Online Rivals, Offline Lovers

Chapter 4 - Time flies when you're having fun

[Max POV]

Although Lex's racing career might have started slow with her spinning the kart, more than driving it, she improved day by day, week by week. It didn't take her long until she got the hang of it.

By July I entered her name in a karting event. Something she vehemently protested at first. She was afraid that she wasn't good enough yet, but I had watched the race she would be starting in for the last three years and she was easily better than every single one of those drivers. There really was no need to be worried.

The only thing that bothered me about it was that I couldn't go. Not because I was racing during that weekend, but because I knew that everyone would be able to tell who I was. People in the racing world had hated me long enough and I wouldn't put it past some idiot to intentionally hit her with his kart. Lex didn't need that target on her back. And besides... even if everyone behaved themselves, me being there would have meant stealing her spotlight. I didn't want to make her feel like she was in my shadow.

The only reason no one already knew that I was training her, was that the track belonged partly to me. I had purchased a big enough share after our first visit so that I could shut down the track, whenever we went there together. This way Lex and I were out of the prying eyes of spectators and paparazzi. Only Dennis, one of my old coaches knew what was going on. He still lived in the Netherlands and helped her train whenever I wasn't there.

I stared at the screen in front of me, unable to tear my eyes away and tried to imagine her smile when she received my package this morning. Her first helmet and race suit, customized to her size. She would look amazing in it. Hopefully, I would get to see her on the stream. All I could do was hope that the cameraman had the same taste as me and decide to film her for most of the warm-up and race.

Even though I knew that there was no reason to be worried, my heart pounded with anticipation. And then, finally, the camera panned over the drivers lining up for the race. I spotted Lex immediately and I couldn't help but smirk as I took in how she looked in the custom race suit and helmet I gifted her. She looked confident, her mere presence seemed to command the attention of the other drivers around her.

I nervously bit my lip but as the race unfolded I became more and more relaxed, leaning back in my chair, smiling. Lex was beating everyone. The others didn't stand a chance.

As she passed the finish line I laughed. She had done it. Her very first race – won.

Fuck... I really wished I could be there, hug her and swing her around. This was amazing. I made a mental note to call her later, when suddenly the video switched back to her and she blew a small kiss to the camera.

A rush of emotion washed over me. I sat back, groaning. Fuck.. Now I really wished I was there...

In that moment I knew what I had suspected for a long time. I didn't just like Lex... I was in love with her. I had a full-blown embarrassing, teenage, butterflies and all crush on her.

Yes... I had tried flirting with her a couple of times, but she never responded. The first couple of times I pretended that I wasn't trying, but even once I stepped up my game... Maybe she didn't like me the way I liked her and that was fine. Well... not exactly fine, but alright. I didn't want to pressure her. I didn't want her to feel like she had to find me attractive or had to be into me just to secure her future in racing. I had decided to support her no matter what.

Lex's wit and cleverness never ceased to amaze me. She had a sharp tongue and a quick mind, always ready with a witty retort or a clever observation. And her stubbornness... it reminded me of myself sometimes. But I also knew that beneath her  tough exterior lied more... a warmth and kindness that she tried to keep hidden, even from me. Only offering me little glimpses here and there. It drew me to her like a moth to a flame.

The more often we trained together, the more often I got to see glimpses of it. I also learned that we had so much more than our passion for e-racing in common. Our tastes in music, food, and films (and even stupid memes) aligned almost perfectly.

I found myself looking forward to our training sessions more and more.

Sometimes, when a training session was terrible but neither of us was able to figure out why, I ordered kebabs and put on some music. We would sit in silence, perched on the dented hood of my yellow clio, not saying a word, just listening to music until Lex's or my scowl vanished.

I was thankful for the silence. My dad always nagged when it came to subpar results. Going on and on about what I should have done differently until I couldn't take it anymore and hid in our basement or outside in our yard.

Lex seemed to sense this need for quiet, never prodding.

As time progressed, I watched with pride as Lex's journey in motorsport unfolded. From her early struggles in karting to her remarkable rise through the ranks of F4, F3, and eventually F2, she proved time and again that she had what it took to succeed in the cutthroat world of racing.

She blew everyone out of the water and by now Lexie Bos was a name everyone recognized. Even the team principles in F1 could be heard talking about her.

Her success made me happy, so I helped find her sponsors and paid for anything that wasn't covered by them. Although I kept that part to myself. Lex refused to take any of the money for herself, and still worked part-time in the café, whenever she had some time off. She said that it wasn't fair to the other drivers. "None of them get paid anything, so I shouldn't either," Lex said, talking about the other F2 drivers. Naturally, I didn't care what any of the other drivers did or didn't do. I cared about her. Still.

I had dated around casually, trying to get her out of my head... It didn't work. Most relationships broke off after the three months mark. I couldn't blame the girls. They wanted commitment and I wanted time with Lex. Between my own F1 career and training with Lex, there was little time for anything else.

At least our friendship deepened even more and we were able to communicate without talking to each other. A quick sideways glance could make me laugh out loud at the most inappropriate of times... A nod told me all I needed to know about how her practice session had gone and a smirk all about how the race would end – with Lex on top.

Now, Lexie Bos' name was on everyone's mind as she stood on the cusp of her debut in F1, I couldn't help but feel a mixture of pride and apprehension. She was the only female driver on the grid, and the pressure was on her to prove herself in a sport dominated by men.

I tried to button my shirt properly in the mirror. Tonight, there would be a driver get-together, a chance for Lex to mingle with her fellow racers before the season kicked off. The first race of the season was merely three days away.

After quite a bit of arguing she agreed to meet me there and pretend not to know me. I insisted, telling her that only because she had made it all the way from karting to F1, it wasn't as if people magically liked me here. I was just as much of a hated a*hole here as I was in karting.

Sure, there were a few drivers I got along with fine... mostly Daniel, Charles and Checo... The rest of them, however, had it in for me. It was something I had become used to and really didn't care about. I was the best driver in the fastest car, beating all of them on a regular basis.

But Lex would be starting her career in an Alpha Tauri and the RedBull junior team was struggling. I knew that she would face a tough road ahead, even without the other drivers making her life difficult.

She called it a stupid idea but finally agreed.

And although it was what I wanted, the idea of pretending not to know her, or care about her bugged me. I looked up in the mirror and noticed my scowl... This could only be great.