Forever and Always | Max Verstappen *ੈ✩‧₊˚

Arrogant

Bahrain, 21st January 2019
Emma sat in the cramped airplane seat, her head resting against the window as she watched the clouds drift past.

Sports journalism. Of all things.

As the plane landed in Bahrain, her phone buzzed in her lap. She glanced down at the screen and smiled weakly. It was Olivia.

Thank God.

She picked up the call immediately, "Liv, you have no idea how much I needed this."

"Emma! Tell me you haven't lost your mind yet."

"I'm pretty close. I haven't slept. I spent all night trying to cram every bit of F1 knowledge into my head, and now I feel like my brain's about to explode. I mean, did you know there are tire compounds? Like, what even is a soft tire versus a hard tire?"

"Oh, God, Em. Of course you stayed up all night. This is exactly what you do. You're ridiculous."

"I'm serious! There are all these rules and strategies. It's like chess but with cars going 200 miles per hour. I don't know what I'm doing here."

"You'll be fine," Olivia reassured her. "Honestly, you've survived worse. Remember that time you had to cover that protest in the middle of a thunderstorm, and your umbrella broke?"

Emma groaned at the memory. "Oh, don't remind me. I still have nightmares about being soaked to the bone while trying to give a live report."

"Exactly," Olivia said with a grin in her voice. "If you can handle that, you can handle a bunch of cars going in circles."

"It's not circles, Liv," Emma corrected her, a small smirk on her face. "It's circuits. Technical turns, DRS zones... oh my God, listen to me. I sound like I know what I'm talking about."

Olivia giggled. "I'm so proud of you, honestly. But, really, how are you feeling? Like, for real?"

Emma sighed, "Honestly? I feel... lost. I mean, I've spent my whole career in politics and hard-hitting news, and now I'm covering sports? It feels like I'm starting from scratch. And I don't even care about racing, Liv. How am I supposed to write about something I don't care about?"

"You'll find a way," Olivia said softly. "You always do. And who knows? Maybe you'll end up liking it. Stranger things have happened."

Emma snorted. "Yeah, right. What's next? I become a racing fan and ditch journalism altogether?"

"Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it. Maybe you'll meet someone cute on the track. You know, like a sexy race car driver to sweep you off your feet."

Emma burst out laughing. "Liv, please. I'm here to work, not to swoon over guys in fireproof suits."

"Who says you can't do both?" Olivia teased, her voice light and playful.

Emma shook her head, still smiling. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, Em. But look, you're going to crush this."

Emma sighed again, "Thanks. I really needed to hear that."

"Of course. Now go show them that Emma Davis is a force to be reckoned with."

"I'll try," Emma said,

"Call me when you land and let me know how it goes, okay?" Olivia added.

"I will," Emma promised. "Talk to you later, Liv."

As soon as Emma stepped off the plane and into the humid Bahrain air, she was greeted by a tall, serious-looking man holding a clipboard. His brow furrowed in concentration as his eyes scanned the crowd, clearly searching for someone. She took a hesitant step forward, hoping he was her contact.