Smile. - c.l.

- 8 -

Charles POV

"Lana! Are you with Charles?" Her mother said loudly over the phone with a more stern tone. I could hear her father in the back as well, not happy. She looked at me for an answer, "Friends." I mouthed to her.

"No I'm at Kelly's. She came and got me." Lana said, crossing her fingers in hopes that they'd believe her.

"Oh thank god." We both felt a weight lifted off our shoulders and she just fell into my lap.

"Alright well, be safe. I love you." Her mother said.

"Love you mama." Lana hung up the phone and looked dead at me and said, "I gotta go home before one of us gets in trouble. We still need to think of a way to get my dad on board." She continued while grabbing her things.

"Where are my pants?" I pointed in the direction of where I last saw them. She put them in her bag and started to double check she had everything. I didn't want her to leave but I knew she had to. Hearing how they reacted over the phone sorta broke my heart. They used to be my family as well and they hate me severely now. Her father is up next to be general manager of Ferrari so we have to get it to happen before then or else we'll never be together again.

"Alright. I'll text you when I get home an-"

"Let me take you home. Risky? Yes. But I'm not having you walk that far back to your place." I told her as I grabbed my keys. She looked scared and worried. I went over, pulled her into my arms and kissed her head.

"I know you have a lot of anxiety ma chérie. Everything will get worked out I promise but for now, I'm driving you home. You'll be ok, you're disguised enough." I told her as she stepped back and gave me a "am I stupid look?". I just laughed and let her know she was not walking home what-so ever. She was wearing her black sweat pants and shirt with some sunglasses on so she was pretty disguised, my Ferrari is just a known car here which is the problem but my windows should be tinted enough.

"I don't want to do this anymore." She said abruptly.

"Huh?!" I asked as I slightly slammed on the brakes by accident. Just a natural reaction to hearing something I didn't think I was going to like.

"I mean hiding it. Like listen Charles, you've got me. I'll admit it, now it's really just ya know, the family. But I hate hiding it. I miss being able to go out with you and being seen on your arm and cheering you on at races. I hate seeing you maybe for 2 hours every 5 days because that's the only safe window time." She was just stressing out and I could tell. I rubbed my thumb across her cheek in hopes of calming her down.

I thought she was going to have to calm me down by how she started that. Whew. Scary. Luckily, it wasn't that. I hate seeing her stress though. Ever since that night after the race here in Monaco, anytime I see her hurt, stressed, anything, I worry and care 100x more. One of the nights we hung out recently, she told me how 2 days after her and I broke off the engagement, she was checked into the ER in the middle of the night to have her heart monitored. They thought she had broken heart syndrome but she said it turns out she was just hyperventilating so hard, it caused her heart to just freak out basically. She told me she's fine now but that didn't matter. She was so fragile in my eyes now. I had to treat her with her every second of the day in every way.

"Alright, here's your destination ma chérie." I told her. She put her hood on, fixed her glasses and then took a look at me.

"Belle fille." I said while rubbing my thumb on her cheek again. She was a belle fille, a beautiful girl. She always will be.

"I'll text or call you." She said before unexpectedly giving me a quick peck. I looked at her shocked as she was just giggling.

"I love you." I told her. "I love you."