Mary just graduated from Law School and is setting out for a journey through Europe.
Charles is a F1 driver for Scuderia Ferrari.
How will their lives change when their paths cross?
Storyline starts in 2020, COVID does not exist.
A few days had passed since I had returned from Jeddah, and I still didn't have the courage to try and contact Mary. My time was limited as I was flying out to Australia in just a few days. But I just didn't know how to reach out to her in a sensible way: I didn't want to slide into her DMs as I thought it was too childish, didn't want to stalk her at work or call her there as that was the place she had so carefully built her walls up and I still hadn't found anyone who was willing to give me her number, let alone her address. But in the end I realised that texting her on Instagram was really my only option and I took a chance and sent her a message:
charles_leclerc Hey Mary, since I don't have your new number I'm trying my luck here. I'd really, really like to apologise for not saying anything that morning after and for weeks after that. Would you be willing to sit down with me and talk things through? I really, really hope you say yes. Love, your Carlo 🏎️
Now there was nothing left other than praying that she would answer.
Mary POV
After coming back from England, Fred and I had stayed in contact, texting a bit back and forth. Today was Friday and I was assembling my stuff to leave for the weekend. Alice was coming to visit and I was going to show her a bit around the French Riviera. I was very happy to spend a girl weekend, but my mood was dampened by my phone dinging. I was hoping that it wasn't some work stuff I needed to work on over the weekend, but when I saw who it was from, I stopped in my tracks.
Ugh, this just had to happen exactly on the day the sister of the guy who had started to like me was coming to town. Frowning, I threw my phone back into my purse. It had taken him almost a month to text after our night together, he could wait a weekend now for an answer.
I was so angry at myself that that message had put me in a bad mood and when Alice found me at the airport in Nice she immediately caught on. We drove to dinner at a place in Cannes and Alice asked me: "Ok, you can tell me, what's going on with you? You've been incredibly Mediterranean while driving, cussing at everyone in a car that surrounded you" I looked at her, debating whether to tell her as I didn't want to hurt her brother's feelings in any way. "Gosh, it's Charles, right? Ok, I know my brother likes you and trust me, I'd love to have you as my sister-in-law, but - I saw you and Charles together. It was so great to see because you two were always in sync - at your farewell party: you were looking for a napkin and he wasn't even standing next to you and caught on, bringing you one immediately. And I haven't seen the look in your eyes you always had with Charles this weekend with my brother." she said sincerely. Shit, I was never going to get over this guy, he really was my great love. "So, I'm Team Charmary - please tell me everything" she pleaded. "Ok, but NO word to your brother" I warned. "Nope, my lips are sealed!!" she promised. "Ok, so two weeks before Fred's birthday, Charles and I... erm, went home together and the morning after was very weird and I disappeared as quickly as I could. He never texted or said anything, up until today and now he wants to meet up and 'talk things through'" I sighed. "Ok, he's a dick for not texting, but: you could have reached out too, did you wish him good luck for a race?" she asked. "No" I admitted and immediately felt guilty. Shit, why hadn't I thought of that. "Do you want to see him?" she asked. I didn't dare to say it out loud, so I just nodded, which put a smile on her face. "I give you three weeks, then you guys are back together."
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📍 Nice, France Tagged: alicebecket mary.wright98 Vive la France 🇫🇷🥐☕️🏳️
fred_becket Nice! Hope you two had fun 😊 pierregasly The best country 🤌🏼 pierregasly Wait, delete that white flag emoji NOW william_stuart97 NOT THE WHITE FLAG 💀💀 lucygraham The croissant in that picture makes me want to leave London forever
Alice and I had had a fun weekend, I showed her Antibes, Nice, Grasse and obviously also Monaco. She had departed, wishing me good luck for my conversation with Charles and wanting to be updated on the situation.
It was Tuesday now, and after thinking all Monday about what to answer him, I finally tapped a message into my phone.
mary.wright98 Hey, yes, let's do it. Tonight? Or send me your suggestions? 😊
charles_leclerc Ahhh, shoot, I'm already boarding my plane to Dubai, I'm leaving for Melbourne, it's race week! How about Tuesday next week? Hope I'll not be too jet-lagged...
Mary.wright98 Oh, shoot. On Tuesday I already have a team dinner at work, how about Wednesday? Then you also have one more day to recover...
charles_leclerc Sounds perfect. Not to booty call, but my place? Maybe it's better to speak in a private space instead of a restaurant?
mary.wright98 Unfortunately you are right. But an ARM'S LENGTH of distance at all times!!
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Charles had suffered another DNF in Australia and I didn't really know in which state he was, given how things went last year, which made me a bit anxious about us meeting today. But it was too late to chicken out and so I drove down to his apartment building. Before ringing the bell downstairs, I took a deep breath and repeated in my head that everything was going to be alright. The door buzzed and I pushed it open, walking to the lifts to take me up to his floor.
And when I finally stood in front of him, every nervousness was gone, with just a look into his eyes I felt at home. After an awkward greeting, he let me inside and we sat down each on one of the opposite sofas. "Erm, I ordered pizza, should be here any minute" he mumbled. "Ok, great, let's delve into it then?" I replied. We both stayed silent for a while as no one really didn't know where to start. "Listen, I know I hurt you a lot that day in Hungary and I want to apologise..." he said quietly. "You hurt me so much, I honestly don't know how to forgive you... You left me hanging there mere hours before our holiday and mere days before I was moving into here" I replied sadly. "Sitting here on this sofa reminds me of the life I should be living with you now - that's why I was gone so quickly the other morning: I was supposed to wake up next to you every day and not just one time after a drunken mishap." He put his head in his hands. "What can I do to make it up to you?" he asked. "Let's just take it one step at a time, let's try to have a peaceful dinner today and we'll see how it goes further on" I sighed. He nodded and stood up to sit himself next to me. He took my head in his hands and we looked each other in the eyes for a long time before he started to lean in to kiss me. It was a short kiss, but my oh my, the fireworks in my tummy exploded and my heart felt back at home here with him.
