Online Rivals, Offline Lovers

Chapter 5 - A night to remember

[Lex's Pov]

The driver party was in full swing as I made my way through the crowd, my heart pounding with nervous anticipation. I felt like I didn't belong here, and not just because I was surrounded by the biggest names in motorsport. Most of the people here were men, but even the women I saw were wearing pantsuits.

I fiddled with my dress, standing out like a sore thumb. Maybe I should have also worn a pantsuit? Maybe there was still time to go back to the Hotel and change?

"Hello!" a voice greeted me from my left, "I'm Esteban Ocon. I drive for Alpine. You must be Lexie Bos?"

I quickly turned towards the man and tried to hide my surprise. He looked nice, grinning from ear to ear and kept a respectful distance between us.

"Oh! Hey," I replied, "That's right. I'm Lexie. Nice to meet you."

Esteban grinned even wider, grabbing my arm and hooking it under his. So much for keeping a respectful distance.

"We drivers have our own private lounge. Has no one told you?" He asked, but before I could answer and say that I in fact knew that, he pulled me along with him, through the crowd of people.

The only thing left to do now was not stumble in my heels as we squeezed through the mass of people in our way.

Entering the lounge, I was met with a mix of friendly faces and curious glances from the other drivers. Of course, I knew all of them. Max had talked about most of them and explained their driving style to me while he was training me. I knew that Charles usually had an aggressive and fast entry into the turns which often compromised his exit. I knew that Carlos was an incredible defender and that Fernando was an aggressive driver, that didn't mind putting you into a wall if it put him on a podium. 

I looked around and nodded, some of them smiling back, some not reacting at all. Lando and Carlos seemed friendly, interrupting their lively chat to smile and wave at me. Pierre smiled too, as did Charles.

Lewis and Nico seemed bored, their attention clearly elsewhere, George looked me over from head to toe and lifted one eyebrow – well there was someone who wasn't impressed with my outfit choice. I just shrugged.

He wasn't as bad as Alonso though, who exuded an air of indifference that made me feel small in comparison. I wouldn't have been surprised if he handed me his empty glass and asked for a new drink like I was a waitress, not a race car driver.

Esteban pulled me onto the long bench so that I was sitting next to Lando, with Checo next to Esteban. I swallowed, where could I get a drink here? I felt like this would be a long night.

Lando must have sensed my thoughts somehow and slid a glass of champagne over to me.

"Thanks," I replied, smiling at him.

"Lexie, right?" he greeted me with a wink. "You're looking mighty fine tonight. Nervous about the season starting?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at his charm, feeling a bit more at ease in his presence. "Thanks, Lando," I replied with a smile. "A little nervous, yeah. But mostly just excited to get out on the track."

Lando grinned, leaning in a little closer. "I hear you, I hear you. Well, you made quite a name for yourself in the racing world. Seems like everybody is talking about you these days."

I blushed, happy about the compliment, but also a bit embarrassed. It still felt like a dream to be here.

"Anyway, it will be exciting to see you on the track! Who knows maybe you're good enough to upgrade to a different team next year, huh? What about McLaren? 'Lando and Lexie' sounds pretty good to me. I mean on and off the track of course."

That made me laugh. How did he manage to be so charming, but so direct at the same time? He might have just as well told Oscar to sod off and join him in his hotel room tonight.

Oscar walked up to Lando and tousled his teammate's hair.

"Are you trying to get rid of me, Lando?"

Lando cackled and pushed Oscar's hand away from his hair. He tried to put on a solemn demeanor and crossed his heart.

"I would never do that to you!" Lando said, trying not to laugh out loud. "You are my favorite teammate!"

At that Carlos turned towards our little group. "I thought I was your favorite teammate?"

"Why can I only have one favorite? Maybe you are all my favorites!" Lando exclaimed and shrugged.

I was glad that most of them seemed to have accepted me without issue, including me in their chats and asking me friendly questions. I talked to different people throughout the evening, but amidst their sea of faces, one was noticeably absent: Max.

Sure, we had agreed not to acknowledge our friendship in public, but did that have to mean, he wouldn't show up at the party at all and ditch me completely? I couldn't help but wish he was here, his presence was always a comfort to me.

And then, just as I was beginning to wonder if I should text him, Max walked in, looking every bit the epitome of elegance in his suit. I had never seen him like this. Max wore simple shirts, or his team livery. Now, my jaw dropped at the sight of him, a rush of emotions flooding through me as our eyes locked from a distance.

Only Checo's playful remark managed to break the tension and pull me back down to earth. "Oh yeah, there he is!" Checo exclaimed with a grin. "With him, you have to watch out, Lexie! He'll be an angel off-track, but races like the devil on-track!"

His words made me laugh again and I watched  Max wander over to our area of the club.

As Max entered the lounge, his presence commanded everyone's attention, heads turning in his direction. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, my breath catching in my throat as he made his way towards me. What was going on with me? Was this the champagne's doing?

"Max," he said, extending his hand out to me.

I licked my lips and laid my hand in his. "Lexie Bos. A pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," he replied, his eyes flashing in the party lights.

"So you are the one that has been giving them all of them trouble for the last couple of years?" I asked cheekily.

"I'm not a charity. I'm not giving away podiums to anyone, no matter how good they look." he said and looked me up and down in one long motion.

I blinked, caught off guard by his flirty tone, my cheeks flushing slightly as I tried to gather my thoughts. "Uh, of course not." I stammered, my voice slightly breathless. "I'm sure I will beat you eventually."

"We'll see." His grin widened, a playful glint in his eye as he leaned in a little closer. "So, how's the party treating you? Having fun mingling with the big shots?"

I chuckled nervously, feeling a bit flustered by his proximity. "Yeah, it's... it's been interesting," I replied, trying to regain my composure. "Definitely not something I'm used to."

Max chuckled, his laughter sending shivers down my spine. "Well, you'll get used to it soon enough. By December you'll be sick of them," he said, his voice low and husky.

And just like that, he wandered off, talking to other people, not even looking at me again for the entire night. Had I just imagined him flirting with me? Did I have too much champagne? He hadn't talked to me like that in... ever?! What was he trying to do?! Why would he make me all flustered and then just walk off? Surely, I must have imagined things, I thought and ordered a water for myself. I obviously needed to sober up.

Max was my friend. He wasn't actually interested in me. If he was he would have tried flirting with me during the last three years of our friendship. Instead, he had dated several girls, all looking very different in comparison to me. I wasn't even his type.  He dated blondes, redheads, and even a beautiful dark-skinned model from France. No, this was 100% part of his show.