Champion

16. Hotel

"You can't be serious!" This was Max's reaction when I told him what Kelly said...

"Listen hotshot, I'm not happy about it either, but it is what it is, we can make arrangements with an engineer for tomorrow, I'll even hear if Aston Martin didn't maybe book me a room somewhere, but for tonight we are both in this room, okay?" I sighed when he rolled his eyes but he nodded his head and we walked back to our room.

He was still acting strangely and he kinda pissed me off because what the hell did I do?

"Who crapped in your food pinkypie ?" I asked him, determined to get to the bottom of this ...

He scoffed, "fuck off, Marie... You know what you did..."

We were right at the door and I spun around to look at him, "No Max, actually I don't have a bloody clue. You told me you liked me when you were drunk, you came to my hotel when I texted you and said I needed you, hell Max you held me after I told you my deepest sorrow. Now you're telling me to fuck off? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"No Marie! What the fuck is wrong with you?

My eyes were full of tears by now and as he was yelling he put his hand above my head on the door basically trapping me.

"You tell me some sappy story to get into my head and the minute I walk out of the hotel someone takes pictures of me when I'm supposed to be in a different hotel and I was wearing your clothes with your name on the back! Now I didn't know this until one of my buddies at GQ messaged me the photos, and well when I asked him where he got it he said it was sent in under your name... Luckily he could save my ass and make those photos disappear but for fuck sake Marie tell me why you did that? Was it to make Lando jealous to get him back? Or was it to make publicity for our partnership next season? What is it?"

I was in shock and couldn't speak, the tears quickly escaped my eyes, Max used his free hand and wiped them off roughly.

"Well at least you look pretty with mascara running down your face."

With his hand still stroking my cheek he said this, it was like he wanted to belittle me. With those words I shoved his chest away from mine,
He moved away because he knew he was being a dick and I opened the door, when he wanted to follow me ,I slammed it in his face. Luckily his key didn't work so he couldn't get in.

I found the nearest room and threw everything I had on me on the floor, I got into bed and curled up into a ball, I sobbed. I was obviously pissed about Max's reaction, especially because I didn't do anything, but most of all I was extremely hurt that he thought I would actually use my mother's death as a way to get into his head.

I can't believe he thought I would do something like that. I cried myself to sleep and when I woke up I could feel it... my eyes were puffy and my head hurt.

When I checked my phone I saw that my dad had texted me 24 times asking where I was and if I was okay. And then I realized that I was so messed up after the argument with Max that I forgot to go meet my dad. I immediately called him to tell him not to worry.

"Hey, papa. I'm sorry I missed last night, it wasn't on purpose. I was just really upset and-"

My dad broke me off, "Dovey, calm down, It's okay... I called Aston Martin to ask if you were okay and they said you were staying with Redbull, so I called Max because I tried Tony and he didn't know where you were and I only had his number and he told me what happened. Are you okay?"

He told him what happened? Well there's a first time for everything. Lando would just make up some excuse for me and hide our arguments.

"Yeah dad I'm fine, I was just a bit rattled. It was just a bit much. I couldn't even tell him the truth and say that I didn't send those pictures. But he was so upset I think that even if I could manage to get the words out, he wouldn't have believed me..."

"I know Dovey, how about we meet for breakfast. We can talk and sort everything out together."

I agreed and ended the call. When I walked out of my room I saw max in the kitchen making coffee. He must've gone to the front desk to get a working key. He looked up at me and his eyes cut into mine. The silence was deafening, he looked like he hadn't slept.

We both started talking but I quickly made sure I was the one getting the first word.
"No, it is my turn now, because the way you reacted last night was fucking uncalled for."

He look shocked but nodded.

"Max, you've known me for years and you are supposed to know that I would never do what you accused me of. Apart from that, you must surely know that I would NEVER use my mother's accident as a weapon against anyone. What I told you was out of trust. I can clearly see that you didn't think things through last night and reacted out of anger, but that shit was fucked up and I won't stand for it. You better give me an apology of a lifetime because I'm not okay with what happened. I get that you thought I would want to make Lando jealous but I really wouldn't. He is in the past and you are going to be my teammate Max... why on earth would I fuck something up before I even have it, on purpose?"

He looked at his feet.

"Marie, I really am sorry. Saying that I overreacted is an understatement. I scared you and said some fucked up stuff that I wish I could take back. This isn't the apology you deserve and I promise you that I will make it up to you, no matter what it takes."

"Well you better hope that you can, because that apology sucked ass."

I went to my room, got dressed and left without another word. I was in the lobby trying to figure out where the place was my dad wanted to meet when Tony popped up beside me.

"Mornin'"
When I looked up at him with my still puffy eyes he was instantly concerned.
"Shit Marie are you okay? What happened?"

"Oh nothing, but I can't figure out where the fuck this place is."

I was tapping at my phone very aggressively because it was lagging so badly, he kinda looked at me like a crazy person and put his hands over mine and took the phone.

"I know where it is, I'll take you."