As soon as Penelope pulled up to the airport, the first thing she noticed was the paparazzi. It wasn't unusual for them to sit in gaggles near the terminals, hoping to catch some stray celeb as they re-entered the city, but this was different. The place was practically crawling with them, cameras at the ready.
Penelope had done her best to prepare. Her hair was tied back, tucked into a black cap, and her eyes were hidden behind large sunglasses. She'd taken her own car, but there was no getting around that, but she'd purposely kept her gym gear on, hoping that maybe she'd just blend with the crowds. Still, she was anxious.
However, it did help that Charles knew his way around LA enough that she didn't need to guide him from the landing strip. She could wait here, behind the comfort and safety of her tinted windows, until he emerged.
And that was exactly what she did. It took twenty minutes, but she spotted Charles heading towards her from the main building, wearing a similar getup. No one seemed to be paying attention as he walked through, and the familiar cheeky smile that he gave her on his approach made her nerves simply melt away.
"Hey," he said as he opened the door, throwing his bag across the back seat. "Miss me?"
Penelope pulled him towards her, cupping his face as she kissed him. "You have no idea. I can't believe you're here."
Charles sat back against the seat, never letting go of her hand. "I was going crazy without you. But by the way, if Mattia asks, this trip is purely business, no pleasure."
She tried to put on a serious expression but failed, collapsing into laughter. "You used the business card, didn't you?"
He winked at her. "A magician never reveals his secrets." His eyes landed on the car dashboard, raising an eyebrow. "You sure you don't want me to drive?"
"I can handle it. My city, my rules. No judging my driving either!"
"I can't make any promises."
********************
Penelope poked her head through the set door, checking both directions before tugging on Charles's sleeve to give him the all clear.
"Hurry up!" she hissed, barely able to form the words through floods of giggles. Charles gripped her hand, following close behind.
"What happens if we get caught?" he asked, almost tripping over a wire as Penelope dragged him towards the main set.
"Depends on who catches us," she told him, yanking him to the right as one of the sound engineers walked past. "If it's one of those guys, we'll get away with it. I'll say I'm rehearsing or something. But if Li catches us then...well, let's not think about it."
Above them, the bell rang for end of day. Set filming was finished, and most of the crew had already packed away. The only obstacles in their way on their quest to reach the main set were a few stragglers and, if luck wasn't on their side, the show's director and runner Li Suen.
Penelope held Charles back again as Lindsey King, head of lighting, trudged past them, flicking the switch to the main light and shrouding the set in almost darkness. Then, with her head in her phone, she headed to the exit, not paying Penelope and Charles any mind. Her exit was a good thing - she was normally the last to leave for the day and if all went as planned, meant that the coast should now be clear.
"Come on," Penelope giggled, deciding to make a run for it. "Keep your head down!"
"Okay, okay," Charles laughed as they ran towards the stage.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they made it. The show had two main sets - the warehouse they were in right now and the outdoor set they used for Camp Half-Blood. The warehouse was used for the Big House and all other inside locations that made the show famous, and it was nothing short of impressive to look at.
Penelope couldn't help but smile as Charles stared around in wonder, his eyes bright with excitement. He walked the entire length of the space, taking in every detail like a child in an endless sweetshop.
"You shoot all the scenes here?" he asked, bending down to look closer at the pictures above the fake fireplace.
Penelope sat down in one of the armchairs, nodding. "Pretty much. They move parts of the set around according to what we're filming."
Charles laughed with glee, his eyes going wider as he spotted the chair Penelope was sitting in. "No way..." he breathed, pointing at her like she was sitting on the outstretched hand of the Statue of Liberty. "That's Chiron's chair!"
Penelope smiled. "You wanna sit in it?"
He looked at her like she was talking Japanese. "Is that even a question?"
Penelope rolled her eyes playfully, her heart warm as she watched his marvel over every detail of the chair. She didn't have the heart to tell him that it wasn't the same one they'd used in the earlier seasons. An unfortunate incident involving a pot of coffee and a very large stain put an end to that.
"You want me to take a picture?" she said, holding her hand out to take his phone. Instead, he grabbed her fingers, pulling her in and kissing her in the way that made the butterflies in her stomach flutter.
"Not without you in it."
He stood suddenly, making her yelp as she struggled to stay upright in the chair. "Where are you going?" she asked after him, watching in amazement as he fashioned his own camera stand out of the fireplace and a prop book.
"Perfect," he muttered with a proud expression, tapping something on the screen before hurrying back, arranging them so she was sitting across his lap again. "Now smile!"
Penelope grinned into the camera, and at the last minute, Charles kissed her cheek, making her laugh. She shot him a look as he went to check the results. "You know we're gonna have to take another now, right?"
Charles shook his head. "They're perfect. Like you."
She wrapped her hands around his neck, gazing into his eyes. She tried her best to take a mental snapshot, something she could cast her mind back to. She loved the way his eyes sparkled when he smiled, or how he had this special loved up look he reserved just for her. She didn't want to forget a single detail, to be able to stay in this moment with him forever.
"What's up?" he asked, tucking a stray stand of her hair behind her ear like they'd been together twenty years.
"Nothing," she whispered, and she really meant it. "I'm just really happy when I'm with you."
The kiss he planted on her nose was gentle, an intimate gesture that made her heart stir again. "Me too. Actually, I have something to ask you."
Penelope raised an eyebrow. "You do?"
"I wanted to ask you in Monaco, but I couldn't find the right moment."
"Okay..."
"Penelope, I really like you. I haven't met anyone like you in a long time, and I know it's long distance and would be a lot of work...but you're worth it. So, I wanted to ask you...if you'd be my girlfriend?"
Penelope couldn't hide her smile, especially since Charles looked about as nervous as she'd ever seen him. "Aww, you're blushing!"
"Is that a yes, or...?"
"Of course it's a yes, tonto."
His eyes narrowed, and she could practically hear him thinking. "You just call me a dummy?"
"You're learning! I'm impressed."
"You're lucky I like you."
They kissed again before Penelope pulled away, realising the time. "We should probably go. Security comes round in twenty minutes and we still have to make our grand escape."
"Does your stunt department have crash helmets? Because if you're at the wheel again I need to take precaution."
"I'm a good driver, thank you very much."
"It's very debatable."
"Shut up, Leclerc. You can walk home."
He shrugged. "Probably be safer that way." The look in her eyes must have scared even him, because he gave her a smile that could have melted butter. "Joking, of course."
*************************
Using a combination of luck and a little skill, Penelope and Charles made it out of the studio and to her car without a security incident. After a lot of convincing on the way back, she'd agreed to let Charles drive, which pleased him greatly.
After tossing him the keys, she took a second to check her phone. There were more notifications than she could count, but the one that struck her as strange were the five missed calls from her manager, Britney, who usually only called her if there was a problem, or if she'd been nominated or booked for something big. Unfortunately, it wasn't even close to awards season and Britney knew not to book her for anything at the moment due to scheduling, which left only the former option.
"I just have to make a call," she told Charles, who shot her a thumbs up before shutting the car door. Maybe it's nothing, she told herself. Maybe Britney just wanted to catch up, see how things are going. It's probably just a routine call. No need to panic.
She was sadly mistaken.
Britney answered the phone on the second ring, which was the first red flag. Penelope barely had time to say hello before her manager starting yelling: that was the second.
"Finally!" Britney barked, her voice stricter than usual. "Where have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours!"
Penelope leaned against the trunk of the car, shielding her eyes from the sun. "I was with a friend, that's all."
At the other end of the phone, Britney let out a small crazed laugh that didn't have any humour behind it. "Is that friend Charles Leclerc? Hm?"
Penelope's heart dropped all the way to her feet. Her voice suddenly went quiet. "What are you...how do you know about that?"
"I just got sent a three page spread that TMZ are due to print tomorrow, Penelope. You two are all over the front page, kissing in your car at the airport. I wouldn't be surprised if they have more. How many times have I told you about being careful? I don't know what's going on with you two but I can't get them to pull the story. So whether you like it or not, tomorrow you two are going public. I hope you're ready."
Before Penelope could argue, the line went dead. She stood there, frozen in place, for what felt like an eternity. Her heart was pounding. She didn't want this. Charles was her safe haven, but now that was gone. Those pictures meant cameras, fans, press. Their pocket of peace was about to be invaded, and there was nothing either of them could do to stop it.
When she opened the car door and Charles saw her face, his carefree expression dropped. "What happened?" he asked her, placing a hand on her arm as she shut the car door with trembling fingers.
"Everyone knows," she said blankly, her eyes trained forward.
Charles shook his head, confused. "Knows what? I don't understand."
"About us, Charles. Everyone knows about us."
******************