Three Dumb Ideas | Formula 1 fanfiction

97: Be my girlfriend

Friday, skipping free practice once again.

Maeve's point of view

'Here you go, Brezel, Würstchen und Rührei ', I hand him the plate of food I just made for him.

'So... pretzels, worstjes en roerei? ', he smiles.

'Whatever they call it in your small country', I joke.

'Hey! It's not small! It's like 41,500 square kilometers', He defends his country like it's his mom.

'Max, like half of that is water'

'As if Germany is that great, I prefer not to go into details about fights with you and my country', he says.

'MAX! You can't say that!', I laugh. 'That is a very sensitive topic, not only in Germany but also in my family'.

He laughs. 'Only imagine how sensitive it is in my country'. He takes a bite of the breakfast I made.

'Wow, Maeve. This is incredible', he says, quickly taking another bite.

I smile and I start eating mine. 'Mom taught me'.

'I'm a lucky man, I never have to go hungry', he jokes.

I know he's joking... but he's giving me the feeling that he thinks this will be forever.

Should I have the feeling this will be forever?

I guess I don't, but only because I know that one day we'll have to come clean to Horner.

I don't want to give Max my entire heart for it to get broken because of someone else and not even because of Max himself.

Sitting on the edge of my hotel bed, I stare out the window, the city lights flickering like stars in the night. It is one thing to fall for someone, it is another thing entirely when that someone is your teammate. I picked up my phone and I'm now calling the one person who I can always count on, my mother.

She answers on the third ring, her voice warm and familiar. 'Hallo, mein Schatz! How are you?'

'Hi, Mom,' I say, trying to keep my voice steady. 'I need to talk to you about something important. Something personal.'

'Of course, darling. What is it?'

'It's about someone I... I love," I confess, my words spilling out before I can second-guess them. 'But it's complicated, really complicated'.

'Oh, I see,' she replies, her tone curious but gentle. 'Does this person know how you feel?'

'Yes, he feels the same, but the thing is, do I want more than just something casual? It's not easy to do that in our situation.'

'You mean because you work together?' she guesses, a knowing edge to her voice. 'Or is it something more than that?'

'It's both,' I admit, sighing. 'He might be someone who works at Redbull, and it's just... I don't know if it's allowed or if it's smart. I mean, what if we don't work out because of it'

My mother pauses for a moment, considering her words. 'Love isn't always logical, my dear. Sometimes it's messy and inconvenient, but that doesn't make it any less real. What's important is how you feel about him.'

'I really like him, Mom. To be honest I love him,' I say, the words coming out in a rush. 'But I'm scared. What if this isn't forever? What if it's just a phase?'

'You won't know unless you try,' she replies softly. 'But you can't live your life in fear of the unknown. If this feels right to you, maybe it's worth the risk.'

'I want to risk it, I want to try but it's not just me. If anyone finds out, it could cause so many problems. I don't want to hurt him or jeopardize our careers'.

'You have to decide what's more important: protecting yourself from potential pain or opening yourself up to something beautiful,' she says gently. 'You deserve to be happy, mein kleines Mädchen. Don't let fear hold you back'.

Her words hit home, wrapping around me like a warm embrace. 'Thank you, Mom. I needed to hear that'.

'Anytime. You know I'm always here for you, sweet Maevey'.

We say our goodbyes, and I sit there, the weight of the conversation settling in. My mother's advice echoes in my mind, offering comfort but also raising more questions. Can I really do this? Can we really make it work?

Just then, Max knocks on the bedroom door, I forgot he was in the kitchen, he's in the same hotel room... Max steps inside, his presence is like medicine, easing the tension in my shoulders immediately.

'Hey,' he says, his eyes meeting mine with a soft, curious gaze. 'You look deep in thought'.

'Just talking to my mom', I admit, a small smile tugging at my lips. I might as well come clean right away. 'About us, well... not exactly about us... but about... you know?'

Max raises an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his eyes. 'What did she say?'

'Well, I just asked her some questions... because I don't know what to do with my feelings, she says I should be honest about my feelings and that I shouldn't be afraid of what might happen'.

He nods, a thoughtful expression on his face. 'Your mom's a smart woman. I've been thinking the same thing'.

Surprise flickers through me. 'What? You have?'

'Maeve, come on. I've been dropping hints', he says with a chuckle. 'But I wanted to tell you outright, look Maeve I'm serious about this, about us. I know it's complicated but I'm willing to figure it out and to fight Horner if I have to'. He laughs.

'You really mean that?', his words send a thrill through me, a mix of joy and anxiety.

'Absolutely, I know 'we shouldn't feel this way' but we do and I think it's worth exploring', he grabs my hand and holds it. 'But I'm ready to wait for you, I've waited this long and I can wait a bit longer if this isn't what you want it to be'.

'What if it doesn't work out, what if-'

He squeezes my hand, cutting me off gently. 'Maeve, we won't know unless we try'.

I can't help but smile at his perfect and beautiful face. 'Ich liebe dich, Max. Bis zum Mond und wieder zurück'.

He laughs, and a smirk appears on his face. 'Maeve, don't take this personally but... are you stupid?'.

I am a bit shocked at his words, what does he mean? Why am I stupid? 'What?', I ask.

'Ich kann fließend Deutsch sprechen', he says, the Dutch boy who I thought didn't understand a word of German.

'All this time?', I ask.

'All this time, Maeve', he laughs. 'But don't worry, I love you too, a lot... with my entire heart'.

'Really?'

'Maeve Vettel, be my girlfriend, please?', he asks while kissing my cheek.

'Yes, Max, I would love to be your girlfriend', I giggle.