Brute

17. Kalki

"And then he had the audacity to laugh!" Kalki exclaimed.

She could hear May and Razia laugh over the phone, Kalki was headed home after a long weekend by the track. She couldn't wait to go out with her friends and tell them everything that had happened, but to get back, she had to fly with Max first.

Kalki didn't like how he treated her moment of genuine concern like it didn't matter, she was worried for his life and all he could do was make fun of her for caring. While it meant that Max was fine, it was also a horrible reminder that he was never going to be civil towards her.

"Come home already! We haven't gone out to celebrate your break up with that loser." May laughed.

"You didn't like him at all, didn't you?"

"Didn't like? Understatement. We hated him!" Razia added, "he wouldn't let you spend your weekends with us just because he didn't have anyone, make friends!"

"Oh my gosh he had like, the reddest red flags how did I-"

"Who has red flags?" A familiar voice asked her.

"I'll call you guys later bye!" Kalki ended the call.

She turned around to face Max, who looked a little tired but fine otherwise. She asked him if he was ready to head to the airport, he nodded and they walked to the car. Kalki insisted on driving to the airport, Max was reluctant about handing her the keys but he agreed.

"So, what are your plans for the week ahead?" Max broke the silence.

"Getting laundry done, spend time with my family, meet my friends and then go meet my other client. What about you?" She asked glimpsing away from the road ahead for a second.

"Same stuff, add in a couple of visits to the doctor. I'm completely fine though."

"The doctors will decide that not you." She shook her head.

They arrived to the airport, a couple of fans approached him for selfies and autographs and everyone was sure to let him know they were really happy to see him in good health. He thanked them and walked with Kalki to the terminal of the airport, they waited in the lounge while the ground staff ran final checks on the flight.

"What are you going to do in Antwerp? I have a genuine question." Kalki asked him.

"I'm actually going to Hasselt, I'm sure you know why." He beamed.

"No way! It's that time of the year already?" She asked in surprise.

"Yes! It's time for the regional karting competitions. If I'm not busy I like to go see the new talent drive around, reminds me of where I started..."

"And how far you've come." She smiled, "I hope you're proud of yourself."

"I try not to be. Pride makes people out of touch with their reality." He said.

"Pride isn't the vice people make of it." She shot back.

A steward let them know the aircraft was ready, they thanked him and followed him to the Tarmac. The interiors were beyond luxurious, it was Kalki's first time flying on a private jet and she certainly didn't want Max to know that, he would find a way to tease her about it.

They buckled in and were mid air, once again the entire cabin had gone silent. Neither of them were sleepy, Kalki realised she found herself wanting to talk to him, more about what life had been like for him. But he looked engrossed in whatever he was up to on his phone, she didn't want to disturb him and decided to take this time to nap.

A few minutes later she woke up to Max sitting on the seat opposite to hers, waiting for her to wake up. "Hey, did you sleep well?" He asked.

"Kind of." She rubbed her eyes.

"I had some questions, can I ask?"

"Sure." She yawned.

"What other clients has Raymond given you? You mentioned something about meeting one."

"I made it sound way more fancier than it is." Kalki admitted. "Basically, I told him that I wanted to work with someone who was still at the start of their career, so that I could fully understand what decisions are made in the career of a motorsport athlete."

"Are you implying I'm at the end of my career?" He narrowed his eyes.

"No! But are you fifteen and trying to secure sponsorships for Formula 4?" Kalki said sarcastically.

"No." He rolled his eyes.

"Well, that's my only other client. Kai, she's from Salzburg, her sister lives in Antwerp, we've arranged to meet so we can discuss things."

"Will she competing in Hasselt?" He asked.

"Probably? I haven't asked her about that, maybe I should."

"If she is, I think it would be cool to see her on track."

"It would!"

"And we could relive our wonderful childhood memories." He laughed.

We? Kalki looked at him in confusion. Was this a weird way to invite her to come watch races in Hasselt with him? He definitely had to be more direct if that's what he wanted. Unless he couldn't swallow his pride and actually ask her, she was going to behave like she didn't have the slightest clue about what he was saying.

"Yeah cool." She shrugged him off, pulling her phone out to send Kai a text. Kalki liked her, she was confident, calm and sure of herself. All of these were qualities she knew would help Kai get very far ahead in her life.

In a few minutes, Kalki had her answer, Kai was going to be at Hasselt too. Still uncertain about if Max meant what he said, she just told her that she would be there to watch her.

"So what did your client say?" Max asked.

"She's actually on the last leg of her journey, she's in Cologne right now." She said.

"Cologne huh?" Max looked at her thoughtfully.

"Yeah." Kalki looked at him funny, "you've been acting weirder than you normally do is everything alright?"

"Why would I tell you if something's wrong?" He snapped.

Kalki let out a sigh and sunk back into her seat defeated, Max was difficult. There was no easy way to get around this- he was a difficult person and made it impossible to be nice.

She couldn't wait to get off of this flight, she needed a break from his smug face and constantly annoyed nature. A week to recharge before this would become her new normal sounded great, it was what she needed.

After some shut eye, they had finally arrived to Antwerp, Kalki was sure to thank all the air hostesses and both the pilots before leaving the airport. She walked to the taxi bay, dragging her luggage, feeling extremely sleepy.

A part of her hoped Max would offer her a ride, as an apology for snapping at her. Kalki laughed at herself for thinking like that, he did what he wanted and he never cared for how it affected an other person.

Kalki managed to reach home, send her dad a message she was back, tired and going to bed instantly. She didn't have the energy to unpack, brushing her teeth and changing clothes would have to do for tonight.