Shadows Between Us - Max Verstappen

zero - the beginning

The day began like any other. Amelia, eldest daughter of the sovereign prince of Monaco Albert III, woke up with a pounding headache and a boy, whose name she struggled to remember, beside her. With a groan, she looked at her phone to check the time and mumbled a curse when she realized she was going to be late. She had been invited to the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix to deliver the trophy to the winner, as a representative of her family.

It wasn't something she wanted to do on a Sunday, her father had made her do it. They specifically requested her, and her father hated when she refused her duties.

She spent the next 10 minutes trying to wake up the stranger in her bed and kicking him out of her apartment. After taking a pill for her headache, she took a very quick shower, got ready and went down stairs where a car awaited her. Except she wasn't alone in the car.

"You look terrible." Her father said as Amelia sat next to him in the back seat.

"Always a pleasure to talk to you, dear father." She said, putting on a pair of sunglasses, so that her headache would stop.

"You know this is a very important event. Not only for the country, but for the family. It's part of the tradition that a member of the royal family delivers the trophy and I'm not going to let you ruin this."

"I know." Was all she said and the car was silent for the rest of the ride. Once they got there, Amelia realized the rest of her family was following in a car behind them and they had to take pictures all together. As she was trying her best to not look hangover, the only thing Amelia could think was how fake this was. Her family was not how the papers portrait them to be. The only people she cared about was her siblings who had no idea their parents thought she was a big disappointment.

Still, she smiled at the cameras and let her father put an arm around her. She talked to the people she had to talk to, saying how exited she was to be there, even though her head felt like it was going to explode and her back was sweating from the heat. It was when she saw the only familiar face that she felt like she could breath.

"Hello there." Charles Leclerc said as he gave Amelia a kiss on each cheek. "You look amazing." He said with a sarcastic tone.

"Don't. I'm feel like I'm dying. I have never made such an effort to be standing." She said, making the boy laugh.

Amelia had met Charles a few years back at a club. They eventually got so drunk they ended up having sex in the back of her car. But that was all it was, a meaningless drunk night. Now they're just really good friends.

"You're delivering the trophy, right?" Charles asked.

"Yes, so you better win." Amelia said, smiling. She wasn't stupid, Charles was easily the most attractive person she has ever met, but after that night, they both realized they didn't want a relationship with each other, and now she feels like Charles is more her family then her own family.

"I'll do my best." He said, returning the smile. He looked behind him as someone from his team called him over. "I have to go, good luck staying in a room with your family for two hours."

"Good luck with the race." She said waving at him and took a big breath. She was not emotionally ready for the two hours with her family.

Amelia made her way to her family and together, they went to the balconies above the garages. Despite everything, Amelia liked Formula 1. She didn't keep up with every race, but it wasn't a sport she hated.

The race was long and Amelia's headache stayed the same. The tension in the room was palpable as they all pretended they were a happy family. When the race finally ended, unfortunately, it wasn't Charles who Amelia was going to hand the trophy. It was the Verstappen guy, from Red Bull. She knew him only by the things she read online, how he was basically a dick to everyone. It didn't really matter to Amelia because she only had to give him the trophy, take a photo and leave.

She was waiting on the side of the podium as they announced the names. First they called Charles, who got third place. Then it was Lewis Hamilton, and finally the winner. She waited as they played the anthems, she waited for the other trophies to be given and then it was her time. She walked to Verstappen and smiled as she gave him the trophy. He gave the same forced smile as her, and they positioned themselves for the picture.

However something went wrong with the timing. For some reason, the other drivers that were on the podium started spraying the champagne and Amelia tried to dodge as she was also being sprayed.

Instantly, Verstappen put himself between the champagne and Amelia and then she felt like she was in a movie. Suddenly they were alone and all the noise was gone. He was definitely getting sprayed with the champagne, but he didn't seem to care. Amelia couldn't stop looking at his beautiful eyes, a hint of a smile dancing on his lips. She looked a little too long at his lips and she heard him laugh.

"You can let go of the trophy now, princess." He said, looking at his trophy that was still on Amelia's hands. She hadn't realized she was still holding it, so she passed it to him and they finally took the picture.

As Amelia walked off the podium, she took one last look at the boy, who was still looking at her, something in those eyes she couldn't quite understand.

And there she promised herself that she wouldn't try to understand him. Him on the other hand, promised himself he would to anything to know the princess better.

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Hey everyone! Little disclaimer: I know absolutely nothing about the royal family of Monaco. I only searched their names (of course Amelia doesn't exist), I have no idea what role they have in Monaco, so everything you read in this story is fiction :)

Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think
Xoxo