Keep to the Line

Chapter 5

There is a span of twenty minutes on the plane, when Charles is feeling the nausea roll through him with increasing intensity, where he thinks about quitting. He runs a finger along the edge of his phone, swallows down bile, and strongly considers texting GP his resignation. It, of course, would not send until he was firmly back on the ground in France, but he considers it, nonetheless. Better to cut ties now before Red Bull cuts him loose of their own accord in Jeddah.

Then the twenty minutes passes, the nausea wins out, and Charles is rushing down the aisle to vomit in a cramped airplane bathroom with sweat breaking out on his brow and his palms going clammy. He wonders if Arthur is feeling the same way, knows Lorenzo is probably judging both of them. He supposes it’s better that his hangover didn’t settle in until after the debrief. It would have been worse if he’d gone to speak during the meeting and hurled all over GP’s shoes.

The liquor burns coming back up, more stomach acid than anything, and the handful of peanuts he’d grabbed from the club at last call.

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