#thank you Ferrari for letting him go cause he gets Instagram back and it’s been beautiful

[sunny-sainz]

this screams boyfriend material

[astonmartinii]

hi, i was wondering if you could do one of y/n dating carlos but people start realizing she flirting with charles in the comments, at the beginning in a very discreet way, but after a while she and carlos break up and when the new season starts she’s with charles

all is fair in love and war | charles leclerc instagram au

pairing: charles leclerc x reader

y/n is happy in her relationship with carlos but all that time in the ferrari garage might have her eye wandering

(obvs no intentions to demonise anyone, this is a work of fiction and purely for entertainment purposes)

yourusername

liked by carlossainz55, charles_leclerc and 55,607 others

tagged: yourbff1, yourbff2

yourusername: no one i'd rather play mermaids with than you two xx

view all 9,231 comments

yourbff1 always the best time with you guys <3

yourbff2 platonic soulmates for real

carlossainz55 my pretty lady

yourusername thank you baby

charles_leclerc i thought i was your baby ?

yourusername just cause you act like a baby doesn't make you mine x

user5 what is going on here lol

user12 not them flirting under her own boyfriend's comment i can't

user34 god i wish i was her

carlossainz55

liked by yourusername, landonorris and 112,309 others

carlossainz55: let's go spa - the second half of the season is a go!

view all 13,405 comments

scuderiaferrari let's go smooth operator

yourusername good luck baby

charles_leclerc where's my good luck

yourusername i'm literally sat with you right now

user33 the hair routine is a need not a want

user19 charles and y/n once again flirting in the comments - am i the only one who finds it weird?

uer13 i mean a bit? but also like the comments are clearly jokes

charles_leclerc

liked by yourusername, pierregasly and 452,091 others

charles_leclerc: monza ready 🇮🇹

view all 14,562 comments

pierregasly you clean up well calmar

yourusername part time driver, full time model

charles_leclerc you'd know all about being a model

user48 i know there's weird vibes with carlos and y/n but like as far as we know they're still together so ^^^ that is still weird

user20 call me a bad person but i want charles and y/n to get togetehr

user1 no cause their vibes have always seemed much more suited than hers and carlos

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, yourbff1 and 60,076 others

yourusername: the only man i'll ever need is mauricio (even if his hair has ruined 50% of my wardrobe)

view all 11,066 comments

user47 this caption... something is off

user60 carlos hasn't liked either and he just posted on his story so he's been active on the app

charles_leclerc but does mauricio have a boat?

yourusername you got him there

user8 okay but like at this point does she just come with the ferrari seat?

user3 tbf i wish i could be with both carlos and charles

carlossainz55

liked by landonorris, maxverstappen1 and 223,098 others

carlossainz55: time well spent with family ❤️

view all 15,203 comments

user44 okay i'm going full conspiracy mode, but y/n has always visited carlos' family with him and the fact she's not been seen at a race since she was left at the airport... i think they've broken up

user11 noooo they were my faves but i think you might be right :(

scuderiaferrari can't wait to see them back in the garage

landonorris where was my invite?

user2 y/n rn^

f1wagsupdates

liked by user1, user2 and 220 others

tagged: yourusername, charles_leclerc

f1wagsupdates: charles and y/n y/ln seen together in abu dhabi - this comes just weeks after her and carlos' break up... do we think that all those flirty comments mean they did actually cheat?

view all 13 comments

user35 they defo cheated but it's also charles so like i'd also be tempted

yourusername people can just be friends you know

user45 so true !! also like carlos has already been spotted with a new girl multiple times all the way back to when he left her at the airport, but for some reason he's the victim ???

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, yourbff1 and 61,207 others

tagged: yourbff1

yourusername: despite popular belief i am a single woman

view all 10,455 comments

charles_leclerc doesn't have to be for long

pierregasly man, you're playing a dangerous game

yourusername maybe we like a bit of danger

user32 yep i'm officially on the charles and y/n train

user10 i know we've said they're probably just joking but i genuinely hope they get together, they seem like they're good for each other

carlossainz55

liked by scuderiaferrari, landonorris and 429,561 others

carlossainz55: no better way to do winter break

view all 14,034 comments

user13 they're so so cute

user55 omg maybe carlos might actually have a girlfriend who doesn't constantly flirt with his teammate

user30 the way that she's still be demonised for harmless comments when he was seen with isa way before carlos and y/n broke up and got with her officially within a week of the breakup

comments have been limited on this post

yourusername added to their story

[caption: pasta day is my favourite day]

charles_leclerc

liked by yourusername, pierregasly and 709,822 others

tagged: yourusername

charles_leclerc: all is fair in love and war

view all 94,034 comments

user56 HOLY SHIT

user21 AHHHHHHHHHHHH

yourusername i'd fight this war all over again to end up with you

user48 I KNEW THEY WOULD BE CUTE

user88 okay now i don't feel so bad for rooting for them

f1wagsupdates

liked by user5, user9 and 330 others

tagged: charles_leclerc, yourusername

f1wagsupdates: though controversial in the way it came about, i for one love this relationship - what do you guys think?

view all 14 comments

user11 carlos did this and way sooner so i am defo a fan of this relationship

user49 they slay i don't care what anyone says

user2 i love it and she's a smart queen cause she doesn't even need to buy any more new merchandise

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, danielricciardo and 98,134 others

yourusername: made the super long journey to the garage next door

view all 17,560 comments

user31 she's so so pretty

charles_leclerc thank you for making such selfless sacrifices

yourusername good thing you're worth it

user41 i need to meet her

user10 the shady hand covering the other one

charles_leclerc

liked by carlossainz55, yourusername and 1,023,671 others

tagged: yourusername, scuderiaferrari

view all 21,067 comments

user46 SLAY CHARLES

yourusername pretty boy with a pretty trophy - i'm so so proud of you xx

charles_leclerc you're much prettier than my trophy baby

user90 parents

carlossainz55 happy for both of you

charles_leclerc thanks bro

yourusername it was unorthodox but we're both happy now and that's all that matters

note" hope you enjoyed, this ended up so much longer than expected but i had a lot of fun writing this !! my asks are still open for any other requests xx

[writingstoraes]

miles away 🛫

pairing: charles leclerc/fem!reader

type: instagram imagine, social media au

notes: believe it or not this is another unattended draft i decided to give some attention so, lmk what u guys think!

about: you and charles are in a long-distance relationship, but not for long!

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, lorenzotl, carlossainz55, and 452,195 others

yourusername supporting the red team even from miles away, even if i have to wake up at 3 am most of the time ❤️

charles_leclerc I have saved you so many paddock passes...

yourusername à bientôt mon amour :) Will see you soon, my love

lecslove queen of destroyed sleeping schedule 🤭

yourusername that's exactly what i am!

scuderiaferrari We thank you for your support even when you're far from the team, Y/N 🙏

arthurleclerc Charles keeps glancing at the garage like you're there please just fly out here

yourusername

liked by carlossainz55, pascale_leclerc, lilymhe, and 531,953 others

yourusername copped some new ferrari and cl16 merch in spirit of race week! wishing you the best from here, charles_leclerc 😘

charles_leclerc J'aimerais que tu sois là, mon supporter numéro un ❤️ Wish you were here, my number one supporter

landonorris Your reunion when????

cl1655cs y/n outdoing it in the ferrari and gf department im afraid

luvermilton the day y/n and charles finally get together in person then the world will achieve peace

tayspop they've been together before! i think they've gotten together twice but for short periods of time cause y/n's work requires her to be in another country so they're in long distance!

hamilecs CUTEST COUPLE

charles_leclerc

liked by alexalbon23, maxverstappen, yourusername, and 1,203,943 others

charles_leclerc More than a year since we last saw each other in person - I miss you more than ever and I love our little traditions that keep me sane 🤍

lestappensz FAVE COUPLE

landonorris Please get together again you guys are actually my parents

sainzchamps i'm just gonna say what everyone's thinking: we need a charles and y/n reunion

yourusername you're just saying this cause the next race is at 2 am here

charles_leclerc I know you'll be watching, you love me too much yourusername afraid so 😣

yourusername

liked by carlossainz55, lorenzotl, joris__trouche, and 342,294 others

yourusername charles' facetime sagas: pick your fighter 📱 i have so many of these because we never let a day pass by without a call, even if it's only last less than a minute. missing him a little more today.

lecsferrari THE 3RD PIC THANK U QUEEN

landonorris Parents...

charles_leclerc Booking a flight right now ✈️

yourusername not if i beat you to it

carlossainz55 So that's why he went back inside the yacht

charles_leclerc

liked by yourusername, landonorris, pierregasly, and 1,249,381 others

charles_leclerc Biggest susprise and blessing of today yet: I never have to be away for so long from the love of my life. Glad to have you back, my love ❤️

yourusername still can't believe you didn't believe lando when he said i was waiting at the airport

charles_leclerc He's pranked me about seven times I was just being real 🤷

landonorris MY SECOND PARENTS TOGETHER AGAIN?

yourusername i'm literally just a year older than you

lestappenraces LOVE IS ACTUALLY REAL

livelovelecs wait omg y/n is staying?

charles_leclerc Yeah, not letting her go anytime soon 😊

yourusername

liked by carlossainz55, lilymhe, charles_leclerc, and 452,149 others

yourusername hardcore cl16 fan finally watching her favorite driver ever race on track in person 🏎️

charles_leclerc Excited to finally have you here, baby

yourusername catch me at the garage then 😘

arthurleclerc Finally! Weepy Charles no more

pierregasly Make sure to drop by the Alpine garage too, Y/N!

yourusername

liked by landonorris, lorenzotl, pascale_leclerc, and 763,294 others

yourusername from being miles away to having you next to me, biggest upgrade so far 🤍

carlossainz55 The ants are biting all of us...

landonandos what a view (i'm so jealous)

charles_leclerc Do you have a crush on me, I'm already taken

yourusername yeah i heard your girlfriend is really pretty 🤭

----------

tagging: @slytherheign, @honethatty12, @siovhanroy, @fdl305, @iloveyou3000morgan, @cxcewg, @sassyheroneckgiant, @ang3licho3, @pitlanebabe, @riverdalexvixens, @msliz, @boherahpsody @storminacloud @leclercdream (if anyone else wants to be a part of my taglist or if i forgot anyone that asked to be tagged, pls lmk by replying or sending me a message hehe)

notes: aaaa its been some time since i posted something but yeah my classes start in less than 2 weeks so im trying my best to go through all the requests and drafts i have hehe lmk what u guys think!

[fernandoswarcrimes]

𝓘 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓮𝓼..

Sneak Peak.

Note: this is going to be part 3 in the PPP series

Tag list: @pitchandgrid @yourmom-lmao @dessxoxsworld @yellowscuderia @buendiabebeta​ @stillbreathin​ @flyingmushroomss @moneymasnn​@christianpulisic10 @pierre-gasssllyy @heavengirls111 @evans-dejong @hungryhungarian @glitterquadricorn @mariar31 @pitconfirmbutton @squirreljoe

Full chapter coming May 4th✨

Charles had taken Gracie on a day trip to Milan, figuring it would be harder to spot the two of them in the Italian city unlike Monaco, which was a very small and everyone practically knew everyone,

The two had met up with Pierre who offered to take them around to different spots, he knew Charles had seen them already but that the blonde princess hadn’t seeing as his bestfriend explained she didn’t get to get out much. He thought that was a bit sad.

Unlike Charles, Pierre could walk freely about Milan without swarms of people following him or crowding him which made it easier for the three to just have a calm day blending in with everyone else touring the city

They did normal tourist things, grabbed lunch, shopped and enjoyed just being normal people for a while, something the three of them didn’t get to do very often. By sunset everything was winding down and Charles knew he had to get Gracie back before ten because Dimitri could only stall for so long.

“We should probably head back soon, it’s getting late.” Charles sighed, he didn’t want to have to bring the bubbly blonde back to the confined walls of the place that overlooked the city they both grew up in but he knew he didn’t have a choice.

“Thank you again Pierre, for taking the time to hangout with us today it was really fun.” Gracie smiled as her and Charles walked out of the restaurant with the Frenchman, they had a bit of a ways walk back to Charles car so they chatted idly.

“It’s no problem really, Charles never shuts up about you. So it was great to offically meet you, us boys thought he was trying to pull a fast one over on us.” Pierre grinned when he saw how red Charles face got at him admitting that he had been talking about the blue eyed girl to the rest of the guys on the grid.

Gracie could feel Charles hand on her waistline, they were out in plain sight of the streets in Milan an had let it slip their mind that they were infact very public figures as people whispered as they walked past by.

It was a bad sign.

As they got closer to Charles car, Pierre stopped them so they could take a group photo. Charles hadn’t let them take any the whole day, more so just wanting him and Gracie to live in the moment but he figured one couldn’t hurt, to atleast rememember the fun they had today.

But Pierre being Pierre, absentmindedly posted the picture of the three of them on his Instagram story thinking nothing of it.

What the Frenchman didn’t realize was the domino affect that singular post would cause.

After Gracie had gotten into the car Charles gave Pierre a bro hug before feeling his phone vibrate as he walked around to his side of the car, he pulled the device out to check it and paled at the notification.

“Pierre you’ve got to delete that” the Ferrari driver stressed after realizing his bestfriend had posted the picture of the three of them and tagged him, Dimitri had warned him that nobody could know that he and Gracie were still hanging out outside of him, Alexei, and Annaslise.

Especially her parents.

A rule he had already broken by meeting up with Pierre, but he figured his bestfriend could keep this to himself if Mick and Lance had known her for years and never told a soul, but evidently not.

“Okay okay, my bad I didn’t know.” Pierre said as he quickly deleted the picture from his story two minutes after he posted it.

But unfortunately the damage had already been done.

Loose lips sink ships all the damn time, and love’s a fragile little flame that was going to get burnt out before it could even be fully lit.

[lickmeleclerc]

The anon saying that Charles and Charlotte will probably break up... I agree. Tbh I have the feeling that 2022/2023 will make them or break them. Like, she just graduated from college (I think?), so that in itself is a change in her life. Charles is getting more famous now that Ferrari is back competing, so his professional life is changing a lot and it will definitely affect his personal life... Their relationship give me an off vibe since the very first moment, because I've followed the whole drama in 2019. I decided to mostly not be judgemental with Charlotte due to the fact that wags always get a lot of hate and she was very young. But three years have come and gone, and I still get an off vibe from her. Especially because she's not that close to his family. She's part of his group of friends. That's quite different from when he dated Giada... Like, Canada? He brought his whole family and his family close friends there to support him? And she was having a spa day with her sister in Monaco? And he's always like "now I'll spent some time with my friends and girlfriend. Then I will spent some time with my family". They've been dating for three years now, it's just odd how she's not that close to his brothers and mom.

Besides that she's just very weird on social media. I don't even care that much about her ads on race weekends. The thing that irks me the most is her timing when it comes to post things about their relationship. Bad weekend? She's posting pics with him two days later, because she's such a supportive girlfriend. Gossip about him out and about in some party? Two days later she's posting pics with him, because look how in love they're with each other... I laughed when she posted that shirtless pic of him after the whole mess in Monaco. It's exhausting to watch really. I don't know what she's trying to prove with that. I guess I just don't understand why she needs to show people that their relationship is fine...

And let me share some tea about Giada. I get that many people try to turn her into a victim, and we'll never know for sure wtf happened between her, Charles and Charlotte (although Giada did say that there was no cheating involved in the whole situation), but after Charles and Charlotte were official, Giada started liking a lot of shit on Instagram and so did her family. Her cousin was shady af, basically said that all girlfriends of F1 drivers are sluts (kinda ironic if you ask me, cause hey, Giada dated a F1 driver??). It was not pretty, especially because they were slut-shaming the other girlies a lot, and of course that made people feel brave enough to harass Charlotte and Charles. After that most of the wags that used to follow her decided to unfollow her. I don't think many people know that, since it was mainly a thing in the italian side. But yeah, people try to make her look so classy and yada yada, but she's really not. That girl suffers from a somewhat embarrassing internalized misogyny...

ohhh the whole kettle of tea is here! 🫖🫖 thank you for the Giada insight I did not know that & that’s pretty unfortunate it go to that level after the break up, things always get messy when you’re heartbroken and start to post online. Charles’ birth chart break down and is really starting to make sense after all this lol!!! && i very very much agree with the relationship display on insta its very odd lol &&& the fuckin “yesssss babbbbyyyy” posts still make me laugh when I think of them lol, real talk tho i hope they are happy together in the long run

[isthisthingeven0n]

disposable camera : d.d

 brief summary: david using his disposable camera and taking pictures of everyone and your evolving relationship together

word count: 1.2k requested: nope, just a fluffy idea I had  warnings: literally none. pure fluff

* masterlistin’ *

“Hey, I wanna start taking more pictures.” David told you as he held up a small camera in front of him, the flash going off in your eyes causing you to blink. He lets out a soft laugh, winding it back up as the nostalgic sound makes you smile. “That’ll be the first of many.” He mutters before taking a hold of your hand and heading further down the street to meet everyone else. 

Over a year ago, David decided to start taking more pictures. But David being David, he didn’t want photos on his phone like everyone else. He wanted to feel like a child again and pay a lot of money on an overpriced disposable camera, or fifty. 

You couldn’t deny the childlike joy he seemed to get from it, the rush of seeing the photos being developed of days previous. It was one of the few things in his life that weren’t instant, he had to wait and have some measure of patience which was always easier said than done. 

“Hey,” Jason walks in with his phone in his hand before collapsing down on the sofa near you as you read your book. A few minutes of silence pass, your eyes are scanning the words at a faster rate as the plot thickens. “have you seen these?” The silence is interrupted as Jason holds his phone out gingerly, seeing you slowly lowering your book to face him. 

Raising an eyebrow, you take his phone from him. It’s a page filled with David’s photos from his disposable cameras. “What are these?” You mutter under your breath, your smile rising on your lips as you scroll through forgotten memories from the beginning of the year.

One of the first photos, it’s from New Year's Eve. A night you remember little about thanks to Todd, but David was there for you, ensuring you made it to bed safely. It’s a photo of you both, David wearing your 2019 glasses and you kissing his cheek. “That was before you guys were official, wasn’t it?” Jason questions and you nod lightly, a small chuckle escaping your lips as everyone else is a blur around you. 

“Oh my god,” You cover your mouth with your hand as your eyes land on a photo of Jonah lying across David’s Ferrari. You’re stood in the background, wiping your eyes as black stains your cheeks. “I had no idea I was in that photo, shit.” 

That was a memory you wished that hadn’t been captured, or that you weren’t a part of it at least. That was the day you were informed your Dad was in the hospital, things weren’t looking too good. But David wanted to make you laugh, he wanted to help. He offered to drive you to the hospital, and Jonah being Jonah climbed on top of the car topless. 

You remember David threatened to run Jonah over if he didn’t get off, but after a quick photo he climbed off and you both rushed to the hospital. 

“How about that one?” Jason moves the photos along, pointing out the photo from when we all went to Vegas in hope of doubling David’s money for a video. 

It’s a photo of you alongside Jason, Corrinna, Scott and Zane. “I’m pretty sure he captured the exact moment it landed on black.” You state, zooming in to see all of your equally shocked expressions that quickly became screams of excitement. “That was the night of our first kiss.” You tell Jason, remembering how the adrenaline took over you, and you couldn’t help it. 

“You guys weren’t exactly subtle.” Jason reminds you with a light nudge, and you smile thinking back to how early things were for you both. 

The two of you sit, scrolling and taking a trip down memory lane together for a little while longer until the sound of the front door closing interrupts you. “What’re you guys laughing at?” 

Turning around, you see David standing there with his camera in his hand along with his hood up. “Just looking at your latest Instagram account.” You tell him with a soft smile before rising to your feet. “I had no idea you took this many photos.” Stepping closer you wrap your arms around him and he kisses you gently. 

“I got them developed recently, there’s a few more I wanna show you.” David shuts his camera down as his hand slips into yours, pulling you with him toward his bedroom where he closes the door. 

Standing still, you look around the room to see everything is still in its normal spot, nothing is out of place. “Well?” You speak up, watching as David gets on his knees as he pulls out a box from the bottom of his wardrobe.

“There are a few photos I don’t want the whole world seeing,” He mutters as he rises to his feet, holding the shoebox and placing it on his bed. “these are for us.” He pats the spot beside him, and you relax next to him as he lifts the lid off of the box. 

Your eyes scan the series of photos that are being spread out before your eyes. They’re all photos of you and David over the past year together, from the very beginning of being unsure to recent times. 

Lifting your eyes up to meet his, you can feel emotions flooding your eyes. “You’ve been keeping these for us to treasure?” You struggle to contain your heartache and joy as David nods in response.

“These aren’t for everyone, they’re for us. No one knows the ins and outs of our relationship, and I’d rather we keep it that way.” David leans forward, his lips resting on your forehead. As he pulls away, he picks up one photograph, making you laugh. 

“I remember that one.” You say with a smile as you wipe your eyes. “You told me you were going to start taking pictures.” 

Looking at the photo it feels like it was only yesterday, yet so much has changed. The girl in the photo, covering her face with her hands from the bright flash who didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of David. How things have developed and have been documented from all those photos laid before you. 

“Come on, David.” You laugh as you walk ahead in the snow. The noise causes your ears to perk up, and you turn around with a bright smile on your face as the clicking sound dies down. 

David places the camera in his pocket and runs forward, you take a hold of the camera as he wraps his arms around you. You lift the camera up, capturing just his face as he smiles brightly. 

“I love you.” David mutters as you place the camera in your pocket, his arms around you tightly. 

Leaning closer you can feel the cold leaving your body as you kiss him passionately. It was your response, knowing you’ve felt the same for a long time and finally letting it be heard. 

“You told me you loved me that day.” You pick up the photographs, you smiling as snow rests in your hair and on your hat, whilst David’s photo consists mostly of his red nose and big brown eyes. 

“I couldn’t have been happier to admit it.” David mutters to you as he leans back, lying down and rests his arm out for you once your ready. “I love you, Y/n.” He calls out as you tuck your hair behind your ear, placing the photographs back in the box and sliding them to one side. 

Lying down beside him, you curl up close as you shut your eyes. “I love you too, David.” 

[dobrikdeadass]

unsafe

word count: 1485

description: fans coming to the house late at night leaves addie scared and david feeling helpless in his own house.

February 2020

“You sure you don’t wanna come out with us, baby?” David hoped Addie might change her mind and come party with them, but he knew it was basically a lost cause.

“I’m already so tired from work today, I’d just come home early anyway. Go get your footage and I’ll go out with you guys tomorrow.” He gave her a kiss and thought about staying. She looked so cuddly wrapped up in a blanket on the couch. Maybe a Friday night in wasn’t a bad idea…

Addie could read him easily, though, and knew he was considering staying home with her when he needed to be filming. “Don’t even think about it, I’m just gonna watch a movie and go to sleep. Go work, we can cuddle when you get back.”

He sighed and kissed her one more time. She was right. He had nothing for the vlog. “Be back soon.” As David left the house and locked the door Addie pressed play on the new rom-com Netflix had been pushing on her for weeks.

She woke up a few hours later to a waiting screen from Netflix. She was drowsy and ready to actually go to bed. As comfortable as the couch was, she could never stay asleep on it for more than three hours. As she started to get up and move towards the bedroom, she saw lights flashing in the backyard. She checked the time on her phone—12:54 AM. David shouldn’t be back yet. She looked around the house. No one's things were strewn about. She called him, her hands starting to shake from the possibility that the noise and the lights weren’t her friends trying out a new bit.

“Hey baby, why are you awake still?” Addie could hear the pounding beat from the music playing in whatever club David had stumbled into.

“Is everyone with you?”

“Yeah, we’re about to head back. Why?”

Addie ran to their room and locked herself in the bathroom. When she saw the big window she panicked and ran into the shower, sitting on the floor in a ball. “Someone’s here.”

David knew the pounding in his ears wasn’t from the too-loud music. He was worried. “Hang up, call the police. I’ll be home in fifteen minutes.”

Addie was afraid but dialed 9-1-1 and spoke to the operator. “We’re sending a unit out now.”

“Ok, I’m just… hiding in my shower. Oh! And my boyfriend is coming home soon. I don’t know if that affects anything, but—”

“Alright ma’am, I’ll inform the responding officers. Stay on the line with me. When they get there, they’re going to do a sweep of the perimeter. After they determine everything is safe they’ll be at your door to talk with you and get a statement.”

Addie waited and waited. The operator was silent and Addie couldn’t bring herself to speak. 

“Addie?” David’s voice carried through the house.

“My boyfriend’s home,” she spoke, not sure if the operator could hear her as her voice was barely more than a whisper.

“The officers are at your location. If you’d like to hang up and go speak with them, you can.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Addie pulled herself up and stepped out into the bathroom. Her legs were shaking and she knew she couldn’t get far. “Addie?” David yelled again.

She collapsed onto their bed. “In here,” her voice cracked and she thought her words were unintelligible, but it was enough for David to find her and come into the room. He fell onto the bed and wrapped her in his arms. She was shaking. Now that David was here, all the stress she had been holding left her body but the adrenaline was still coursing through her veins.

“I talked to the police outside. They found some guys looking for a way in. Guess they saw I was at a bar on my Instagram stories and thought no one was home. They just wanted to take a picture inside the house, got one inside the Ferrari. The police put them in their car. We need to go down to the station tomorrow to give your statement.”

Addie was silent for a moment, taking it all in. “I was so scared.”

“I know, baby.” David pulled Addie closer into his chest. He’d been absolutely terrified on the drive home, thinking about what might’ve happened to her. “Me too.”

They fell asleep like that, Addie first. David watched her for hours, running his hands through her hair because he’d been worried the entire drive home he’d never be able to again. As he fell asleep, he hoped everything might look better in the morning. He woke up remarkably early considering how late he’d been awake. He watched Addie sleep for a few minutes before kissing her forehead and gently waking her. “G’morning, baby. Can I get you anything?”

“Tea?” she asked. Addie’s voice was quiet and gravely. David wasn’t sure if it was from having just woken up or leftover from last night. He pulled away from her and stood, padding out of the room and into their kitchen. Addie pulled on one of David’s sweatshirts that was hanging off the desk chair and followed, sitting on the couch and watching him move around the kitchen. 

He handed her the mug and sat next to her, pulling her legs into his lap and running his thumb up and down her thigh. “How’re you doing?”

She looked into her tea for a few seconds. “Just don’t know how to feel, I guess. Never thought I’d have to deal with something like this.”

“I’m so sorry, Addie.”

“S’not your fault.”

“But it is. I’m the one who showed people where I lived and I’m the one who posted so people knew we were out of the house.”

Addie looked up and met David’s eyes. She saw the pain in them. She knew he’d been worried about her last night but she didn’t realize he felt responsible for the whole mess. “Baby, you couldn’t have known. We just need to figure something out—a way to be safer. I’m fine, we’ll be fine.”

David nodded and they sat together on the couch for the few hours they had until Addie needed to give her statement, watching TV and getting stuck in their own heads.

Their time at the police station was remarkably quick, and the officers gave them some tips on how to increase security. When they returned to their house Addie felt better. She’d been thinking about what they could do and had come up with a few ideas. “Dave, I was thinking, it might help if we—”

“Let’s move.”

Addie turned quickly to look at David. He was sitting on his knees on the couch, innocent and unaware that what he’d just said was something she’d never even thought to consider. “What?” 

“Let’s move.” Addie walked to where he was, standing behind the back of the couch but keeping space between them.

“Baby, I just moved in here. This is our house. What’re you talking about?”

“It’s not safe here, and it’s my house when you think about it. You didn’t help design it or pick it out or anything. Let’s move. Somewhere safer, somewhere that’s ours.”

Addie was shocked and silent. She lived with David already—she had been living with him for six months. So why did this feel like another huge step? Their own place, together. Would they buy it together? This was a big step, wasn’t it? “Baby, I don’t—I don’t know what to say.”

“What’s wrong?” he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him, resting his hands on her hips.

“This just, this feels like something bigger than moving in.”

“Getting a house together?” Addie nodded. “I mean, I guess. But so what? I’d rather you be safe. We don’t have to buy it together if that makes you feel better. Please baby, just think about it.” 

Addie nodded, and that was it for the conversation that day. They spent the rest of that weekend home with their friends. Everyone was quiet on social media and fans were going wild on twitter, thinking about what could be happening that would make the entire group stop posting. Addie’s favorites were the tweets saying she was pregnant and that all the content from this weekend would come out in a few weeks with a pregnancy announcement. That theory made everyone laugh.

A few weeks later, Addie was laying in bed, head in David’s lap as he worked on his laptop. Addie wasn’t sure if it was a video edit or if David was going back and forth with Natalie about new merch designs, but when she heard the clicking of the keys quiet she said, “Okay.”

“Okay, what?” he asked as he moved his laptop so he could look at her.

She sat up. “Let’s get a house together.”

[erikismybitch]

Drillmonger:Conclusion part 1

This conclusion will be 2 parts .

_

It was finally happening. After nearly a year of flying as an international crew member , she was finally flying to Africa. And because the universe hated her , as she thought , Candy was running late . In her heels and uniform she ran through the terminals in search for hers . She was at the Heathrow Airport in London, a major connecting hub and a middle ground for overseas flights .

By faith , Candy made it to her gate , spotting the passengers lined up to board the plane . They couldn’t start the process without her .

“I’m so sorry you guys , my Uber driver got lost!” Candy lied to the other crew members . Truth was , she had overslept.

“Girl they are pissed that we are six minutes behind schedule “ she teased . Candy knew her as Maria, a bubbly Mexican girl who she’d flown with before . They weren’t necessarily friends, but they could relate to each other . Candy laughed and dragged her carry-on down the tarp and onto the plane.

This flight was a long one . It would take them eleven hours to fly into the beautiful East African country of Wakanda. Candy began to quickly do her pre flight duties . She stocked food in the rolling carts , made sure the blankets made it to each seat and all entertainment tablets were functional.

“We are now boarding” the head Flight attendant warned to the crew .

Candy stood in economy awaiting the passengers. As soon as the people began to load , she assisted them with their carry-ons and stowaways . There was such a shift in Candy’s work ethic . Usually her smiles and upbeat speech was a part of the act . This time it was genuine . She would be spending three full days in East Africa. On the third she had to head back to work . Her itinerary was already planned , three days full of exploration. The historic museums , hiking through the beautiful mountains and eating everything she could fit in her mouth .

The plane taxied along the runway and awaited take off . Candy stood in the middle of economy and did the safety belt and air passage demonstration . The pilot informed them of take off and the crew took their seats .

Once they reached the correct altitude the pilot turned off the seat belt sign and everyone was free to move about the cabin.

What Candy didn’t know was that her trip plans would soon take a shift . Erik was taking the long journey to visit his family after four years .

Erik was on that very same flight .

Candy had been so distracted by her lateness that she didn’t see him waiting in line to board the plane. But he saw her and it made him happy... it made Erik very happy.

Seeing her was like a light , that lead him from the darkness that had been his life without her . She looked good , he missed her. At first instinct he wanted to walk up to her and hug her. Even if that was too much , he just wanted to feel her body on his. It had been so long, even a handshake would do .

“Alert: B-2”

Flashed across the call screen. It flashed each time a passenger called for assistance.

“B-2, that’s in first class right?” Candy asked the group . They all let out a laugh at her naiveness, even Maria who spoke up first .

“Yeah, you’ve never served first class?”

“Always economy “ she told them .

Maria told her that she was assigned to first class for this flight. And that first class passengers were almost always ass holes. Maria asked if Candy wanted to switch and she complied .

The alert signaled again . Why not, Candy thought . She figured she might meet someone with connections and they could suggest some great places to go on this short trip .

Candy walked carefully to the first class section of the plane . Seeing nothing but a man with headphones and a beanie seated in B-2. The famous smile that was always plastered on her face slowly faded as his face came into view. She couldn’t believe that Erik was before her.

A year had almost passed without any communication on his part . Candy felt that she had finally gotten to a place where she wasn’t affected by his absence. She had blocked his name from her brain. She had even had sex with other men.

Then what was this feeling of silent panic . Erik hadn’t even opened his mouth to speak a single word . He looked up at her and slid his headphones off of his ears. Erik’s dimples imprinted in his cheeks with his small smirk . “Can I get a blanket or somethin’? “ he spoke as if this transaction was platonic . As if he and Candy had no history at all . “Please?” He let off his full blown smile now, after he noticed that Candy wasn’t the least bit amused.

“Sure thing “ Candy gave him an answer just as platonic as his question . She avoided looking into his actual face and walked to the back of the plane. Maria noticed the look on her face upon her return . She just assumed that the first class passenger was rude . “I told ya”

“It’s not that” Candy told her .

“What is it ?”

“Just a familiar face”

Maria asked if it was an ex boyfriend, Candy told her it was . She didn’t want to get into the actual details of their situation . Maria offered to take the blanket to him also . Candy thanked her because she didn’t have to do her that favor .

The flight was five hours in . Candace was off her A-game. Erik’s presence really threw a wrench in it. She dropped a drink on a passenger, she got a food order wrong , she even chipped her nail. Seeing how stressed out she was, the lead attendant advised her to take a quick break . She sat in the back and took a couple sips of cold water. Her hands were shaking . Fuck him for making me feel this way! She screamed out , but only in her head .

“Alert: B-2”

Unfortunately her break was cut short . Candy was the only person in the back who could answer the alert . She looked around for Maria, she was tending to a passenger .

“Do you think you can check on B-2, everyone is busy” the lead attendant called softly to her . She obeyed his order and dragged herself to the front of the plane . The lead had just asked her to take this break. “Fuck” she mouthed and approached his seat . She wasn’t smiling , nor did she say anything .

“How you been?” He asked , Erik had been purposely pressing the call button all flight . He finally reached Candy.

“I’ve been busy Erik, like right now” Candy’s voice cut at him with so much venom , it caught the attention of his seated neighbor .

“You mad at me or something?”

Candy let out a huge breath of frustration . She wanted to scream at him, and release all of the pain he had caused her. This situation wasn’t worth her job, she had worked too hard to get here .

“Do you need anything sir?”

“So I’m sir now?” Erik laughed , and how cute he looked when he laughed angered her . She kneeled down and leaned in close to him. Then spoke only for his ears to hear .

“Don’t press this fucking button anymore ”

“I ain’t mean t-“ he began to speak but Candy stopped him.

“Sir, do you need anything else ?“ Her friendly hand patted against his shoulder.

“Nah, Im good”

————

This wasn’t the first time Erik had seen her. He was in her city not long ago . For the first time since the last time they had spoken.

“Hope you didn’t scratch my shit” Erik has gotten to a point where he was rude with everyone. Especially when thoughts of Candy clouded his brain. He was speaking to the hotel valet .

The gentleman gave him keys to his rental car. Compliments of a night club, a midnight matte Ferrari 458. Erik was scheduled for an appearance that evening . It was moving past midnight and now was the perfect time to go. He and a few other socialites were getting paid for it .

The only thing . Being this close to Candy without seeing her bothered him. Next month would make it month seven since he indirectly broke things off. After he left her house and never spoke to her again.

It came to the point where he was passing her exit , he found it funny that he remembered it . Even only after visiting her once . He remembered everything about her . The way she laughed at everything, even if it wasn’t traditionally funny . How she smacked when she drank out of a cup . Even her hate and sustain for football.

“Because I don’t understand all the rules , it’s so stupid!”

She told him one night as they laid naked in a Las Vegas Hotel . They had sex all night , and in the morning Candy almost missed her flight from exhaustion.

He pulled his phone out and swerved through the lanes , Erik was tempted to call her ... but it would be no use . Especially after she sent those many unanswered texts to his phone .

You unfollowed me , what going on?

Erik , so after everything ... this is it ?

I don’t know what I expected from you .

Fuck you .

Erik had read those texts over and over throughout time, even the ones from the beginning. When they were happy . He couldn’t delete them yet.

Someone’s Horn honked as he sped to the exit and tapped into his mental memory to find her house . Erik knew she was home. He had checked her Instagram story earlier .

Erik parked his car directly across from her house. The lights were off and he didn’t see her car in the drive way either . He glanced at the clock .

It’s 12:46 am. Where the fuck was she at this late?

He wasn’t quite sure what to do , or why he was there. Walking to her door wasn’t an option, Candy made it clear through texts that she hated his very existence. Erik had avoided coming to her city for just this reason

It was 1:03 when her living room light came on. Erik was just about to leave . He spotted London through the thin white curtains. She came into view , in her robe and bonnet . Unknowingly Erik’s face turned at the sight of her. “Wheres my girl?” he said to himself . He tapped impatiently on the steering wheel.

London fiddled around the living room for a couple of moments then cut the lights off again. He gave himself another moment before he pulled off , just incase .

Still nothing .

Erik started his engine with the smack of his teeth and left .

“And what was you gon’ do if you seen her?” He downtalked himself as he sped back to the freeway . He put the club address in his navigation and set off to have a good time tonight . Erik would get drunk off the free bottles of liquor and have a cute girl come with him back to his hotel .

Only he didn’t . He spent his night disconnected from everything in V.I.P. Sulking in the corner. Thinking of how much he missed Candy and how much better he felt with her in his life .

______________

Candy was so happy when the plane landed and all the passengers exited the aircraft . She and the others did a cleaning sweep and de-planed . When Candy walked into the gate, she spotted Erik standing . She knew he was waiting for her . His back was turned and she had the option of not being spotted. She watched him for a second , still looking from behind at his wide back and commanding stance . She thought about a time in the past . Where she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head between his shoulder blades. He pushed her away screaming about how “...he didn’t do shit like that!”. Candy laughed to herself because later on he did the same thing to her . Only, she didn’t push him away. She never did .

Something told Erik to turn around , when he did he saw her . Candy was stuck , he was walking towards her now. She looked around , oddly enough it was just the two of them .

“Can you give me a second?” He finger tipped his hand around her arm so she wouldn’t get away .

“I’ve given you too many seconds “ Candy took her arm back and placed it at her side.

“All I need is one more”

He walked over to a near by seat and sat down. Erik slouched inwardly and spread his legs for comfort . Candy couldnt help but to find his dick . With a straight face she snuck a peak at his print through his pants . That thing was worth listening to , or listening to Erik. Right ?

She sat down directly across from him . “We don’t have much time, we have a shuttle taking us to our hotel “ Candy noted the time , the shuttle would be leaving in twenty six minutes.

“You good, I’ll have my people take you to your hotel”

“You can’t control this situation like you always do, I’m catching my shuttle “ Candy contested with unnecessary attitude , Erik felt it . He clinched his jaw, trying not to scare her away with what he really wanted to say . “And who are your people ?” Candy asked .

“My family, that’s why I’m here”

She had forgotten that he was from here, Erik told her that it had been a long time since he had visited . “What’s the occasion, a funeral or something?” Candy’s expression softened.

“No, nothing like that” he expressed as if he was saddened by something . Erik knew just how to play on Candy’s emotions. She couldn’t help but to get up and take the seat next to him .

“Why did you decide to come back ?” She asked again.

“As corny as it sounds, I’ve been doing some soul searching and it lead me back home “

Erik grazed his fingers along Candy’s hand . It was resting along the armrest , until she allowed Erik to hold it . His gentleness surprised her . In the past she had to show him how to be this way . He leaned his head into her vision, making sure she looked into his eyes.

“Soul searching ?” Candy repeated .

“I been thinking a lot about you “ he tightened his hold , it made her wince .

“After all this time” she glanced at a monitor near by and clocked the time. “I gotta go”

Candy attempted to lift from her seat but Erik pulled her back down. It wasn’t alarming, he was still being gentle .

“Think I can see you , while you’re here?” He asked . Candy hesitated and thought of an answer , that let him know that she would be here longer than overnight.

“I’m only here for three days and I have plans”

She stood up, he let her hand go as he stood with her . Erik let her know that he only needed a small moment of her time . She agreed to call him once she got things settled at her hotel .

“Me being on this plane , it has to serve a higher purpose. Things happen for a reason” Erik stressed , as if he was trying to further convince her to see him .

“I told you I would call you “ she read right into him as she gripped her carry on and began to walk away . She only had a few minutes to catch the shuttle.

“Don’t make me come find you !” He called out , grabbing the attention of strangers around him. He had no shame , because he would .

[3one3]

The Sequel - 861

Forgettable

André Schürrle, Juan Mata, other Chelsea/BVB players, and random awesome OC’s (okay they’re less random now but they’re still pretty awesome)

original epic tale

all chapters of The Sequel

“What was the last song stuck in your head?”

“Uhhhm...This morning, “Unforgettable”, from French Montana and J. Balvin.”

“Has it got a big beat that stays in your head, or is it catchy lyrics?”

“My girlfriend was playing it in the car last night- you know, singing and dancing with it very loud.”

“Is she a talented singer?”

“No,” Juan snorted with a great big smile. “The chorus part is in Spanish and she can’t say the words fast enough.”

“You’ve traveled to many different places, as a footballer, and on hol-“

Okay that’s enough, Christina grumbled after pausing the short video clip from a fun interview Juan gave at Cobham on Monday for a popular YouTube creator who produced football-related content with a number of typical partners like adidas, the Premier League, and Whisper Films. The rider was waiting for her agent and a TV crew from Sky Sports to arrive to do her own interview on Tuesday morning for the evening’s primetime coverage of one of the last days of the Olympics. They wanted Dirk, so they had to come to her, and they were late. Christina made what was fast looking like a mistake in deciding to kill some time by reading her Twitter mentions.

She had a very distant relationship with her fans on social media. Her policy was “don’t read the replies”, and Tim practically forbade her from responding to any of them unless she was specifically doing an open Q&A. Sometimes she interacted with actual friends in public on Twitter and Instagram. She commented on their photos, for example, or made jokes at their expense on Twitter. Sometimes she even flirted publically with André on both platforms. Mostly she just posted information and photos that she thought her fans would enjoy. Someone in Tim’s office also posted content on her behalf. Largely ignoring the comments and avoiding engagement didn’t mean she was unaware of the broad trends in conversation about her and among her supporters, and detractors. Christina was aware that there was a fairly vocal bloc of fans in her 600,000-strong following that was very much Team Juan. They called attention to everything she or the Spaniard did or said that could be some form of evidence to prove that they were either in love, having an affair, or secretly married. The bloc had its own warring factions that argued the details. So it didn’t come as a huge surprise to her that many of them, and perhaps some of Juan’s fans too, took note that he mentioned a girlfriend, that he said he was with her on Sunday night, and that his restaurant posted a photo of two Olympic medals that happened to be the same colors as hers on its Instagram that night too.

I’m not sure I can even be mad at him for this one ‘cause he probably has no idea what goes up for the restaurant. I actually think that’s Antonio’s job, and Antonio probably didn’t think he was going to go and drop the G-word in an interview 15 hours later, or ever, for that matter. This won’t get on Schü’s radar since he doesn’t look at his mentions either, but if these girls make enough noise then The Sun or the Mail are going to pick this up and make a thing out of it. Should I tell Tim, or just hope it goes away? I didn’t post anything about being in London, and Juanin knows like every Spanish person in sport, so it could have been someone else’s medals. I wonder if he’s even noticed this new- A knock at her office door put the brakes on Christina’s conjecture.

“Yeah,” she called to Tom. It had to be Tom, because no one else waited for a response after knocking. They just opened the door.

“They’re here,” he told her, meaning the visitors.

“Can you show them up to the lounge or something? I’m...err...busy-ish.”

“Schü is taking them up there for coffee.”

“Thanks. Is Dirk ready?”

“Yes. He would like to go back outside though.”

“We won’t be long, I hope.”

Tom nodded and shut the door he’d only just leaned through to talk to the boss. She originally disliked that her office door was solid and lacked a window. It was proving handy though, because sometimes she didn’t want anyone to see what she was doing in there. Sitting at her desk and glaring forlornly at her laptop wasn’t exactly a private activity, but it would have required an explanation if say, André peeked into the office on his way to the lounge upstairs.

I should tell Juanin which song is stuck in my head, and why. It’s “1000 Nights”. I know he knows it. I think he introduced it to me. It’s about wasting 1000 nights apart, and guess what. I did the math. I broke up with him almost exactly 1000 days ago. And sometimes it does feel like “for 1000 nights, I’ve been a restless soul”. I’m the poster child for all sorts of restlessness, and he’s proven to be my rest so, so many times. But Schü is too. Sometimes. Less than he used to be. Not often enough, really. Christina sighed and picked up her iPhone to text the Spaniard about his very public girlfriend reference, but she just stared at the black screen for a few seconds. I’ll call him later. I don’t want to get all...whatever...right before an interview. She slipped her feet back into her Rainbow flipflops under the desk, and then went looking for the party.

The literal crew appeared to be setting up right in the barn aisle, at the junction between the long part with all the stalls and the perpendicular aisle connecting it to the indoor. Dirk was on the crossties getting ready for his close up. His rider stopped to give him a kiss on his velvety nose on her way to the viewing lounge, which was where she figured they would do the interview. Everyone else who came to her farm to speak with her on camera wanted to do it up there. The interviewer and her producer were enjoying some lattes when she arrived, with Tim. André was a really great barista. He saw crafting espresso-based beverages as a competitive challenge. Every coffee was a chance to beat his personal best creation. He had a cortado waiting for her. They all talked about the Olympic experience and discussed how the interview would go. The subject asked the most basic of questions about it, like if her feet were going to be in the shot and if she had enough makeup on or needed to go reapply. She’d chosen nice clean, standard horse show color Pikeur breeches and a black adidas tee with a belt in between, thinking she would only be shot from the waist up. She also did her standard, casual daytime makeup. One of her Olympic pet peeves, for her whole life, was when American medal winners went on the Today Show in street clothes and excessive makeup and looked out of place and uncomfortable and unnatural. The media tried to turn them into celebrities and had to pluck them out of their athlete environment to do so. They put gymnasts used to wearing spandex every single day into ill-fitting jeans and tops that made them look deformed. Christina didn’t like that, and she didn’t want it to happen to her any more than it had been throughout her relationship with André. His status lent to her elevation as a recognizable name and face independent from her sporting reputation, and that was less objectionable to her, mostly because it wasn’t her choice. Being an Olympic medalist really didn’t feel any different than being a non-Olympian. The presence of a Sky Sports crew in her barn wasn’t even that exceptional. The only thing about her Tuesday that stood out from any other was her appointment at the Ferrari dealership. The woman interviewing her definitely wanted to know if her life was changed by the experience, and Christina told her the jury was still out but that, in general, she felt a new sense of accomplishment for having ticked off such a significant goal. She also asked her if she planned to reward herself for the achievement.

“Will you go somewhere for a holiday, or buy something, or maybe there is a week of binging on unhealthy food?” the interviewer asked her with a smile. They spoke in English because the rider preferred to do long-form interviews in her native tongue, to be more precise and thorough.

“I get to be home for a few weeks, which in itself is a treat,” she smiled back at the pretty brunette who covered all things equestrian. They’d talked many times before. “And I’m rewarding myself with...a new horse, actually,” Christina chuckled. Don’t brag. “A prancing black stallion.” Her innuendo was picked up immediately.

“Of Italian breeding, perhaps?”

“Could be,” she winked. Move on, lady. Don’t make me admit on TV that I’m buying myself a Ferrari. That’s such a spoiled rich girl thing to do.

She let her off. They wrapped up the questions and then moved outside to get some footage of the equine medal winner and talk about his experience in Tokyo, though his partner mentioned him as part of her answer to nearly every question already. The producer wanted to shoot him loose in a paddock, with the two women just talking in front of him. The horse was a ham. He wanted to be the focus of the shot, and the conversation, instead of background dressing. He stood patiently behind them and tried to interact with them instead of just eating grass or walking off to explore. The producer guy was loving it each time Dirk put his head over Christina’s shoulder, or sniffed at her face as if to give kisses.

“We should get permission to use some of this footage in the videos on the website for his breeding,” Tim said quietly from the other side of the paddock fence, where he and André were watching. “Buy yourself some semen and get not just a tremendously talented jumping horse, but also a lovable pet.”

“I think everyone interested in Dirk’s semen already knows he’s her 1200lb lap dog,” the other athlete shrugged. “Let’s not give her ideas about videos, or anything like that. Let her be for a while.”

“I have nothing for her after the pre-arranged media. Have you two done anything special to celebrate yet? Oh, remind me back in the stable, I have the bank check for the down payment for the car.”

“I don’t know if she’ll want to get the special one today or think it over after the test drives,” André replied. His wife’s Ferrari was going to be paid for with Lilly XO charter money, and owned by the corporation Tim set up to own the boat, for tax purposes. The company’s second address was the agent’s office. “There is also a small chance that she drives all of the cars and then decides she doesn’t need one. It’s so difficult for her to spend that much money on something for herself, still. Shoes that cost as much as a used Vauxhall are fine. Treating herself with a dream car...might be too much to get past her practicality filter.”

“Make her get it. She deserves something big.”

“I think for her the reward was the team gold- the result. She woke up early this morning and sat in the bathroom for 40 minutes with Lukas to see if he would poop in his little toilet. If she did something truly special last week and deserves a lot of special treatment, no one told her. I think she’s already moving past the Olympics and starting to worry what big thing will come next.”

“Is there any chance what’s next is a brother or sister for Lukas?” Tim turned to make eye contact with his favorite client, but both men were wearing sunglasses and couldn’t see each other’s eyes anyway. Still, André knew from the small grin that his agent thought he might be hoping Christina’s next big goal might not be in the saddle. And it made him wonder if it was that obvious to everyone that he did wish his wife could obsess over something else- perhaps something that was more for both of them than just for her. He wasn’t thinking about another child, however.

“None whatsoever.”

“Ah. Hey, it looks like they’re finished.”

“Good. She wants to ride before we go to Düsseldorf.

“You should get her to take the day off since you have off.”    

“I just told you- it’s back to normal here already.”

“Maybe she’s just waiting for someone to tell her she did something special and is worthy of taking at least a little time to celebrate and honor that...”

“Are you trying to say I’m not making a big enough deal?”

“I expected her to be hungover from an Olympic-themed party, and balloons in the house, and champagne glasses left all over the kitchen with a few sips left. You let me in the front door and there was no “Congratulations, Princess” banner hanging in the foyer and I thought, “Wow, have the housekeepers been here already this morning?” You didn’t give her a party with her friends or anything?”

Christina saved André from having to answer the question for Tim, but not for himself. She had questions for their agent about whether or not she could do a quick promo for some show for the network, so he went with her to speak to the producer. The footballer was left with his thoughts.

Should I have organized a big party for her, he wondered. She doesn’t really have friends here yet besides Marco and Mario, and she got here in the morning, so she saw Stefanie and Kyle and Isandro and did whatever big congratulations thing already before I could have had a party for her. It would have had to be last night. I didn’t even think to do it, he reminded himself, wary of letting himself off the hook on the difficulties of the logistics of a celebratory party when he knew full well that he didn’t think of doing it and then just decide not to because of those things. It didn’t occur to him that Christina might want or enjoy something like that. I assumed she would be most happy to be home with Mausi and me, and back with Dirk. But come on! She knows how proud I am of her, and she knows I think what she did is a big deal. I don’t need a party to show her that. And she would probably be annoyed if I had my parents here. André couldn’t help but consider the way his ex-teammate honored Christina’s achievement. She told him all about the lovely dinner, and how much she enjoyed being with Juan’s parents. Chris wouldn’t like coming home and having to host houseguests, and I don’t think she even cares that they were so proud of her too. She likes his parents better. They’re closer. I doubt she’d even have the relationship she has with mine now if not for Mausi. You don’t get to choose your parents but she kind of does because hers are not in the picture, and she chose Juan’s. His parents didn’t mind that she broke up with him and has been torturing him for years. Her relationship with Mama and Papa has never been the same since we were separated, and then it got worse last year when we were fighting al the time. Ugh, whatever. Letting her know I love her and I’m in awe of her and I’m inspired by her and what she did to get to last week and then what she did there really has nothing to do with parents, or parties. She knows.

“Hey babe, can you hand me Dirk’s halter?” Christina interrupted from the other side of the fence. She was standing on the bottom board and leaning over the top. “He won’t leave the camera equipment alone and he’s gonna get out when they go through the gate.” André passed the leather halter and lead to her. It had been on his shoulder, because he was a good Horse Husband and a good dad, and just held whatever was thrust in his lap, or put it on his arm, or safely in a pocket.

“Are they done?”

“Yeah. I think I should bring him in with us so Tom can put his bell boots back on.”

“Why are they all out right now?”

“We’re switching to daytime turnout today. Poor Calvin must be so lonely inside by himself right now,” Christina said before turning her lower lip over to pout sympathetically for her monstrous Hanoverian, who had to wait until they were finished shooting in his paddock before he could be turned out.

“Why don’t you ride him first since he’s already in?”

“I think I want my salami sandwich first.” Her eyes grew big and comical- a sort of self-deprecating gesture meant to mock her sometimes-limitless appetite. She stepped off the fence and turned her head to check on Dirk, who was checking the lighting guy for treats.

“Can I-“

“Be right back.” His human hurried to catch him before he could break something, scare someone, or sneak out behind the girl trying to carry two cases of electronics through the partially-open gate.

Eat lunch with you, the BVB man finished silently. Is it fair to say I can’t wait for the media stuff to finish in a few days so that I get her to myself for a while? Or is the media hype part of the whole experience and I should be happy for her that she gets this attention? Does she even care? Why do I have so many questions? Life has too many questions lately, André lamented. He hated second-guessing himself on matters relating to his wife. He was right to think it used to be easier. No one could instill doubt in him the way Tim just had. He knew what his girl was thinking, how she would take things, what she wanted, and what she needed. For most of their marriage, and their brief relationship before that, he didn’t have to wonder so often if he was doing the right thing. That was one of the reasons he loved Christina. They had an unmatched understanding of one another.

Christina was polite about seeing her visitors out. She had no urge to hurry them out and get on with her day. A side effect of securing those precious medals was no longer feeling like every day was a race to get to something. No matter how packed her schedule, her attitude was laid back. It took that switch for her to even recognize that she’d felt like she was hurrying toward something every day for a long time until about a month before the Games, when she transitioned to dragging her feet on everything because she didn’t want to arrive at her fate anymore. When she woke up the morning after the individual final in Tokyo, the way time passed changed. It no longer went too quickly or felt slowed down by her conscious effort to retard it. Time was just time, and it moved along in “real” time. She didn’t have 5 minutes to herself that day, but it didn’t feel that way. The noticeable change in her perception of time was strange but liberating.

“Lunch time?” André suggested as soon as the front door of the small van shut behind the Sky Sports interviewer in the front passenger seat. He and Christina were standing in the open doorway at the parking lot end of the main aisle, and the sunlight from above hit just her face because of the roof. Time hadn’t slowed down for him. He felt anxious about everything, all the time. He realized when he turned to look at his girl that he should have taken a few seconds to just enjoy how gorgeous her face looked in that sun. She hated sunburn, and she feared and respected UV rays because of a history of melanoma in her family and a desire to preserve her youthful skin, but her face really loved sunlight. Her pores shrunk, her cheeks plumped, and the little wrinkles seemed to disappear. Her face was like a flower turning up to the nourishing sun and perking up its petals to its most splendid and beautiful. André didn’t get to savor his sunflower because he asked her about lunch, and she had to look up at him to answer, and cover her eyes from the sun, and squint, and scrunch her face as she considered whether or not to go have her sandwich.

“Yeah, I guess so. Are you staying?”

“Is there enough salami for two?”

“Yes, but you know, the whole reason I brought the salami and the baguette and the cheese over here is to keep you and the Munchkin and the nanny from eating it,” she grinned. Several days’ worth of lunch ingredients accompanied her to the stable that morning. Good food was safer in the refrigerator in the lounge than in the kitchen.

“You can’t even eat all the bread before it goes stale,” her partner reminded her before sticking his tongue out at her and tugging on her bouncy and voluminous ponytail.

“If I put my mind to it, I could eat all the bread in the world. I fucking love bread.”

“I know you can, Prinzessin,” he chuckled. “You can do anything if you put your mind to it, clearly. I love you for that.” His hands reached out for her on their own, and captured her whole head in addition to the base of the ponytail. “I love that you never quit.”

“You’re so cheesy. And can you lean a little this way? Your big head can block out the sun.”

“Big head. Big brain.”

“Uhhuh sure. Big hair too.” Christina reached up to pat the side swept pouf of hair atop his head. “Let’s eat.”

See? Even when I try to tell her, seriously, what her accomplishment means to me, she just laughs and makes fun of me. I don’t have to do a party. She knows, the player reiterated inside as he followed her up the empty aisle. Their barn was full of light and the woody scent of pine mixed with the sweetness of fresh hay. Every stall but Calvin’s was picked clean and topped up with fluffy bedding. All of the black water buckets were scrubbed and filled, and there was a pile of hay in a back corner. Christina demanded that her staff take care of those things as part of the morning chores when the horses went out during the daytime. There was no taking the whole day to ready the stalls for the horses to come in in the evening. They had to be cleaned and set up right away, so that the aisles themselves could be blown and swept clean and not littered with soiled bedding and bits of hay falling out of wheelbarrows traveling back and forth to the muck pile outside. It also ensured that any horse having to come in during the day, to be ridden, or seen by the vet or farrier, for example, would come in to a clean stall ready with hay and water for him. That was important to her. It kept the animals comfortable and stress-free, and the whole process ensured order in her operation. Some of the other trainers who shared facilities with Eddie and Simon were not as deliberate in managing their grooms and stable, and things got in the way of finishing drawn out chores and then the chores never got done and horses were put back into dirty stalls with swampy buckets and nothing to munch on.

Another thing André loved and most especially respected about his wife was her ability to learn and absorb real knowledge from her experiences. Part of it was that she never forgot anything, and part of it was her special skill in following keen observation with intelligent deduction. Her mind collected all available information and processed it in a way that allowed her to use it right away, and in the most effective way. Her husband admired her ability to be good at totally new things just because she paid attention to everything and could translate her observations into policy, so to speak. She’d never run an elite show barn on her own before she suddenly found herself owning one. She’d never cared for a child of any age before she became a mom, and she handled it exceptionally well in his eyes. She had no media experience but knew how to handle press and how to conduct herself from the get-go. Those things stood out to him because he couldn’t do the same thing. He wasn’t good at adapting. He needed many things to align in order for him to succeed. The window in which he had the right conditions to play football at the level and consistency he desired was quite small, and it took him forever to figure out the conditions and how to create them.

“Are you going home to hang with Lulu Schü?” Christina asked him following his last bite of Genoa salami and provolone. Her sandwich was smaller so she finished it more quickly. They ate at the kitchen-style table in the viewing lounge. Spencer and Lucky were lying on the floor but remained vigilant in case of dropped food. They were mostly just happy to be free again instead of confined to their playpen outside the back entrance to the barn, where they couldn’t get into trouble with the TV people.

“Yeah. His singalong show with the sheep starts soon. He likes when I sing with him. I’m not usually home when it’s on.”

“What was the last song stuck in your head?”

“From the show?”

“In general.”

“”Swalla”. The guys play it in the dressing room constantly. Marc never stops dancing.”

“Do you remember what I was listening to when I was getting ready this morning and you were obsessively trimming your nose hair with the little buzzy thing?”

“No. Why?”

“Just wondering.” The rider emitted a barely perceptible sigh and picked up her water bottle for a sip.