In the Spotlight (Max Verstappen - Book Two)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Sure we were similar, it's what attracted me to him. The innate understanding we had for each other gave me peace when I was near him. A small flame in the pit of my stomach, pulling me to him, no matter what, like gravity and our proximity in the team making it even harder to resist.

But I had the feeling that similarity was exactly what would burn us both alive if we got too close and every time I tried to ignore those perceptions I came up empty and he gave me another reason to fall back into that belief.

This was week three.

Week fucking three.

And here I was. Crying in a club after taking the lead in the championship.

Falling for someone shouldn't be this difficult.

Every time...one step forwards and then two steps back. What else should we expect with two emotionally stunted ultra competitive and focused personalities.

I took in a sharp breath before wondering over to the toilets to fix my makeup before going out to celebrate the start of my season the way I deserved to. To hell with Max Verstappen. If he was going to be petty then at least I knew that now, no surprises down the line. I shook my head in the mirror, fixing my hair and the makeup that had come off while I had been dancing and crying before smiling at my reflection. I was still going to celebrate. I deserved to.

With that in mind I walked out the bathroom and into the club, immediately finding Nick at the bar who handed me another glass of water which I gratefully downed alongside a shot of vodka before pulling his arm back to the dance floor where even more people had congregated. I took photos and videos with everyone around as I didn't care who saw me, buzzed with my current title. Even if I only held it for a race, I was leading the championship!

I lost myself in the music, screaming when Talia's song came on and made sure to record myself and everyone else dancing to it - sending it to her so she could see it was being played in Australia. I danced with Pierre some more, as he seemed to have lost his pretty lady friend from earlier as well as with Lewis, Liv, Nick and just generally in groups with Mick, Charles and George with their girlfriends all there. I never wanted the night to end.

Out of nowhere, a familiar set of hands grabbed my waist as they pulled me backwards, so my back was pressed flush against their chest. "I'm sorry, you were right." He murmurs into my ear and I have an internal debate as to whether or not I pull away in that moment but before I make my decision he drops a kiss right under my ear. So brief I wouldn't have believed it happened if it weren't for the fiery tingle he had left behind. As he always did.

I'm stuck like that, not responding, not wanting to because I have nothing to say and so I feel him sway his hips in time with mine as he continues to hold me close and whisper into my ear. "I made a mistake, it shouldn't have kept me from celebrating this with you." I say nothing else but see his hand raise with a pinky in front of my face and after a moment of contemplation I link it with mine, suddenly being spun around to face Max's face, eyes dark. He looks at me with something I can only imagine being longing.

"I looked for you when I was on the podium," I say sadly but I don't think he can hear what I say because he pulls his hand away from my body, instead enveloping my smaller hand in his and pulling me behind him back into the VIP lounge area. We go straight to the bar and the bartender smirks when he sees me, immediately making me a vodka red bull causing me to thank him before Max asks for the same.

"What did you say?" He asks and I bite my lip as I look around, enjoying the slightly quieter area as I still feel the beat of the music giving me confidence.

"I looked for you when I was on the podium," I tell him as we leave the bar with our drinks, sitting down on one of the velvet sofas where I had seen Mick and Charles before. Max sits down directly next to me, letting his leg fall so that it rested against mine, distracting me from the issue at hand.