It was getting pretty late after the girls finished shopping and chatting, so instead of going back to the track, they decided to call separate Ubers and head to their hotels to get ready for dinner later that night.
Kika opted to go with Valentina to her room since they had both bought new dresses for the occasion. The two of them played Valentina's TaylorxLana playlist loudly, singing along as they did their makeup and got ready for dinner.
Pierre was going to pick them up shortly and drive them to the restaurant.
As they put on the final touches, Kika's phone rang, and it was Pierre on the line.
"We gotta go, they're waiting downstairs," Kika informed Valentina as she grabbed her purse.
"They?" Valentina questioned, puzzled, as they exited the room and headed to the hotel elevator.
"Yeah, I think Charles is with him," Kika confirmed as they made their way through the lobby to the hotel entrance, where Pierre's car was parked.
As the valets opened the car doors, Kika settled into the passenger seat, giving Pierre a soft kiss, while Valentina slid into the back seat, noticing Charles already seated beside her.
"Hey, babe," Pierre greeted Kika with a smile, sharing another brief kiss before turning to Valentina, "Hey Val, how's it going?" he inquired as he started the car.
"All good," Valentina replied with a polite smile, then turned to Charles, asking, "How was qualifying?"
"It was fine," Charles responded flatly, catching Valentina off guard with his lack of enthusiasm. She shrugged it off, assuming he was just tired.
"So, what did you guys do today without us?" Pierre initiated, trying to spark conversation.
"We shopped," Kika answered.
"A lot," Valentina added, chuckling at the memory of their spree.
"While we were sweating it out, you guys just chilled at the mall, huh?" Pierre teased.
"At least we stayed for Q1 to show support," Kika retorted.
In the back seat, Charles remained silent, staring out of the window. Valentina wondered what had dampened his mood. Qualifying had gone well, and Charles was starting P3 tomorrow, so she couldn't understand why he was so quiet now.
The car ride remained mostly quiet, with Pierre and Kika chatting, and Valentina occasionally joining in, but Charles hardly spoke until they reached the restaurant.
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Upon arriving at the restaurant, Pierre parked the car and stepped out to hold the door open for Kika, while Charles did the same for Valentina. Pierre and Kika walked ahead, hand-in-hand, with Charles and Valentina following behind at a slight distance. Valentina noticed Charles staring at the ground as they walked and couldn't resist asking, "Charles?"
At the sound of his name in her gentle voice, Charles looked up to Valentina, who asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Charles muttered, picking up his pace.
Valentina frowned at his response but decided not to press further as they entered the restaurant and reached their table; where Daniel, Lando, Max, and Kylie were already seated.
"Hey, you're here!" Daniel exclaimed as everyone took their seats. Lando motioned for Valentina to sit beside him, while Charles sat next to Pierre on the opposite side of the table.
"Where did you disappear to after Q1?" Lando asked Valentina, turning to her with a smile.
"Went shopping with the girls," Valentina replied, returning his smile. "Got this dress and another top."
"You look very pretty," Lando complimented, causing a blush to tint Valentina's cheeks.
"Where's P?" Kika inquired, turning Valentina's attention to the rest of the group.
"She's with my mom," Max answered, with Kylie adding, "Yeah, she got pretty tired from all the walking today."
Valentina nodded in understanding at the same time as Carlos and Rebecca arrived, exchanging greetings with everyone and taking their seats beside Charles.
As the conversation flowed, Lando and Valentina engaged in their own chat, while Charles remained mostly silent, engrossed in his phone.
"Is everything alright, mate?" Carlos suddenly asked Charles, breaking his trance.
"Hm? Y-yeah, I'm fine," Charles mumbled, but Carlos could sense something was off. When he glanced at Valentina, he caught her staring and saw that she shared his concern about Charles's mood, the two sharing a worried look.
Before long, everyone had gathered, and the meal was served as they chatted away. "So, what's your plan for tomorrow, Val?" Daniel queried from the table's end.
"Gabriel's arriving, so I'll head to the track with him," Valentina responded. "We've got some social media duties before the race, and then we're watching from the Ferrari paddock."
"Why the Ferrari paddock again?" Lando frowned, prompting a chuckle from Valentina.
"Well, Ferrari approached Prime for this, and I've got to be there to cheer for my childhood friend's first race of the season, right Charles?" she asked, glancing at Charles, who offered a faint smile.
"Well, he's practically as much a childhood friend to you like the rest of us could be," Daniel teased. "You barely remember it."
Valentina shrugged, continuing her meal as Carlos chimed in, "So, what's the deal with this Gabriel guy?"
Valentina nearly choked on her food at the abrupt question, prompting Lando to pass her water and pat her back gently.
"Sorry, I meant... he seems pretty interested in you," Carlos clarified, receiving a nudge from Rebecca.
"He's just a childhood friend, so we're pretty close," Valentina explained, taking a sip of water.
"Another one?" Lando exclaimed. "Man, the competition is fierce."
Valentina burst into laughter as Charles glanced at her, catching her infectious smile.
Carlos was quick to notice his teammate's gaze fixed on her, admiring her smile.
Clearing his throat, Carlos caught Charles' attention.
"What?" he asked, to which Carlos simply shook his head.
"Nothing," Carlos replied, a smile still on his face.
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As dinner ended, the group strolled to the outdoor area of the restaurant, overlooking the beach. Lando, Daniel, and Oscar raced down the stairs to see who'd reach the shore first, while Kylie, Max, Pierre, and Kika chatted on the balcony. Valentina stood alone, gazing out at the sea. Suddenly, she felt someone beside her and turned to find her childhood friend, Charles, standing there.
"Hey," Charles greeted with a soft smile, and Valentina returned a small smile. "Oh, now you're talking?" she teased, noticing his earlier silence.
Charles raised a brow in confusion. "You didn't talk in the car or at dinner either," Valentina pointed out as Charles looked away.
"Sorry, I was just...tired," he mumbled, and Valentina sighed.
"Are you lying?" she asked, and Charles turned to her again.
"What makes you think I'm lying?" he inquired, and Valentina shrugged. "I don't know, it's just an instinct. Maybe it's because we're such old friends," she joked, earning a laugh from Charles.
"Yeah, maybe," he agreed. "It's just...today was the start of the season, and even though pre-testing went well, I don't know where we went wrong today. I guess I'm just...doubting how prepared we might be," he admitted after a moment of silence.
"That's understandable," Valentina sympathized. "But Charles?" she said, placing her hand over his where it rested on the balcony railing. He looked down at their hands, then back up at her.
"As you said, races are about skill and hard work. You've put in so much effort to perform your best on race day. Sometimes pole position doesn't mean P1, and vice versa. You're starting P3, and you'll do great. Today's mishap means the team will be even more prepared tomorrow. That's what practice is for, right? So, cheer up," she reassured, squeezing his hand with a smile, which he mirrored.
From a distance, Carlos observed the interaction with curiosity. Charles was typically grumpy during race week, especially after a disappointing qualifying session.
Seeing him discussing the mater with Valentina willingly and witnessing his mood change whenever she spoke or laughed, Carlos wondered what lay in his teammate's heart for the girl he couldn't seem to take his eyes off.