letters [max verstappen]

16

2 more rounds of Eurocup flew by, and I was feeling great. A P2 and P3 after my maiden victory had me flying up the standings, and I had the rookie championship pretty much in the bag. I was feeling confident in the car as well, and after Red Bull confirmed I'd be moving up to a new series next season, I was feeling great about my career.

Max and I weren't doing as well. The overseas period of the F1 season had begun, and it had been decided that I wouldn't travel to races with Toro Rosso, only for GP3 which meant Max and I were apart much more than I'd like. There were no issues between us, but being separated by such vast distances definitely wasn't beneficial to our relationship.

We had known for a while we weren't going to be able to be together for Max's birthday, but I had something special planned. With Carlos and the team's help, I planned to fly out to Japan in time to surprise Max at his party a few nights after the Japanese GP.

My plane landed in Osaka, and Giada was waiting at the baggage claim to pick me up. When I saw her I ran into her arms.

"It's been too long, Gi." I mumbled into her shoulder.

"You softie, it's only been a month!" She teased.

"Does Max know?" I asked as we walked out towards the parking garage.

"He doesn't expect a thing." She hummed. "Earlier he was trying to figure out the timezones so he knew when to call you."

"He's too sweet." I blushed. "I'll call him when we get to the hotel so he doesn't get suspicious."

——

That's exactly what I did. When we got to the hotel we went to Gianna's room where we would get ready for the party in a few hours. I dropped my luggage by the door, knowing I'd likely be spending the night in Max's room, and found an indistinct to use as a background to call Max.

He picked up on the second ring. "Hey, schat! I was just about to call you."

"It's your birthday, I should be calling you!" I exclaimed. "Happy 18th birthday, Maxi."

"Thanks, Becks. It's not the same without you here." He managed a small smile, but there was a disappointed look in his eyes. My heart was telling me to spoil the whole surprise right there, but my brain stopped my lips from letting the secret go.

"We'll see each other soon." I promised instead.

"Yeah, I have to keep reminding myself that there's GP3 in Sochi! I'm counting down the days." He beamed.

"God, it feels like it's been so long since I've been in an F1 paddock." I sighed.

"What's the last one you were at?" He frowned, trying to think. "...Belgium?"

"I think that's right." I hummed.

"Wow. It has been a long time." He whistled.

I chuckled. "Yeah, which means it's been a long time since I've seen you." After surprising me after the Italian GP, Max stayed with me in MK for a few days but had to be back in Italy for some simulator work with Toro Rosso before the overseas portion of the season started.

"I miss you. A lot." He stated. The conversation was going in that direction, but it was a bit out of nowhere. "It's just not the same without you here by my side. You're my rock, you keep me grounded and focused. Without you- I'm a mess." He lamented.

I was speechless. "Max, I-"

"You don't have to say anything. I know it's kind of a weird thing to say to someone." I could see his cheeks turning red on the other side of the screen.