Double Sided Tracks

Silverstone

What– what a joke. Flew all the way here to feel humiliated. Willingly.

Before she could go further, someone stopped her. She knew instantly that it was Max. This became a pattern, Max walking away, then appearing out of thin air.

"Hey, hey," Max stopped her, looking around making sure nobody was lurking with a camera or anything like that. He knows some people would like to portray him as the bad guy, but the last thing he wants is someone to make a headline that he made a girl cry. "Hey, hey, shh." he wraps his arms around her, and she tries to push him away but he's not the fourth tallest on the grid for nothing. "What's wrong– what, let's go to Red–" he got cut off by her, who successfully squirmed out of his hug.

"I don't want to go to Red Bull." she said, coldly. Wiping her tears quickly like it's embarrassing to be caught crying.

"Okay," he said, raising his arms like he's surrendering. "We don't have to. Where are you staying?" he asked, and she shrugged. Stared at him, she got one finger in her mouth, biting her nail naked. Why does he always meet people who bite their nails as a stress response, first Daniel, now Nora. Is it his job to stop people from doing this?

"You don't know your hotel?" he asked, teasingly. Trying to make light the situation, "well, why don't we stop by Red Bull, you know, winning team and all that–"

Nora yanked her finger out, stared at Max, and she looked furious and Max would take her seriously had her cheeks and nose less red from the crying. "Oh my god–" she said, and oh– well, Max is taking her seriously now. "Fucking stop with the winning team or wins, or whatever the fuck!" she screamed, and Max was stunt.

Nora can cuss? Without waiting for Max to say anything, she walked away. Max, who's just able to process what had happened, runs after her. "Nora, Nora- Nora." he tried to stop her, "let me just– let me drive you back." he said, "please."

She stared at him, eyes still red from the tears also from anger. She nodded.

"Come on, I'll drive." he said, "We'll ditch my physio, Brad." he said, and Nora just kind of followed him blindly.

Max opened the door to his black Range Rover, letting Nora go inside. "Do you mind if I drive?" he asked, "If not I'll get the driver?" he asked.

Nora gives him a look that says, seriously?– Max had yanked her into so many hugs, and being stuck in a car with him, just him– is where he draws the line? Whatever.

"I won't kill us both, I promise." he said, and oh– Nora had thought. This guy knows nothing about her, does he?

"Just drive, Max." she said, "please." she added, because that's just rude, if not.

"Can you put in the address on the GPS please?" he asked, and Nora did as asked, typing the name of the hotel on the screen. "So, can I assume that Lewis made you cry?" he asked, and her fingers stopped typing.

"Are you going to force me to spill my guts here, like some uber driver who can't shut up?" she asked, turning to him. "If yes, I'd rather go and get an actual uber." she added.

His eyes slightly widened, his hands up like he's surrendering, "fine, I'm not going to ask." he said. Nora finished typing, and then the GPS lady filled the silence. You are on the best route, 12 minutes until destination.

Max looked like he was about to throw up from the silence, so Nora cut him some slack, "I think I'm going to go home."

"Home?"

"Qatar." she said, and Max looked at her trying to see if she's serious, "you just arrived." he said. Nora shrugged, the thought of sitting in Mercedes garage, makes her feel sick. The thought of having Lewis in the same room as her, makes her feel sick and she knows it's because she cares. She's a loser who cares, shouldn't have said yes to any of the things Lewis had offered.