I'm curious, what is/are your favorite track/s? Mine are Monza, Monaco, and Australia :)
Enjoy!
*****
May 09, 2026 - USA
"Is that real or have you just acquired a new liking for diamonds?" Gabby greeted me when she saw my ring as soon as she entered the hotel room. It was just me here since Charles had to leave early for qualifying and I'd be heading there in an hour.
I raised an eyebrow at Gabby as she placed her suitcase by the door. She had her own room, but she wanted to pass by mine first as soon as she arrived. "You already know I'm engaged and besides, don't act like you didn't help him."
The look of confusion on her face vanished as a smile replaced it. "How did you find out?"
"Charles slipped when I asked him how long he's been holding onto it."
"You should've seen him, Nads. That boyfriend of yours may be all confident to the public, but when it comes to you, it's like all thoughts are thrown out of the window." Gabby laughed, following me as I plopped down onto the couch. She did the same, placing her feet underneath her thighs as she examined the ring closely. We both stayed silent as she lifted my hand, the ring shining when it hit the light at a perfect angle. I'm still not used to it even if it's been months since he proposed. Only a few people know— his family, Gabby, Max, Daniel, and Pierre. We knew it would be big news once the media catches wind of the engagement which was why it was on a need-to-know basis.
"It's fiancé now." I smirked and she rolled her eyes at me. "Are you free on August eighth?"
Gabby raised her eyebrow at me as she pulled away a little to see my face. "Why? Are we going around France for the break again?"
"Not exactly." I drifted off, waiting for her to follow. It was a few seconds later when her eyes widened and Gabby jumped from the couch. Her hands were placed in front of her as she gaped at me.
"No way."
"Yes." I confirmed and I squirmed in my seat when she let out a high-pitched scream. God, my best friend is too loud.
"Why so soon?" She asked when she finally calmed down. "Wait, are you pregnant?"
"No!" I immediately denied it, slapping her with one of the pillows. "Is everyone going to assume that?"
"Well, it's rare to get married six months after being engaged, so I would say yes. Just wear a tight wedding dress and that would shut down the rumors." She waved a hand in the air as if it was that easy to erase any media talk on social media. We both know that's not the case. "How are you with the preparations?"
"Believe it or not, Charles has been doing most of it."
"That's actually not hard to believe." Gabby chuckled, knowing that wedding planning was not my forte.
"We've chosen the date, venue, and color scheme. He's been talking about it with Alice— Lorenzo's wife— and his mom almost every week. When we visited Pascale last weekend, Charles shooed me away to hang out with Arthur instead when I couldn't decide which flowers to pick for the tables."
I remember him showing me two photos that looked very similar. As he held it up to my face, I was trying to pinpoint any big differences but to me, they all looked beautiful. When he grew frustrated that all of my answers were I like them both, they're both nice, or I don't know, you pick, he gave me a kiss on the cheek and pushed me out of the dining room.
"Do you need me to uphold my maid of honor duties or does he have it all covered?" I love how when she found out about the engagement, Gabby and I didn't need to talk about her role in the wedding. Outside of my life with Charles, she was the closest thing I have to family. That role was already hers the second she turned from being a friend to a second sister I never knew I needed.
"He did ask me if you would take our official photos."
"Of course, I would. I'll invite some of my friends to take the rest of the photos for the night." We spent the remainder of our free time browsing through the portfolios of her photographer friends, choosing which styles would go best with the wedding.
The Miami Grand Prix was the first race of the season that I was attending. I've been so swamped with work ever since Adeline decided to up my responsibilities, seeing the effort and amount of detail I've put in the previous year. Another reason is that she's taking a short break from work ever since she and Lewis found out they were expecting their first child. I remember a photo of Roscoe with the ultrasound going viral when Lewis posted about it on Instagram.
Since it was surprisingly hot, I chose to wear a white matching set today, my hair put up in a ponytail as I placed some black sunglasses over my eyes. Gabby and I easily entered the paddock, catching a few eyes especially since people are already aware of our relation to the drivers. Gabby is seen as a close friend of Max now as well, with a few rumors about a relationship floating in the air. Max has been asked about it numerous times online, but he manages to steer away from the conversation.
He did push through with his plans of asking out Gabby during the New Year's Eve party at his house. Just as I thought, Gabby was not ready for it when she left early that night, not giving me an explanation when I asked her about it, only saying that it wasn't the right time.
They didn't communicate for a few weeks after that, the two of them using me as a bridge for the duration of it. Max would ask bluntly about how she was doing while Gabby would find a way to make Charles and I talk about Max by asking about the other drivers as well. It was frustrating to see them like that, so I found my own way of making them talk to one another. I was radio silent for a week as the two of them flooded me with messages. It was a few days later when the two eventually talked it out, deciding to continue staying as friends. I found out about it when they literally both sent me a text at the same time.
Gabby: I hate you
Max: I love you and expect a package of Ethiopian coffee beans from me to arrive next week in exchange :)
I knew that after today, photos of me wearing the ring would be all over the internet. I ignored the thought, knowing that it would be inevitable. Charles was one of the best drivers of his generation and the most successful one at the moment. He was the one who brought back the domination of Ferrari to the sport and that would make him such a high-profile person.
Gabby and I headed for the Ferrari motorhome, seeing Isa with Carlos' manager. I gave her a smile and a small wave, and she excused herself before walking in our direction. Before Isa arrived in front of us, her eyes shifted down to my ring and a gasp escaped her lips. "Oh my god!" She ran the rest of the remaining space, immediately grabbing my hand as eyes flickered over to us.
"Shh." I frantically said, noticing that she was about to open her mouth again.
"Sorry." She sheepishly said, giving me an apologetic smile. "But, oh my god?"
"Happening on August eight." Gabby said beside me. "This is the save the date because we are shit at being wedding planners."
"Carlos and I will definitely be there." Isa smiled, pulling my hand so that we could all sit down. Carlos' manager was gone, most likely meeting with the driver before qualifying started. Ferrari was once again leading the championship but this time, Red Bull had come back stronger than Mercedes this year.
"What's your color theme?" Isa asked, a look of excitement glinting in her eyes.
I smiled, sharing a glance with Gabby. This I know. "Since there's a lot of greenery in the wedding venue, we wanted something that would contrast it. Charles and I were thinking something along the shades of blue."
"Where's the venue?"
"Chateau de Tourreau." Isa let out a low whistle as Gabby nodded her head beside me, sharing the exact sentiments when I showed her photos of the place. The accommodation allowed us to use both the chateau and the farmhouse beside it. Charles and I decided that the ceremony would happen by the front of the house, covering the stoned driveway with a flatter surface that I could walk on. Usually, the ceremony happened in the backyard and then it'd be converted for the reception, but as soon as we saw how the trees surrounded the make-shift aisle, we both knew that was where we wanted to do it.
"How about decorations?"
"Don't bother asking her because she doesn't know a thing." A voice behind us said and I turned around to see Charles with his fireproofs and race suit on. He gave me a kiss on the cheek, standing behind me as he placed his hands on my shoulders. "She's clueless about the entire thing, Isa."
"At least one of us is proficient in wedding lingo. It'd be a disaster if the two of us knew nothing."
"True." We talked a little more about the wedding plans until it was time for Charles to head to the garage. Isa was staying at the motorhome so Gabby decided to accompany her while I went with Charles.
As we walked with my fingers intertwined with his, he lifted my hand and pressed a kiss on one of my knuckles. I heard the faint sound of a camera clicking, already knowing that specific photo would be viral in a few moments. "Did you just stage the announcement of our engagement?" I smirked at him, moving my hand up and down his back when he let go of it and moved his arms to my waist.
"I'd rather get ahead of them, Nova." He grinned back as we walked inside the garage.
Qualifying went great, but it wasn't the best. Because of that awfully long straight, Max was able to put in a faster time than Charles due to the straight line speed of the Red Bull. It was going to be a difficult race tomorrow with the two of them starting on the front row. Charles would need to have a better start than Max to get ahead of him.
Charles had to head to the press conference since he was in the top three for qualifying so Andrea accompanied me back to the motorhome. A lot of cameras surrounded me, trying to get a look at the ring. There were even some fans who were in the paddock who asked about it, and I only smiled in return. I saw a lot of unfamiliar faces which was not expected because Miami was the race where a lot of celebrities would be attending, just like in Monaco.
Gabby and Isa weren't in the motorhome when I got back since they decided to go garage hopping. Honestly, I think it was just an excuse for Gabby to congratulate Max for getting pole.
Charles arrived earlier, still in his race suit that was tied around his waist. "Done already?" I asked when he walked up the stairs.
"Mia let me go earlier than expected since a lot of questions were about the engagement. She told me answering two interviewers about it was enough for the day." He explained and you could see the happiness on his face since he wasn't fond of the media duties of being an F1 driver. "Give me a few minutes so I can change."
By the time we went through the motorhome doors of Ferrari, there were still a lot of people milling around. Half of them were employees dressed in team shirts, while the other half was a mix of media people and fans. I let myself walk a few steps away from Charles to give some of them room, their merch and driver cards held out for him to sign.
A group of what looked like influencers caught up to Charles and asked for a photo. I watched with a smile as he leaned in a little to be included in the photo, hands clasped behind his back. My smile, however, vanished when one of the said influencers made a move to kiss his cheek. Charles noticed this as well and swerved sharply to the other side, most likely giving the girl a look.
"Babe," I called for him, flashing a smile that I know he'd see through immediately. The girl's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment when she met my eyes. "let's go?"
"Yes." He replied, not bothering to hide his judgment as he gave the girl another look before linking my hand in his. "I hate it when they do that."
"Want me to file a case for you, Mr. Leclerc?" I joked, trying to lighten up his mood. It worked when the corner of his lips turned up to show a small smile.
"I'm alright, Mrs. Leclerc. You can defend me some other time."
"I'm not Mrs. Leclerc yet." I smirked and the same facial expression appeared on his face.
"In three months, you will be."
*****
we love a woman who knows how to save her man
✧Reese✧