🌸 note 🌸
Hello everyone!
I'm still alive. Surprise. No, I sincerely apologise for being inactive. There was just so much going on in my life and either I didn't have time or I didn't feel like writing, but hopefully, it'll be only better from now on and I'll be able to write as much as before.
As always loads of love and happiness because it's needed, Anna <3
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Italy, August 2019
"I was looking for you," Charles commented as he finally saw his Italian in the orchard of apricot trees. He woke up already some time ago. The coldness woke him up. It was a combination of the cold morning breeze and the absence of Pia's body next to his. It was so nice to sleep next to her again. He couldn't remember when he got such a good sleep. It had to be years.
"I just wanted to get some apricots for a pie," the Italian explained why she was there. She couldn't even remember when the last time she baked something was.
"Oh, we are baking today?" The Ferrari driver asked her surprisedly. He knew she loved baking, but it surprised him since she struggled with food.
"We? Are you helping me?" She gave him a gentle smile. Charles just nodded. Obviously, he wanted to help her. "God bless our kitchen," she said before giggling, but she stopped when she noticed how Charles looked at her. "What?" she asked.
"Our kitchen," he repeated her words. "I like the sound of that," he smiled at her before picking up a basket full of apricots from the grass.
"Well, technically, it's my mum's kitchen," the brunette corrected herself. Factually, this house still belonged to her mother even though Pia was the only one who lived here from time to time.
"We could have our kitchen in Monaco then," Charles suggested his kitchen in his apartment. He said it so nonchalantly as if he wasn't just talking about moving in together.
"I think you still share that kitchen with someone else." The Italian was talking about the fact that Charlotte still hadn't moved out of Charles' apartment. Pia understood it since it was really hard to find a new place to live in Monaco, and Charles was here with Pia anyways.
"That's just a question of time, P," he said and noted for himself that he would have to have this talk with Charlotte. He left for Italy in a bit of a rush, therefore, there wasn't really time to discuss anything about their future.
"I don't know if it's a good idea anyways," she let out. "My parents aren't really fans of the whole studying in Monaco thing," Pia explained. Sebastian asked her to think about studying in Switzerland, and Pia promised she would think about it.
"Yeah, because they thought you would be alone there." Charles had a point. They were worried about Pia's well-being and nowadays also about the food issue. It was one of the main reasons why they didn't think it was a good idea, but with Charles there it could be different.
"I don't need a supervisor, Charles," the Italian offendedly said.
"I didn't say you need one," the Ferrari driver was quick to react. He didn't snap at her, but the warning was hearable in his voice. It was like: 'stop with this bullshit before it is too late'.
"I know," the Italian sighed before walking towards the house. It was ten in the morning, but the heat of the sun was already almost unbearable.
The Italian stopped her traces in front of the pool. She was quick to undress from her white mini-dress before jumping to the pool in just her underwear. Charles just watched this whole situation with a boyish grin on his face. That was Pia, how he knew her. So spontaneous, so herself.
It was crazy to realise that Pia was someone who had stood by him since he could remember. He has known her since he was thirteen. He knows so much about her. He knows how much she likes Formula One, fashion, and animals. How she loves early summer mornings, sunsets and wet grass.
He notices even the little things like her being allergic to strawberries and hating the smell of fuel. And how much she is proud to be Italian.
She loves to cook, and she loves good wine. She loves that bittersweet taste on the tip of her tongue. She loves her mum's tiramisu and hates gherkins. She hates to work out, but if you made her run with you, she's the best partner. She giggles over stupid things and loves dad jokes. If she had a chance, she would hug everyone in the paddock. She would tell you she's selfish, but she's actually the most selfless person Charles knows.
She braids her hair because she hates when it's in her way. She loves her family more than anything. She would do anything for her two younger brothers. Sometimes she's childish. She loves to play Monopoly, and guess who, but she's the type of person who lets you win. She hates roses because she hates being basic. She's scared of abandonment, driving cars and spiders. She would love to have the cloak of invisibility and watch Snoopy on a Sunday morning. She wouldn't be afraid to admit it because she isn't ashamed of it.
For some, it may come as a surprise, but Charles knew Pia better than anyone.
"Don't you wanna join me?" The Italian asked Charles as she saw him watching her. She could tell he was lost in his thoughts just based on the look on his face.
"Of course, I want," he said before stripping off his t-shirt followed by his loose Puma shorts. He looked like he was about to hit a gym every minute, but to be fair, Pia knew about one really efficient cardio.
As soon as he jumped into the pool, he could feel the coldness of the water. It was so refreshing. He quickly swam over to Pia and let her wrap her legs around his waist.
The Italian pressed her forehead against his. It was so lovely. It almost seemed like a dream. Too good to be true. Pia could've sworn he wanted to say those words. They were barely clothed, and he stared at her through drooping eyelids with a lopsided smile and she could've sworn she saw the words sitting right there fighting against his lips to be let out. I love you.
He didn't dare to say them tho. It was too soon, yet too late. So, instead of saying anything he just kissed her. It was better than saying anything else.
"Charles," she moaned as she felt his hands squeezing her ass. "In a pool?"
"And... why... not?" he asked her between the kisses. They were both horny it was clearly hearable from their voices. Their breathing was heavy. The Monegasque untied her bikini top and let his hands wander to her boobs.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered before kissing her neck. She was indeed the most beautiful woman he ever saw. The lust in his eyes was clearly visible.
"So you are," Pia said back to him before gripping his hair and kissing him.
---
The fresh summer air was flowing from the terrace. Pia loved it. She loved being home. Italy was where she belonged. Charles' arms were where she belonged.
She never said anything against her parents moving to Switzerland, but a part of her hated it. Switzerland was beautiful and everything, but it didn't feel like home. She didn't mind it that much during the winter, but as soon as summer hit, she missed Italy.
She missed eating her mother's gelato in their garden while watching the sea. She missed cycling around Genoa. She missed the sea and all those trips on a bicycle in the Italian countryside.
The Italian made her way to the terrace, sitting in just Charles' Ferrari t-shirt that looked so baggy.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realise when Charles sat next to her. He placed his left hand between her thighs.
"Why did you leave," he said quietly as if he was afraid to bring Pia back to reality. He was so confused when he came back to the bedroom from the bathroom, and the Italian wasn't in the bed.
"It's too good weather to be inside," the Italian grinned at him. She always did this. This special smile belonged just to Charles and no one else. He hasn't ever seen her smile at someone like that. Once or twice, he thought he saw her smile like that on Max, but something was always missing. That spark which made it special belonged to Charles.
"Yeah, that's true, but I'm not the one who wanted to bring it inside," the Ferrari driver explained with a smirk on his face. He was so full of himself as always after sex.
"Sorry, I didn't want the whole of Italy to know," the younger one apologised ironically. She was pretty sure that her neighbours knew or well heard them, which brought red colour to Pia's cheeks.
"Well, that brought some colour into your cheeks," the Monegasques said before squeezing her thigh. Pia looked at Charles' hand on her thigh. She never really thought about it before, but her love language was physical touch. She liked to be touched.
After a few seconds of silence, Charles decided to speak up again. "I will need to leave for Maranello tomorrow to do some sim work and so on." Well, that was there. They both knew this little fairy tale in Italy wouldn't last forever. They had to go back into their lives, leaving these peaceful summer days behind. "Would you – Would you like to go with me?" the Monegasque dared to ask her. He would love her to come along, but he would also understand if she declined his offer.
Going to Maranello together was a risk because there was a high likelihood someone would snap a picture of them together. They probably didn't mind as much that others would know about them, but they both knew if something Pia needed something it was less attention right now. She needed peace and time to heal, not the press and the fans around her.
"I don't know if it's a good idea," the Italian admitted softly.
"I'd like you to come with me," he said. "Things in Ferrari..." the Monegasque said, and then he tilted his head slightly to think about what he wanted to say next. "... are not that easy now." As if it was ever really easy. It seemed that things in Ferrari could never go smoothly. There was always something going wrong.
"Yeah, I know," Pia said as she recalled her conversation with Sebastian about him thinking about retiring. Things weren't right in Ferrari, but everyone was just trying to pretend nothing was happening.
"Did Sebastian mention something?" Charles dared to ask. He knew it was a little bit too much. He didn't want to drag Pia into this, but he was also too curious to let this opportunity pass without asking about it.
"Well, yeah," the Italian nodded. She didn't really want to talk about it. "Nobody likes to be second," she stated. Well, who would like it? They were there to win and not to come home second.
"I know," the Ferrari driver said quietly. Losing to your teammate was one of the worst things that could happen to you. Technically, he was your only equal rival. He was the only one who had the same car therefore whoever came on top from this battle was the better driver. The driver that was worth keeping and who would be prioritised during the races.
Then there was silence between the both of them. They were both lost in their thoughts. The only thing which was preventing them from the utter silence was songs that were playing from the speaker not so far away from them.
'Where is my love' started playing, and Pia just pressed her forehead against Charles' shoulder, looking away from him while crooning the words. Closing her eyes, she thought about everything that had happened. Everything seemed to go wrong, and she didn't really know where to begin to fix all this mess. The Italian could feel that the Ferrari driver turned his head to look over his shoulder at her. Pia didn't see him, yet she knew he had that worried look on his face – furrowed eyebrows, conflicted eyes and lips in a straight line.
"What's bothering you?" he asked her. His voice was soft. As if he was worried that his words had the potential to break her.
"There's just a lot on my mind," the Italian admitted after a while. She wasn't really the best at confiding. She was never really able to share about all those things that were going on inside her brain.
"And I want to know every single thing that goes through that head of yours," Charles spoke softly. He indeed wanted to know everything. No more secrets. No more hiding stuff. No more not speaking about things.
"It's just Max... We argued pretty badly in Austria and haven't spoken to each other since. I mean... I fucked up, and I know it, but so did he. I would just like to fix it... but I don't know how," Pia explained the situation to Charles. After all, he had known their friendship well since the beginning.
He remembered how Max was interested in her and how she wasn't interested in him. They even ended up fighting because of Pia's attention. Well, and how much have things shifted since then? Max was soon to be a father and had a woman whom he loved deeply, and Pia... Pia was... well Pia.
She had her messy hair and messy soul, a head full of ideas and short-term obsessions. Now, perhaps she had Charles, but she was nowhere near getting what Max had –stability, certainty, and family. The Dutchman was a lucky bastard, after all. Not in a bad way. Pia wished only the best for Max, but she wondered where and when Max made all those right turns, and she did not.
"I'm sure you'll solve it. It's you and Max. You were friends for such a long time. He's a good guy, and he cares about you. Trust me, I know something about that," Charles laughed. Charles was one of the few people who really knew how much the Red Bull driver cared for the petite brunette. They never really put their friendship on display, so it was hard to judge how much they cared for each other.
"What do you mean by that?" The Italian asked him confusedly.
"That he might or might not have threatened me," the Ferrari driver revealed. "But it was nothing I didn't deserve." He was self-critical. He couldn't say a single word against Max's actions because he would probably act the same in his situation.
"What did he tell you?" The younger one from the couple asked curiously. Pia wasn't surprised Max did that. They always got each other's back. She remembered doing the same. She was threatening and lying for him as every good friend would, just to protect him. They never really talked about it, but they both knew it.
"Well, he told me it would be better if I just let you go," the Ferrari driver said what the Dutchman told him not so long ago.
"Yeah? And why didn't you do it?" he asked her. Their faces were too close to each other, so their visions of each other were blurry. Pia could almost feel Charles' lips on hers, but just almost.
"There's just something about you I can't resist," the Italian whispered before Charles placed his lips on hers. He loved kissing her. He enjoyed it all those years ago and was still enjoying it now.
"That's good because there's something I can't resist about you, too," the Monegasque whispered these words softly in between their kisses.
"Let's go have lunch," the Monegasque said before he gently slapped Pia's thigh and stood up after they ended up kissing. Of course, Charles wouldn't be against the next round, but he was also pretty sure Pia hadn't eaten anything from the morning.
"I don't actually feel like eating," the younger one protested. She couldn't imagine that she would go eat lunch now.
"Pia," he said with a warning tone. Charles wanted her to eat because when she wasn't eating it meant that something was wrong. When she wasn't eating it meant she was still as broken as before, and the Monegasque didn't know how to fix her.
"I will eat one bite. You will eat one bite, yeah? We are in this together," he said with a smile on his face. He needed to remain calm because of Pia. That was enough to make Pia smile as well. She could feel the support Charles was ready to give her, and that already helped a lot.
"We are in this together," she repeated before interlocking fingers with the Ferrari driver and making their way to the kitchen.