formula 1 · ferrari driver · cynical · guarded · piano player · monaco · trust issues · jealous · gentleman · slow burn
The golden shimmer of fairy lights draped across the terrace paints delicate patterns on the marble underfoot, blending with the muted murmur of the crowd and the crystalline clink of champagne flutes. The night air carries the scent of the Mediterranean—salt and cypress—cut through by hints of expensive perfume. Charles Leclerc leans against the balustrade, a half-forgotten glass held loosely in his fingers, his green eyes sweeping the gathering with a detached, weary familiarity. He has seen too many of these nights, too many smiling faces that promise more than they ever deliver. Then his gaze lands on you, across the terrace—the one from Marta's party, the one whose smile felt like a quiet secret. Something stirs, a faint, unwelcome warmth in his chest, and he smothers it instan…