasant to look at.

"Same here. I needed some comfort food after Japan," Lando nodded, wiping his mouth with a napkin. He decided to skip the dessert as his stomach was already full. A knot of nervousness and anticipation was forming within him as he braced himself for a different kind of conversation with Adeline.

"They fucked up, big time. I'm so sorry you all had to go through that," Adeline shook her head. The Japanese Grand Prix was simply a disaster, and Adeline couldn't help but still hear Pierre's trembling voice. "Especially after the tragedy with Jules."

"It was already hard enough for the rest of us, but Pierre and Charles were miserable and even angrier," Lando replied without thinking about the mention of a certain name. As soon as he became aware of his slip, he noticed Adeline's gaze shifting downwards towards her dessert, avoiding direct eye contact.

"Yeah," Adeline agreed, raising a glass of red wine to her lips. As she took a sip, her gaze returned to Lando, accompanied by a subtle half-smile on her lips.

The knot in Lando's stomach was now almost impossible to ignore.

"Anyway, how's Knightley?" He cleared his throat, trying to talk about something else. Thankfully, Adeline's eyes immediately lit up at the mention of her dog.

"I think he's being way too spoiled, but I don't care. I just adore that little fluffy bawl of happiness," Adeline remarked with a bright smile, setting her wine glass aside. "He's the sweetest boy. And I'm a good dog mom, who would've guessed? Even my plants used to die," Adeline shrugged.

At first, she had been afraid to get a dog. Before rescuing Knightley, she had read several books about dogs and their proper care. She had wanted to be the best mom to a rescue dog. Now, it was a role that brought her immense fulfillment. Knightley was like her best friend—their bond was unbreakable.

Lando couldn't help but smile. Adeline had changed since their first encounter in London over a month ago. Back then, she had appeared... tired and broken. But now, she seemed healed. It was as if she had genuinely found inner peace. "That's amazing, Addy. You seem so happy."

Adeline nodded. "I've been happy lately, really."

"Alright," Lando muttered more to himself than to Adeline, raising his glass of bourbon to his lips for a sip. It was now or never. "Do you remember how I wanted to discuss something with you? In Austria?" His palms were sweaty, and he felt like his breath was somehow stuck in his throat.

"In Austria? That was such a long time ago," Adeline chuckled, using the laughter as a shield against the rush of memories washing over her. Of course that she remembered Austria. Vividly. Every single second of it. Well, not the Lando part. "I guess you probably said something like that."

Lando took a deep breath, his baby-blue gaze fixed on Adeline. "Okay, so I wanted to speak with you, but then I changed my mind because of Charles."

This was the second time Lando mentioned Charles' name, and Adeline's smile faded away. As much as she wanted to pretend like nothing had happened, she couldn't. And Marianne had advised her not to bury and hide her emotions anymore.