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🎵🎶🎵
After Last Night,
After Last Night, I Think I Fell
In Love With You
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AN:I will be following the order of the 2023 races but the time between them will change a bit.
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We arrive at the restaurant a few minutes early but we still get seated.
"Here are your menus. Just get my attention when you're ready" The waiter says
"Thank you" I say to the waiter who nods and leaves "and thank you Charles"
"I won the bet so you should be saying thank you to yourself"
We both order a pasta dish which we decide to share while both drinking some red wine.
"What are things you like doing besides racing?"
"Well I like playing music, being with family and being on my boat"
"You have a boat?"
"Yeah in Monaco. I drive it all the time I'm there. What about you?"
"Playing music as well, reading and painting"
"Very artistic then"
"Yeah I've always been known as the artistic one of the family. I also really like travelling. But I guess you do that a lot anyway. Do you ever get bored of travelling?"
"Sometimes I do but it feels nice because I'm stepping into a different place meaning discovering more"
"Cool"
"Where do you want to go?"
"What do you mean?"
"Tell me the places you want to go too?"
"Well I want to go to Venice again. I went with my aunt many years ago but I would love to go again, Portugal to see my Grandma, Hungary, Austria, Romania and Mexico"
"Well Austria, Hungary and Mexico you can come and see races. But Venice..."
"It's so pretty. The views, going on boats and the food... Don't get me started on the food! What about you places you want to visit?"
"Well I get to visit lots of countries but Portugal and Romania. But now you think of it Venice is a very good place"
"Yeah and I think it's this year it's the Architecture Biennale"
"What's that?"
"It's when multiple countries have mini exhibitions based on one theme"
"Interesting. About your music..." I love that we both have one thing in common which we both enjoy.
"Yeah"
"How long have you been playing cello?"
"Well I've been playing cello since I was 11 so 12 years. But I also play a little piano and guitar. What about you how long have you been playing piano?"
"Well I learnt piano when I was young but I stopped and forgot everything but when it was lockdown I started learning again and now I have 2 songs out to the world"
"Wait you do?"
"Yeah. MIA(1:2) and AUS(1:1)"
"I wish I could do that"
"Well you can. Just be confident is all I can say. If you need any other help just ask"
"Thanks Charles"
"No problem. Here have more of the pasta. I don't want to seem like I'm hogging it"
"Oh don't worry,I think this is filling enough"
We carried on talking about our lives while eating. We never run out of things to talk about which I love in a person. If you feel like you could talk for hours and never get bored then they're someone special.
We finished our pasta and Charles wanted something sweet so he asked for the dessert menu.
"Would you like anything sweet or are you sweet enough?"He asks me placing his hand on mine. Butterflies erupt in my stomach.
"I'm okay thank you" I say. Surprisingly the butterflies didn't slur my words together.
He gets the attention of the waiter "I'll have the apple pie please"
"Sure. Would you like two spoons or just one?"
"One ple..."
"Actually could we have two please" Charles looks at me "What apple pie is my favourite. How could I not?"
"Apple pie is my favourite"
"You're kidding! It reminds me of cooking with my grandma"
"It reminds me of Christmas. It's a Leclerc specialty. You have to try my mums apple pie"
"Then one day I will" This whole time his hand is still on mine. He brushes his thumb over my hand. Something sparks every time we touch.
We keep on talking till the pie arrives.
"You take the first bite. You ordered it"
"Yeah but you're the lady at the table"
"First I've never been called Lady before, second have the first bite" I say pushing the plate in front of him
"Why don't you both have the first bite at the same time?" A familiar voice says
"Arthur!"Charles says standing from the table. He hugs and European kisses him. I finally turn my head to see who this Arthur was.
It was him. The one who helped me to see the podium. That Arthur.
"Arthur" I say nodding
"Stella" he says replying with a nod
"Okay hold on how do you know each other"
"I told you she's clueless"
"Hold on you talk about me??? With him?"
"Yes I talk about you and with my brother."Brother there it is.
"Arthur Leclerc is my name and I bet you tell your friends everything." That's when I realise I've been quite distant from my friends. Sam has talked about Lando is so much detail I could've fallen asleep. Me on the other hand hasn't talked about Charles that much. Juliet is off doing her own thing and Alisha is just teaching.
"Do you also race?"
"I see the cluelessness. Yes, I drive in F2"
"You both with the cluelessness"
"Okay Arthur we can go now" I kind gentle voice says
"Carla!" Charles does the same thing he did too Arthur."Stella I would like you too meet Carla. Carla, Stella"
"Nice to meet you" I say
"Same too you. Your dress is beautiful by the way" She grins
"Thank you. I should say the same to you"
"Congratulations on the podium Charles"
"Thank you Carla but I couldn't of done it with this girl" He places his arm around my shoulder and leans into me. Carla winks at me noticing my still body.
"Anyway we have to go so I'll see you tomorrow Charles. Unless Stella is joining you?"
"We haven't talked about that yet but we will" Arthur nods in response. Both boys lean in for a hug
"It was nice meeting you Stella" Carla does the same but whispers "you two look cute together. I can't wait till we're sister in laws." She releases and my body freezes.
"Stella nice seeing you" Arthur and I hug while Carla and Charles hug
After they leave we finish the apple pie and we both decide to split the bill. We make our way to the car and drive back to my house. When we arrive we both sit awkwardly in silence.
We both look at each other then back out. Then I bravely says something to cut the tension.
"So what was that thing about tomorrow?"
"Oh. If you wanted to come with me to the Hungarian GP. You don't have to come if you don't want to but I think it would be nice if you came. To support me... and Carlos obviously. Spa, which is the following weekend, is a little more heavy and has a lot of meaning to me and Pierre but again you don't need to come if you don't want to. I'm not forcing you too I just-"
"Charles" I had to stop him from is trance or he would carry on for days
"Yeah"
"I'll come. To both races"
"Okay. Great" A smile had appeared on his face. "I'll walk you to the door"
We arrive at the buildings door.
"I had fun tonight" I say
"I did too. I'm happy I won that bet"
"I'll see you tomorrow then"
"I will-" Charles gets interrupted by my neighbour walking through
"Sorry Ms Morris"
"It's okay Penny. Don't worry about it. Where are you going tonight?"
"Simons"
"Nice. See you around"
"See ya" With that I look back at Charles
"Sorry continue"
"I will in a sec just some questions. First, Ms Morris? Second, If she calls you Ms Morris is Penny her surname? Third, is Simon a place or a person?"
"Okay. My mum forced my whole building to call me Ms Morris. That was 3 years ago and still to this day I am trying to fix it. Penny is her first name and Simon is her brothers best friend."
"Brothers best friend huh?"
"Well that's how she is. Anyway continue"
"I will text you the details tomorrow morning"
"Okay. Night I guess"
"Night"He grabs my hand and kisses it. I then stand and wait for his car to leave. But it doesn't. He rolls down the window.
"Go on inside" he shouts
"I'm waiting for you"
"You go in"
"I'll go in?"
"Yes go in"
"Okay. Night" he blows a kiss and I enter my building.
"Who's that fancy fella who put a smile on your face?"
"Shut up Margret. I'm enjoying myself"
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1470 words
It's been 4 months since I first uploaded this story and I'm so happy on how this has progressed.
Thank you all for 1.68K reads and all the support! Love you all <3
This has 10000% made me want to write some more.
-AuthorN
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