Apex | Charles Leclerc

Chapter 63

"What are we, then?"

"You are a hindrance to my life." I said, pushing the door to the grocery open. On second thought, maybe Charles was the one who could shoo Nikolai away. He's done it before.

Nikolai kept rambling on and on about how a delight he was as I passed through each aisle, eyes looking for my husband. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him by the coffee aisle, the cart placed in front of him. I was about to call out his name when he shifted on his leg and revealed the person in front of him.

"Fuck." I cursed, feeling Nikolai bump against my back when I abruptly stopped.

"What?" He asked, glancing at me. His eyes followed where mine were placed and I saw his lips part open. "Damn, isn't that his ex?"

"You need to leave." I snapped, turning to Nikolai. Just when I thought that this day was going to be great. It's not even half of the day. I'm scared to think about what else is in store for us.

Nikolai's eyes moved behind me and a smirk appeared on his face. "I think it's a little late for that."

"Nadia?" Charles' voice called out behind me. I closed my eyes, trying to prepare myself to one of the most awkward conversations ever. I opened my eyes and sent Nikolai a glare, hoping that he would behave, before I turned around.

"Hey." I said, giving a tight smile as I stopped by his side.

"Hi, Nadia." Rose smiled and it was clear that she wasn't comfortable with the situation as well. I didn't give her a smile and just nodded my head in greeting because let's face it, the woman attempted to take advantage of my husband's memory loss and thought she could turn things around.

Obviously, she doesn't know me that well.

"This is fun." Nikolai said, arms crossed over his chest as he glanced at the three of us with amusement in his eyes.

I rolled my eyes and passed Charles his cup of coffee, noting how his fingers touched mine longer than necessary as he took it from me. He gave me a reassuring smile before turning to Nikolai.

"Nikolai, how's life at Drivas?" Charles asked and I held back a giggle at the sourness that overtook Nikolai's face.

"Business is great. We're partnering up with the UN, so I might run into you from time to time in the office." Nikolai grinned, eyes moving to me and I swear I saw Charles take a step closer to me.

"That's unlikely because Nadia's coming with me this season. Right, babe?" If I wasn't stuck in such an uncomfortable position and trying to avoid Rose's eye, I would've smiled so widely at him. His green eyes were teasing, clearly not using the nickname intentionally.

Some things never change. It makes me happy that deep inside, the Charles Leclerc I fell in love is still there.

"Mhmm." I hummed in agreement, moving closer to Charles and rubbing my left hand on his back before I placed it over his shoulder. The effect was instantaneous as I noticed Rose look away from us. Charles didn't know what just happened, but he made it even better when he smiled down at me.

If only he knew the two other people with us had a perfect view of my wedding ring.

I heard Nikolai chuckle as he shook his head at us. Rose remained silent. "Well, it was nice seeing you both. Charles." He gave Charles a smile before turning to me and sending a wink my way. "Nadia, always a pleasure."

I showed him a fake smile along with raising my middle finger, but this didn't faze Nikolai as his smirk formed into a grin. He gave us a salute before turning around and walking out of the grocery store. As I turned around, Rose was looking our way again and her eyes were trained on my ring. She then moved to look at Charles' finger where the gold band was still absent, hanging from a chain that I wore around my neck.

She really doesn't know how to stop.

"Any plans for Valentine's Day?" I asked her, trying so much to convince myself not to let this girl get to me. She knew I had a fiery personality and it irks me how she thinks that I would just back down because there's nothing else I can do.

"It's the busiest day of the year for us." She smiled, eyes finally meeting mine before moving to Charles. "I was just telling Charles earlier that you should come by sometime. We hired a new baker because I was planning to take some time off, so we're currently changing up the menu with his suggestions."

"I hope it all goes well." I politely said but deep inside, what I really wanted to say was I hope you go away.

"I actually just took a short break to buy some snacks. I'll see you guys around?" I only nodded my head and Charles gave her a smile.

When Rose finally left, I dropped my hand from Charles' shoulder and ran a hand through my hair.

"Nikolai likes you." Charles said as he continued pushing the cart while I followed beside him. Thankfully, there weren't that much people in the store, and the things we needed to buy were almost complete.

I raised an eyebrow at him and took a sip of my coffee before saying, "Rose still loves you."

His face morphed into one of confusion and awkwardness, clearly at a loss for words. "Nikolai flirts so openly with you. He knows you're married, right?"

It was amusing to see him like this. Charles never hid his jealousy before, and it's obvious that hasn't changed either. He's never admitted to me that he was jealous, but it would show in his body language. He'd pull me into him as if the physical presence was enough to ward off anyone who wanted to make a move. He'd also act all cheesy– very different from how we were with one another.

The love we have wasn't soft nor filled with rainbows. It was composed of months and months of intense moments between the two of us that built up until we couldn't take it anymore. We were two people who experienced so much and going through that meant we took advantage of every moment we had as if it was the last.

The past three months told me that what we were doing was right. During those days when he hadn't woken up yet, all I thought about were the private moments we had together and how much I wanted them to happen again. There's a chance that he won't remember any of it and I oddly find myself not mulling so much over it. I can live with him losing those memories, but I will never survive with the thought of losing him.

We can make new memories, but I can never find another Charles.

"Rose is still acting like there's a chance to get what she wants. She knows you're married, right?" I replied and it rendered him completely speechless. Charles stopped walking and so did I, the two of us standing in between two aisles. "Marriage is a two-way street, Charles." I smirked, recalling the words he told me when we were at the viewing deck. "It's alright to be jealous because I know we're both old enough to put a label on our feelings." I moved closer to him, my nose almost touching his as I let the warmth from his body envelope me. "As long as you come home to me, I don't care about anyone else. It's you and me."

*****

I love Nadia in this chapter

✧Reese✧