Mai Chen had no knowledge or cared about motorsports in any way, simple. Her heart belonged to the piano, her hands moving to play the perfect melody to warm any heart. She had her difficulties but she never let it stop her.
She had no interest in l...
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Mai hadn't quite thought her plan through. In fact, her plan was undeniably foolish, but when had Mai ever been particularly well thought out anyway? Upon realising that Pierre had been right all along, she knew she had to find him.
However, she failed to consider that Pierre wouldn't be back in Italy for over two weeks due to his gruelling racing schedule. The idea of waiting around for two weeks was unbearable to Mai; she already felt foolish enough for convincing herself of something that wasn't true.
But perhaps flying to Austin, Texas wasn't the most logical way to handle things.
"Mai, hi!" echoed the cheerful voice of Robyn Saunders.
Robyn Saunders was the woman who had introduced Pierre to Mai, and she had kept in touch, offering friendship from Singapore. So, when Mai found herself in desperation and Yuki hadn't responded to her messages, she reached out to Robyn. Within an hour, Robyn had managed to find Yuki and arrange for Mai to get paddock passes and access to Alpha Tauri, something Mai found almost unbelievable. It seemed the Mercedes driver really was the new heart of the paddock.
"Hi," Mai replied timidly. "Sorry for the—"
"No worries, Mai!" Robyn interrupted lightly, her voice full of warmth. "I'm just glad you came to the rescue. Pierre has been moping around!"
"Moping?" Mai tilted her head, confused. "I'm sorry... English isn't my first language. What does that mean?"
"It means he's been a little sad," Robyn explained, still beaming. "He told me about his little confession, so of course, I was going to help you. And this is Mira!"
"Hi," Mira waved.
Mai turned to look at Mira. She was a stunning blonde woman with black-rimmed glasses, blue eyes, and a pair of blue McLaren Shadow headphones resting on her head. Along with her paddock pass lanyard, she wore a green sunflower lanyard, something Mai was very familiar with—it marked invisible disabilities. Mira noticed Mai's gaze and smiled softly.
"It's alright, you can ask. It's not taboo," Mira said, laughing gently. "I'm autistic... And who is this cutie?"
Mira was referring to the golden retriever standing patiently beside Mai, glancing up at her to make sure she was okay.
"This is Popcorn, my service dog," Mai answered kindly.
Mira waved at Popcorn, careful not to touch him since he was working.
"Mummy!" came an adorable voice from behind Mai.
Rounding the corner was Lando Norris, clad in his McLaren hoodie, holding a blonde toddler in his arms. He kissed Mira before handing her their adopted child.
"Hey Lily," Robyn cooed. "If Lando's here, it's time for me to get ready for Qualifying, but Mira is going to take you to Alpha Tauri. Yuki will sneak you up to Pierre's driver's room."
Mai nodded as Mira led her towards the Alpha Tauri building in the bustling paddock. Even after visiting the paddock in Singapore, she couldn't get over how busy and loud the place was. The sounds of media crews, mechanical equipment, and general chatter filled the air; no wonder Mira wore headphones. Mai wasn't particularly sensitive to sound, but she wondered what it must be like to endure this every week. Did they ever get used to it?
"Okay, here you are," Mira said kindly as they reached their destination. "It was nice to meet you, Mai. Lily, say bye!"
"Bye-bye!" Lily waved enthusiastically at Mai.
"Bye," Mai smiled as she stepped into Alpha Tauri.
The first thing she noticed was the delicious smell of food, something she and Yuki both enjoyed. As expected, Yuki was waiting at one of the tables with a large grin; the two of them had become friends of sorts since meeting.
"Hi, Mai," Yuki greeted her. "You came to tell Pierre you like him, yes?"
"I guess so," Mai replied shyly, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Come," Yuki nodded, leading the way.
Mai followed Yuki through the hospitality area with Popcorn trailing obediently beside her. As always, people stared—some at her, some at the drivers, and others at the dog. Fortunately, there were no children around trying to pet Popcorn.
"He's in there. I told him his trainer was waiting for him," Yuki said with a mischievous smile. "You need to keep him happy."
"You're his best friend, do you know that?" Mai added with a grin. "I think he'd choose you over me."
"No," Yuki shook his head with a chuckle. "Go on."
Mai gave Yuki one last smile before she carefully knocked on the door to Pierre's driver's room. She heard his voice echo, "One second!" followed by the sound of footsteps approaching the door.
Nervousness bubbled up inside her, and the thought of rejection loomed. She wouldn't blame him if he turned her away after she'd spent so long rejecting him for no reason other than her own stubbornness—and a few personal issues she needed to work out. But now, she could only hope that Pierre hadn't changed his mind, as she was finally ready to admit her feelings.
The door clicked open, and the familiar brunette appeared with a mix of confusion and happiness in his eyes. He was already dressed in his race suit, ready for qualifying.
"Mai?"
"Pierre... I was wrong. Love is not a fairytale."
Pierre stared at her, his eyes wide as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. In fact, he wasn't entirely convinced she was really standing there.
"Mai..." Pierre trailed off, his voice soft. "You don't have to... You said..."
"I was wrong," Mai interrupted, her voice full of sincerity. "I was just angry that Annabella left and was getting engaged. I thought love was supposed to be like a Prince Charming story, but I know now it's not. Love is whoever makes you happy, and you make me really happy."
"Are you serious?" Pierre grinned, his heart swelling.
"Super serious. I want to try this whole relationship thing," Mai confirmed, her voice firm but warm.
"Can I kiss you?" Pierre whispered as he stepped forward, his eyes locked on hers.
Mai nodded and for the first time in years, she felt like this was right.
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This book only has 4 chapters left </3 It was always planned as a short story I'm afraid! :) But I hope you're enjoying it!
