This is a short chapter and focuses more on Nadia's friendship with the others. The next one will solely be about her and Charles :)
Enjoy!
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August 12, 2028 - France
"I have an announcement to make." Max said as soon as he sat down at the dining table, hand clasped with Gabby's.
It was our first day in Marseille and we were all enjoying the lunch that Daniel and Mick had prepared for us. Charles and I were still a bit drained from the past few days we spent going around Antalya, but it was the good kind of tired. He enjoyed seeing the place I grew up in especially the coffee shop where I had my first cup of coffee. When we visited Mrs. Yilmaz, she and Charles spent most of their time in the kitchen as she taught him some of her favorite recipes while I watched in amusement as Charles botched it.
We were in a different apartment this time– one that wouldn't require anyone to sleep in the living room. The place had two floors and housed four rooms, all of which had a small balcony from each side of the house. Since Charles and I arrived later than them, the smallest room was left to us although I want to question their definition of small because the room could've fit another bed.
It didn't bother me that our space was smaller than theirs because after doing a tour of the house, I realized our room had the best view. We had an beautiful view of the city, apartment buildings painted in various colors and some shop signs that could be read from our side. Unlike before, I didn't make any plans of my own for this year since I wanted to spend it with them.
Ever since the day of the speech, a lot of people have messaged me and this list included some of the drivers. Pierre and Kika called while Seb messaged me asking how I was. He invited us to have Christmas with them once again and Mick confirmed his attendance. Lando and Alex dropped by our apartment before we left for Turkey and I came across Lewis when he picked up Adaline from the office.
"Are you pregnant?" Heidi asked Gabby, eyes wide with anticipation.
"Hell, no. It's way too early for that." She replied, glaring at Max as he laughed. "We're not getting married either. His announcement has nothing to do with me."
"Thank you, because I can only handle one bridezilla at a time." Daniel said, showing Heidi a cheeky grin as she pouted at him. Daniel has shared his thoughts on how Heidi may be carefree with everything but that doesn't cover wedding planning. It's like she transforms to another spectrum of herself.
"What's the announcement, then?" Charles asked, taking a seat beside me and placing an arm over the back of my chair.
Max took a breath before saying, "I'm renewing my contract with Red Bull."
Everyone was silent for ten seconds as Max waited for our reaction. My eyes moved to Gabby's and I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing at how hilarious she looked. She was leaning her elbow on the table, fist placed over her mouth to keep herself from losing it.
The first reaction was one that Max obviously did not expect.
"What are we having for dinner?" Mick asked, turning his attention towards us as Max's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"I made a reservation for us at this restaurant Daniel and I visited last year. They have the best bœf bourguignon I've ever tasted." Heidi answered while Daniel nodded his head in agreement.
"Their soufflé is good, too."
"Wait, what?" Max interrupted and Gabby couldn't hold it in anymore as her laughter spilled from her laughs. "Can someone explain to me what's happening?"
"Mate," Charles began, a smile on his face. "We're not surprised your staying with Red Bull. I'm sure if he could, Christian would legally adopt you and I'm pretty sure Helmut would do the same. You're practically the golden boy of the team."
"Can I at least have a congratulations or something?" Max pouted and Gabby patted his cheek, giving him a kiss.
A series of murmured congratulations came from the guys and I rolled my eyes, standing up to give Max a hug. "I'm proud of you." I said before ruffling his hair.
"Nads, I love you more than any of them." Max beamed, hugging me back. Gabby cleared her throat beside him and I smirked before returning to my seat. "Of course, I love you more, baby." He said, giving her three kisses until Gabby smiled at him.
We all moved to our separate rooms to get ready for dinner. Charles was still feeling a bit drained from the previous trip and took a short nap, telling me to wake him up before he left.
"You need anything?" I asked him, brushing his hair away as he lied down on the bed.
Charles smiled and shook his head at me. "I already have what I need." I kissed his forehead before lightly closing the door behind me.
I found a spot in the living room, grabbing my book with me. The others would probably take another twenty minutes to get ready, so I'll just kill some time here.
Ten minutes later, I heard footsteps coming through the hallway and looked up to see Mick walking in. He was on his phone, fingers tapping the screen as he smiled down at the device. I watched him carefully, seeing as he waited for whoever it was reply and when they did, the smile on his face widened.
I cleared my throat and Mick looked up, eyes widening when they landed on me. He brushed off the smile on his face and kept his phone in his pocket.
"Nads, how long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough to draw my own conclusion." I smirked and Mick blushed, scratching the back of his head before sitting down beside me. "Who's the lucky girl?" I closed my book and placed it on the table, giving Mick my full attention. In the three years I've known him, I've discovered that he's an absolute romantic. He doesn't broadcast it, but it's obvious he wants to find someone who could make him feel the love he's witnessed with his parents.
"Her name is Hazel." Mick said and just by the mention of her name, his eyes are already lighting up. "I met her last week, actually. During the event." I raised an eyebrow, not having seen him talk to anyone that day although I must confess, my mind was elsewhere. "She works at one of the clinics and assists in organizing group sessions for victims of domestic abuse. She looked adorable when she realized she spent ten minutes rambling on and on about their program before she remembered to introduce herself."
"She's good, then? No red flags in your head or anything?"
"She clearly recognized who I was, but she's never asked about my life in racing. It's still too early to tell, but I have a good feeling about this girl."
"It's about time." I grinned and Mick laughed, nodding his head.
"I know." He agreed, leaning his head back and looking up at the ceiling. "It's just so difficult when you have the job we have. There are certain things that we'll never be able to control, and I hope that if we reach that point, she'll choose to stay. I'm tired of starting something then having to end it when they show their true intentions." I squeezed his shoulder for support and Mick flashed me a thankful smile.
"It's not easy, but it's not impossible as well." You just have to find the right person who's willing to go through heaven and hell for you. I can't even imagine the difficulty that people in the limelight experience. Your privacy is literally stripped away from you because people think they have every right to have a peek at your personal life. Sometimes, it's a part of the job, but that's not always the case.
Dinner was a fun affair, as it always is with this group. The heavy drinking was planned for tomorrow night, so the boys only ordered wine despite Daniel's protests. Charles' headache had lessened and when I asked him if everything was okay, he only gave me a smile and kissed my cheek. It was a bit odd, but I thought that maybe it was just caused by everything that's been happening lately.
I had another glass of wine with Gabby while the others headed up to bed, the two of us sitting beside one another by the dining table. I had taken off my shoes, feet planted on another chair I moved beside me.
"I have a question." She asked, making me incline my head to the side. "Have you and Charles ever talked about kids?"
"And where is this question coming from?"
Gabby shrugged her shoulders and took a sip from her wine. "When Heidi thought I was pregnant, I realized you never mentioned whether the two of you wanted to have your own little ones in the future."
I smiled, imagining the image in my head. "We've talked about it before during the first few months of our marriage and Pascale kept asking if we'd be having another mini Leclerc running around." She went on asking us for months before Pascale stopped, realizing that it wasn't happening anytime soon. "We want kids— that's for sure."
"But?"
"But not right now or anytime soon." I took a deep breath, looking down at my glass as I thought over my words. "Emotionally and mentally, I'm not ready for that kind of responsibility. This year felt like a constant whiplash and I don't want to go through a pregnancy while still worrying about myself. When I become a mother, I want to be one that is ready for anything and for the responsibility of taking care of our child. For Charles, it's not the right time for his career. He wants to be there to watch our child grow up, and travelling around the world makes that impossible."
When I looked up to meet Gabby's eyes, I was surprised to see a smile on her face. "I'm very proud of you, Nadia Kaplan." She smiled and I scooted closer to lean me head on her shoulder, hers moving over mine. "It's a privilege to know someone like you."
"I love how sappy you are right now."
"And I hate how you're totally ruining the moment." I couldn't see her face, but I knew that Gabby was rolling her eyes at me. "Do you remember when I asked you if you'd help me commit murder and you didn't hesitate to say yes despite studying to become a lawyer? I think that was the night we solidified our friendship." A laugh escaped my lips as I nodded my head, an image of the two of us walking home drunk. The question seemed like a joke back then but when I look back at it now, I knew that Gabby wasn't just a friend.
She was my sister. She was my person.
*****
One more chapter before the epilogue!!
✧Reese✧