#natwritesf1

Unrequited love, painful as it was, somehow they made it look beautiful. They were tied, even before they met in that garden they were connected. Little moments and circumstances led them to cross paths and now she might’ve been regretting it.

On her way to work she used to pass a cute Japanese garden and she never stopped, not because she didn’t want to but because she was always running late. One particular morning she decided to go take a look. She used her free day to explore the unfamiliar streets of all Monaco. 

She worked at a new museum, it wasn’t really new, there were certain new exhibitions that required more personnel but she greeted and organized guides for the visitors. 

It would be a beautiful day to meet the love of her life, she joked, yet she always believed that the garden had that power. It was just beautiful to look at, but it was another string tying him to her. 

The garden was empty, right at nine she entered and there only seemed to be one other person sitting on a bench in the tea house. He decided to use his charm to get a few hours of peace with no other wandering eyes. 

She was wearing a red dress, his new favorite color. She was by far the most captivating presence in the whole garden. It wasn’t because she blended right into the red bridge, but because he could see her smile. 

Even more beautiful when the smile was directed at him, a little greeting to not bother his meditation. The sun was nice and toasty and the sky was blue with only a few clouds, and she liked to believe that everything from that day was beautiful.

He overcame the fear of getting recognized and he went to talk to her. She was inviting him with practically her smile, she curiously looked at him when he sat next to her, there was familiarity with every look. 

“Hello” he could assume that she spoke English, that language had never failed him. 

“Hi-” he was right.

“-Do I know you?” 

“Depends, I’m practically all over the place” because she had seen him, on a piece of paper that flew directly to her a few days ago, promoting some kind of ice cream that apparently would only be available in Italy. She believed that the people in Monaco had the means necessary to travel just for some ice cream. 

“Do you happen to sell ice cream?” 

“Yes?” He was a bit confused, his head turned to the side trying to figure out where she saw him.

“A piece of paper landed on my feet, it had your face eating ice cream. I’m curious now, is it even good?” he laughed softly, only a few advertisements were given in Monaco, he didn’t see the point because it wouldn’t be sold there, but he couldn’t argue with his team. 

“I’m well known here, you could say that” that made sense, she was a new resident, who barely knew her way around. 

“I’m not from here, I just came from London. I work in art exhibitions, so travel comes with the job”

“What’s the new exhibition about?”

“Modern Japanese art, very traditional but still modern” 

“You came here to get some inspiration?” 

“Yes and no, it just looked beautiful. What about you?”

“It’s peaceful and if I come early enough no tourists will be here, you want to walk with me?” A few other people had entered and he wanted to escape but not before taking her with him.

“Yes, that will be lovely. It seems like you’ve been here plenty of times to show me around” 

“I have, the zen garden is beautiful for meditation…” 

She was completely in awe of everything that Charles did and said. He was funny and a bit clumsy, but he was well aware of his intelligence and privilege. Not a lot of people complimented his intelligence, and when she applauded all of his random facts, she kept trusting him, never questioning or even trying to fact check. 

“So are you like the people’s prince?” He laughed at her blatant honesty. 

“We have an actual prince here, but I figure I shouldn’t correct them…” and she giggled, she didn’t pretend to know him but she listened attentively to his profession, she looked interested and engaged, asking very simple but important questions, which was the bare minimum but to him genuinity was rare.  

That day, after the garden she went home with his number, a tub of his ice cream and a smile on her face. She didn’t find the love of her life, she found something better, a best friend. 

She actually saw the extent of his influence in Monaco, there were a lot of brands that promoted his face and in comparison to her, he was very important, but that didn’t stop their friendship from blooming.

Four years later and they were still friends, his lifestyle was extravagant and although she preferred little outings to parks and quaint restaurants, he was recognized everywhere, so it was no use, instead she embraced his love for his home and his supporters.

If people asked for pictures she jumped in to take them, she didn’t care that they were interrupted. She only went to his home race and never went to more than two trips with him. Why? Because they weren’t together.

Everyone thought they were, but in reality she was just his best friend. He had dated and she had dated, going as far as double dates and then that’s when people started to love her and follow her because she wasn’t a threat, not that she would ever be. 

She had followers and for the first time she could promote her art, because being a guide in museums was not better than actually selling art pieces that she had crafted. She knew that it was thanks to Charles's influence and there was no use denying it, but she had to give herself a break because she was the one creating art. 

Another thing to note about their friendship was that he would drop everything to reach her. She was so important that he valued her safety above anything else. Going beyond forgetting about his girlfriend on their one year anniversary to rescue her. 

He met Karina in one of her quaint art show; she had finished an art piece inspired by the first day they met. Karina was also an artist, but her art was photography and there she introduced the pair who instantly clicked.

The butterflies in her tummy were from either jealousy or happiness for them, it could’ve been an in between but now recalling that day, it was just happiness. It was another string of memories and hardships that connected them even more.

His time was now even more divided, but he was glowing with Karina. Their little walks were still present, and a few coffee dates to catch up, but she was also getting busy. The painting and drawing finally got to her, and her fainting on their anniversary wasn’t the plan. 

He had left Karina alone in the restaurant, she cried for their relationship because she couldn’t get in between them. 

“You’re also important” he was walking back and forth in pure frustration. 

“I know I am Charles, but go ahead and talk to her. Apologize” 

“It was an emergency-”

“I heard your conversation, you weren’t really trying to be subtle. She makes you happy, but it is true what she said. This isn’t the first time you leave her to come and rescue me” he suddenly stopped, walking to her side. 

“She’s jealous, but we’re only friends. She knows this, I would never betray her” she closed her eyes in pain, jealousy was horrible and now that he knew it made her guilt worse. 

“Charles- jealousy is an important part of relationships. The part where if you don’t solve and reassure her then the beginning of your end is near. I don’t want to see you or her heartbroken. So go and kiss her silly, love her for the rest of the night and tomorrow you sent me a text asking how I am. I’ll be honest and tell you that I’m happy and safe because you’re with the love of your life” but would he really be with the love of his life? If he stayed in the hospital room, then he would be with his true love.

“What if she isn’t the love of my life?” He looked lost, the grimace of his eyes, told her that he was confused.

“We can’t be sure if you don’t fight for her” 

“What if it’s you?” She grabbed his hands bringing them close to her lips for a sweet kiss. 

“Charles. You’re my best friend and I love you as such, and yes, I can’t help it when I think we could’ve been more. But we made it clear- Best friends nothing More and nothing less. So please don’t say anything that you will regret” an almost kiss about two years ago, started an awkward conversation of not wanting to ruin a beautiful friendship.

“You’re right, I’ll go and solve my mistake and please text me tomorrow” he gave her a sweet kiss on her forehead and he left to go chase who they believed was the love of his life. 

She had to find a way to make it all ok, she had to leave. She was always holding him back, she didn’t want to make Karina uncomfortable, she would rather die than ever come between a beautiful relationship like theirs. 

So she got better, she knew that Charles wouldn’t come back the very next day, so she looked for a new beginning. She made sure to text him, letting him know that she was ok. In return he sent a picture of him and Karina, she had clearly made the right call, they looked beautiful. 

Italy was calling her name, Milan would be the perfect mix between hectic and peaceful. So she asked for a transfer to Milan, and surprisingly they had an opening. It took her one week to get everything sorted, she took the essentials and she drove. For ten hours she thought about leaving Charles without a goodbye, what would be the repercussions of her sudden and tragic departure. 

She was collecting dust in Monaco, there was nothing there for her and he had to understand that. A simple letter that she left in the apartment was her goodbye, an apartment that belonged to him, so he could easily find it.

He didn’t know why she was avoiding him, he knew she was busy, but he also had a race to go to. So he clearly couldn’t run to her, he promised he wouldn’t  and that was her escape. 

In her own loneliness she thought about him, she didn’t give herself the satisfaction of searching for him, he had to be left alone. She wasn’t selfish, selflessness comes with self control and she had to stand her ground and let him go. 

But everywhere she went, he followed. In her mind, but he was still there. A love that could’ve been if she wouldn’t have insisted on his presence the night he met Karina. It was a good thing that she was never her friend or she would’ve felt even more guilty. She was just a coworker and nothing else, but she knew that she was a great person, one that deserved Charles. 

The same Charles that was plastered on another advertisement, he was always with her, tormenting her. He gave her everything and she returned his love with her absence because even after two years she believed that it was the right call. 

They were both too stubborn, social media was right there, but they waited for that strong string that always pulled them together. Two years without him were two years that he searched like crazy trying to find her. 

He recalled what she deemed the perfect destination, a place filled with art for her. Italy, she loved Italy but where in Italy was hard for him to find. He visited almost every museum, going to special exhibitions and seeing who the tour guide would be and that’s where he saw her name in The Pinacoteca di Brera, a museum filled with Italian masterpieces.

He picked the earliest booking for a tour, blending in with tourists that would hopefully not pay attention to him. Would she even recognize him? It was too early for any interest. There she was, cheeks a bit more fuller and a wonderful smile, bringing more light to her already beautiful face. 

She didn’t look like she missed him, was his presence never desired? Did she also fake the love she voiced to him? But paying more attention to her, she looked less confident, like she was looking for something more, something that would fulfill her curiosity and desires. 

She lazily counted their heads, and she lazily faked enthusiasm. One that he was able to pick very quickly. The older people were quick to ask questions and the more they asked, her enthusiasm became genuine. 

She flooded when talking about Madonna’s, saints, and even portraits of people that he had never heard of, but to her every brush stroke was alluring, just the simple art was majestic. 

But there she saw him, she was sure that she was making him up, that her creative mind had made him a perfect statue. 

She stumbled, grabbing onto the closest bars that were there to stop visitors from getting too close to the paintings. She regained control of her mind and she continued, she put on a show like usual and it wasn’t until the end of her first tour that he approached her. 

“Charles?” She swallowed the emotion of saying his name in person, not in her dreams or in their pictures. 

“Hello” his voice was different, strained and angry yet he didn’t look any different, he was still composed. 

“What brings you here?” 

“Very stupid question, don't you think?” She shut her eyes, trying to get rid of his dismissive attitude, but that’s what she deserved and she knew it. 

“You came to see the exhibitions?” She cringed at her own nonchalant tone, it wasn’t natural, she was dying of nerves. 

“Please don’t, don’t act like you didn’t do any harm by leaving me” 

“Charles me leaving- the note was for your own good, for your relationship and for my reality…” 

“I was in Monaco…” the bewilderment was written all over her face “…You said that there was nothing there, no future for you, but I was there. That letter you left me made me angry, I felt Like you took advantage of me. Karina, we separated right after. She always knew I was in love with you and she respected that you left, she ended up hating me and applauding what you did, because regardless I wouldn’t find you, you made that very hard to do” 

“I loved what we had, what you gave me. It was appreciated but I believed that Karina was it for you, Charles you were so happy…”

“You didn’t see what happened to me when you left, how quickly that happiness disappeared, I needed to find you so you could realize how much pain you caused me, yet I don’t want to hurt you and I feel so stupid for that. That no matter what I still miss you, still love you…By talking to me you would’ve understood me, talking fixes…” 

“I didn’t want to understand you because I already knew you, I didn’t want to hear you out…”

“Well you clearly didn’t know me…” 

“Charles, I have to get back to work…” 

“It was beautiful thinking that there were invisible signs that led me to you, you haunted my favorite places and I will never forget how you made me feel before and after…I came here to return the letter, I don’t want a reminder that you were selfish enough to not let me know.”

“Selfish? I didn’t want to get in the way of you and Karina, my absence was my love for you” 

“Well now I will return my love with a goodbye…” his fingers brushed against her arms as the letter was gently placed on her shaky hands. Just like that he had walked away, slowly and painfully. 

She thought of everything, her life with and without him, and she realized that she wasn’t happy even with him. She held on to her feelings of not ruining the friendship, she feared that she would slip and that made her miserable, she was never free to love and be loved. 

Slowly, he walked so that she would get the hint that he wanted her to catch him. To run after him because he didn’t want to be like her, he didn’t want to just leave a letter and break her heart. 

But she listened to his heavy steps, to his heavy and shattered heart. His flailing arm was suddenly surrounded by her delicate hands, he almost collapsed, a lingering touch was nothing compared to the intensity in her soft and full graze. 

“I wanted to be considered selfless, never selfish. I wanted you to keep her, because I thought that’s what you wanted. That you wanted her because she truly was perfect.” 

“I loved her, but I realized-even she did, that we weren’t in love. She loved my sense of humor and my friends, but she didn’t stand my presence alone. She always wanted to be in exposed gatherings so that we wouldn’t interact. However you thrived in my bubble, outside and inside…” she didn’t want to believe that Karina was bad for him, because she truly was a sweetheart. 

“She was good for you…”

“I never said she wasn’t, she wanted nothing from me, not my love or my lifestyle; she just wanted temporary support, because we were both heartbroken. She got her dream job…”

“In the Louvre?” Her eyes sparkled, happy for Karina. 

“Yes, and she decided for a more calm lifestyle away from me, but like I said she respected you from leaving, but she never intended for you to break my heart, she broke up with me, and it had nothing to do with you” 

“We will never work out”

“How do you know?” 

“Everyone will make up horrible stories about me…”

“It’s been two years since my break up, everyone is happy that I’m single, but they all loved you…if everyone did, imagine how I felt? I was proud and happy to be surrounded by all of you…give me a chance to be loved by you…” his eyes were shut closed, waiting for her dismissal, yet all he felt was a tiny breeze of her lips, so small and insignificant, but it meant everything to him. 

When he opened his eyes, she was so close to him and there he got to see her foreign eyes, hidden marks, the real color of her lips and the same smile from that beautiful and perfect day in the Garden. He got to finally close that short distance, tasting her for the very first time. 

A kiss filled with years of tension between two confused friends, all the sadness and anger were displayed in a beautiful and bittersweet scene. The tears blended in with their relieved murmurs. 

“I really want to love you with all that I possess, I love you Charles…” 

“Thank you…” she knew that he wasn’t directly speaking to her, maybe to another outside force that finally made the path clear for them.

“…I love you” The garden, the color of her dress, the gelato advertisement- were signs of the universe. The way she finally picked that morning to see the garden, the way she wore that captivating dress, which happened to be his favorite color, and just the way she already knew who he was from his face being plastered all over Monaco…those were their invisible strings that finally tied them together. 

The End…

a/n: I know the requests took me a bit of time, but I did lose some inspiration from Charles, the F1 world just seems very detached, so out of touch in a way. However I had to post these requests because I made them wait for so long…so I’m sorry. Lots of love- Nat ❤️

Requests:

Do people really fall in love with the wrong person? Because if you would’ve asked her that question two months ago, she would’ve told you no. Charles was the right person for her, she found him at the right place and time.

They had a stable and loving relationship, for two years he was the most supportive and caring boyfriend. He was calm and charming, never toxic or disrespectful. Jealousy wasn’t present and neither unnecessary or unexpected arguments.

She never wanted to attack him with a fight, or make him feel guilty about something that was clearly not his fault. So if there was ever a misunderstanding he would calmly talk to her, comforting her if she was upset and she would do the same for him. 

Their misunderstandings often had to do with the distance, she lived alone, all because of her busy job in the city. So to solve the issue, not only did he propose but that meant moving in with him. 

He bought a bigger home, new furniture and ensured that her same lifestyle would follow her. Never the one to make her seem less than him because she had to work a lot more for less money. 

The idea sounded so dreamy and perfect, but soon their relationship started to crumble. The arrival of the new furniture started thousands of arguments. A couple was tested building a bed frame and a few dressers.

“No just let me do it Charles” did that hurt his manly feelings, probably but he wasn’t being useful with the tools. 

“No, I'm stronger…” if it was the Charles before her move he would probably tell her that he knew she was capable of doing it, but that he wanted to help, not diminish her abilities.

“That has nothing to do with our predicament, you just can’t seem to read, and if we don’t have a stable bed what then?” 

“It’s not like we will break it…” however when they were confident enough to finish the bed they moved on to a dresser, after dozens of whispered comments, that weren’t at all nice.

Night time quickly caught up to them, and after a nice shared shower and some dinner they laid on the bed, which quickly swallowed them. It broke down, their scared shrieks were quickly masked by angry rants to each other. 

“See I told you” 

“No I told you that you were getting in my way, I knew the support beam was loose and you told me it was perfect” 

“But if you would’ve left me alone, none of this would’ve happened” 

“Just admit that you suck at building furniture” 

“I’m not admitting to that…” they night continued with malicious comments, until they simply fell asleep on the mattress. The next morning she hired professional help to build all the rest of the furniture. 

Of course he breathed a sigh of relief, but as soon as the helpers came and went, he started another argument. She thought that it would be their last after they both apologized, but she was wrong.

“Did you really hire help, I’m capable…”

“Charles please” she was begging now.

“No amour, you can’t possibly think that I’m not manly…” the way she spoke next only made Charles more angry, she lowered her voice, just like she would do when she was tired or disappointed, and maybe this time it was both. 

“Charles baby, we both know that you’re not good at building things, but that has nothing to do with your masculinity, so stop pretending that this is hurting your feelings” 

“No, because it is…I wanted you to come to a furnished and finished home, but you decided to come early…”

“You told me to” a desperate sigh left her lips, frustration evident in the way she tilted her head to the ceiling. 

“Look, next time please allow me to build everything…I’m sorry ok” and that little apology apparently made everything better at the moment, because she slowly walked into his embrace and a few soft kisses and that was it, but after that first resolution, no more apologies followed the dozens of arguments that they would have. 

A nice relaxing shower was just what Charles needed, he allowed the water to flow down his back, chest… was there a ball of hair by the drain…scratch that, all over the tile? 

Because his vision was not deceiving him, swirly fallen hair was on the tile wall, her hair. The same hair that he now had to rinse off from his body because of course it had made its way to his skin. 

At first he felt a bit bad that she was losing hair, the stress of job hunting was getting to her, but the fact that she would carelessly leave it all over the wall was driving him insane. 

So he gathered the ball of hair, and he threw it at her, her scared shriek could’ve been a little bit funny, but he was seeing red. There was no disgust because it was just hair, but that habit had to stop because it was her hair that was making a mess. 

“Seriously, all over the wall and clogging the drain, it’s just disrespectful that your hair is everywhere, I have to find it in places that are not meant for your hair to be in”

“Sorry it won’t happen again, It’s just instinct I always do it just this time I forgot to clean it up” her sheepish smile almost made him break but it didn’t. 

“No but seriously don't be so careless next time…” but was she really that careless that a week later, his hair was all over the sink, he had shaved and now the little black hairs were invading the sink. 

He was smiling that morning, he looked very handsome and fresh, but her anger made her snap. The breakfast that he prepared was forgotten when she pulled him out of the kitchen. 

“Hey you shaved huh?” 

“Yeah why? Do I look handsome” he started to wiggle his eyebrows, but he soon stopped when he saw her serious face, she was not amused.

“Come with me” she demanded, and she very quickly pulled him. 

“You see this…” she pointed at the sink, and apology was ready to leave his lips, but “…you gave me so much shit for my hair and you do the same thing” 

“Hold on, that’s not fair…It’s not even much, it’s scattered bits” 

“Then you are blind Charles, that’s clearly so many” 

“Just please stop” usually he would remain silent, and let the scolding happen, but walking out of the bathroom was not in his best interest, because he didn’t apologize, plus spending the whole rest of the day gaming while it was his turn to wash dishes was not fair and that’s how their new domestic lives changed for the worst. 

His actions were disappointing her, but the fact that he  was reducing her to a housewife was the worst thing he could’ve done. She was cleaning every corner of the house, washing his clothes, dishes, even his sweaty clothes because if not there would be a pile of clothes stinking up her home, her home because she was the only one taking care of it. 

But she guesses that he would reiterate that he pays for everything, so in reality it wasn’t her home. He did have a good time reminding her that he was busy with work to clean.

“Hey, have you seen my phone?” 

“No, I could try calling it?” He nodded, looking at her to hurry.

“Why do you need your phone so badly?” 

“I have a meeting…so anything?”

“Nope, I’m sorry”

“Are you hearing that noise, like a banging?”

“Oh yes, it’s the washing machine…”

“Did you wash my clothes that I just took off?” He sounded angry to the brink of yelling.

“Yes, saves me more trouble…” she hurried off to catch him, because she was so confused.

“My phone, you washed my phone!” The sudden stop of the machine and the mess he was making taking out all the wet clothes, was just making her sad. She knew that she would be yelled at and probably be left to clean all the mess. 

“I’m sorry Charles, I swear I usually check but…” 

“Is that all you know how to say? ‘I usually check’, huh? to me it just makes you careless and stupid…”

“Don’t call me that Charles, if you would wash your own clothes, we wouldn’t be here…”

“But didn’t you feel the pockets?”

“Yes ok, but I had to load three today, counting bed sheets, my clothes, your clothes, so I’m sorry if I didn’t have time to check, I’m just so overwhelmed…”

“I again didn’t tell you to do that for me…”

“I know, but there’s too much mess in here…”

“I will hire someone, I told you I could if it’s too much for you, but since you’re not doing much the least you could do is clean” if he would’ve taken a  good look at her, if only, but he didn’t, he just shrugged his shoulders. 

“You’re right, so I’ll stop complaining, here take my phone and don’t you dare hire someone, that will be another thing to hold against me” the phone was roughly slapped on his chest, was he startled? Yes, but the ghostly touch of her hands left no room for any more discussion or apologies, not that he would apologize. 

For whatever reason he started to clean here and there, just his stuff, he never did her laundry or pick up after her. She didn’t care because he was doing his own chores, one less thing to worry about. 

Job hunting in Monaco was horrible, maybe she would have to find a job in Nice where she lived before, maybe she should’ve never left, but that’s one mistake she won’t ever make again. 

Charles would spend half of his free time in his game room, while she begged for his attention, one simple peck every day and that was their intimacy. 

She was tired and overwhelmed by the pressure of living with Charles, she wasn’t comfortable in her own home. She tiptoed around every room, she couldn’t even watch tv, afraid that she would disturb him. 

She no longer asked about his career, and he never mentioned it. She was never encouraged to go travel with him and it seemed like he didn’t want her to be around. 

Not to mention the endless dinners and parties with friends, tipsy Charles was annoying and mean. Once again she wasn’t invited, so overall she was alone with no purpose. 

So even going to ask him if he wanted to see a film with her, was a bit awkward. Two years and she was scared of his sudden reactions, she didn’t know him. 

“Hey Charles, do you want to watch a film with me…”

“I can’t I have a stream soon”

“Oh, I-um thought that you didn’t want to stream anymore?” 

“Yes but I have a few days off, so I can relax” 

“If you’re done early, could you join me?…” but he turned his back on her, there was no point in continuing the conversation if he was uninterested. 

She went back to the living room, but only to turn off the tv, no movie could possibly make her happy. She could organize the closet, she did need to donate a few things, getting rid of the clutter will allow her mind to clear up.

The hours caught up to her, she was folding and packing things in bags. Her back was turned to the door, so she had no clue when a very freaked out Charles came in. 

“What’s going on?” There was a hint of worry.

“What? I can’t clean the closet now ", condescending and a bit frustrated with his question, she turned to look at him. 

“No amour…it’s not that, but could I join you?” 

“I rather you not, you will mess up my cleaning system” 

“You wanted to spend time with me, so I stopped the stream early…” She looked at the time on her phone, five hours ago she asked him to watch the movie with her, so he certainly was in no rush to be with her.

“That was exactly five hours ago, right now I’m cleaning”

“Cleaning, is that all you know how to do?” He had the audacity to hold that against her.

“Spending time with your friends, is that all you know how to do?”

“I’m having fun, I need a break from my job, because I do work, I don’t spend my whole weeks cleaning” her eyes filled with fresh tears because if he would’ve looked a bit harder, he could’ve seen the dry tears from her previous crying session. 

“Don’t worry, next week I start my job again” 

“What do you mean again? The same company hired you”

She cleared her throat, avoiding the sound of weakness that was threatening to come out. “Yes, I will be making a short commute, I couldn’t find anything here, so the train will take me there…” 

“Why did you leave in the first place, if that was your whole plan….”

“That wasn’t the plan Charles, you know that I needed to find a job here, and it’s simply impossible”

“Why didn’t you discuss this with me?” She scoffed, saving the urge to not let out a loud cackle. 

“Not like you would’ve listened to me, besides I need to start contributing” 

“I never told you that you had to…”

“Are you playing a sick joke on me?”

“Wha-What, of course not?”

“Just go back to your friends ok, I can’t really talk to you right” she turned around again, looking for the pairs of the single socks. 

“And why not?”

“Because I’ll end up more disappointed” the silence was haunting her brain, was he processing everything or did he really have nothing else to say? 

However as she looked in his direction he was no longer in the closet. That was her time to let the tears fall once again, she was so tired. There she questioned if she really wanted to live the rest of her life with a selfish man.

Because he was selfish, and he never was. Maybe it was the drastic changes or maybe it was the real Charles that was deciding to show up, he was no longer hiding his true intentions or his real identity, he had changed, maybe he didn’t even love her anymore. 

Her bright red suitcase was there, so she packed. She wanted to have something ready in case she needed to leave in a hurry and maybe it was for the best. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Packing- leaving if that’s what you’re wondering” her sniffles and stained cheeks finally created the reaction that she was looking for, he saw her pain but he also grew anxious and scared, she was going to leave. 

He was next to her in no time, taking all of the stuff she was putting in, and throwing them on the floor. He was just slowing her down- her mind was made. 

“Charles, I will need to clean that up… and it won’t change the fact that I’m leaving”

“Stop! For one second please” she flinched as she backed away, she hated being yelled at, it was a tiny raise of his voice, but it was enough for her to be wary of him. 

“Amour, just listen to me…” She needed to leave his presence, a raise of his voice was the breaking point, scaring her was their ending. No amount of apologies would make her stay, not after all the pain and loneliness she felt. 

“No Charles, what I was hoping for was a simple apology, to tell me that you’re sorry about picking fights and making me feel unwelcome here. I thought that moving in together would solve the issue of distance but you seem to want to spend more time with your friends than me. I thought that moving in together would mean a domestic bliss, but you hate doing things with me, the mundane stuff…” 

“Yeah but that was before I knew how unbearable it would become to have you here every day…and don’t walk away because I’m not done, it’s unbearable because all you want to do is clean, and I’m not saying that it’s bad, however I want to cuddle or cook together, but you like to point out everything that I’m doing wrong, it’s like I’m constantly failing at being a good fiancée, so how will I be a good husband? If now you’re leaving me?” 

“I was blindsided, do you know that? This move and the responsibilities, obligations, the stress and the fights, have come out of nowhere, bringing me down…I was unprepared for this attack of selfishness and fear of losing you…but I’m not afraid anymore, I lost you Charles, our relationship has failed, all because you find me unbearable. You’ve lost me Charles and you won’t make me stay” 

“What do you want me to do?” Easy thing to ask for her help, for her to solve everything and his begging was not enough, it wouldn't make her feel any better.

So she found comfort in knowing that apologies were simple excuses that would never be enough. So why wait for them, when instead of delaying your healing you could be thriving away from the people who hurt you.

“Please I will do anything, you can’t leave me. We were going to get married soon” 

“Yet you treated me like a someone who meant nothing to you” 

“You mean everything to me, please believe me, I just lost myself”

“No you felt suffocated, we enjoyed our freedom too much, the only difference was that you still had that freedom, while I was a prisoner in this stupid fancy cellar. So I don’t believe you because you still haven’t apologized…”

“I’m sorry amour, I love you so much…”

“Please don’t call me that and allow me to pack, just let me do this thing for myself” 

“What if we rushed this moving process? What if we just go back to our old lives and move slower?” It wasn’t a bad idea, but her self-love was nonexistent and to regain some control she had to leave and stand her ground. 

“It’s not a bad idea Charles, I still love you but I can’t” 

“Why not?” Tears were now spilling freely, burning and blinding their minds. 

“Because you really hurt me and I can’t hate myself” he kept shaking his head in pure denial. 

“I’m sorry that I was the cause of all your pain, I wasn’t doing it intentionally- you have to know that I never meant to hurt you” he looked guilty and she would have forgiven him, but she felt alone, she was deeply hurting.

“It was meant to be a wonderful experience, you were the one for me Charles, I had no doubt about it, but this ring was the only reminder that I had you. You were physically and mentally separated from me and I can’t justify your apologies and forget about my loneliness and pain.” 

She started to slide that beautiful ring from her hand, as he looked. He hoped that the ring would get stuck, becoming his only chance for her to keep a part of him, but of course it was smoothly placed on his open palm. 

“You mean everything to me and I do love you so much, I’m very sorry for hurting you and if being away from me is the only way for you to be happy again, then I won’t stop you. Find joy in your heart again” 

“Thank you Charles, I’m sorry for…” he shook his head, not wanting her to continue an apology that shouldn’t exist. He didn’t want her to lie or try to make him feel better, he wanted to hurt during his closure to feel all the pain she felt. 

“Don’t apologize ok? You have nothing to apologize for. I already lost you and I know that it was my fault, so allow me to hurt, it’s my turn now” she took a step forward and so did he, and their lips met for one last time, in a horrible kiss because he realized that her lips were already unfamiliar, he had forgotten how they felt and tasted like. 

So he kissed more desperately, to try and memorize everything they shared together… to never forget the feeling of being loved by her. One last murmured “I love you” and he stepped back, allowing her to pack and move on to another chapter- one without him as her happy ending. 

So, do people really fall in love with the wrong person? No…she liked to believe that time wasn’t right for them, she couldn’t imagine never loving Charles or being loved by him. He did love her deeply and purely- he was a great partner for her, until they grew scared of a settled relationship. 

She suffered trying to gain back her freedom, she felt alone in every aspect of her life, so maybe she just had to learn to live without him. 

The apologies that she yearned for were uttered too late- she had waited long enough to hear them, that eventually she decided to leave to find inner peace. 

She had the strength to continue a life without him, the same routine and lifestyle; although her days were dark and bitter she continued, until he was a distant but sweet memory. 

She did miss him, but not like she missed him when she had him. Leaving her to often wonder if she would ever be loved again. 

Honestly he never stopped loving her, but all in  distance because he didn’t appreciate her when he had her…he couldn't complain. It Was better to see her thrive and grow without him.

She lived securely in his heart and mind, and she would often visit him in his wildest of dreams, only there he could remember what she was like- how they loved. 

Charles did hope that someday they would meet again and fall in love all over again. Maybe not in this lifetime but in one where they weren’t attacked by uncertainty. One thing he did know was that she would be loved again. She didn’t have to worry about that because she was always the right person to fall in love with. 

The end…

a/n: Thank you so much for the request, I hope you liked the other version…. I love writing for Charles, but it does get busy sometimes, that’s why I leave for a bit, but expect two fics for him every month, from now on. One request (if I have any) and another one from me. If I limit writing here that will keep me more on track and less worried about keeping this blog alive. I hope you understand amores. Lots of love and stay safe- Nat ❤️

Request:

How do you know if he is proposing? Well you don’t, it must be kept a secret. However that would require good luck and well Charles was not known for being lucky. 

Yes he was clumsy and a bit of a nervous wreck, but he was a true romantic, going to great extents to make their night magical…and after all he was her mess. 

That same mess that was pacing back and forth during Christmas Eve dinner, whispering to his mother like a sneaky child that wants to do something bad, but in his case he wanted to do something right for the first time in ages…he wanted to marry her. 

He knew that he was giving away too much and frankly he didn’t care because her amused face was a great sign that she will stick with him forever, even if his hand was shaking.

Even if the “dinner” made him so sick that he had his head deep in the toilet and even if he still didn’t know how to propose to her. A magical night and a hopeless romantic that had no clue when to pop the question. 

Everything else was nicely planned out, they would hug and wish everyone in their tiny family a merry Christmas, everyone would go to sleep in their respective homes and there he would have her alone, but what then? How could he make it less obvious? 

She loved the holiday, loved the cheer and the magic it brought…a night where everyone pretends to believe for the sake of children, but she believed in a greater gift and that was love. There is nothing better than to be surrounded by people who love you.

She spent multiple holidays alone, her spark diminished as she realized that her magic was gone…but he took her in, made her a part of his family and now as she hugged everyone around her she realized that she was lucky to be surrounded by that blissful joy. 

She was a bit confused why everyone started to slowly excuse themselves to sleep, last Christmas everyone stayed up so late, their tipsy laughter created a fun atmosphere. 

“Why is everyone going to bed Charles?” 

“My brothers have to go to their partners Christmas in the morning… and my mother has brunch with her best friend” he wasn’t lying, but the random pauses were questionable. 

“Oh-what do we have planned for tomorrow?” Hopefully a nice romantic morning, but yet again a little white lie wouldn’t hurt…

“A calm morning, opening some presents, a nice breakfast made by me…” 

“Will it be a nice breakfast though?”

“Probably not, but the Christmasy spirit will hopefully help” 

“Or food poisoning?” He laughed at her tiny dig, their first date where he had to cook, they both ended up in the hospital with severe pain. 

She kept advancing to the doorway where his plan would begin, and the nerves grew stronger. He was so afraid of messing up, but it was inevitable. 

“Look up”

“Wh-what…oh a mistletoe” he pulled her flush into him, a soft yet hungry kiss that left her a bit dizzy. Usually kisses like those were reserved for more intimate moments, but he had no shame.

The little hums of pure pleasure were getting to him, but he had to stick to his plan…confuse her a bit and bang pop the question. 

Foreheads touching she reminisced about all their other holidays that they had spent together, but what was that shine from the tree? 

It wasn’t the lights and it wasn’t the nice decorations, it had a bright and blinding shine, almost like a diamond. So with sure steps to the tree she was about to ask him if he was seeing it. 

But he was freaking out, having no choice but to improvise and as she turned around to ask him, he was already on his knee. 

She tried to contain her gasps and tears but it was no use because she was already a crying mess. At any moment she would just say yes without hearing his proposal, but she still waited. 

“I always knew that you were the one, that I wanted to love you for the rest of my life…I know that I’m known to not have a lot of luck in my life, but I am lucky-simply because I have you. I had this whole thing planned from beginning to end, I of course messed up…” they both shared a soft unfortunate laugh. 

“…But I picked this day because I know the meaning that it holds for us, there’s magic everywhere, so much contagious joy and love. You’re my family bébé, it’s small now but with your wish it will expand. I want us old and gray and I know that it will happen because you love like no one else, with so much patience and determination and just know that it’s mutual…so because I always knew that you were my one and only love, allow me to marry you…so amour will you marry me?” 

They were both sniffling messes, so many unshed tears that were clogging their vision, but he did see the rigorous nods.

“Yes Charles I’ll marry you” it was a mere whisper, but she had to let everything sink in and besides the ring was still not on her finger. 

He jumped to his feet hugging and kissing her with so much pride and love. “I love you so much Charles, it was exactly like how I imagined, we share a vision baby…winging it with pure chaos” 

“I like that amour, but you had to see the shimmer huh?” He slightly leaned towards the tree, picking the beautiful silver ring from a flimsy branch. There he fondly repeated the words and finally the ring was a perfect match for her.

“It’s beautiful Char, perfect for me…how did you know?” She observed the ring with so much emotion, it was more than jewelry, it was a promise. 

“I always observed amour and besides it’s a simple-elegant ring” but she was still a bit curious about his original plan. 

“How were you going to propose?”

“Does it matter now? Because I actually liked how it turned out, more natural and genuine…all the pressure that I felt for weeks disappeared because I was afraid” 

“Did you think I would say no…”

“Oh no, I was afraid that I would make a fool of myself, but surprisingly everything that I felt throughout the years just made its way to your ears and hopefully your heart” 

“It did baby, so perfect and just so you know I’m lucky as well, because I have a thoughtful and loving fiancé, that has promised and delivered pure magic to me, so thank you” 

“Thank you for accepting my flaws and giving them love as well, I can’t promise perfection, but we’re close to it which is all that matters, I love you” a passionate kiss led to a beautiful romantic night and morning for the soon to be married couple and she was lucky that he stayed out of the kitchen. 

So how do you really know if your partner is proposing? Well you hope that he doesn’t back down, that he continues to try even if he fails, because despite all of his attempts and efforts he will deliver only a true declaration of devotion and that is promising a life filled with magic but most importantly love. 

The End…

a/n: Short, sweet, and simple but I loved writing it- Thank you so much for the request, please be safe- Lots of love, Nat ❤️

Request:

Do people really fall in love with the wrong person? Because if you would’ve asked her that question two months ago, she would’ve told you no. Charles was the right person for her, she found him at the right place and time.

They had a stable and loving relationship, for two years he was the most supportive and caring boyfriend. He was calm and charming, never toxic or disrespectful. Jealousy wasn’t present and neither unnecessary or unexpected arguments.

She never wanted to attack him with a fight, or make him feel guilty about something that was clearly not his fault. So if there was ever a misunderstanding he would calmly talk to her, comforting her if she was upset and she would do the same for him. 

Their misunderstandings often had to do with the distance, she lived alone, all because of her busy job in the city. So to solve the issue, not only did he propose but that meant moving in with him. 

He bought a bigger home, new furniture and ensured that her same lifestyle would follow her. Never the one to make her seem less than him because she had to work a lot more for less money. 

The idea sounded so dreamy and perfect, but soon their relationship started to crumble. The arrival of the new furniture started thousands of arguments. A couple was tested building a bed frame and a few dressers.

“No just let me do it Charles” did that hurt his manly feelings, probably but he wasn’t being useful with the tools. 

“No, I'm stronger…” if it was the Charles before her move he would probably tell her that he knew she was capable of doing it, but that he wanted to help, not diminish her abilities.

“That has nothing to do with our predicament, you just can’t seem to read, and if we don’t have a stable bed what then?” 

“It’s not like we will break it…” however when they were confident enough to finish the bed they moved on to a dresser, after dozens of whispered comments, that weren’t at all nice.

Night time quickly caught up to them, and after a nice shared shower and some dinner they laid on the bed, which quickly swallowed them. It broke down, their scared shrieks were quickly masked by angry rants to each other. 

“See I told you” 

“No I told you that you were getting in my way, I knew the support beam was loose and you told me it was perfect” 

“But if you would’ve left me alone, none of this would’ve happened” 

“Just admit that you suck at building furniture” 

“I’m not admitting to that…” they night continued with malicious comments, until they simply fell asleep on the mattress. The next morning she hired professional help to build all the rest of the furniture. 

Of course he breathed a sigh of relief, but as soon as the helpers came and went, he started another argument. She thought that it would be their last after they both apologized, but she was wrong.

“Did you really hire help, I’m capable…”

“Charles please” she was begging now.

“No amour, you can’t possibly think that I’m not manly…” the way she spoke next only made Charles more angry, she lowered her voice, just like she would do when she was tired or disappointed, and maybe this time it was both. 

“Charles baby, we both know that you’re not good at building things, but that has nothing to do with your masculinity, so stop pretending that this is hurting your feelings” 

“No, because it is…I wanted you to come to a furnished and finished home, but you decided to come early…”

“You told me to” a desperate sigh left her lips, frustration evident in the way she tilted her head to the ceiling. 

“Look, next time please allow me to build everything…I’m sorry ok” and that little apology apparently made everything better at the moment, because she slowly walked into his embrace and a few soft kisses and that was it, but after that first resolution, no more apologies followed the dozens of arguments that they would have. 

A nice relaxing shower was just what Charles needed, he allowed the water to flow down his back, chest… was there a ball of hair by the drain…scratch that, all over the tile? 

Because his vision was not deceiving him, swirly fallen hair was on the tile wall, her hair. The same hair that he now had to rinse off from his body because of course it had made its way to his skin. 

At first he felt a bit bad that she was losing hair, the stress of job hunting was getting to her, but the fact that she would carelessly leave it all over the wall was driving him insane. 

So he gathered the ball of hair, and he threw it at her, her scared shriek could’ve been a little bit funny, but he was seeing red. There was no disgust because it was just hair, but that habit had to stop because it was her hair that was making a mess. 

“Seriously, all over the wall and clogging the drain, it’s just disrespectful that your hair is everywhere, I have to find it in places that are not meant for your hair to be in”

“Sorry it won’t happen again, It’s just instinct I always do it just this time I forgot to clean it up” her sheepish smile almost made him break but it didn’t. 

“No but seriously don't be so careless next time…” but was she really that careless that a week later, his hair was all over the sink, he had shaved and now the little black hairs were invading the sink. 

He was smiling that morning, he looked very handsome and fresh, but her anger made her snap. The breakfast that he prepared was forgotten when she pulled him out of the kitchen. 

“Hey you shaved huh?” 

“Yeah why? Do I look handsome” he started to wiggle his eyebrows, but he soon stopped when he saw her serious face, she was not amused.

“Come with me” she demanded, and she very quickly pulled him. 

“You see this…” she pointed at the sink, and apology was ready to leave his lips, but “…you gave me so much shit for my hair and you do the same thing” 

“Hold on, that’s not fair…It’s not even much, it’s scattered bits” 

“Then you are blind Charles, that’s clearly so many” 

“Just please stop” usually he would remain silent, and let the scolding happen, but walking out of the bathroom was not in his best interest, because he didn’t apologize, plus spending the whole rest of the day gaming while it was his turn to wash dishes was not fair and that’s how their new domestic lives changed for the worst. 

His actions were disappointing her, but the fact that he  was reducing her to a housewife was the worst thing he could’ve done. She was cleaning every corner of the house, washing his clothes, dishes, even his sweaty clothes because if not there would be a pile of clothes stinking up her home, her home because she was the only one taking care of it. 

But she guesses that he would reiterate that he pays for everything, so in reality it wasn’t her home. He did have a good time reminding her that he was busy with work to clean.

“Hey, have you seen my phone?” 

“No, I could try calling it?” He nodded, looking at her to hurry.

“Why do you need your phone so badly?” 

“I have a meeting…so anything?”

“Nope, I’m sorry”

“Are you hearing that noise, like a banging?”

“Oh yes, it’s the washing machine…”

“Did you wash my clothes that I just took off?” He sounded angry to the brink of yelling.

“Yes, saves me more trouble…” she hurried off to catch him, because she was so confused.

“My phone, you washed my phone!” The sudden stop of the machine and the mess he was making taking out all the wet clothes, was just making her sad. She knew that she would be yelled at and probably be left to clean all the mess. 

“I’m sorry Charles, I swear I usually check but…” 

“Is that all you know how to say? ‘I usually check’, huh? to me it just makes you careless and stupid…”

“Don’t call me that Charles, if you would wash your own clothes, we wouldn’t be here…”

“But didn’t you feel the pockets?”

“Yes ok, but I had to load three today, counting bed sheets, my clothes, your clothes, so I’m sorry if I didn’t have time to check, I’m just so overwhelmed…”

“I again didn’t tell you to do that for me…”

“I know, but there’s too much mess in here…”

“I will hire someone, I told you I could if it’s too much for you, but since you’re not doing much the least you could do is clean” if he would’ve taken a  good look at her, if only, but he didn’t, he just shrugged his shoulders. 

“You’re right, so I’ll stop complaining, here take my phone and don’t you dare hire someone, that will be another thing to hold against me” the phone was roughly slapped on his chest, was he startled? Yes, but the ghostly touch of her hands left no room for any more discussion or apologies, not that he would apologize. 

For whatever reason he started to clean here and there, just his stuff, he never did her laundry or pick up after her. She didn’t care because he was doing his own chores, one less thing to worry about. 

Job hunting in Monaco was horrible, maybe she would have to find a job in Nice where she lived before, maybe she should’ve never left, but that’s one mistake she won’t ever make again. 

Charles would spend half of his free time in his game room, while she begged for his attention, one simple peck every day and that was their intimacy. 

She was tired and overwhelmed by the pressure of living with Charles, she wasn’t comfortable in her own home. She tiptoed around every room, she couldn’t even watch tv, afraid that she would disturb him. 

She no longer asked about his career, and he never mentioned it. She was never encouraged to go travel with him and it seemed like he didn’t want her to be around. 

Not to mention the endless dinners and parties with friends, tipsy Charles was annoying and mean. Once again she wasn’t invited, so overall she was alone with no purpose. 

So even going to ask him if he wanted to see a film with her, was a bit awkward. Two years and she was scared of his sudden reactions, she didn’t know him. 

“Hey Charles, do you want to watch a film with me…”

“I can’t I have a stream soon”

“Oh, I-um thought that you didn’t want to stream anymore?” 

“Yes but I have a few days off, so I can relax” 

“If you’re done early, could you join me?…” but he turned his back on her, there was no point in continuing the conversation if he was uninterested. 

She went back to the living room, but only to turn off the tv, no movie could possibly make her happy. She could organize the closet, she did need to donate a few things, getting rid of the clutter will allow her mind to clear up.

The hours caught up to her, she was folding and packing things in bags. Her back was turned to the door, so she had no clue when a very freaked out Charles came in. 

“What’s going on?” There was a hint of worry.

“What? I can’t clean the closet now ", condescending and a bit frustrated with his question, she turned to look at him. 

“No amour…it’s not that, but could I join you?” 

“I rather you not, you will mess up my cleaning system” 

“You wanted to spend time with me, so I stopped the stream early…” She looked at the time on her phone, five hours ago she asked him to watch the movie with her, so he certainly was in no rush to be with her.

“That was exactly five hours ago, right now I’m cleaning”

“Cleaning, is that all you know how to do?” He had the audacity to hold that against her.

“Spending time with your friends, is that all you know how to do?”

“I’m having fun, I need a break from my job, because I do work, I don’t spend my whole weeks cleaning” her eyes filled with fresh tears because if he would’ve looked a bit harder, he could’ve seen the dry tears from her previous crying session. 

“Don’t worry, next week I start my job again” 

“What do you mean again? The same company hired you”

She cleared her throat, avoiding the sound of weakness that was threatening to come out. “Yes, I will be making a short commute, I couldn’t find anything here, so the train will take me there…” 

“Why did you leave in the first place, if that was your whole plan….”

“That wasn’t the plan Charles, you know that I needed to find a job here, and it’s simply impossible”

“Why didn’t you discuss this with me?” She scoffed, saving the urge to not let out a loud cackle. 

“Not like you would’ve listened to me, besides I need to start contributing” 

“I never told you that you had to…”

“Are you playing a sick joke on me?”

“Wha-What, of course not?”

“Just go back to your friends ok, I can’t really talk to you right” she turned around again, looking for the pairs of the single socks. 

“And why not?”

“Because I’ll end up more disappointed” the silence was haunting her brain, was he processing everything or did he really have nothing else to say? 

However as she looked in his direction he was no longer in the closet. That was her time to let the tears fall once again, she was so tired. There she questioned if she really wanted to live the rest of her life with a selfish man.

Because he was selfish, and he never was. Maybe it was the drastic changes or maybe it was the real Charles that was deciding to show up, he was no longer hiding his true intentions or his real identity, he had changed, maybe he didn’t even love her anymore. 

Her bright red suitcase was there, so she packed. She wanted to have something ready in case she needed to leave in a hurry. 

“What are you doing?” 

“I’m not leaving if that’s what you’re worried about” her sniffles and stained cheeks finally created the reaction that she was looking for, he saw her pain.

“So why are you packing?”

“In case I do decide to leave, maybe Tomorrow, maybe next week, or it could be a year from now, but at least I will be ready to face reality” he was next to her in no time, taking all of the stuff she was putting in, and throwing them on the floor. 

“Charles, I will need to clean that up…”

“Stop! For one second please” she flinched as she backed away, she hated being yelled at, it was a tiny raise of his voice, but it was enough for her to be wary of him. 

“Amour, just listen to me…” 

She needed to leave his presence, so a nice relaxing bath would be the solution. She locked the door and although she heard the door knob jiggle a bit, he didn’t insist much. 

However he was feeling guilty, so much so that he cleaned what was left of the closet, picking up her scattered clothes and lifting the suitcase far from her reach, there he started to realize what he was doing, yet he couldn’t stop arguing with her. 

There was so much frustration, he just felt overwhelmed with all the changes, and he just didn’t set boundaries, they both didn’t. They set chores pretty quickly but nothing else was discussed.

“Oh-you’re in here?” She walked in expecting the mess on the floor but everything was clean, which made her browse through her underwear drawer more easily. 

“Yeah, had to put everything back” 

“Thanks…” 

“You don’t have to thank me, this is my home as well, besides I made the mess” 

“What mess are we referring to?” However he was quick to communicate, to navigate those horrible decisions that he had made, he wanted to fix everything, because he was now uncertain of her love. 

“You could leave tomorrow, next week, or even in a year, but the fact is that you’re thinking about leaving me, it’s like a prenup, do you know that? it’s like you’re wishing for the demise of our relationship, hoping for failure, you’re hoping for our love to fail”

“No Charles what I’m hoping is for you to finally apologize to me, to tell me that you’re sorry about picking fights and making me feel unwelcome here, I thought that moving in together would solve the issue of distance but you seem to want to spend more time with your friends than me, I thought that moving in together would mean a domestic bliss, but you hate doing things with me, the mundane stuff…” 

“Yeah but that was before I knew how unbearable it would become to have you here every day…and don’t walk away because I’m not done, it’s unbearable because all you want to do is clean, and I’m not saying that it’s bad, however I want to cuddle or cook together, but you like to point out everything that I’m doing wrong, it’s like I’m constantly failing at being a good fiancée, so how will I be a good husband? When I saw that red suitcase, I thought that I had lost you” 

“I was blindsided, do you know that? This move and the responsibilities, obligations, the stress and the fights, have come out of nowhere, bringing me down…I was unprepared for this attack of selfishness and fear of losing you…I’m afraid that our relationship is failing…so I’m sorry if I’m unbearable, but you haven’t lost me yet, so what will you do to make me stay?”

“What do you want me to do?” Easy thing to ask for her help, for her to solve everything, but she was still waiting for an apology. 

“I have no clue Charles, figure it out, you said it yourself, I’m constantly nitpicking everything you do, so think without me interrupting” roughly grabbing her change of clothes, she walked out of the closet. 

Sleeping with Charles was different, especially when he was sulking and thinking aloud. They were miles away, sure she could hug him, but then she would lose all her progress, she needed to be tough on him. 

“I love you amour, have done so for many years, but I’m afraid as well, it all started because we couldn’t build our furniture together or at least that’s what I think started all of this, but I remember you being hesitant about moving in with me, I saw your face, you were worried, and maybe I proved you right, I was a nightmare to live with, day and night. So I’m sorry, I will follow the schedule, I will not go out with friends, and I will dedicate my time to you…”

“You don’t have to completely change your routine for me, I just want us to not argue Charles. Before we bickered, and we apologized, but it’s been weeks since that stupid incident with the bed and our apologies were superficial. I don’t want our love to turn shallow, I want us to go deeper, reach new milestones together as a married couple. I don’t want to brush intense feelings away, I need your pain, fears, anger, and love. All of it because yes I was worried about moving in together because I liked my own space to think, but maybe we need to think together because we couldn't seem to focus on the positives” 

They both turned to their sides, both in sync anxiously waiting to talk everything out, so they laughed softly when their noses bumped into each other’s, he slightly poked her nose, making her sink further into the pillow, in a dreamy state-she had missed him. 

“That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile in a long time, and I’m sorry for taking that beautiful smile away. I want you to know just how beautiful you truly are, that’s one positive, the other one was how easily you created a schedule for us, another positive is that you’re closer to me, I get to feel you everyday, mentally and physically, I know that I took that for granted and we became comfortable with just our crazy versions…”

“The neat freak version of us”

“…yes exactly, but I think that a bit of chaos will serve us right, so take a sock off right now”

“Why?” She chuckled, but she still took it off, while he took off his shirt. 

“….and throw it across the room” she mirrored his throw. They were giggling at his throw which probably knocked something out. However the way she found his arms was magical, she slipped right into his warm embrace. His chest was heavenly with the wonderful traces of his cologne. While he could smell her fruity shampoo and indulge in kissing her temple with no fear of rejection. 

“Let’s be messy, let’s not live in a ruled world, I know that it’s important for our structure, we have to figure out our imperfections first and then establish new and better ways to do mundane tasks together ok, but for now let’s be messy” 

“I’m sorry as well amour, I could’ve been less serious about the move, but I was so stressed” 

“You don’t have to apologize, you were trying to make this place feel like our home, and I turned it into a messy place, but not anymore” she gave him an appreciative grin. 

“ I love you”

“I love you more, don’t forget we have to start planning a wedding” 

“I was waiting for you to help me”

“I’m all in, but please don’t make the theme red, it’s already hunting enough” her soft laugh emitted a tiny tickle to his neck.

“Don’t worry I was thinking a nice sage color, I want an intimate wedding with few guests and just lots of food and sweets” 

“I like the color, will make my eyes pop more and as for a small wedding I like it, if I could it would just be us”

“Your mother would kill us” 

“I know, but it’s exciting this new stage and I will embrace it with you, I promise no more fights or streams…”

“I promise no more hair and impromptu cleaning, but I will need the suitcase” he tensed up, his hold got firmer, but his breathing hitched. 

“I can’t believe that I was pushing you away, you were thinking of leaving me that’s how horrible I was behaving”

“I don’t think I was being dramatic either, I was feeling to deeply, I just felt alone, please don’t ever make me feel like that, I had no purpose” 

“I won’t bébé, smack my head if I’m being stupid, your feelings were understandable, none of it was your fault, but I wasn’t hurting you intentionally, I just felt like I was in an unknown territory. I just want to enjoy the house with you, want to enjoy the bed, the kitchen, even the toilet without fear” 

“Are you also having trouble using the bathroom? Because I also feel awkward” A breathy and timid laugh, 

“Honestly yes, but we will learn, that's the beauty of our relationship, we will work to get better, because we love each other” she hooked her pinky with his, in a nice gesture of promising a healthy relationship. 

“To a stable and loving relationship, for the rest of our lives” 

A soft kiss was placed on her lips, starting off very gentle, but it turned messy, he felt hunger for her taste. He had missed having her, touching her and loving her. The breath of relief after their reconciliation was beautiful, his cheeks were flushed and finally he looked like her old Charles, that was the man that she fell in love with at the right place and time. 

The End….

a/n: Thank you so much for reading, requests will take me a bit of time, but I will write them, so don’t worry I’m not ignoring them, just keeping them safe. Lots of love and kisses- Nat ❤️

Heartbreak is the same thing as changing for a person that didn’t love you at all. It was crazy being so miserable and snappy at people who didn’t deserve it, especially when she was known for her kindness. 

So when Charles felt like his help and company were not enough, he had no choice but to try to fill her void with happiness, to keep insisting because that’s what friends are for. 

“Come on you have to get up amour, it’s time for you to be happy again” 

“You can’t decide that for me, let me be broken” 

“No, he’s happy now, isn’t he? So show him that you can and will be happier without him” 

“With who? He’s with her, while I have no one?” 

“You have me, you’ve always had me”

She knew that he was in love with her, since they were twenty they became instant friends. They met through mutual friends, and everyone thought that they would end up together, but they were platonic soulmates, nothing less or more than that, but he crossed that line when he couldn’t help but wish for the demise of every one of her relationships.

The previous one was torturous for him, three years seeing her be happy with someone that wasn’t him, someone that made her smile and laugh, and while he could do that too, he couldn't kiss her or love her like he wanted to. 

So when that asshole cheated on her, he not only felt anger but also disappointment that she never saw her value. She always ended up heartbroken, so it was time to put herself first. 

“It’s different Charles, and besides I just went through a breakup…”

“Amour you can take all the time to heal and recover but it’s been six months already” 

“So? No one asked you to help me” and he knew that his friend wasn’t the one talking, it was the evil version of her, the one that had no sympathy for anyone, not even for herself. 

“You’re right, you didn’t ask me, but I love you… and I trusted you to not hurt me, and right now you’re being a bad friend” with a kiss to her cheek he walked out of the room, that same room that was filled with guilt and sadness.

He couldn’t leave without at least providing her with a bit of love, because even though he was fuming and feeling unappreciated he still loved her too much to not leave a trace of him behind. 

Was she really that miserable that she was making him feel sad? She knew that he wasn’t the happiest person, his job was tough and draining, leaving him with so many self doubts that she swore to erase. 

So it was time to get up from her pity party, she showered, a bit of self care to look alive. She didn’t care about how she looked, not after Charles had  literally seen the worst version of her. 

The smell of some soup was bothering her nose, she knew that she would have to eat it to not make Charles feel bad, but he knew to never touch the kitchen without supervision. 

“You’re cooking?” She said with a bit of mockery. 

“You're alive!” There goes the teasing.

“Haha funny…” she shily approached his side, she wanted to be close to him, but she didn’t want to be rejected. So he was the one to pull her into his arms, in an embrace that she missed terribly.

“…I’m sorry for being mean, for losing myself in someone that didn’t love me, for allowing him to change the happy and empathetic person that I was, I didn’t even realize that I was hurting you” she said against his chest, her words were a bit muffled that’s how close she was to him but he still heard every single word. 

“It’s okay amour, I know that you were sad, it was selfish of me to demand your sane attention…” she pulled away, she had to if not the soup would’ve been beyond salvageable, he only gave her a sheepish grin. 

“No, but you were right, I have to start thinking about myself, to go back to the person that I was before, a happy girl…Charles are you sure this is edible?”

“I’m not sure?” She took a tiny sip of the broth, instant coughs as she ran for water and all she could think about was his beautiful loud laugh. 

“Did you try the soup or did you just want to put me out of my misery?” 

“I’m sorry I’ll order something” he said wiping his tears away. 

“Yes please” 

“I also have a surprise for you, so start packing, and please pack for the heavy winter” her confused eyes tried to find his, but he was only looking at his phone. 

“What?”

“Just go pack, we leave in about two hours” he never looked up from his phone and she also knew that their conversation was far from over. 

She still walked into her room, if there was something to note about her friendship with Charles is that you never question anything twice, she knew him better than she knew herself and she probably trusted him more than anyone else. 

He loved the same things as her and very rarely their interests didn’t align, but he wouldn't judge her or diminish her hobbies. He was there listening to her music, to her bad jokes, laughing along with no hint of embarrassment.

If she felt out of place, he would make her feel better or if she was embarrassed he would embarrass himself more, just to give people something to talk about. 

He was in no position to care about his image, yes he was relatively well known, but underneath all of his public self, he was a nice and loving person, who oftentimes was the life to her life, without him she wouldn’t be able to live, the love of her life, platonically or not. 

“The foods her…woah! That’s a big suitcase” 

“I can’t pack lightly, you haven’t told me where we’re going?” 

“ to the maintains…the snowy mountains of Chamonix”

“You probably only want to go skiing, which you know I can’t do” 

“Yeah, but now I haven’t giving you a chance to say no, we’re just going” 

“There’s a reason for that, I can’t survive the cold” 

“There’s fireplaces in each room, you’ll be fine and plus if you need another source of warmth I’m going as well” 

“Right so you only want cuddles?”

“Precisely, so let me help you pack, after we eat” they rushed eating, the breakfast was cold and dry, but they never cared about food, at least he didn’t care when he was with her. 

Opening her suitcase was easy, since everything sprung out, but they were able to remove a few items that weren’t needed and an extra ten pairs of underwear that she overpacked. 

“You don’t need twenty pairs, we’re only going for a week, pack at least ten” 

“Charles you don’t understand, how many did you pack?”

“Just seven, you don’t need more” 

“That’s not ok, what if you have an accident?”

“I won’t shit myself amour, and neither would you, so leave ten” the bickering ended with him winning, but you can’t be too sure. She had to sit on her luggage and only then, he could zip it up. 

“It’s only us going so we’re driving” she smiled at the fact that they were going alone.

“How far is it by car? And are we taking a fancy car?”

“Only like seven hours, considering the weather and traffic, so if we leave now we will make it in time to sleep” 

“That’s not very fun is it?”

“No but the road trip will be…oh and I’m not taking my fancy car, I rented one” she let out a breath of relief, she hated fast cars, she didn’t understand his need to drive a dangerous looking car, if what his job demanded of him was even worse, so wouldn't that be a reminder that driving was meant to be scary? 

“Good, I’m all set, let's go” with a reassuring smile and a kiss to her forehead they made their way to his car. 

“Thank you Charles, you’re the best at getting me out of my little hole” 

“I’ll do anything for you and you should know that by now” 

“I’m sorry, but you’re literally perfect…the most perfect boy” 

“You only say that because you love me, I’m very damaged” 

“And I’m not saying you’re not, but I hold you accountable, you know I do…if you’re not treating a girl right I tell you, if you’re being a bad friend I tell, and now you told me, that’s what friends are for, to tell each other the good and the bad…you could be damaged and at the same time perfect” 

“You’re perfect all the time…”

“But he broke me Charles, I couldn’t pretend to be alright, not this time…” he wanted to change the subject, he always would in times when a topic was too much for her.

“Amour, I know that he broke you and that he made you feel like you weren’t enough for him, but you will be alright because you have the one person that believes you to be perfect, and that’s me, you’re perfect” 

“Even if I was all snotty and gross?” 

“I would still wipe your snot and hug you if you're gross” with a little giggle she disagreed with him. 

“Liar, but you did wipe my snot with your finger that one time, that’s why I believe you’re perfect, because you see me for who I am, not some lost cause, you love me…thanks for that…for loving me” he looked over at her, careful to only meet her gaze one time and focus back on driving, all to hold tightly to her hand. 

“Through the damage and the perfection right?” She kissed his hand, a big exaggerated kiss. 

The rest of the drive was random fights over who got to pick the next song, shrieks of horror from her due to the tight and high roads, warnings of his speed to him and him having to remind her that he did this for a living. 

“I do this for a living amour…”

“I know but it’s a bit scary, so both hands on the wheel” 

“Hey, it’s fine bébé, you're safe with me”

“I have no doubt about that, but my fear of heights is getting to me ok and plus I need to pee again” he groaned and she laughed, because she had a weak bladder and the cold outside was not helping. 

“This is the fourth time in four hours, no more water or coffee ok?” 

“It’s the cold Charles, you just don’t want the heat because it suffocates you, so no complaining”

“That's the reason why I’m stopping every hour because we always compromise” and that was true, so she only nodded as they continued to look for a place for her to pee, however that didn’t stop the bickering the whole way to their cabin. 

She was surprised that their cabin was cozy and not like the previous one in which he stayed with his other friends. The dark sky was beautiful, clear enough to let the stars shine, but beyond the cabin there were only snowy trees and mountains.

“It’s beautiful here Charles”

“Only the best for you…” he said as he hauled all of their luggage into the cabin. “…amour please lock the car, I’m not sure if they brought all of the food, I got all the food you like” quick teasing break for her, laughing at his bad cooking skills. 

“I will cook as well, I don’t want you poisoning me or yourself”  finally locking the door, he started to complain about the cold, but he still refused to look at the fireplace in front of him. 

“Seriously Char, the heat will help us”

“Absolutely not, we have blankets” 

“I won’t cuddle you if you get cold” 

“I hate the feeling of the heat, so I will beg for a cuddle and you won’t be able to say no” 

“Whatever, I’m going to go and shower, and please don’t touch the stove” he only yelled that he wouldn’t, but regardless the fireplace was functioning properly, he would not allow her to get sick after a shower due to a cold room.

The hug that she gave him after, told him that she appreciated everything he did for her, not just because of the fire.

As they laid on her bed, they saw the sky through there, he made sure that it had a skylight. Only because she loved how versatile the sky was, every step taken was a different sky, from weird clouds that didn’t allow for the sun to shine, and others that were just there to look pretty. To sad and happy days as well, the sky mirrored the uncertainty of life, no matter if they tried to control it, it was filled with chaos. 

“I’m very lucky, do you know that?”

“Why amour?”

“Because you’re the only friend that stayed, we met through some friends and they all left me, maybe it was me who pushed them away after him, he took over and I let him” 

“You were in love there’s nothing wrong with that, he was good to you, until he…”

“He cheated on me, he was a dream to be with, and then he didn’t listen to me, he didn’t kiss me, he just didn’t love me, and it was the guilt Charles, I lost my mind for someone that didn’t love me” 

“If I didn’t love you, I swear I would lose my mind” cold feet brushing against each other, but their hands always seemed to intertwine, searching for a bit of comfort. 

“To love is to lose your mind, is it not?” His hold tightened.

“I’m the lucky one, because you love me” 

“I do and you love me…”

“More than you could ever imagine” she hugged him, laying against his chest, he slowly traced her arm with his lingering fingertips. 

“you put everyone else to shame, you call me bébé and amour without a care in the world, thank you for that”

“That’s a lot of appreciation for me amour, you’re also a magnet for envy, but what can I say you’re absolutely perfect”

“I’ll take that as a compliment for now, I hate jealousy, any kind, it’s not good for the heart” 

“Trust me it’s really not good” he hated himself every time he would get jealous, he wasn’t proud of his actions but that made him stupid and in love, which were never good combined. 

“Now can we say that we’re bad at picking a significant other, we can’t make them stay…”

“We stay, and that’s enough for me” with a kiss to her head, they whispered a tiny good night. He let out a breath of pure relief, he had her in his arms and she completed him, but did she feel the same way for him?

“I didn’t have to grieve you today” he was a bit confused and bothered by the bright light coming from the skylight, so much so that he didn’t process her words. 

“What was that amour?”

“I said that I dreamt of you, and you were here as I opened my eyes, so that means that I didn’t grieve a what if because you’re hugging me…you’re keeping me warm” 

“Do you usually dream of me?” 

“Yes, stupid what ifs, absurd is the right word for my feelings” 

“Why?”

“Because my dreams and feelings can’t interfere in the real world, I can’t lose you” 

“And why would you lose me?”

“Because I love you” 

“I love you too…dream with me yeah? Let’s go back to sleep and let’s pretend that we’re not a "what if”” and she did close her eyes one more time, the calm breathing meant a peaceful sleep. 

However he couldn’t sleep, because if there was a chance that she would return his feelings, they should allow for a deeper connection, they had to end up together.

“Hey sleepy girl, ready to start our day?” 

“Yes, but no skiing”

“Ok what do you want to do instead?”

“Let’s bake, and then build a snowman, have a snowball fight, and maybe make snow angels…but no skiing”

“Ok anything else?” 

“Yes, let’s just cuddle for a bit” they fought to keep their cold feet from touching.

“Don’t touch me with your cold feet” he whined 

“Why not? Yours are cold as well, you were suppose to wear socks” 

“I’m not wearing socks, because regardless of my warm feet, you would get me cold” They eventually did settle only because he put some socks to warm her up, he would do anything for her. 

“Charles?…” She was met with a little calm hum.

“Do you remember what I told you?” 

“Yes” 

“Good” with a kiss to his cheek she exclaimed that she was ready for some breakfast. Jumping to her feet and leaving him confused and a bit fluffy from the kiss. 

He offered to make the toast and with a hesitant nod, he got to work while she made them coffee and some eggs, she didn’t know why but she loved eggs in the morning and her love for them was passed down to him. 

“See I didn’t burn them” he proudly showed off his nicely toasted bread.

“Good Char, let’s eat…” she gave him a tiny pat on his head and just like old times they ate in silence, until she asked for his help once again.

“…I’m unemployed now, I’ve been so for three months, all my money is going into the apartment and I need to find another job, apparently me scaring the children away with my cries was enough for them to fire me, so another daycare would be lovely, do you know any other fancy ones?” 

“I’m not sure amour, I could ask around, you made good impressions although you did cry the first three months of the breakup the kids loved you” 

“I know they did but they just didn’t recognize me” he saw a quick flash of the broken version of her, but she was fast to react and give a warm smile.

“If you want to stay at my apartment, you can…” he shrugged his shoulders, tilting his head to the side in an innocent like manner “…so you could save the little money you have left and while you’re free from the burden of paying your rent you could look for jobs” 

“Are you sure?” He nodded, knowing her, she would find a job quickly to not bother him, and then she would be back on her feet, loving her independence. 

“Yes, we’re lucky that your place came furnished so not a lot of packing huh?” 

“Thank you baby, you’re the best” he smiled warmly at the nickname, the same one that didn’t make an appearance for three years, out of respect for her boyfriend. 

She knew that she had to rush her job hunting, all to not invade his privacy, but she was running out of money and she didn’t want to take more than she could give, so a quick stay in his home and then a few cuddles and nice prepared meals would be enough to pay for her stay right? 

She fondly touched his cheek and he sunk further into her touch. The loss of contact was painful, he needed to blurt out his feelings. 

Their morning was spent baking all sorts of chocolate pastries, from brownies to cookies, all with the excuse that they would go and play in the snow after, but there wasn’t anything wrong with indulging in a few prohibited foods. 

Then they played some boring board games that the cabin provided, monopoly was boring because just like she couldn’t manage her money in real life, the game was a nice reminder that play pretend was not so much different from reality. 

They also built a snowman, a nicely looking one with a bunch of Ferrari merchandise, wonky carrots, twigs and some pebbles from the fireplace completed their very first snowman. 

“It looks like you Charles!” A loud laugh from her and a tiny shove from him started what she declared a snowball fight, the snow falling was a beautiful sight, adding to their already perfect day.

Her giggles were contagious and not to mention her appearance, disheveled hair, reddish nose and a smile that was so wide… that was the best version of her. 

He ran to her and a nice little tackle ended with them making snow angels, and soon they migrated to each other's arms, to seek the warmth that they desperately needed. 

“Today was perfect, it’s so beautiful here” a gently poke to his dimple and he broke into a nice heavenly laugh.

“You deserve this” there was nothing but pure and genuine love in his eyes.

“I’ve always felt like I’m not enough, but that all changes when I’m with you, you bring out the best in me, and again I’m sorry if I lost myself for a bit, that I was a bad friend” 

“The worst part was seeing you in pain and feeling like I couldn’t help you, that hurt more than your indifference or anger, but I have you back and I’m not letting you go” 

“Do you think that we’re actually platonic soulmates or just soulmates?”

“Soulmates of any kind, but still remaining together…” he had to tell her, now it was his chance “…but I want to be together with you, take a romantic approach and see where it leads us, I know that our friendship is strong and that it could endure everything, if we’re lost we will always find each other…just please say you feel the same way” he was begging for clarity, begging for her to let go of all her doubts. 

“Our love goes deeper than just a friendship I’ve known it for years, I just didn’t want to act on my feelings because I couldn’t afford losing you…but you lost me for a bit and I’m still here, so I know that if I let our love slip away that means never having your aide… and this void can only be filled with you, with what you provide and I want to give us a chance to love…I love you baby” 

“I love you too…” and he kissed her under the dark sky and above a pile of snow. His hands cradled her face as her fingers tangled in his hair, it was a desperate attempt to pull each other closer, to make everything more real.

But as their lips molded together, everything was better than a dream, she wouldn’t have to grieve for a what if, because he was actually devouring her, every inch of her body shook with love.

The tiny pecks all over her face, the gentle hold on her waist and the glassy eyes, that was his way to show off his love. To show her that he understood her, to make her realize that he wouldn’t leave her empty. 

The tiny gasps for air, the kiss to his nose and eyelids, and her teary eyes, were the start of a few tears and laughs. A happy yet melancholic moment because they missed out on so much but at the same time they didn’t.

What ifs that they could finally make a reality, he was hers and she was his, a sweet kind of love that not many have because they waited to be lonely.

They understood that time and distance weren’t always in their favor, but that no matter what their yearning would bring them closer than ever.

They were finally together, all because he found her in her moment of absence, when she was broken. What now? A question that they didn’t ask because they already knew that whatever the outcome, would result in them belonging to each other. 

The end…

a/n: Friends to lovers is my favorite trope, but since she was going through a breakup she needed a bit of  time to process her wounds, that’s why I didn’t jump straight in with a confession. Thank you so much for the request and for reading; sorry that it took a while but I have so much to write with not a lot of time. Lots of love and stay warm- Nat ❤️ 

Request:

The love that she had for Charles was a silent scream, the moment his eyes were on her she was stuck, completely hypnotized by his presence.

She could think that she was in love, but in reality she was so blind, but not as blind as Charles. 

He was a lost soul that needed comfort to thrive, he needed a good support system to survive. If he didn’t have her he would fall apart, literally.

She was only meant to be his professional stylist for one month, for a publicity campaign he had to do, but he kept her around.

Her essence was pure perfection for him, in his eyes she was placed in his life to be a voice of reason and someone that he couldn’t lose. 

She didn’t encourage change, she allowed him to still make questionable decisions with his style as a form of self expression. 

He adored her honesty and her determination to defend him, so he had no choice but to keep her friendship. She was a natural with dry humor and a level of sarcasm that only he understood. 

They weren’t alike which he loved, she was so different, it challenged him to be better only for her. 

His clumsiness went perfectly with her structured demeanor. His pauses combined perfectly with her bluntness. Finally his confused eyes always found their way to her secure ones. 

He didn’t fear when he was with her and she felt protected with him, because if Charles had a weakness it would be his friend, so he had to protect her against any form of threat, even if it meant protecting her from him. 

Everyone started to notice the love he had for her because if anyone messed with his “trésor” he would become brave, outspoken, and a bit intimidating.

People slightly feared him, but it was because she gave him the confidence to stand up for himself, if he could protect her then he could also protect himself against the scrutiny of the media. 

So what suddenly changed for him to be so direct and uninterested with her? There was no warmth or excitement when she would be in his line of vision. 

Their friendship became so awkward and she hated it. Sure she was a constant part of his life, but she rarely went to the races to avoid speculations, however she wasn’t hard to miss in his everyday life. 

She went everywhere with him and maybe that’s when he became so defensive with what their relationship meant to others. 

“So do you love her?” Carlos was a good friend but he didn’t spend much time with him, no matter what fans believed to be true, Charles didn’t prefer to spend time with the other drivers as much. 

However, occasional dinner “parties” were a must to build chemistry and put aside any tension and rivalry. He had invited everyone, and everyone included his trésor who was currently speaking to one of the girls. 

“She’s a good friend of mine” he looked at her radiant smile and he couldn’t help but melt with pure adoration. 

“Well you have hearts coming out of your eyes…”

“It’s not that Carlos, I can’t love someone like her…” what he meant to say was that he couldn’t love someone as perfect as her, whose life would only be ruined with his chaos. 

“Why not?”

“She’s just a friend, we’re too different and she’s not my type?” It almost sounded like a question, the wires in his head turning trying to come up with a boyish excuse that would be believable for Carlos. 

However since it was a boyish answer, his trésor only heard the negative aspect, he had admitted that she wasn’t desirable for him, that it was impossible to find her attractive.

In her mind she was just the funny friend who happened to dress good to be considered pretty. She wasn’t a beauty but people oftentimes became enamored with her personality and knowing Charles he just loved her for who she was, but maybe it was just friendship to him. 

All those cute gazes and flirty comments were nothing but banter. That is why turning away from his conversation was easier for her. To avoid the embarrassment and to discuss later on what he meant. 

Maybe she perceived their relationship differently than he did, it was her fault loving him. Obviously when their friendship started everything was surreal for her, why did a famous person ever want to be friends with her?

Why did he keep her around? She knew that it was because of her kind and gentle personality, but it hurt being classified as just a friend when she was more than that.

She was his emotional connection, they bonded because she listened and he spoke. They were known to be there for each other, sure they were different but wasn’t that better for a strong relationship. 

A nice contrast, to share new interests and opinions, you’re supposed to learn and grow with friends, they're not meant to hold you back. 

And Charles always got everything right, but maybe for the first time he would mess up and be wrong about where they stood. 

She made sure to stay behind, to pull him aside to the balcony of the private room he had rented for dinner. It seemed like the night was never going to end, constant chatter and laughter, but after Carlos’s comment there was no hands grazing or cute looks in her direction.

So she had no choice but to take him to catch some air. The room was slowly closing in on her, not knowing if his world mixed well with the world that they created together. 

Was she liked by them or was she too much? Constant insecurities that blinded who she was, opting to change for others when she shouldn’t because if she taught him to not care about their judgment then why should she? 

“It’s chilly outside, why do you want air?” He was confused and cold and that was never a good mix.

“I can’t breathe Charles…”

“Why?” There was a hint of concern in his voice, but his shivers were still present. 

“Do you love me Charles?”

“Yeah I do?” His eyes squinted, perplexed by her question.

“As a friend right?”

“Of course!…” becoming defensive is never a good look, especially when he was going to lie. 

“Ok, just making sure” she broke eye contact averting her eyes to the beautiful night life underneath them. 

“Did you hear me speak to Carlos?” A whispered “yeah” was all he heard, she couldn’t form a correct sentence. 

“Do you still believe I’m not your type?” 

“I think we’re too different…” 

“You’ve never cared before, isn’t that why you befriended me?”

“Don’t interrupt amour, I like how we are, you challenge me and calm me down, but I feel like I don’t return the same energy, and I feel like it will continue to happen….”

“Maybe you don’t want to try anymore? Because you give me all I need” 

“I just don’t think that romantically I can handle us, we wouldn't be able to capture each other…” 

“Well you are wrong!” 

“Why would I be wrong? Just accept that I don’t love you like that!” Charles exclaimed with agitation and anger in his eyes. While she made herself small, backing away from him.

“Sorry, it’s my fault for putting your feelings before mine, from now on I will focus on what I need, and it seems that you shouldn’t be a part of my journey anymore, so I need to step aside and let you solve your issues on your own, maybe you can jump into a relationship like always” with one last look at him she intended to walk away, but of course she was pulled back.

“You don’t get to say stuff like that and suddenly leave, are you calling me dependent and clingy? Are you saying that your advice and arms were never genuine? Because if so then I should feel used, I gave you a lot of nice experiences and...”

“And I never asked you for that, your presence was enough for me Charles! I never wanted the hate or rumors to surround me, I was just a close friend, you made that very clear…”

“It doesn’t matter now huh? It seems like I can find the same level of comfort that you gave me in someone else” 

A dangerous confession that only brought tears to her beautiful eyes, the slight bob of his adams apple showed that he had to force those words to come out, but it didn’t matter because they were out in the air, hitting her skin with so much coldness.

“I hope that you will never find someone like me, maybe find someone like you or even better than both of us” a tiny whispered goodbye, that he knew she meant. 

She didn’t cry and her voice did not falter, she left with goodbyes to everyone that her eyes made contact with. Never messing with her kindness, afraid that people will not like her later if she changed.

She wanted to walk home, to observe the people walking around. She was always one to focus on her surroundings and never on people, but she wanted to see if they somehow mirrored her, if by any chance they would see or hear her silent screams. 

The problem was that she was way too far away from her surroundings that she didn’t see the car that just happened to impact her body. The gasps and screams of the people who were around her was the only thing she heard. 

She saw the tiny light in her eyes from the attentive paramedics and the questions that were background noise to the pain she was feeling, she just didn’t care about her body at the moment she was worried about her broken heart. 

So waking up completely disoriented in a hospital room, with no one next to her hurt more than she cared to admit. Charles was her emergency contact, she used a different name for him, Charlie which was close enough, however he wasn’t there with her.

It was funny how he quickly changed his emergency contact to her number. Lucky for her, the hospital never called her which meant he was safe. 

The constant reminder that his passion was so dangerous kept her up at night. That in a matter of seconds he could be in danger or severely hurt, and she wouldn’t even think of the worst possible outcome. 

“Hello sweetie, how are you feeling?” 

“What happened?” 

“You have a broken leg and bruised ribs, and a minor concussion…”

“Have you called my emergency contact?”

“Yes they have and no one answered we left multiple messages as well, but we brought your stuff and you can contact someone else ok?” She was only able to nod, she couldn't believe that he wouldn’t answer.

To be fair he had a bit of anxiety from all the random calls he would get, but regardless if someone insisted so much she would answer. 

She was able to rest and wait for her friend Clara, so she had no choice but to stay in the emergency room for three days and slowly she learned how to take care of her injuries and to keep a tight and organized schedule for her medication. 

There was no communication with Charles, maybe she wasn’t that important after all. He did have a race that weekend and because he tried to concentrate he stayed away from his phone and any other distraction that was partly the reason she was never seen in the paddock. 

He tried to be brave and deny that he missed her presence, he turned off his phone right after she left to avoid him bothering her. 

She clearly didn’t want to talk to him and all he wanted was to stop hurting her, so he literally had to stop himself from reaching out, all forms of communication will go through his assistant.

Until one night that he couldn’t take it, the six days without her were horrible. He was staring at his ceiling, thinking about her, missing her with all his being, he knew that there was a possibility that if he fell asleep he could dream of what they had, but wasn’t it better to just show up at her doorstep and beg for her forgiveness?

So he turned on his phone, ready to see if she had texted him and no sign of her, until he got stuck on the number next to his phone app, where apparently he had three missed calls. 

One short voicemail that told him that they had him under an emergency contact. His biggest fear, she had gotten in an accident and it was probably his fault. 

So he ran out of his apartment, he made sure to still drive safely, to not cause any more damage. He wanted to arrive at one of his favorite places in the whole world, her home with no more accidents. He loved her apartment. It was able to provide and capture domestic moments that were natural and normal.

He loved the movie nights, the game nights, the crazy baking that never went their way, or the spontaneous hiking that she never liked to do but the serenity of the views and just getting to hold his hand was all the convincing she needed.

Then he started to think about all the soft slaps on his head from everyone around him, he loved her. He was told that she calmed him down, with just a simple touch he was back to the funny and charming Charles that everyone loved.

His mother told him that he had a certain glow that she had never seen before. As soon as he locked eyes with her it was over, he was more smiley than ever, his eye wrinkles that became prominent gave away how much she affected him. 

His brothers told him that he became even more thought empty, meaning that his rational thoughts were out of the window, he could only think and speak about her. If he would see a cat he would think of her, if he saw her favorite pastry he couldn’t help but buy one to take one to her, at any excuse he would leave his plans to seek her warmth.

Not to mention friends and colleagues, heck even the fans noticed his evolution, and not just his style, but he became more determined and he had more wins, and all the wins unsurprisingly occurred when she was present. So yes everyone knew that he loved her, except his stupid self.

He ruined everything and in the moment he didn’t know whether to knock or walk in with the key that she gave him. However he wasn’t dumb enough to enter without her permission, so he knocked.

He heard the little clatter of her crutches and some slight complaining, probably at her vicious cat who was always in the way. 

The little white fur demon hated him, so his smell was most likely making her approach the door. He could be attacked by her and the cat would do even more damage. 

However locking gazes with her sad one, was painful and spooky, since they didn’t move or react. He was able to finally look at her up and down and there he noticed the broken leg. 

“What happened trésor?” 

“Had an accident” just a cold and monotone response, but at least she responded. 

“Are you ok?” She gave him that face of pure disbelief, ‘did she look good Charles?’

“Take a wild guess Charles” 

“I’m sorry, I turned off my phone, I did it after you left the party, I needed to stop myself from calling you, I couldn’t bother you, I wanted to give you space…”

“Stop, what are you doing here? Were you not able to find someone else like me?” A quick dig that was also responded with a dig at her offensive comment. 

“No, it seems like I couldn’t jump into a new relationship like always because I just missed you, I only need you…. I realized that I can’t live without you, that I love you too much to let you slip away without putting up a fight, and I’m so sorry for making you believe that you weren’t desirable or attractive to me…”

“Come in, I don’t want Snow to make a run for it” he walked in cautious of Snow's threatening stare down, but surprisingly a tiny hiss and she walked away. 

She sat on the sofa waiting for him to awkwardly sit next to her, and with a simple hand signal she asked him to continue.

“I was saying that you’re the most beautiful person in the world, it’s like I’m in heaven with you or whatever you consider perfect, because that’s what you are and what you provide, only pure perfection and tranquility, I love you so much trésor, please forgive me, let me back in your life…”

She winced, her pain and the uncomfortable position was too much for her. With her face turning with pain, he quickly got up, he told her to put her leg up on the couch and to lay down. “…I want to be able to take care of you, to love you freely and have no doubts that you love me back…”

“But I do love you, I’ve done so for so many months” she said softly, almost afraid of his reaction. However her timid confession only made him cradle her face. 

“I know baby, but I think it wasn’t just me who tried to deny the feelings we were developing…” 

“I know it was my fault too, but since I confessed first that only made me more vulnerable and sensitive to your indifference, I love you Charles and I’m sorry that we barely realized it” with a gentle smile and tender kiss to her cheek, he wanted to make sure that they were in the same page. 

“So do you forgive me? I’ve gathered that you love me too, but where do we go from here, what can I do to fix this?” 

“You can maybe… kiss me?” An unsure shrug with a hopeful smile, but he only held her face closer to his lips, a graze of their lips, but she always knew how much of a tease he was, so he only pecked her lips, a tiny smiley kiss. 

She grabbed the back of his neck, she took the liberty to caress his hair, and to look at his face from his beautiful clear eyes to his reddish lips with no shame, and maybe then he would get the hint to finally kiss her. 

And kiss her he did, it was everything she ever wanted, the kiss was soft with a spec of urgency, even kissing him was familiar and secure. 

There was nothing but passion and pent up love that they were finally releasing. Even tiny confessions that were murmured against lips, no matter what they couldn't control their smiles. 

“I love you baby, I’m sorry but I also didn’t want to stress you out by dating me, you’re too perfect and I’m not, I didn’t want to ruin your spark…eventually the hate and frustration will get to you and you will leave me and I would have no choice but to let you go, I just didn’t want to ruin you…”

“I won’t suffer with you, we will always communicate and only focus on us, not on what everyone thinks about us, because only we know right? I love you Charles and I want you to know that and I’m even more perfect when I’m with you, you complete me” with a tiny kiss, he got up, something with making her dinner, but he still yelled how much he loved her. 

He made what he considered a delicious sandwich but it was so simple that a child could’ve made it, but because she was so hungry she ate it regardless. 

“I suppose I can get used to you making me delicious sandwiches” he bumped her shoulder knowing that she was making fun of his cooking skills or lack off. 

“Shut up, you’re no better than me” he said with a breathy laugh.

“I know but we can always learn…”

“I’ll learn baby, I would like to grow old with you, even if there will be stumbles, I want you to allow me to grow with you, in more ways than one?”

“Yes Charles, just never let me walk off, I don’t want to be hit by a car…” his understanding eyes turned worried in a split second. 

“Shit, I didn’t even ask how it happened” 

“It wasn't a very hard impact, apparently it was soft but I took a tumble and I just broke my leg, the car only bruised my left rib, I’m better now…” wiping away the tiny crumbs from his lips, she took a look at his sincere and loving smile. “…just don’t ever leave me” 

“I won’t baby, I won’t have to scream silently how much I love you, I will proudly show you off, I’m proud of what we have, of the friendship we built, to be this forgiving and loving with each other. I will learn from my mistakes I won’t ever walk away and I will definitely not leave you” 

“I know, and don’t worry about me, I will always be with you” with another tiny kiss, they began their journey as more than friends. 

Being his wasn't as simple, they did struggle a bit to find each other romantically, however soon they became the same reflection.

Sure they were different but they loved the same way, they were passionate, determined and dedicated to always finding common ground. 

If it was mundane activities or new adventures they were ready to explore them together. They were right, loving each other was easy if you put the same effort into each other. 

She no longer had to wait for him to open his eyes and Charles didn’t have to wait for her to speak for him because together they were able to scream aloud just how much they loved each other. 

a/n: Thank you so much for the request, I hope you enjoyed it. Also I’m in Mexico currently and everything is very busy, so I’m not writing much, so with requests and stories I will be a bit behind in both of my blogs, sorry amores—Lots of love, Nat ❤️

Request:

She remembers how beautiful it felt meeting someone that understood her, at first everything was a haze with him. It was unclear and blurry based on the fast pace that it was going, then everything just fell into place, they were in love and they wanted to stay there. 

However people would constantly get in the way of what they believed to be real, they put certain expectations on her and that led her to hide her relationship. Dating Charles was breathtaking and simply a bliss of wonderful beauty and intimacy that she had never achieved before.

People knew that she had met someone who was making her happy, the sudden change in her melancholic tone to the now upbeat and dreamy tone that was her new album. She loved him and she had done so for three years without anyone knowing. 

It was private and when they were finally exposed she couldn’t handle the exposure and expectations, talking about marriage and babies when all she wanted was to be his, it didn’t matter being his wife or the mother of his children.

She was confused on what she wanted versus what others wanted for her until he just stopped her and reassured her that as long as they knew what they wanted and how they loved no one would get in the way. 

“We shouldn’t give a shit about what these people say, we know our relationship, only us, that is something that they can’t take away or even come close to touching, I won’t let them. I will protect our world by just loving each other, do you understand?” 

“Yes baby, but you’ve been under scrutiny which means that you can handle the spotlight like a pro, I’m simply not strong enough for invasive questions and nasty rumors, you’re not even listening to them because you’ve learned to ignore them and I can’t because it’s new to me” he was able to pull her into his arms and only there she felt safe.

“I know baby but eventually you will grab my hand and look forward, avoiding every single comment because if you look ahead you will only see us. I will be with you reassuring you even if our love goes viral I don’t care. Let’s show each other off, I’m with one of the best singers in the world and you’re with a pretty great driver so if we should be anything, we should be proud of what we’ve achieved”  with a sweet kiss all her insecurities were erased and eventually everything he said happened, with her head held high she continued loving him away from expectations, but:

Why wasn’t he in her concerts?

Why wasn’t she in his race?

How come they aren’t seen in their favorite cafe?

All those questions could be simply answered, distance. They weren’t willingly separated but their busy schedules kept them away from each other. She had her first ever world tour to worry about rather than the small venues she would sing at, and well he had to constantly race all over the world as well. 

They couldn’t be happily and dizzy in love at Monaco, in their home because they had jobs to be done. They did miss each other, but different time zones and packed meetings couldn't be avoided.

That’s why people couldn’t help but wonder if they were still together. However the way she would sing her songs on the piano with so much emotion and love, left them well rested because after all, she was still in love with Charles Leclerc. 

“Baby, Can you help?”

“Yeah amour, with what?” He approached her figure that was sitting very stressed out on their piano bench. 

“Come up with a random tune, I’ve written this song about you and I can’t help but feel that it’s missing something”

“What’s it missing?” His scrunched up nose was cute enough to make her melt into his shoulder. 

“A part of you…” the smile that broke his face was so bright, his beautiful dimples and teary eyes made her know that he was happy to be included. “…Imagine your name being part of this song, that you helped me find the best tune for it” 

“Well I’ll be happy to be a part of this wonderful song, but how come I still haven’t seen the lyrics?”

“It’s a surprise…so just put to work those beautiful fingers and the rest leave it up to me”  with a kiss on his cheek she walked away ready to write about her love for him, after all she had found the title ‘A Part of You’. 

He was the first to listen to her album and the last track was his beautiful work on the piano beginning with her beautiful laugh mixed with his. “…A part of you that will always be mine…” that’s how the song ended talking about how his love belonged to her and now his tune surrounded with her words would forever be hers. 

A creation that sparked thousands of different reactions and interpretations of her words. She by no means was claiming him, but she for sure was claiming their love, what he was willing to give her would always be hers including his creations on the piano, his kisses, hugs, protection and happiness everything was hers and of course everything was returned to him.

Everyone could see that their love was alive even if she refused to give much away from their relationship. “A Part of You” , the song that no one had heard live before because it was that special to her, was something that she also refused to give away. 

It was their anniversary three years together and she couldn’t see him. One day before his home race while she was in New York on a sold out show. 

“Happy three years together my love, thank you for the best years of my life, you’re everything to me and I wish I could be with you wiping those tears away but just know that as soon as the race is over I will be right there ok?”

“I just can’t help but miss you, I would do anything to have you here, but please make sure to watch the live stream” A free live stream for all her fans that couldn't attend, it would be a magical night for everyone and she couldn’t deprive anyone of the opportunity to hear the most anticipated song live. 

“Of course baby, I will be cheering you on from here, I will stay up just to watch you, your last show baby and then I will have you home” with a sad but hopeful smile she told him she loved him not before blowing him a kiss that he pretended to catch. 

As soon as the kiss was blown, she hung up, and he stood up to open the curtains that allowed him to see the sun that was shining down beautifully on the skyscrapers of New York. 

He couldn’t possibly care about his home race, when the woman he loved for three years was missing him, especially on their anniversary and on her last show that was sold out. 

She had been a nervous wreck, but she had to go on and give her best performance not only for the thousands of fans but for her boyfriend. The beautiful atmosphere that she was surrounded in was blissful. 

She had been so stuck in the moment, having the time of her life interacting with the fans, that she didn’t notice those beautiful eyes that were intensely looking at her success and radiance. 

She was getting ready to introduce her audience to her surprise song when she finally looked in the direction of the boy that she was still and forever will be deeply in love with. 

She took a pause, no one seemed to notice him before but as soon as her eyes made contact with him the crowd went crazy. Only she could recognize him in a crowd of thousands of tears and smiles.

Her steps faltered a bit, wanting to leave the stage and fly into his arms but she had an even better idea. Why not bring him to her, to put him on the stage and shamelessly show their love off to the crowd.

“As you probably have noticed already, my boyfriend is here today…” she took a pause to let everyone go crazy “…today is also our three year anniversary…” another pause where she heard everything from gasps, to giggles, to cheers; the fans clearly surprised by the timeline of their relationship. 

“… I know three years! in those three years I’ve been so in love and happy and I wanted to make you guys happy as well, share my romance with you, Charles and I wrote a song together, well he came up with the wonderful melody while my words tied the music together…" She heard the cheers but she chose to focus on his wide eyes, surprised that she will sing their song. 

“…I thought that he would be in Monaco right this second but he also chose to surprise me…so why not invite him up on the stage? So Charles, would you like to play the piano for me?”

The chants and her teary eyes were the end of him, and he finally gave in. Was he nervous to play in front of so many people? Yes he was petrified, but he would do anything to hold her and make her happy and he could make history for her music career by performing their song with her for the first time. 

So with quick nods the security led him backstage, where she was waiting behind the curtain away from the curious eyes that belonged to thousands of her fans. 

She ran up to him, missing his warmth and his lips that in a second were on hers, in a rushed but steady kiss, that for the time being left them satisfied. 

“I know that you probably don’t want to play…” with a quick peck he shut her up.

“Let’s go up those steps and play for your fans and for our love” with a quick shake to get rid of the nerves he held her hands and together they waved at the crowd. 

She could always rely on him to make her happy, getting her out of messes and reassuring her from those judgy whispers but tonight he would share only the happiest of memories with her. 

“Ok guys are you ready to hear the most anticipated song in the album, I will love to share this moment with the thousands of hearts that are here and everywhere…” mentioning to the fans that couldn't make it but were still enjoying the stream. “…today is a historic moment for us and now all of you will get to experience “A Part of You”, Charles was also a surprise for me today so I’m sure everyone is happy, so baby do you have anything to say?” 

His rosy cheeks did not stop him from throwing a bunch of compliments, gushing over her beautiful performances. “I’m honored to be here and happy that I will be a part of this magical performance, thank you guys for all your wonderful support for my love” looking at her she finished her appreciations. 

“Charles deserves to be here just as much as all of you, so please be kind and respectful as it is our first time performing this song, but thank you babies for being here, I love you all so much” just that quickly the lights deemed and Charles took his seat on the piano bench. 

However the song and the performance went magically in a haze it was over, the lavender lights hit their faces so perfectly, capturing the deepest of emotions. She was in love and she wasn’t ashamed of it. He was a part of her and would forever be without a doubt. 

With applause they were met, she closed off the night with her best performance yet, and it made it even more special that Charles was there, the person that made her see the world in a different light, her inspiration.

The curtains were closed and together wrapped in each other's arms they laid on the lavender confetti, in their own private haze. In a private world away from everyone else, even though most likely everyone’s eyes were on them. 

Staring at the ceiling that was still blowing confetti, she couldn’t help but be happy and thankful for Charles, since thanks to him she now believes in the power of love.

“Happy anniversary amour”

“Happy anniversary baby, even though it is midnight” 

“Who cares in another part of the word it is still our anniversary” 

“That’s right… I just want to stay here with you” 

“How did we even end up here, in New York performing in front of a huge crowd?”

“Our love led us here, by not caring what anyone thinks… by living in our own world, that sure is filled with some ups but almost every other day is filled with joy and love, so I can’t complain about ending up here because there’s no other place that I’d rather be than in your arms” 

“I love you with all my soul, I’m glad that you chose me to be your other half, let’s get out of here…” with a smiley kiss that was cut short by her manager, they were able to catch the next flight to his home race where she would also support his dream. 

They were the talk of Monaco especially because he won, she was now considered his lucky charm. The jumpy hug along with the tiny kisses that she placed all over his face made him feel so warm. It was probably the blood rushing to his cheeks from all their excitement, accomplishments, and love that happened in the span of four days. 

Now in their favorite place, their home. They were able to fully love and appreciate each other, without eyes on them, those eyes that she doesn’t fear anymore because she had him, but that she still preferred to be away from. 

Tracing the little love bites on his collarbones and him removing the rebellious hair from her line of vision, they reminisce on their years together and their future.

“I’m very lucky, do you know that?”

“Why?” She pretended to be unaware, but the tiny twitch by her lip gave away the feeling of being complete with him. 

“Because I get to enjoy all of you for many years to come, to eternity and in another life I will still choose you” a kiss, as gentle as a feather was given on her lips, just to remind her how soft and pure they were. 

“I will always pick eternity just to be able to experience you all over again, or maybe in the other world we could create our own little version of heaven, just us writing songs, making love, and being us without anyone interfering…” he gave her a silly but failed wink, but he still went back to a dreamy state. 

“I like that, our own paradise, do you believe in us coming back here?”

“Yes and no? We have a choice to experience all this again in another timeline or we can create another life filled only with the people and things you love, like my paradise would always include you no matter what” 

Charles nodded, taking everything seriously, pursed lips that she couldn’t help but kiss, a tiny nibble to make him laugh, that breathy and sweet laugh that was music to her ears. She could even say that his laugh was the best melody, one that she couldn’t come close to replicating. 

“I will pick paradise with you, no suffering just loving”

“We don’t have to suffer now, we can always live in our own little haze” with a few more murmurs of hope and optimism they went into a deep dream, because they knew that the very next day they would still experience and share their same love story. 

The distance that the couple faced due to their careers would never break them, they had enough plans and trust to never let an ending reach them. What they had was a constant loop of love, some parts could be shared with crowds, others with the distance, but a whole part of them would be shared by common dreams that will leave them complete, until eternity finally reaches that haze that they very strongly built upon their love. 

a/n: Thank you so much for reading, again I loved the request and I hope that you enjoyed it as well. Lots of love- Nat 💜

Request: