EVERMORE , Max Verstappen

Two

Back in Monaco, his Seychellois adventure continued to resonate in Max's mind like a captivating melody. Amidst those cherished memories, one image stood out-the mysterious girl from Seychelles.

One sunny morning, Max was jolted from his thoughts by a phone call from Charles, With a hint of curiosity, Max answered, "Mate, you free?"

Max chuckled, suspecting Charles might want to challenge him to a game of FIFA, a favourite pastime among friends. "Why, wanna play FIFA?" he quipped.

Charles, however, had different plans in mind. "Not FIFA, Max, but I do want you to come join me to play tennis."

Max raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Since when did you start playing tennis?"

Charles hesitated for a moment before responding, "Well, technically not for long. My neighbour is a tennis player, and she's looking for people to join her for a doubles match. We're one person short. Would you be up for it?"

Max considered the proposal for a moment before replying, "Yeah, sure, why not? When and where?"

With a sense of spontaneity, Charles replied, "I'll pick you up in an hour, mate."

As Charles picked up Max and they embarked on their way to the tennis match, the conversation inevitably veered towards the recent Seychelles trip. Charles couldn't help but be curious about Max's escapade.

"How was your trip? Did you have fun?" Charles inquired, glancing at Max with a knowing smile.

Max grinned, recalling the enchanting moments he had experienced in Seychelles. "Oh, it was incredible-really fun. And, uh, I kissed a girl," he admitted a hint of excitement in his voice.

Charles abruptly hit the brakes, causing Max to jolt forward in his seat. "You did what?" Charles screeched, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"I kissed a girl," Max repeated, now realizing he had piqued Charles' curiosity.

Charles couldn't hide his astonishment. "Who was she?" he probed, eager for details.

Max shrugged, a sense of mystery clouding the memory. "I don't really know," he confessed.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Charles demanded, clearly bewildered.

Max tried to explain, "Well, it was New Year's Eve, we were dancing, and then we kissed at midnight. It was spontaneous, you know?"

Charles furrowed his brow, clearly struggling to comprehend this side of Max. "Since when did you do spontaneous?" he questioned, his voice laced with disbelief.

Max chuckled, "I don't know, since I met her, I guess."

Charles couldn't resist continuing his inquiry, "Did you at least get a number?"

Max shook his head, a hint of regret in his eyes. "Nope."

Charles persisted, "A name, perhaps?"

Max's response was a reluctant, "Not really."

Charles sighed, exasperated. "You are impossible, Max. What am I going to do with you?"

Max flashed his friend a cheeky grin. offering a solution, "Uh, play tennis?". Charles huffed, still bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

Upon reaching the tennis court, Charles led Max to one of the many courts where a girl was already waiting. Charles greeted her with a friendly, "Hey, Jiah, all alone? Where's Ahri?"

Jiah replied with a warm smile, "Oh, she left something in the car." Charles took the opportunity to introduce Max, saying, "By the way, Max, this is Jiah. She's my neighbour Ahri's nutritionist and trainer. She's pretty amazing; she's even written a book. And Jiah, this is Max, the current F1 World Champion."