Three Dumb Ideas | Formula 1 fanfiction

74: Ready if you are

Max's point of view

'Champagne will do', the flight attendant smiles and walks away.

'Champagne? Special occasion?', Maeve asks.

'Just us being here is a special occasion'.

Her phone rings, she sighs and declines.

She smiles to me.

'Here you go', the stewardess hands us our drinks.

'Thank you', I hold my glass up. 'Cheers, Maeve'.

'Cheers', she smiles. Her phone rings again.

'You can pick up'

'I'd rather not', she sighs.

'Fighting with someone?', I take a sip.

'Nope, just an annoying one-night stand'.

I almost choke on my champagne.

She slept with someone else?!

Wait... I slept with someone else.

No big deal.

Relax.

'Who?', I try to act natural.

'Max Fewtrell', she sighs. 'He's great, the sex was great but I don't want something serious.'

Maeve's point of view

At least not since Max has been stuck in my head for this long.

What is happening to my mind?

Where is the Anti-Max button?

'He's nice, you should give him a chance', Max smiles, his mouth shaking, as if he's lying.

'Really?'

'No, I want to keep you all to myself', Max says.

'What?'

'I was joking, Maeve', Max smiles. 'God, you should've seen your face'.

'That is- That's foul', I shake my head.

'Have you seen this tiktok btw', he hands me his phone.

It is a video explaining how apparently Max and I are in a relationship.

'Oh wow, she actually has some good points. U sure we not together?', I joke.

'Not entirely, no'.

The plane takes off, Max Verstappen and Maeve Vettel are en route to Zandvoort.

Which I still can't pronounce by the way.

Max is making fun of me the whole time.

Voort? Voogrt?

I'm German, I can't pronounce this Dutch nonsense.

The jet cuts through clouds, very pretty to see. It gives us a stunning view of the European landscape, the vibe is good here.

'So, ready to take on Zandvoort?', Max leans back in his seat, he has a playful smile on his face. 'The Dutch fans are quite something'.

I look up from my laptop, I have to review track data whenever I possibly can, Owen's orders.

'I'm really looking forward to it. I've heard that the atmosphere is really cozy. Plus it's great PR for you, a race at a home circuit', I smile back.

'You'll love it', his smile widens. 'The fans are incredible. I hope you're not planning to steal all the spotlight from me?'.

'I'll try not to outshine you too much, Verstappen. No promises tho', I laugh softly.

Max's point of view

A moment of comfortable silence fills the room.

Yet my mind is elsewhere.

'You know, Maeve', my tone casual. 'I was thinking, it's nice having a teammate who's also good company off the track'.

She looks at me, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. 'Oh, is that so? Well, I suppose it's nice to have a teammate who knows how to have fun'.

I chuckle. 'I'm full of surprises. We should hang out more, see what other fun we can have'.

Her face reddens, but she keeps her composure. 'I'd like that. Maybe after we win this race we can celebrate properly'.

Based on how she says it I understand she's not talking about the fun I'm talking about.

'Let's get that one-two finish first', I smile

We continue to chat, the jet is near Zandvoort already.

I booked a hotel, I don't want to spend any unnecessary time with my dad.

When I look at Maeve my thoughts are racing.

At 300 miles an hour.

I am not sure what's happening between us, but I find myself enjoying our time together more than usual. There is something about the way she speaks, the way she looks at me.

'You know, Maeve. Sometimes the best things in life come from taking a chance'.

She meets my gaze. 'Is this about racing or are you talking about something else?'.

My heart is pounding. 'Maybe both, what do you think?'.

She takes a deep breath, she knows what I'm talking about. 'Taking chances sounds good sometimes, but you should realize that taking these chances has a huge impact. Things can go wrong'.

I nod. If we're talking about the same thing right now, she's right.

'But once everything is clear, taking chances is my favorite thing to do', she gives me a cocky smile.

I laugh, her eyes sparkling.

The jet has descended, the wheels touch the runway at Zandvoort.

I look over at Maeve. 'Let's make this weekend unforgettable'.

'Oh Max', she smiles. 'I'm ready if you are'.

Maeve's point of view

Max and I decided to grab dinner together, we found this cozy restaurant with a view of the North Sea, perfect for unwinding before this race week kicks off.

Our conversations is ranged from racing strategies to personal anecdotes.

Max recounted a particularly funny moment from a past race, causing me to laugh so hard I almost spilled my drink.

'You should have seen the look on everyone's faces', Max says, chuckling. 'I really thought Christian was going to fucking lose it'.

I wipe a tear of laughter from my eye. 'The fact that you got away with that, I can't believe it. You're lucky you're so good on the track'.

'Racing is incredible', his tone shifting to a more serious note. 'But it's moments like these that make all the hard work worth it. The people you meet and the experiences you share. That really matters'.

I nod, and a warm feeling spreads through me. 'I agree, it's not just about the races, it's about the journey and the memories we make along the way'.

'Maeve I know I wasn't that nice to you in the beginning... but I'm glad we're on this journey together. You've brought new energy to the team and I've enjoyed getting to know you'.

I feel a blush creep up my cheeks. 'I've enjoyed that too, Max. It's been different... in a good way'.