Chapter Text
The rest of Chuck’s day had passed in a blur after running into George. She felt bad but also worried, what if he recognised her the next day? She had closed the shop early, much to the annoyance of the brunette man in the corner and gone up to her apartment. The New York skyline often relaxed her after a bad day but this time nothing could help. She watched as the sun set before finally lying down in bed.
It was at times like this when she missed the Swiss countryside, being able to walk for five minutes and reach places not a trace of humanity had touched. She would now have to drive for miles to even have hope of finding that. Being raised in Switzerland was something Charlie had enjoyed a lot. The people were great, the nature even better. She had been raised with a good education, but still managed to spend hours a week karting. Her local track was incredible, nestled in a forest not too far way from her home. In the winter, the trees adorned with crystal snow and glittering icicles. That was another thing she missed about Switzerland. The snow. She had always found it incredible, spanning miles sometimes. She would get lost for years there if she could.
Charlie wished she could just walk, away from her responsibilities, away from the stress of it all, away from the coffee shop this morning, away from the meeting tomorrow. The meeting- she had forgotten about that. The meeting- she had forgotten about that. Somehow it had slipped her mind. She had spent so much time rethinking the encounter with George, too much time. She had been waiting for Toto's text for years, why did it have to be today? It wasn't fair but then again, when was anything fair for her?
That night she fell asleep fairly quickly, staying awake until 1am. It sounded late but for her it was usual, a habit she had learned when she was younger. She slept normally, luckily the day's problems had no effect on her dreams, which she didn't have much of anyway.
The next day she woke up early like usual and decided to treat herself to a breakfast. Both Arthur and her trainer had told her she needed to start doing that more often. Another habit she had picked up when she was younger. This morning it was honey on toast, a favourite of her whole family, it helped her feel closer to her family which she really needed today. After eating she got changed into her smartest clothes and left. Similar to most drivers it seemed, Charlie wasn't an expert at driving on roads. So she usually chose to drive routes less taken in order to avoid traffic or just to avoid other cars. The roads were quieter here, lined with icy trees whose branches rustled softly in the morning breeze. It gave her a moment to gather her thoughts, to mentally prepare for the conversations ahead.
Her perfectly tailored suit began to feel far too tight, the sleeves gripping at her wrists as she tried to concentrate on the road. As she pulled into the Mercedes factory, she felt a pressure unlike any she had felt before. Stepping out of the car, she adjusted her blazer before taking the first confident step towards the meeting room. It was quiet throughout the factory, workers all home for the Christmas break. Her eyes caught the longs wall of photos, permanently capturing iconic moments in Mercedes history. Reaching the end of the corridor, the pictures dwindled down, making room for the 2024 season. She couldn’t help but feel like an intruder in a place that fell so sacred.
Her heart skipped a beat as she opened the door at the end of the corridor. Inside was Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton and…
And George wasn’t there. She let out a sigh of relief before tensing up again, remembering that she was in the presence of *the* Lewis Hamilton.
“Mr Hamilton,” she stumbled out, trying her hardest to keep her voice even “it’s an honour to meet you.”
“Just Lewis” he responded with a welcoming smile on his face.
Charlie was struck by how down to earth he was. Toto took in this interaction, taking a mental note to ask Lewis to show Charlie around later. The three struck up a conversation, mainly talking about work but the occasional question arose about Charlie. Where she grew up, if she worked, how she got into karting. They spoke about the next season and what Charlie’s job would involve. The atmosphere in the room had become less tense and much more comforting. Until the door flew open and a tall figure strode in. George scowled at Charlie, leaning against the table furthest away from her.
“George, this is-“
George cut off Toto before he could finish
“I know”
“You’ve met?”
George’s only response was another scowl at Charlie, completely turning his back to her at this point. He had noticed how friendly Lewis was, it had taken him months for Lewis to be like that with him. Not that he was unfriendly, but he was more of a closed off person. What did Charlie have that he, George Russell, didn’t have?
After only a few moments, Toto suggested they head to the garage, unable to bear the tension for much longer. They had arranged for Charlie to take a test drive around the track in George’s car and George was not happy about it. He watched as Charlie clambered into the car and rolled out of the pit lane. He stood with Lewis and Toto and the three of them watched as the woman raced around the track, completing as many laps as she could in 10 minutes. She returned to the pit lane pulled off her helmet, hair flying around in the winter breeze.
George glanced up at the timer, noticing that she had beaten his last test drive times. First his shirt, then his car? No, he couldn’t think like that. She wasn’t going to take his seat.
Charlie grinned as she looked up at the time as well, grinning as she saw. Maybe that Formula One seat wasn’t so far away after all.