𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒚 // ᶜʰᵃʳˡᵉˢ ˡᵉᶜˡᵉʳᶜ

𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧¹²

It was getting pretty late after the girls finished shopping and chatting, so instead of going back to the track, they decided to call separate Ubers and head to their hotels to get ready for dinner later that night.

Kika opted to go with Valentina to her room since they had both bought new dresses for the occasion. The two of them played Valentina's TaylorxLana playlist loudly, singing along as they did their makeup and got ready for dinner.

Pierre was going to pick them up shortly and drive them to the restaurant.

As they put on the final touches, Kika's phone rang, and it was Pierre on the line.

"We gotta go, they're waiting downstairs," Kika informed Valentina as she grabbed her purse.

"They?" Valentina questioned, puzzled, as they exited the room and headed to the hotel elevator.

"Yeah, I think Charles is with him," Kika confirmed as they made their way through the lobby to the hotel entrance, where Pierre's car was parked.

As the valets opened the car doors, Kika settled into the passenger seat, giving Pierre a soft kiss, while Valentina slid into the back seat, noticing Charles already seated beside her.

"Hey, babe," Pierre greeted Kika with a smile, sharing another brief kiss before turning to Valentina, "Hey Val, how's it going?" he inquired as he started the car.

"All good," Valentina replied with a polite smile, then turned to Charles, asking, "How was qualifying?"

"It was fine," Charles responded flatly, catching Valentina off guard with his lack of enthusiasm. She shrugged it off, assuming he was just tired.

"So, what did you guys do today without us?" Pierre initiated, trying to spark conversation.

"We shopped," Kika answered.

"A lot," Valentina added, chuckling at the memory of their spree.

"While we were sweating it out, you guys just chilled at the mall, huh?" Pierre teased.

"At least we stayed for Q1 to show support," Kika retorted.

In the back seat, Charles remained silent, staring out of the window. Valentina wondered what had dampened his mood. Qualifying had gone well, and Charles was starting P3 tomorrow, so she couldn't understand why he was so quiet now.

The car ride remained mostly quiet, with Pierre and Kika chatting, and Valentina occasionally joining in, but Charles hardly spoke until they reached the restaurant.

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Upon arriving at the restaurant, Pierre parked the car and stepped out to hold the door open for Kika, while Charles did the same for Valentina. Pierre and Kika walked ahead, hand-in-hand, with Charles and Valentina following behind at a slight distance. Valentina noticed Charles staring at the ground as they walked and couldn't resist asking, "Charles?"

At the sound of his name in her gentle voice, Charles looked up to Valentina, who asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Charles muttered, picking up his pace.

Valentina frowned at his response but decided not to press further as they entered the restaurant and reached their table; where Daniel, Lando, Max, and Kylie were already seated.

"Hey, you're here!" Daniel exclaimed as everyone took their seats. Lando motioned for Valentina to sit beside him, while Charles sat next to Pierre on the opposite side of the table.