[2] ONE || C. LECLERC

TWENTY

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CAMILLE

I frowned whilst watching Charles pack his suitcase to take with him to Barcelona. Pre-season testing began in two days and he needed to be in Spain in enough time to endure talks with the team before getting into the car properly, for the first time. I was unable to join him, because my first shoot with Calvin Klein was scheduled for 20 February, the third day of winter testing. Victoria was staying with me at Max's apartment and we were going to fly out to Barcelona together straight after my shoot. Already, I was missing Charles, despite him being stood right before me.

"It's going to be alright, baby," Charles reached for my hands and stepped over his open suitcase. I promised that I would help him pack, despite how much it upset me because I hated to think about him going away. I never got like this with Max when he had to go away for races or something similar without me. I knew how much I had changed as a person after meeting Charles. "I'll call you as often as I can and you'll be out there too in less than a week. You'll have a great time with Victoria."

"I'm going to miss you," I dragged my eyes upwards as I felt tears welling up at the front of my lids. I shook my head as Charles opened his arms and pulled me into his chest. He shushed me, pressing his lips to the top of my head, his hands running slowly up and down my back. "I can't believe the shoot is this week. I would change it if it wasn't with Calvin Klein, you know that I would."

"I know, Camille, but it can't be helped this time. I'm not that far away," Charles smiled and I pulled myself back, glancing quickly up into his eyes. "I'm only ever a phone call away, and Victoria is here to look after you."

I nodded, moving away from Charles and taking myself over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it. He looked at me sadly, shaking his head as he followed me. I didn't want to cry. I didn't want to look weak in front of him right now because it would worry him and it wasn't worth that when he had bigger things to think about.

"Please, Camille, trust me. I'm going to be perfectly fine," Charles brushed his lips across my temple. "Come on. Let's go get something to eat and we can finish packing afterwards."

"Do you have time?" I asked, cautious of the time because we were pushed to quite a tight schedule today. Charles planned to drop me at Max's apartment before they drove to the airport together. I was glad that the boys were getting on better now, it made me feel so much better and relaxed in my relationship.

Charles glanced at his watch and his lips pulled upwards into a smile, "of course I do."

He lifted me off of the bed and held me in his arms. I giggled at the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around me and relaxed as he walked through to the kitchen. Since I found out about my photoshoot with Calvin Klein, Charles had been a little nervous, because he knew what sort of comments people would post beneath my Instagram pictures. When I first started out with modelling, Max found it difficult to comprehend things which were said by people I'd never met on Instagram. I understood why Charles was upset over it; it wasn't nice to see what random men were saying about me and I got that, but I couldn't stop posting photographs on my Instagram. I knew that he would be alright with it, because it wouldn't be as bad as he was assuming.

"Thanks," I gratefully took the bowl of fruit from Charles and collected a fork from the drawer, as Charles placed a bottle of water in front of me on the bench. He sat beside me and took a fork. "Oh, so we're sharing now?"

"There's enough fruit here for two." A giggle left Charles' lips and he took a piece of pineapple from the bowl and popping it slowly between his lips. I felt my chest ache at the thought of how much I was going to miss him whilst we were apart. This was the longest we had been separated in a few months now, so it was a scary thought for me, despite knowing that I wasn't going to be alone.