ʀᴇᴅ sᴛʀɪɴɢ ᴏғ ғᴀᴛᴇ; ᴍᴀx ᴠᴇʀsᴛᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ

4.

I'm so happy about this story getting a relatively good response. Ty so much>
—

"This is all so elaborate." Grace whines from the passenger seat of the Dutch's rental car.
"I should be the one complaining. I will have to go back home in a passenger plane now."
Max speaks , cursing at the gearshift of the manual car.
"It was your idea. How did you even come up with it?"

Max had called Grace in the middle of the night, frantically telling her all about a mythologist who can help them - Adrien Burrow. Although Grace was a bit skeptical at first since the driver had just showed signs of believing in magic a few hours prior to this phone call, she still agreed to go meet him. Mostly for her sake and also because it was just an hour's drive out of Heathrow.

"I was just searching random things and suddenly found this page which had all this information about myths and stuff and right there , at the very bottom of the page was his phone number." He chirps making Grace scoff.
"You're awfully confident about this working." She says crossing her arms over her chest.
"I just want answers. The sooner I get them, the sooner I get rid of this curse and be back on track for the championship."

Grace heard the determination in his voice. If anything , she felt empty. She couldn't even imagine showing this level of effort to probe into her nightmares- or dreams.
Max had a reason to chase the meanings, she didn't. For her regardless of if they figure it out or not, the dreams will stop when her heart gives up on her.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" The man, who Grace assumed to be Adrien burrow, had a slime face with a tall structure.
His naturally greying hair stuck out of his head , blocking the view from his round golden spectacles.

"Max Emillian Verstappen." Adrien gapes extending his hand out for the blonde.
"... Grace Anderson." He turns towards the olive toned woman, making her eyes go wide.
It's one thing to know a famous driver but an entirely different thing to know practically a nobody-
"Max told me you'd be coming along."
Her mouth falls into an "o" shape.
She bottles her thoughts about mixing up a mythologist and psychic.

"I've studied a bit- done my homework if you will." He beams , grabbing a notebook.
The shelves in his mostly wooden office are arranged height wise with a plethora of labels. Although the vibe screams modern day minimalism, he might've taken a tad too far with the obvious lack of chairs- or any sitting space.

"It's interesting..." he says taking a seat on the hard wooden floor signalling the 24 year olds to follow his action.
"From what Max told me , you guys don't know eachother?" He asks making both of them shake their heads.
"Well Grace you'd obviously know Max- he's a champion." Her eyes zeroed in on him before she muttered a small "yes".
She turns to Max , eyeing him to make sure he hadn't hired a random fan to gaslight Grace into thinking she was indeed doing magic. He assures her with his blueish eyes that it wasn't the case at all.

"If this is what I think it is, then you both might not believe me." He jumps up , shuffling and abandoning books.
Finally grabbing one with a light green cover , covered in dust and noticeable spider webs.

"There's this Chinese myth. The red string of fate." The man with a figure that made him look like he'd fade looks up at them.
"The string in question doesn't have to be a literal string." He explains , keeping his book aside.
"It's believed by many that two people that have been destined to be together always find their way to eachother. Regardless of time, age , gender and lifetimes."
Graces face churns up into a disgusted expression as Max struggles to grasp of what he's saying.
"It follows that two people who were together in their first lives will - should- always be together in all their lives after that." Max audibly gasps but internalises it last minute, staring back at Grace.
"I don't even know her." He says focusing his attention back on the matter at hand rather than Graces hazel eyes.
"And that's exactly what the universe is angry about." Grace lets out a laugh, immediately quieting down as Max glares at her.
"You see ,when you challenge the laws of the universe it will do everything in its capability; which is alot, to make you comply." Adrien speaks slowly, focusing on Grace whose stifling a laugh.
"So according to this myth, me and him are supposed to be together?"
"Maybe. I'm just a mythologist. Maybe the universe just wants you to acknowledge each others presence-"
"Well then we've done that haven't we? I know her , she knows me?" Max speaks , running a hand through his hair.
Adrien laughs , smoothing down his own hair.
"It's not that simple. The universe feels like you are not going to be aware of eachother , spiritually- in this lifetime. You must convince it otherwise."
"And exactly how am I supposed to explain to a spinning mass of water ,air fire ,and earth that I indeed know who Max verstappen is?" Grace was losing her patience. It took a lot to make her feel this way and Adrien Burrow was pressing all the right buttons.
He notices the frustration in her voice and cocks an eyebrow at her.
"The universe, according to this myth and my expertise , only shows such strong signs when it feels threatened.." his eyes settle on her increasingly sweating figure.
Her watch beeps loudly causing Adriens eyes to fall on her wrist.
"Maybe it feels sure that you both are never going to know each other because one of you is dying - is that a heart monitor, Grace?"

Max turns to her. Her eyes are clouded with tears , a few of them falling on her shirt.
"What do we have to do?" She asks wiping the back of her hand on her cheek, collecting foundation and runny mascara.

Adriens eyes focus back on Max whose still watching Grace with interest.
"It's requires some effort. You both must visit Budhist temples of 5 different countries and try to connect with your past selves."
Grace didn't scoff anymore neither did she react to the absurd statement.
Her head hung low as she fiddled with her hands.
"And if we don't?" Max asks finally tearing his eyes away from her.
"Then you'll keep having these dreams and hallucinations. This curse will be passed onto your next life."

The ride back to Grace's house is silent. The radio plays mellow music that none of them are focusing on.
The Dutch taps his fingers anxiously on the steering wheel, occasionally glancing over.
The English refuses to look up, too busy ingesting the fact that she had cried for the first time.

When Adrien acknowledged her pacing death , it had hit her. She was really dying- her parents knew , her doctor knew , Adrien knew , even the universe knew!.

And ofcourse, now Max knew. Between all the information that had been thrown at him and the added surprise fact about her dying , Grace couldn't even imagine what was going on his mind.

"So-"
"You're dying?"
"Yes. I have this heart disease. It doesn't beat properly." She explains as her breath quivers.
"I'm sorry. How long before ..."
"Nobody knows. I could die right now- frame you for murder." He shifts uncomfortably in his seat making Grace smile.
Atleast it was a fun conversation ender.

"I think you should spend your life doing what you want and have fun. Ignore the whole dream thing." He says trying to be casual.
"What about you? For you it's not just dreams."
Max bites the bottom of his lip as the traffic light turns red and they are forced to look at each other.
"I'll be fine. I'll manage something."
"You heard Adrien, he seemed pretty sure. I would hate to be the reason for the end of your career." Her words make him suck in a breath.
"I can do what he said. I'm just not sure if I'll be able to complete it." She continues.
"No way! I can't have you dying- I mean you shouldn't have to do this."

Grace nods promptly. He wasn't wrong. She herself wasn't sure how much time she had and to waste that time with a man she barely knew rather than being with her family - her parents- and friends - Justice from the flower shop- didn't seem right.

Hence why when Max's rented Toyota halted infront of Grace's house , he smiled at her; for the first and last time. It wasn't a pitiful smile rather a genuine smile from a well wisher.
"Take care , Grace." He patted her shoulder.
Grace spotted the tears brewing in the corner of his eyes but he quickly blinked them away.
"Have a safe flight in the normal passenger plane." She smiled at him and he returned the gesture showing a full set of white teeth.

And when the black Yaris drove away, Grace blamed the gas emitting from its rusty exhaust for the tears flowing down her cheeks.
—
I cried writing this -
Not because of my shitty writing it was the song I chose to write this to - "deva deva"-
My writing isn't strong strong enuf to make me cry but the visuals in my head are 🫢