Book 1: Leap of Faith -Charles Leclerc

Chapter 10

Chapter 10: April 25th, 2023

Caroline sat on the couch in her tiny apartment, on Facetime with her best friends from back home.

"I hope you watched Melbourne, because your boy Lord Perceval was on FIRE," Kara mused to Caroline, having no idea how much her words made Caroline blush.

"Yeah, with that P1 finish I wouldn't be surprised if the WDC had his name on it," Emma chimed in

"Emma, shut up. Don't jinx it or I'll kill you," Lily added, with a fake serious tone.

"Anyway, Care, any idea if you'll be going to Baku?" Lily continued.

"Wait, omg, have you met any drivers in Monaco? I can't believe I haven't asked this yet," Kara blurted, interrupting her friend.

"Yes, I'll be going to Baku, actually. I just found out that one of the trainers for an actual F1 driver is sick, but I have no idea who it will be. And no, Kara, sadly I haven't met anyone yet." Caroline let the lie roll off her tongue with ease, feeling a pang of sadness knowing who she was lying to.

"If it's one of the Ferrari boys I'm going to be screaming, crying, and throwing up if you get me an autograph," Lily chimed in, from somewhere offscreen.

"Same though, you better help us out living vicariously through you," Emma said.

"Alright guys, I gotta get back to work," Caroline said, anxious to stop talking as they were getting dangerously close to Charles territory.

"Bye guys, love you," Caroline added, listening to their various overlapped sentiments and goodbyes. She promised herself that she would tell them someday, just not today.

**

Two days later Caroline was standing nervously with her kit in hand, waiting to see who was in need of her services. She prayed to several gods that she wasn't sure she believed in that it wouldn't be Charles. She had texted him after his win in Melbourne, and they spoke briefly after that. It felt normal again between them, but she knew she wouldn't be able to control herself in a room with him based on the last circumstances. Images of his naked body on top of her suddenly filled her mind. She pushed the post-sex flashbacks out of her head and smiled brightly at the fast approaching woman in front of her.

"Hi, Dr. Caroline? Great, follow me."

The woman had barely even given her time for a nod before doing a 180 and starting a brisk walk back in the same direction she came from.

"So, you'll be working with Carlos Sainz Jr today. His trainer tested positive for COVID a few days ago," she added in an exasperated sigh, showing Caroline that she was under a lot of stress at that moment. Caroline's heart skipped a beat and the adrenaline started pumping as soon as she heard Carlos' name. She had been a fan of his since his Mclaren days, but knew that she preferred to see him in Ferrari red. After some signed contracts and a bit more information, the woman quickly swung open a door and signaled for Caroline to go through it. She was a bit taken aback as she saw him sitting there, fully invested in whatever song was blasting through his headphones.

He was a thousand times more attractive in person, and that was saying something. His thick, dark hair was piled on top of his head, and Caroline knew he had a nervous habit of running his hands through it. His eyes were closed, allowing Caroline to take a full look at all of his features; his tanned skin, full lips, and chiseled jawline. Before she could stop staring, he had opened his eyes, revealing the deepest golden-brown color, then jumping back in instinct.

"Ah! Who are you?" he yelled, still in fight-or-flight mode.

Caroline instinctively backed away, holding up her one free hand to show that she meant no harm to the driver.