Place: Monaco Circuit – Afternoon, after practice

The sun was already beginning to fall, dyeing the sky in a soft orange tone. The noise of the engines had stopped, and everything was in an unusual calm for a place like that. I was sitting on one of the walls that surrounded the track, with my legs hanging, looking at the empty circuit.

Charles approached with his pilot's suit half unbuttoned, the helmet in his hand, his hair disheveled and that smile that he knew better than mine.

"Do you always come to wait for me after practice or is today special?" he joked, leaning next to me.

I smiled, turning my face a little to look at him.

"I didn't want to leave without seeing you." Also... this place is quieter when there are no screams or exploding engines. I like it that way.

He put the helmet aside and sat with me, shoulder to shoulder, like when we were children at the private middle chool recess.