Homesick | Charles Leclerc

15

Crying into his shoulder, Alexandra managed to say, "I don't think I can survive this, Lewis. The media won't leave me alone, and it feels like the whole world is against me."

Lewis held her tighter, reassuringly, "You're not alone, Alexandra. You're loved by so many people. We're all here to support you, no matter what. You've got to stand back up and prove everyone wrong."

Amidst her tears, she nodded, finding comfort in his words. "It's just so overwhelming, Lew. I tried to hide my past for so long, and now it's all out there, and I feel so exposed. I can't get away from it."

Lewis tilted her chin up gently, meeting her gaze. "Alexandra, you are beautiful inside and out, and there is not a day that goes by where I don't think about all the happiness that you deserve to find. You are by far the strongest person I've ever met, and the fact that you kept it bottled up inside of you for so long is incredible. But, you don't have to hide away anymore."

"Wha-,"

"Stop running from it Lex, if you keep hiding from it, it's always going to be behind you. You'll always be looking over your shoulder, searching for the next time it might appear. You owe it to yourself to move on from this." 

Lewis carefully helped Lexi to the car, making sure she was comfortable before loading her bags from the private jet into his brand-new Mercedes. As they settled into the car, Lexi pulled her legs to her chest, her hands trembling with nerves. Lewis looked at her with concern, trying to reassure her, "You don't have to face everyone at once. We'll take it step by step, okay? You'll be okay."

Lexi nodded, but the fear in her eyes remained. "I'm scared of seeing everyone, Lewis, and the cameras... It's all just too much."

Thinking quickly, Lewis suggested an idea, "How about we get all the drivers together first, somewhere private, so you can see them? We'll arrange a meeting at the FIA building on site. You'll see, everything will be fine."

She nodded again, finding some comfort in the plan, but she remained silent, still grappling with her emotions.

Using the car's Bluetooth, Lewis called Daniel, who picked up almost immediately. Lexi could hear the other drivers in the background, all hushing each other to listen in. Daniel asked with genuine concern, "Lewis, is Alexandra okay?"

 Lewis reassured him, "She's with me, and we're taking it step by step."

Lewis explained the plan to meet privately in a room at the FIA building on-site, and the drivers all agreed. As he was about to end the call, the phone was handed to someone else, and Lexi's heart clenched when she recognized Charles's broken and husky voice, as if he had been crying.

"Is she okay, Lewis?" Charles asked, his concern evident.

Lewis hesitated for a moment, shooting a look toward Lexi, who seemed frozen in shock by the emotion in Charles' voice. Of course, she'd not spoken to any of them, so she'd have no idea how badly they'd all taken it when they saw her struggling. Of course, nobody struggled more than Charles.

"Lewis, is she okay?" Charles snapped, before sighing, a sad tone emerging instead. "Please, man. I need to know."

Panicking, Lexi finally replied, "I'm here." she caught her breath in her throat for a minute as she heard complete silence on the other end of the line. "I'm here. I'm okay. I'm sorry." she repeated, her anxiety taking over.

There was a moment of silence, the emotions heavy in the air, before Daniel intervened to end the call, saying goodbye on behalf of everyone. 

Almost immediately, Lexi span to face Lewis, who was trying his hardest to keep his eyes on the road. "Lewis, what's wrong with Charles?"