The Red, The Silver, and The Girl Who Liked Both

The Beginning

"Verstappen."

The man in question turns quickly, an agitated expression monopolizing his face. When he sees who it is, though, it quickly turns into a smile.

"Horner!" Max exclaims, running over and picking me up into a tight hug.

"Good to see you too," I laugh and squeeze him just as tight in return. When he sets me down, finally, he holds me at arm's length to get a good look.

"I didn't know you were coming," the Dutchman says in slight exasperation.

I smile and shake my head, "Nor did I, not until..." I pause, it's not something I need to announce yet, "Well that's another story."

Max pulls a face, and I can nearly hear the gears churning in his head. Suddenly a sadly sickening familiar British voice calls my name.

"Victoria? You there?" The voice says, and the man to who it belongs turns the corner of the Red Bull Pit.

I turn as the man approaches, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Max hold an unreadable expression.

"Lewis, hi," I say, sort of awkwardly. Perhaps this came a bit sooner than I planned.

Lewis Hamilton pulls me in for a hug, nearly yanking me out of Max's hands and pressing a kiss to my cheek. I understand the behavior, despite the 3 of us being the best of friends, the 2021 season has been tense for Red Bull and Mercedes. Lewis and Max are fighting for the Championship, and with only two races left I can understand the faces and the actions of the Dutchman and the Briton.

"Hi hun," I greet again as quickly and quietly as possible, returning the kiss with a quick peck on Lewis' cheek.

Lewis releases me from the hug but keeps his hand firmly planted on my waist as I turn back to Max. He's keeping his cool very well, as he always does. But I can tell he's not doing well, and without my needing to announce the (by now, old) news I figure he's already working it out.

"So you guys are...." Max begins but can't seem to finish the sentence.

"Dating, yeah," I offer. My voice sounds weak and timid, which it rarely does.

"When?" Max asks and while he's not showing it, he's a bit hurt.

"Cota, the States, Texas," I ramble. He knows it was the US, he knows it was Texas. I'm making a complete fool of myself. I know he remembers, and I know why.

The race in Texas was just beginning to be underway. From second on the grid, Lewis had a remarkably good start off the line. Despite Max squeezing him as far as possible down the inside to the run-up to Turn 1, the Briton gained P1 from the Dutchman to lead going into the esses. Checo, who was starting third, followed but began to lose hundredths, then tenths, to the leaders.

Red Bull championship hopeful; Max opened the pit window on Lap 11, pitting from medium tires to hards, while Lewis followed in on Lap 14 only to emerge second behind and under-cutting the Red Bull driver. But there was another pit stop to come under the scorching Texas sun. I pulled my sun hat further down my head despite sitting in the shaded Red Bull Pits.

The second set of stops came when Max came in on Lap 29 for another set of hards, Checo was following – while Lewis once again stayed out longer, holding a fragile 16-second lead over Max. "We are racing for the win," he was told by Team Principal Toto Wolff. My heart was racing just as fast as the cars when I heard.

"Leave me to it, bro!" came Lewis' response. With an 11.5s lead, he pitted on Lap 37, stopped on his marks, and was back out in second on new hard tires – 8.8s behind Max this time, for a chase to the checkered flag.

"It's all about the last three laps," Lewis was told. I had only heard it after the fact despite Red Bull's continued upkeep on the Mercedes' team radio. And indeed, it was, as the gap to Max didn't start tumbling until Lap 41 of 56 when the leader encountered backmarkers. With five laps remaining, just 1.7s split the front two, and Lewis had DRS on Max on the very last lap. But the Dutchman found just enough pace on his worn, hard compounds, and took victory – by 1.3s – with what team boss Christian Horner called a "classy" display. Checo took the final podium spot, at least he got some limelight as well and a few more points for Red Bull.

After the ceremony and all the other hubbub that came after anyone won, Max found me trying to cool off in the Red Bull Paddock. He kissed me, hard and forcefully, and I kissed him back. I considered, for only a second, canceling my plans with Lewis. No one was there, and I swear time stopped. When Max finally pulled back, he seemed more sweaty than before. I think if he had lost, he wouldn't have kissed me.

In the end, I didn't go with Max, despite him begging me with his wonderful accent to come back to the hotel. There were no motorhomes for America, so Max's cramped hotel room would have been the only option. 'I had some American friends I needed to visit', was my lame excuse and he didn't seem to think anything of it. I had friends from all over and it wasn't out of the question. I only wished now that I had stayed with my first best friend and gone drinking.

Max's eyes seemed to be glazed over, and I vaguely remember Lewis clearing his throat and turning me back to him.

"I'll see you in the Pits, yeah?" He asked me and all I could do was nod. Lewis kissed me again and left me with Max following a raise of his hand in acknowledgment of Max.

"Please tell me you're not mad," I ask when Max finally comes back from whatever distant memory land he just came from.

"Mad? How could I be mad at you," Max replies, "I just wish you'd told me before the penultimate race is all."

"I meant to, I swear, but it never seemed to be the right timing," I say quickly, and have to force myself to take several deep breaths before I could continue, "I guess this is what I get for waiting so long."

Then Max pulls me into a bone-crushing hug that was much too close and much too hot for the Saudi Arabian weather. I gingerly hug him back, my arms tingling slightly from the force of the hug. Max is good-natured, I knew he'd understand, but it was still a gamble. I know how he gets on the track. I've heard it through the radio plenty of times before.

Max releases me again but starts to laugh. I smile and laugh along awkwardly, "What's so funny?"

"Why does he call you 'Victoria'?" Max continued to chuckle, "It's Vickie, doesn't he know?"

"Yes, Max he knows," I sigh nearly dramatically. Lewis says it's "proper" rather than my primary school days nickname. Of course. I'm not sure Max would understand that, but you never know with that man.

"Max, I don't know. It's just Lewis, you know Lewis and how he is and all his, well, British-ness," I sigh again and sit in a chair reserved for a Red Bull Engineer.

"But you're British too, isn't that a bit rude?" Max snickers and I give him a tortured expression. Dating my best friend, and still being best friends with my other best friend, who just so happens to be fighting for a World Championship with the first best friend and now boyfriend is extremely tiring.

I choose not to respond and drop my head in my hands. I feel Max touch my back, it's small at first and if I wasn't straining every other sense I might not have felt it. But he presses on and begins to rub my back, knowing my comfort spots. What are best friends for right?

Suddenly one of the techs calls for Max, but as I'm lost in thought I don't catch what they said. Max huffs and seems to double-check his watch. This catches my attention and I try to check the time on the clock outside on the track but I can't see it. Glancing at my watch I notice it's about time for Qualifying. Max looks at me helplessly, and I'm out of words. I stand up and hug him, before turning and walking away. Suddenly Red Bull Engineers are flooding the Pits.

"Lewis would want you there," Max calls and I try to stop to look at him. People are getting in the way. "I knew you were going to watch."

I'm being pushed out, the Red Bull Pit Crew is flooding in and I can barely hear Max call my name and something inaudible.