Sitting In Traffic | Formula 1

Chapter 112- Cry for me

"Did you see the way he was all fucking over her" Max said angrily to Daniel, slamming his hotel door behind him after they both left Riley at the bar alone. "You know she said that I threw our boundaries out the window when that fan was talking to me. At least she wasn't my fucking ex- I mean I thought she cared a bit more about our relationship than that"

"I think you have too much liquor in your system right now" Daniel said, he didn't want anything else between Max and Riley to get blown out of proportion when he couldn't be sure what was even said between Riley and Arthur.

"Yeah and so does she-" Max said, "She's probably on her way to his apartment right now to get back at me for being with Kelsey"

"I doubt it"

"You don't know that."

"Right now I feel like you barely know Riley." Daniel told Max, "She wouldn't do that- I know you guys are going through a rough patch but you guys just need to work through it"

"This doesn't feel like a rough patch anymore" Max said, "I don't know what's going on right now, I feel like she's over us"

"You just need to talk to her"

"She doesn't want to"

"But you do"

"Not right now I don't."

~~~

Riley knocked on Max's hotel door early the next morning, not knowing he had already gone to the tracks. It was earlier than normal, Max usually relied on Riley to wake him up. But with her not staying with him, he couldn't even sleep. He felt like a dead man walking at the race tracks with no hope at all for today's turnout, feeling like at this point Riley was entirely out of reach.

"Dan!" Riley said when she saw him walk out of his hotel room, but he didn't turn back to talk to her, "Daniel!"

"What kind of game are you trying to play Riley" Daniel turned around and looked at her from down the hallway.

"I'm just trying to talk to Max-"

"No you're stressing him out." He told Riley seriously, it was a side to Daniel she never saw. "He doesn't need all of this drama you're bringing on a race weekend"

"I'm not trying to" Riley furrowed her brows, "I'll admit I was being problematic yesterday- I was hurt and confused- I just want to apologize now"

"Okay well, he's not here"

"Where is he?" She asked him, "Is he coming back or should I just meet him at the tracks"

"I think you should stay away from the tracks today" He told her, "Let him race with a clear mind"

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Did I do something else wrong?" Riley was confused on where the sudden cold shoulder came from Daniel.

"I don't know," Daniel shrugged, "Did you have a good time with Arthur last night?"

Her heart plummeted to her stomach, she thought back to the night prior, realizing how terrible everything must've looked from the outside without the knowledge that Riley didn't want to be near Arthur. How she was initially in search for Max. How she had thoughts racing through her mind, trying to figure out how to mend everything that was bending between her and Max.

Now that felt so out of reach.

"I didn't go anywhere with Arthur" Riley sniffled and shook her head, walking a few steps closer to Daniel, "I swear- I didn't do anything, I barely said a word to him besides asking him to stop" Riley started crying by the end of her sentence, but there was no reason for Daniel to believe her. He wanted to, it was just hard.