PARTNERS || MAX VERSTAPPEN

XXXIII

Scarlett POV:

"Is this true? Max?"

Were all those emotions before just an act? To fool me? Was it a lie?

That wonderful smile he had disappeared. His gaze hardened as our eyes locked.

"Max. Answer me. Is this what Lando says true?"

My voice tone was shaking, and for whatever reason, I hoped and prayed he would say it's not true. Even though I remember Lando as my good friend, I didn't want to believe him.

The silence was killing me. His silence especially.

Until he started to talk. And with every word, I felt my heart sink even more.

"It's not what it seems like. I didn't want to get rid of you. It wasn't my intention."

He didn't even finish his sentence, Lando cut him off. His voicetone was harsh and his eyes kept moving from Max to me and back.

"Not your intention? Oh god, please how don't you feel ashamed for looking into her eyes and lie? Do you know how many times she cried because of you? Do you? Actually, even if you do, you wouldn't care. Because you're just an emotionless idiot."

Lando's words sharply cut the silence like a knife. Every word of his was directed at Max who didn't even blink once.

And he wasn't even done. Lando had so much more to say, but now it was Max who cut him off. The waves were stronger now and closer to us as he started talking.

Unlike Lando, Max stared at me. He didn't take his eyes off me, making me having to look at him.

"Don't listen to him, Scarlett. This guy is a manchild who has been crushing on you ever since the karting days. And now that you lost your memories he sees it as an opportunity to make you fall for him."

I can't believe he just said that.

Lando was mad. He was furious. His words were loud and mean.

But there was Max, whose words were cold. Like ice. He seemed like nothing of this affected him at all. Though, there was this storm in his eyes. A wild storm at sea.

Hold on, what did he just say? Lando is crushing on me? Well, he confessed that he had a crush on me in the karting days.

But if that what Max says is true... then that would mean the guy I believed is my best friend actually has a crush on me ever since we were kids. Now that would only make it more complicated.

With every wave that hit the ground, I felt my heart beat faster. My head started to hurt and the area around me got blurry at moments.

"You both keep acting like this is the worst thing to you. But it's not. It's happening to me. I am the one who lost their memories. I am the one who can not remember what it's like to stand on the podium, why I do that job. I don't know how my friends look like when they smile. I can not remember how I like my coffee in the mornings or why I dyed my hair black! Hell, I don't even recognize my own face in the mirror sometimes! This is my burden, my nightmare, so I am begging you to stop acting like it's your problem."

There's a long stretch of silence as they stare at each other, both unsure what to do with these words until Lando broke the silence.

"You... you don't like coffee."

I glanced at him which made him automatically look down at the ground.

His words didn't help me and only showed me that I still don't know myself well enough. Which made me feel goddamn pathetic. And embarrassed.