stop and stare

5

I take a deep breath and tell him everything that's happened; starting from that first night in my last season of F2 when we all went clubbing together. When I first met him.

It was the closing of the 2022 season and way before the announcement of my move to F1 was made. I had just won the last race and Charles had just won his. Elliott managed to convince me to go out as she had managed to get invited into the F1 VIP section of a club and wanted to meet some of the drivers. Mainly Lando. She had such a soft spot for him. I wasn't sure about it and wanted to stay in but Ell can be very persuasive when she wants to be.

We got ready for the night, choosing each other's outfits and doing each other's hair and make-up. When we were finally ready, we got an Uber and arrived at the club. We got past security and headed into the VIP section. Lando was the one to invite us inside with the others and introduced us to the grid. I will always remember when Charles and I first saw each other.

He was sitting with Pierre and was wearing black trousers with a tight-fitted black top to match. His hair was scruffy and slightly wet from what I presumed was dancing earlier in the night. He was mid-sentence when Pierre had interrupted him. He said something whilst pointing at us and Charles looked over. He looked at Ell first and then Lando and finally me. His eyes stopped for a second, caught and being held captive. He looked me up and down and licked his lips slightly. His eyes returned to mine and I swallowed. Lando and Ell sat down and left me no room to sit anywhere, except by Charles.

I sat down and awkwardly looked around the room, careful not to look at him. I remember not long after sitting, a waiter came over with a tray full of shots and handed one to all of us. We all gathered around the table in the middle and cheered for a good season. We took our shots and placed our glasses down. I remember Charles putting his hand behind my back and asking me if I wanted to dance by leaning into me and talking in my ear. I nodded at him and he took my hand and guided me to the main dance floor.

The music manages to intensify as we get to the heart of the floor. Charles lets go of my hand and turns around to face me. There's a slight smirk on his face as he comes closer to me. With the alcohol finally kicking in, we start dancing together. My arms go around his neck and hang lazily behind his head. His arms find their way around my waist and he pulls me even closer to him. I look up into his eyes and he stares straight back.

We both go in for the kiss at the same time, our lips crashing into each other and neither of us showing any signs of slowing down. He breaks off first and we continue to dance with each other. I'm not sure how long we spent between being on the dance floor or back with the others to get drinks, but the time flew by and before I knew it, everyone was planning on leaving.

We all go outside and haul ourselves into a taxi. There was hardly any room and some of us had to sit on others' laps. I had to sit on Charles and I noticed Ell sat on top of Lando. I had a thought about how she was going to fan girl over it when we sobered up, but looking back, I don't think we ever did. With how I was sat I tried to shuffle my weight a bit to get more comfortable, but suddenly stopped when a pair of hands gripped onto my waist.

"Stop fucking moving," I heard Charles say to me and I did just that.

We stopped off at the other driver's houses and when we got to Lando's, Ell got out with him, she said she'd text me in the morning so that I'd hear from her, before shutting the car door. The only people left in the car were Pierre, Charles and I. I go to move to the middle seat, but Charles keeps me in place on his lap. It's not long before Pierre gets dropped off and it's just me and Charles left in the car. I manage to slide into the seat next to him, and he rests his hand high up on my thigh.

We get to his place and he opens the door and steps out. He puts his hand out for me to take and I think about whether I should go home or not. I slip my hand into his and let him help me out of the car.