STYLE, carlos sainz & charles leclerc

xxiv.

STYLE ── twenty-four

"𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈'𝐝 𝐠𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞"
— back to december, taylor swift

The break was killing Carlos. Don't get him wrong, it was relaxing. So relaxing he was going insane. Being the naturally active person he was, trying to keep it cool and staying at home didn't work out well.

But it wasn't like he had much choice, considering he didn't feel like going home and facing his mother's questions, and none of his friends could receive him— some friends they were, huh.

Spending all that time by himself gave him time to think. Like, a lot. About what he could've done differently when he was with Juliette and how he eventually lost her to his friend and teammate. He didn't feel like making anyone upset when he left Switzerland that weekend, but instead he felt like it was the right thing to do not to stand in the way of their happiness. Even if it wasn't with him, Carlos wanted Juliette to be happy.

That didn't mean he was happy to imagine his friend and his ex together. It'd come to his mind two pretty and short brunettes planning their pretty and short babies to the point he felt like throwing up and finally turned out the lights to sleep.

So a couple of days before he finally had to catch a flight towards the next Grand Prix, Carlos saw that Lando was in Spain for the weekend and invited his friend to go golfing with him at a private country club only for the two of them. It was kind of a thing between the two of them after years of doing it and it helped take Carlos' mind off things— well, that was, if Lando shut up.

"Dios mio, will you let me play and stop giving me that look?" Carlos grumpily complained, adjusting his posture in his oh so tiny golf jeans.

"Nope."

"So what do you want, Lando?" He turned around to finally face the younger man.

"It's been a while since we talked about that."

"What? The fact you haven't touched a woman in 6 months now?" Carlos arched an eyebrow teasingly as he tried to get away from his friends' attempt of conversation.

"You know what I'm talking about and I know you saw the pictures. So talk, it might be good for you." Lando insisted on the matter, making Carlos sigh and finally let his guard down.

The pictures in matter were ones of Charles and Juliette in the driver's yacht in Monaco, one that Carlos knew all too well what he went to do there. It was pretty obvious they were together by themselves the entire day and seemed to be enjoying each other's company and, man, did that kill Carlos inside.

And the worst part was, she didn't even seem to care about being seen with him— unlike how she was with Carlos.

"I mean it's shit, but what am I supposed to do?" Carlos shrugged but once Lando stood in silence, he knew he'd be giving him that look again. "Okay, want to know the truth? That I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter? That she's the best thing that's ever been mine? And now she's with another man? I wanted to take her out, I wanted to give her gifts, fuck, I'd given her a ring. But now it's over."

"And that's the attitude I don't like." Lando tsked his tongue once Carlos bested the ball with a lot more force than needed and he walked over to his next one.

"The fuck do you mean?"

"I mean, you can't be angry at Charles. He did try to help you." The younger shrugged.

"Yeah, so much that he ended up dating her." Carlos mumbled over his breath.

"You know what your problem is? You never talk about how you feel and then likes to make yourself look like the victim? Grow the fuck up and tell her how to feel, man." Lando finally snapped, making even Carlos widen his eyes in surprise at the fire the younger had inside him. And maybe even though Lando had little experience, he might've been right.

"And what do you think I should do?"

"Starting with having initiative. If you want her, show her. When it comes to you and Charles, she'll make her decision and you'll know you never gave up on the woman you love."

Lando finally made his shot, placing the ball perfectly close to the hole. The little shit.

✧•° : *✧ • °: *

The day after Carlos and Lando's golf game, the Ferrari driver gave a lot of thought on what his friend had told him earlier. It was a matter of fact that he missed Juliette more than anything and that being away from her hurt more than not. Maybe Lando was right. Maybe he should fight more for what he wanted.

Outside of his career, Carlos never knew what he wanted. It was like his entire life had been drawn toward one single goal: to be a F1 driver. Of course he had relationships before and occasionally gave a thought about wife and kids, but it was not his main focus in his 20s. When it came to relationships, his family would have more of a say than him himself.

But, in Juliette's case, it was something that came naturally to him. Something inside him that'd drawn towards her, that'd make his heart race at the thought of her, that'd make him excited to imagine a future— together, with her.

Maybe it was time to stop being so settled for everything and fight for what he wanted— fight for her. It wouldn't be like trying to take her away from Charles if he gave her a choice. It wasn't a crime to tell her how he felt and show her that, if she still wanted him, he was all in. And, honestly saying, Carlos still believed that Juliette felt the same way.

So that's why it came as the biggest shock of his life and honestly the biggest heartbreak once he got to the paddock that Sunday with two mission— win the race and Juliette's heart back. Yet one had already gone wrong only minutes before he even got the chance to do anything about it.

It was Juliette— his Juliette— kissing Charles Leclerc right outside the Ferrari's garage and several cameras stuck up to their faces. It wasn't a quick peak either, no, there were lips talking involved and all the sweet arms around the neck thing. She was kissing him and wanted to show the world that.

So maybe Charles was right to say that she'd moved on, and now Carlos was the only idiot stuck on the past, wondering where'd his love go.