SILENT (MV x CL)

23. PARTY

"Who was that?" Max asked as Charles hung up putting his phone back into his pocket.

"Joris, we need to go back." Charles answered as he stood up. Max groaned and turned on his back again.

"I don't wanna go." He whined while pulling Charles hand in order to get him into the sand again. Charles pulled Max the other way trying to make him stand up.

"Come on Max." He said sternly. "No." Max answered, still pulling his arm. "Just come." Charles said again. Max seemed to think for a little bit, frowning his eyebrows. Then he looked up to Charles who was still holding his hand.

"Only if I can stay over tonight." He said pulling his nose up, attempting to make puppy eyes at Charles. Charles laughed, he knew Max was going to end up in his bed anyway so this seemed like a good deal. However he played along with the game. He pretended to think for a moment. Then he spoke.

"Uhm," he started to make clear he was thinking about it, "Okay you can stay with me, now come on." He decided to say.

Max jumped up in happiness. He placed a kiss on Charles' nose. They made their way back to the party, walking hand in hand.

When they got too close they both realized they needed to let go of each other, both holding on to the last possible meter. Max sighed as he let go of Charles' hand right before the fire exit. Charles pulled open the door, loud music met their ears.

They walked in together, Max was still trying to keep the contact with Charles. Charles was walking in front of him, making a way through the partying crowd. Max hand was loosely placed on Charles' hips as they walked back to the upper area.

Walking up the wooden stairs they were met with Charles' friends again.

"Guys, this is Max, he will join us the rest of the night." Charles yelled over the loud music.

"Charles we know who Max is." Guizou said, the disbelief hearable in his voice. He was wondering why Max was here, and above all partying with them. The world champion must have friends of his own right?

The same look was on all of their faces except Joris', his smile was overtaking all the stares. All of them exchanged the same looks but Charles didn't even notice them. He leaned to Joris.

"Thank you" he only said and added a very meaningful smile as he leaned back.

"Thank Alex!" Joris yelled back in Charles ear, whose face turned a bit confused.

Max was uncomfortable, his hand still loosely hanging on Charles back, accepting the weird looks of Charles friends. Then he caught up on Charles' en Joris' conversation. "Thank Alex!".

Oh my god, I didn't even think of this. How is Charles here? Alex? Okay worries for tomorrow.

He thought as he saw Charles' friends look at him again.

I need to introduce myself.

But before he could do so, Charles turned to him, placed his arm over his shoulder. The other hand was pointing to the guys.

"Nico, Guizou, Riccardo, and you already know Joris." By saying that all the attention turned to Joris again. It stayed quiet for a second apart from the music heard in the background.

Guizou looked at Joris then at Max, whom was looking down to his feet feeling massively out of place, then he turned his view to Charles. Charles' arm was still hanging around Max's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but what the fuck is going on?" Guizou said out loud as everyone thought it. Charles shot a look at Max some sort of asking for permission, but Max was still looking down at his shoes so Charles couldn't get any eye contact with him. He looked at Joris. His eyes said -It's okay just say it-. Then he looked at his friends again.

He lowered his arm, not touching Max again.

"Well, Max and I are friends and we are at a party together, so why not spend the time with him for a bit." He tried to say as careless as possible, ignoring the fact that they had just had a very heated make out session.

Max looked up now at Charles. He knew it was better that he said that but he couldn't deny that it stung. The way Charles had so casually said that they were nothing touched a spot in his heart, even though Max knew he didn't mean it.

Charles looked at Max and send him a sympathetic smile. Joris looked at the two, he hadn't expected his friend to lie to their friends, he hadn't expected Max to be okay with it and most of all he hadn't expected his friends to believe this lie.

"I'm sorry Max, I just thought Charles and you hated each other." Guizou couldn't help but blurt out. Max and Charles exchanged a look and bursted out in laughter.

"Oh believe me, we did." Max said in between laughter. He put his hand in Charles hair and ruffled it, making it even messier then it was before. Charles laughed along, trying to fix his hair.

"Let's dance!" Charles yelled as he leaded his friends and Max to the dance floor. While Charles and his friends were throwing out some great dance moves to the beat of 'Feel This Moment'. Max was just standing a bit moving a bit awkwardly around, mostly looking at Charles.

That's how the night turned into a very early morning. A group of guys, two of them secretly exchanging looks every now and then, drinking, dancing, singing, yelling and just feeling the moment.

Then the music changed, a very recognizable sound. But before the song really started the dj spoke.

"I know we have a couple of Dutchies in the house, this one is for you." He yelled through the microphone, making a few people in the crowd scream out loud, must be dutch. Max started laughing at the song. Before he knew, he was sitting on the shoulders of Guizou and Joris.

He couldn't help but sing along.

"We zijn er weer bij en dat is priiiimaa, VIVA HOLLANDIA!" (we're back again and that is great, viva hollandia.) Max screamed at the top of his longue, a few people around the crowd singing along too, he recognized a girl among them, she looked up at him. They had talked earlier tonight, he had touched her behind. Max looked down at Charles, as the two man slowly let him back down.

He stepped closer to the Ferarri driver. His eyes traveling over his face from Charles' eyes to his lips and back. Charles was doing the same, not really realizing the people around them.

Max hand was now again loosely covering the waistband of his shorts.

"I really want to kiss you." Max whispered in Charles' ear, making Charles turn a light shade of red. The corners of his mouth turned upward a bit.

"I want to kiss you." He answered Max also in a whisper. He could feel Max's hand making its way to his lower back, softly pulling him a bit closer.

"We can't mon lion, not here." Charles said as his eyes shot around again. Max sighed and leaned his forehead on Charles' shoulder. Charles took a step back making the contact between them disappear.

"We can go, no?" Charles said a bit out of breath by intensity of his longing of Max's lips against his. Max shot a look over his shoulder.

"Your friends?" Was all he said, making up scenarios in his head about him and Charles. Charles looked at them. He let out a breath and walked to Joris.

"I'm going back, with Max" he whispered so the others wouldn't hear it then he paused and looked his friend in the eyes. "Thank you." He said again both of them knowing how much it had meant what Joris and Alex had done for the two young drivers. Joris gave as well as him and Max a small smile, "Be safe." He added teasing Charles a bit whom turned pink again. Then he turned around and followed Max towards the exit.

"Taxi?" Charles asked as they were standing outside. "We can walk the first part." Max answered looking in Charles' eyes. His voice was shaking a bit, as he had gotten more nervous since the second they stepped outside. The two of them alone, what on earth would happen?

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Sorry for the unbelievably late update, I hope you are all still here to enjoy this chapter.

My thoughts go to all people in Ukraine and surroundings, I hope everyone is staying safe!

I will try to update the next chapter asap.

Xxx Noor