The Randomness of Chance (Max Verstappen)

THE ODDS OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

The mild winter breeze that could be felt in Monaco was the perfect welcome to Amelia. She was definitely not a summer person, favoring the autumn and winter seasons.

She had been out of luck for a big part of her life, though. Being born in northern Portugal, far away from the coast line, she had faced the extreme weather changes. Her grandmother used to say that God had forgotten to split the seasons in the north; nine months of winter and three of hell, she said, with the summer being hellish enough for Amelia to want to drown in the winter bite forever.

The move to Australia had worsened her dislike for the hot weather. Her parents, being outdoors people, had fallen in love with the Perth sunny climate. Amelia, however, ran away to rainy England on the first opportunity.

She inhaled the cool air happily and took a seat on a nearby bench. She had texted Max, informing him of her arrival. Amelia had took the plane from Australia to Nice, the nearest airport, and from there had caught the bus to Monte Carlo.

Max offered his family jet repeatedly and she refused every single time. It would be a waste of resources, all for the sake of transporting one person. The plane and the bus trip were perfectly acceptable to Amelia.

She frowned as she thought about his stubbornness; his way or highway, it seemed to be his style. He was up for a lot of head-butting, then. There was no way she was going to allow him to meddle with her work or her methods. Her job implied trust.

The honk of a car caught her attention, but no more than the flashy Honda that was parking near her. It was over the top – she almost rolled her eyes at the bright orange color – but she conceded that this was Monaco and F1 driver Max Verstappen. She was almost sure she would see more outrageous things than this.

"Shall I expect Dominic Toretto to pay us a visit to reclaim his car?" – she asked with a grin as soon as he got out to help her with her bags.

He looked exquisite in the dark blue knit shirt, the dark color made his eyes look even more striking than she remembered. They were a clear blue today, looking even more alluring with the shine of his laughter; they made her long for summer days and she doesn't even like summer, god damn it!

"Amelia, do you understand anything about cars?" – Max was still trying to control his laughter.

"Nope. But this orange thing sure looks straight out of it." – she was hauling her baggage towards the back of her car, eyeing the trunk space dubiously.

"I'm even scared to know what type of car you drive." – he paused – "You drive, right?"

"I can drive, yes." – she rolled her eyes – "And I'll have you know I drive a very respectful Renault Clio." – at his gasp she added – "From 1998."

"Should have guessed. You're a Fernando fan, after all." – his tone was mocking.

"Oh hush it. It is purple gray and very easy to park." – she defended as she tried to fit her last bag in the car without success – "And I can actually fit something in its trunk, you know."

"Just take it on your lap. It's a short ride and we are running late." – Max was already getting in and so Amelia hurried, awkwardly shifting until she could sit comfortably while carrying her bag on her lap.

"Late for what?"

"I left Christian with my mother." – he said with a serious expression – "And she was adamant about meeting you."

Amelia was not surprised. It was pretty obvious Max had hired her without consulting his family's opinion; plus, she had been recommended by Daniel. She loved her friend dearly, but she could see that it was difficult for people to believe he had any sense of responsibility.

Naturally, Max's mother was feeling protective of her son and of her grandson and wanted to assess Amelia by herself.

Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't notice she had gone silent for a while; the continuous tapping of Max's fingers against the steering wheel brought her back.

"It's alright, Max." – she said in her best soothing tone, hoping to cease the nervous tick – "I'm used to protective Grandmas."

He gave her a tight smile, the tapping slowing slightly. Purely on instinct, Amelia reached for his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

He looked at her, his cheeks slightly tinted, and she gave him her brightest smile.

"It's alright."

--

Max's building had a gigantic underground parking space. He had parked his flashy Honda next to other equally flashy cars. Amelia was too busy trying to get out of the car with her suitcase to really notice the brands, but she was sure that a big fortune was enclosed in that space.

They reached his level, both of them in silence; Amelia catching his side-glances every now and then and following him out of the elevator.

"This is it." – he said when they reached a dark oak door. She nodded and motioned him to go ahead.

They were welcomed at the door by Sophie Kemp, holding a baby. Max had inherited very little from his mother. She had dark eyes and dark hair that contrasted with her son's lighter complexion. When she smiled at them, though, Amelia could tell that Max smiled exactly like Sophie.

Baby Christian, however, was the spitting image of his father. Amelia was melting at the sight of him and watching those blue eyes gazing at her with shy curiosity made her want to hold him immediately.

She took a few steps forward on instinct, before stopping herself. However, both Sophie and Christian had noticed, the latter squirming in his grandmother's hold and making grabbing hands at Amelia.

She looked at Sophie and Max – "May I?"

Sophie smiled before passing Christian to her extended arms – "Of course, darling."

The moment she held him, Christian immediately hid his face in her neck. Amelia felt emotional as she patted his little head lovingly.

"Hey Christian." – he looked up at her with those big blue eyes and she melted a little more – "I'm Amelia and I'll be your buddy from now on."

Max looked on in wonder as his son babbled at Amelia's words and she continued to respond, like an actual conversation. She was stroking Christian's cheek while he seemed utterly fascinated by her glasses.

"Look at them." – Sophie whispered, watching his grandson once again hide his face in the young woman's neck – "They were meant to be."

Max only nodded, not daring to share his thoughts. In his mind, never a woman had looked as lovely as Amelia holding his son tight in her arms.