The Racing Line | M.V.

39. Dirty Little Secret

After Olivia got dressed and walked out to the paddock, she looked for Max but couldn't find him. There was a knot in her stomach that would not budge. She knew she should have told Max about Mercedes, but she couldn't. If they hadn't been together it wouldn't have been a big deal at all, but things were changing in their relationship, she couldn't escape it. 

Later that night there was a knock on her hotel room's door.

As she opened the door she saw Max standing there with a slight frown and his hands in his front pockets "I promised I wouldn't leave" he said quietly.

The nerves Olivia had been feeling since their talk faded away and gave way to a warm sensation in her chest. Relief, making her feel so light she could float away. 

Without saying another word she took his hand and guided him in, locking the door behind him. 

As they were laying in bed, Olivia rested her head on his chest and held him tightly "Thank you for coming back" she whispered to him. Her voice was slightly muffled by his t-shirt. 

Max tightened his embrace on her and kissed the top of her head "We should make it a promise. That no matter how angry we get or how much we fight, we promise to come back. We don't leave the other one behind".

Olivia lifted her head to stare directly at his blue eyes "I promise" she said in a whisper.

"I promise too" he nodded before giving her lips a soft kiss. 

After their lips parted Max sighed "So, you're going to Mercedes" he tried to force a tight lipped smile for her, but she could tell it wasn't completely genuine. 

She nodded "I am".

"Well how is Toto gonna feel when he knows you're dating his biggest pain in the ass?" he asked with a smirk.

Olivia chuckled "Oh god. I hope it's not such a big deal".

"Everyone will make it a big deal" Max assured her "The fans, the media, the teams, everyone".

Olivia sighed. She knew he was right. Her and Max in a relationship was already a huge deal, but adding the fact that now she would join his top rival team? Hell would break loose. The media was going to have headlines to spare.

Max could see her mind racing behind her eyes, probably thinking about every possible header, every possible uncomfortable interview, and the inevitable conversation with Toto. Her eyes were slowly filling with dread. 

"Hey, everything okay in there?" he asked as he lightly lifted her chin up to meet her eyes. 

She snapped out of her thoughts at the sight of that sky blue. "Yeah" she tried to give him a smile but it quickly fell from her face "I was just thinking about this and... I really don't want my personal life to interrupt the contract negotiations..." she said slowly. 

Max frowned at her words "You want to keep this a secret until the contract is signed?"

"Is that okay?" she asked with an apologetic look on her face "We were waiting for the whole bruises deal to blow over anyway, right? Maybe the contract will be signed soon and it won't even matter but... we should make sure that the deal is sealed first".

Max's jaw tightened slightly as he tried to pretend like his heart wasn't hurting. He nodded as he gave her another half-hearted smile and he felt a stab in his chest. "Yeah, let's make sure we get you that seat". He tried to remind himself, this was what they had always dreamed of as kids. To be racing against each other in the top teams of Formula 1, he would never get in the way of her dreams. He would not be the reason for her to lose her contract with Mercedes. Even if it hurt him.