Apex | Charles Leclerc

Chapter 69

"The pillow you hit my face with says otherwise." He sarcastically said and I rolled my eyes.

"Stop talking or else you'll get another one." I taunted and he only smirked at me in return. "You remembered something. I don't care if it was your favorite race win or a trip we both took. The weight of the memory doesn't matter to me because this alone shows that not everything is lost. We don't know what will happen in the future. Maybe you remember all of it. Maybe you don't. As long as you're here with me, I don't give a damn about whether you remember or not. You're more than enough."

*****

May 11, 2028 - Monaco

"Stop pouting." I smirked as I walked out of the grocery store with a bag slung over my shoulders, my right hand holding my phone next to my ear.

"How did you know I was pouting?" Charles asked on the other line and I couldn't help but laugh. He was at the Mercedes factory today to prepare for Silverstone and check out the special livery they have for the race. He was planning not to push through with the trip, saying that they could just show the new livery to him through a video call. I didn't know the real reason why until I realized he'd be missing one of my sessions.

"I didn't. It was just a guess." The grocery store was just a fifteen-minute walk from the apartment, so I made the most out of the free time I have to enjoy the good weather. "How's Toto and the team?"

"You're not gonna believe what they used for the livery." Charles said and I could literally hear the excitement in his voice.

"Please tell me it's something cool."

"It's Barbie." Charles cheered and I could imagine him trying to control his smile and failing at it. "Apparently, it's been seventy years since the doll was released and they have this year-long campaign. Why did no one tell me there was a Racer Barbie?"

"Probably because people have this ideology that Barbie is only for girls? Which is total bullshit, by the way."

"Definitely. Maybe I would've had better style if it weren't for that."

"So, now you're admitting you have bad style?"

"Shut it."

Charles and I spent the next few minutes talking while I shared some things that happened during today's session with Estelle. He still felt guilty and promised me he'd bring home some chocolates to make up for it. He had to hang up when I heard Toto's voice over the phone, saying he'd see me in a few days.

I was about to walk up to the apartment building when I decided to make a small detour to The Meeting Grounds since there's never a bad time to drink a cup of coffee for me. There were a lot of people inside since everyone had just gotten off of work and was ending the day with a cup shared with friends.

I could feel a few people's eyes on me and I shifted away from their direction since I was sitting in the booth. My comfort went way past zero when I noticed someone snap a photo of me, and I was just about to stand up when a figure appeared on my right.

Of course, luck is never on my side.

"Hey, would you mind if I joined you?" Rose asked, holding a cup of coffee as she pointed at the empty seat across from me.

Yes, I would.

"No, go ahead." I found myself saying and Rose smiled before sitting down. My god, why did I say yes? "How's the bakery?" I asked her because that's the only safe subject that can be discussed between us. I could ask her about how she felt about Charles, but I already knew the answer to that so what's the point?

Rose grinned before leaning her elbows on the tabletop. "Very good, actually. We're deciding to open another branch, but the location is still up for discussion."

"Which places are you thinking of?"

"Right now, it's a choice among Nice, Milan, and Bologna. Nice is an obvious choice since it's so near. My mother is from Bologna, so she can help me with setting up the shop. Milan is just a personal choice of mine."

I nodded my head in agreement, ignoring her words about Milan and the temptation to ask why it was her personal choice. "I'm sure whatever location you choose will be a success."

Rose smiled and the both of us took a sip of our coffee, eyes kind but bodies showing we were anything but comfortable. In the past, I was alright with making conversation with her and even offering up a few stories about my work. But ever since she tried to take advantage of Charles' memory loss, I can't push myself to be civil for long.

"How—" She began but then she hesitated, looking around before leaning closer as if she were about to mention a secret. "How's Charles doing?"

Well, that didn't take long.

"He's doing good." I replied, not expanding on my words which caused her to smile awkwardly at me.

"I hear he's in the UK right now." I raised an eyebrow at what she said and Rose's cheeks reddened before she laughed it off. "His photo appeared on my Instagram. You know how it is."

"I don't, actually. I rarely open the app." And I don't need an app to tell me where my husband is because he told me himself. I was also the one who drove him to the airport.

"That's a good thing. Back then, there were so many awful comments every time I posted stuff— even those that weren't related to Charles." Rose rambled on and I shifted in my seat, growing more uncomfortable by the second as she brought up their past. "I think people forgot that my life didn't revolve around him."

"Are you sure?" I couldn't help but ask, my patience already growing thin.

"I'm sorry?"

I let out a bitter laugh as I took a sip of my coffee. "Good job. At least there's still an ounce of respect in you."

Rose frowned at me as she glanced around, checking to see if someone had caught sight of the change in atmosphere at our booth. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Can I ask you something?" I ignored her question and waited until she slowly nodded her head. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, you're Nadia." She answered, confusion spread all over her face.

"Then you should know that I'm not someone you can just push around and expect to back down." I said, my eyes never leaving hers, as I watched her fidget with the lid of her coffee cup. "I fight for what's mine, Rose, and not even a major memory loss would be able to stop me."

"Nadia, that's not—"

"You may be sweet and kind, but you're also toxic. Who goes after their married ex and takes advantage of their unstable emotional and mental state?" Rose is gobsmacked, lips parted open as she registered my words. This has been piling up inside me ever since she met up with him again after the accident. She had to know this conversation was bound to happen at one point. "You don't know shit about what's happened between me and Charles, so I really can't blame you for your naïveté, but that doesn't give you the right to push yourself in the middle of our marriage."

"Charles would hate you for saying this." She said and I wanted to smack her in the face at how foolish she was acting.

"Do you really think that he'd leave the person who made him believe in love again? For someone he didn't think was worth it to conquer his fears of being in a relationship?" That shut her up and I couldn't help but smirk at how I completely hit a nerve. "Because if you do, then you really don't know him. When Charles loves someone with so much passion, he would do and risk everything for them." I stood up, leaving my empty coffee cup as I looked down at Rose. "And he's done that for me ever since the first time I met him."

*****
I would like to repeat: Ooooooooooo

✧Reese✧