The following day, the Spielberg circuit was once again abuzz with excitement as the day's races approached. Lexi Heroux, her high spirits undeterred from her lack of sleep, hurried through the paddock in her striking ensemble from the morning's filming session.
An oversized cobalt blue blazer, matching strappy heels, and a skintight white dress left her sticking out of the paddock crowds like a sore thumb. She'd planned to change before leaving the set, but delays on her scenes meant that she had no choice but to leave as soon as she finished filming.
Her heart raced not just from the anticipation of watching her racing friends in action but also from the mad dash to meet up with the "Champion" cast - she'd told Tom she would be there at 11 am, and it was already almost 1:30 pm.
As she darted through the bustling paddock, the unexpected happened. One misplaced step, and she found herself stumbling forward, her right heel snapping as she twisted her ankle. Before she could hit the ground, strong hands swiftly caught her, preventing any mishap as they held her tightly.
"Merde! Whoa, Lexi! Are you okay?" Charles Leclerc's voice rang out, laced with amusement.
Lexi grinned, feeling a mix of relief and embarrassment as she tottered back, pulling her broken heel from her foot with a wince. "Thanks, Charles. That would have been embarrassing." she nodded to the nearby TV crew who were prepping for an interview.
Charles chuckled, his eyes sparkling with humor. "I'm happy to be of service."
Lexi playfully looked down at her strappy blue high heels, one of which now had a broken heel. She couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. "Well, these shoes have certainly seen better days." she sighed.
Charles raised an eyebrow teasingly. "I can't believe you managed to run in heels so high!"
Lexi poked her tongue out at him as she took the other heel off, leaning on him for support. He graciously helped her to stay upright as she took the other shoe off, now standing barefoot in the paddock as she held the shoes in her hands.
"Come on," Charles grinned. "Let's find you some new shoes." he nodded to the Ferrari garage.
"Oh, um-,"
"You can't walk around here barefoot, ma chérie," he laughed.
Alexandra suddenly found a blush working its way through her cheeks. What did he just call her? Reluctantly, she followed him as he made his way into the garage, moving towards what seemed to be an office. Charles knocked on the door, and stuck his head in, muttering in French to the occupant.
"Salut, avons-nous des chaussures de rechange?" he asked. Lexi grinned as the person inside nodded, beckoning them inside. It seemed to be an office of some sort, although, in the corner of the room, there was a pile of different types of safety boots. Ugly, but unfortunately, necessary.
"Take your pick," The man behind the desk offered, a French accent prominent. Lexi offered a gracious smile.
"Merci. Je suis Alexandra au fait, c'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer." she replied. From beside her, she felt Charles stiffen. The man behind the desk grinned.
"Ah, you speak French?" he asked. Alexandra nodded with a small smile as she pulled out a box of shoes in her size. They looked to be plain lace-up biker boots, but the weight of them assured Lexi that they were in fact, safety boots. "Well, It's a pleasure to meet you, Alexandra. I'm Xavi, Charles' engineer. I'm very sorry, but I have to get to a meeting. Help yourself to the boots." He smiled, waving goodbye to the duo before exiting the room.
Charles span to face Alexandra. "You speak French?" he asked.
"Is that a problem?" Lexi asked in French, tilting her head. Charles grinned. "My mother was French, that's where my last name comes from. Heroux."
"It's definitely not a problem," Charles replied in French. "I'm just glad I've met someone else I can talk to in French - it always pisses the boys off when we speak a language they don't know. Especially Daniel." Alexandra laughed as she pulled the boots on, the room falling into silence for a moment before Charles spoke again. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to see you after the race yesterday, but I just want to say, well done. You were amazing."
"Thank you, Charles." Alexandra paused. She moved to stand up and pointed to herself. "Do I look okay?"
"You look beautiful, ma chérie."
He said it again. This time, a blush did creep onto her cheeks, and Alexandra couldn't hold in her smile. "Thank you." She murmured. "Now, you've got a race to get to." she laughed as he checked the time in a panic.
Ignoring the urge not to, Alexandra moved towards him and planted a kiss on his cheek as she made her way out of the door, whispering in his ear as she pulled away.
"Good luck today, Mon Cheri,"
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As the anticipation built, Alexandra, dressed in a stylish yet slightly disheveled outfit from the morning's filming, arrived at the Mercedes garage just as the race was about to begin. Waiting for her were her co-stars, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland, and Zendaya, along with the team principal, Toto Wolff.
Andrew raised an eyebrow as Alexandra rushed in. "Lexi, where have you been? The race is about to start!" he looked around the room quickly, pointing out the busy engineers who seemed to be running on adrenaline.
Lexi shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, guys, I got caught up saying hello to some of the other drivers."
Toto, ever composed, offered a smile and handed her a headset, patting an empty seat beside him. "No worries, Alexandra. We're glad you could make it. Here, put this on so you can follow the action."
As Lexi took the headset, Toto's eyes wandered down to her shoes, and his expression turned to mild distaste. "But, I must say, I'm not too pleased with your choice of footwear."
Confused, Lexi looked down at her boots, only to now notice a small Ferrari logo embroidered into the leather on the side. She let out an embarrassed chuckle, holding up her broken heels from her bag. "I fell." she offered blankly.
Toto laughed lightly but then playfully scolded her. "Alexandra, we can't have you wearing Ferrari boots in the Mercedes paddock. You might start a rumor about defection!"
Lexi grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Toto, I guess my feet just knew to go to the better garage."
Tom chimed in, his tone light-hearted. "You know, I'm starting to think you secretly support Ferrari!" he winked at his best friend playfully.
Zendaya smirked, teasingly joining in. "Yeah, Lexi, are you trying to tell us something?"
Lexi laughed, shaking her head. "Absolutely not! I'm a loyal Mercedes supporter through and through."
Toto smiled, his tone still firm but amused. "Good to hear. Just be careful next time."
"Although-," she paused as Toto shot her a raised eyebrow, daring her to continue. "Just kidding," she raised her hands in surrender.
With her new boots on and her broken heels safely tucked away, Lexi settled in with her co-stars and Toto to watch the race. As the engines roared and the cars sped past, she couldn't help but feel the excitement and adrenaline that came with being part of the Formula 1 world. Her co-stars chatted excitedly about the race, but she couldn't shake the playful ribbing about her "Ferrari boots."
As the race began, Lexi somehow found herself focused on one particular car.
Charles's scarlet Ferrari darted through the first corners with impressive skill. Alexandra admired his precise maneuvers, each one executed with the grace of a true racing maestro. She knew how much this race meant to him, as it was only his second season with Ferrari, and she couldn't help but root for his success, even if it meant competing against her beloved Mercedes team.
Lap after lap, she watched Charles's performance with awe and admiration. He navigated the circuit like a seasoned pro, making daring overtakes and showcasing his raw talent on the challenging track. Alexandra could feel the tension rising in the Mercedes garage, a mix of anticipation and respect for the young Monegasque driver's abilities.
As the race progressed, Charles faced tough battles on the track, engaging in wheel-to-wheel duels that kept spectators in the crowds on the edge of their seats. Alexandra's heart pounded with every pass and defensive move he made, fully immersed in the high-stakes drama unfolding before her eyes.
In the closing stages of the race, Charles found himself in a heated fight for a podium position against Valtteri. Alexandra's fingers were crossed as she silently cheered him on, torn between her loyalty to Mercedes and her genuine affection for her friend.
As the checkered flag neared, Charles crossed the finish line in an outstanding second place. A mix of emotions washed over Alexandra as she saw the joy on his face through the TV screens. She couldn't help but feel proud of his accomplishments, even if she couldn't quite understand why it meant so much to her.
The Mercedes garage erupted in applause and congratulatory cheers for Valtteri's remarkable performance. Alexandra joined in the celebration, knowing that while she'd spent much of the race watching Charles, her other friends had driven exceptionally too.
As the champagne flowed and the joyous atmosphere enveloped the paddock, Alexandra found herself running to engulf Valtteri in a deep hug. The older man let out a chuckle as he pushed his new friend away jokingly. "Well done Val!" she cheered.
"Thanks, Lexa," he grinned. "We're celebrating tonight, do you want to come?"
"Count me in," she grinned.
"Come on, you can cheer for me when I'm on the podium. Keep Lewis company, won't you?" Valtteri teased, punching Hamilton in the arm playfully as he jogged away towards the podium. Lexi wrapped a comforting arm around Lewis' shoulder.
"You did well, Lew," she smiled.
"I wasn't good enough." he sighed. "I need to get better."
Lexi nudged him in the chest with her elbow. "Stop shit-talking yourself." she sighed. "Cupcake?"
Lewis nodded. "Cupcake."
The age-old tradition seemed to reignite. Something Camille Heroux used to do for her children, whenever one of them was down or having a bad day. With a pinky swear, Lexi grinned at Lewis, the memories of her mother's childhood plans seeping back to her as they walked towards the podium.
"It better be a chocolate one," Lewis murmured.
"Don't be picky." Lexi rolled her eyes.
As she watched the ceremony start, watched as Lando, Charles, and Valtteri moved to stand on their podiums. The trophies were handed out, songs were played and the crowds cheered, but Lexi found herself only looking to one place.
Charles stand on the podium, holding the trophy high, Alexandra knew that the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix would forever be etched into Charles' memory. Because as much as she was watching Charles -
He was looking straight back at her.
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❤️Liked by LexiHeroux, TomHolland, FlorencePugh, Zendaya and 1.8m others
📍 Austria
@CharlesLeclerc: P2! What a great weekend. Next week, we push harder.
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MaxVerstappen: Well done! 🍻
↪️ DanielRicciardo: Are you okay Max? Have you hit your head?
↪️ MaxVerstappen: Lexi told me to say something nice.
↪️ LexiHeroux: Well that ruins it Max
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LexiHeroux: You were amazing! FORZA FERRARI! ❤️
↪️ LewisHamilton: 🤮 I hope Toto doesn't see this Lex
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Lexi:
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
I got your number from Lew btw
I'm not stalking you i promise
Charles:
Thank you!
We're all going out tonight
are you coming?
Lexi:
yes! Val invited me!
We need a drink!
We both have something to celebrate tonight!
Charles:
You're staying at the Rouge Hotel, right?
Lexi:
Yeah, Room 121, why?
Charles:
Hmm, stay right where you are
I have a surprise!
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