"Charles?" I say confused
"What happened with Arthur?" He asks me seriously
"Like I said, it didnt work out" I repeat the words I said earlier
"He isn't replying to any of my texts or calls, I haven't seen him since the race" Charles says
"I don't know what's up with him, last time I saw him was in the Elevator with Lando" i tell Charles
"Come on we both know Arthur doesn't just ignore people, something is up" he says trying to get something out of me
"Listen, he broke up with me after my concert, after the race he got angry and held my wrists so I couldn't walk away. I may have hit him to get him to let me go, maybe he's ashamed by his bruise" I say, taking the blame for it, to protect Max
"Excuse me you hit him?" Charles says protective over his little brother
"It was self defense, he didnt have to grab my wrists that tight, that I couldn't get away, I still got the bruises" I say and show them to Charles
"I can't believe this" Charles says not believing me
"You think im making this up?" I say, somehow the fact that he thinks I'd frame Arthur for something like this hurts like a motherfucker
Charles doesn't respond and just looks at me, my emotions getting the worst of me and tears start to flow
"I loved him Charles, I really did. He broke up with me because he realised that he isn't the person all my songs are about, he wanted me to be happy and I love him for that but then he saw me at the track and he lost it, its like he wasn't himself anymore" I say starting to cry
"Why even get Arthurs hopes up when there's this other guy" he asks me
"I gave up on every chance I had with this guy but I can't stay away from him. Its only fair me and Arthur split up, but I still want him to be alright" I tell Charles
"Im sure he's alright, he just needs time" Charles tells me and looks at my wrists
"He did that to you?" He asks concerned and I nod
"You fucked him up good" Charles adds worried
"Please make sure that he's alright" I ask Charles
"I will... what about this new guy... is he any good?" Charles asks me and my crying quickly stops and turns into a smile thinking about Max
"He is, I just wish it didn't cost what is has" I tell him
"Well hopefully it was worth it, I will head back to the table" Charles says and leaves the bathroom
I take a deep breath and hold onto the sink, getting hit by all kinds of emotions, sad, yet grateful for what I have. I am at this party with Formula 1 drivers, nearly dating the current world champion and got in the top charts with my new music.
I look at myself in the mirror, thinking back at myself when I first started to play the piano and guitar. I was way shorter and my skin was free from tattoos, Mini me would be so proud seeing the person I see in the mirror
I start smiling and wipe the tears off my face before I walk back out, joining the others at the table again
"Im back, sorry it took a bit longer" I apologise and scan the table, notice that some people are missing, including Max
"All good, you wanna sit back down?" Oscar asks me
"Where did everyone go?" I ask and he points to the dance floor
"Oh..." I chuckle
"Yeah, they had two more rounds after you left and it's slowly getting to em" he laughs and we watch them dance around uncontrollably but I still can't spot Max
"Don't you want to dance?" I ask Oscar pushing him playfully
"No, I don't want to embarrass myself, id rather enjoy the show"
"Well, I'm gonna get myself a Bacardi coke so I will be right back" I say and walk past the dance floor to the bar and order my drink and check my phone that kept vibrating
Max 🏎️♥️
Hey
I'm in the back, no ones here
and the air is way fresher
back here
I think Lando is completely wasted
Oh god
I read the messages with a smile, eventho the oh god concerned me a bit I can't imagine how drunk Max must be to be so chatty
I pray for my drink and walk through the dance floor to take the short way to the back doors
"Max?" I say approaching the door and open is slowly and look outside, no one to be seen
I walk further a bit more and suddenly hear people talking, Max talking
"I don't know Lando, with him I'm just myself. I don't have to prove anything to him because he is proud of me regardless" Max tells Lando, I peak around the corner and see the two of them sitting on a bench with each a bottle in their hand and I go back to hiding
"Listen man, I really don't care who you date but if you're serious about Dylan, you got to find a way to make it public without losing your job" Lando responds and I smile at his supportiveness for Max
"I'm serious about this, he went through so much shit already and I don't want to be like his ex"
My heart fills with warmth hearing him say that
"Im sorry I am ranting to you about this man" Max apologises to Lando and he laughs
"Hey what else are friends for, now come on. Message him again and kiss him, you've been craving it the entire time the way you described it" Lando make fun of Max and I quickly turn the sound o my phone off so I dont get a loud notification to expose my eavesdropping
"Are you coming?" He messaged and I smile and quickly respond
"Im on my way" I message him back and wait a moment before walking around the corner, Lando and Max both smiling at me
"Hey you two, everything okay?" I ask as I approach them acting like I have no idea what they were talking about
"Hey Dylan, I will leave you two to it" Lando says and winks at me and I just smile as he walks past me
"Whats up Max?" I ask and sit down besides him
"I love you" he says directly and I smile
"I love you too Max, you know that" I tell him, not sure if I should kiss him or not so I decide to give him a playful push
"No, I want people to know that I love you. I don't want to hide like this anymore. I talked with Lando about it, about us..." he admits and my smile just gets bigger
"What did he say?" I ask him
"He doesn't care who I date, he thinks that in our time right now, we shouldn't be afraid of what happens" he tells me
"Listen, as much as I love this sudden change of heart, I don't want you to get in trouble or lose your job because of it. Im fine hiding us a bit longer if that means you can keep doing what you love" I say and he grabs my hand
"I know what I said on our first date Dyl... but being here with you, it just makes me a better person" he says, sure about his decision
"Well, in that case... I think you need to talk to Horner" I say
"That can wait" he says and places his hand on the side of my face and pulls me towards him, connecting our lips, while we're outside, in the open. With a chance that someone catches us but neither of us would care if that happens
