Starting Again (A Charles Leclerc Fic)

chapter thirty four : from korea with love pt3

Bahrain Grand Prix Weekend

Things were not going as smoothly as I would expect. Our flight just got delayed twice much to Max (Verstappen)'s annoyance. He was very kind enough to offer us his private jet but we declined, now the driver that he hired was still in the airport parking lot waiting for our arrival. In our defense, Max already did a lot of favor for us. He arranged our accommodation and transportation, to and from the airport. He also made sure that the hotel we are staying at is the same hotel as Ferrari and Red Bull's.

An hour later we land in Bahrain. Once we were able to get our luggage from the carousel, we rushed to meet up with the driver.

"We are really sorry for making you wait" I apologized

"No need for the apology Ms. Hale and company. Please allow me to help you with your bags" We tried to decline but he was very firm in helping us.

"I'm sorry Ms. Hale but Mr. Max specifically told me to do this, he would be mad at me if he finds out"

Max.... I am so lucky to have him in my life. 

He's so thoughtful... If only more people could see this side of Max, then maybe he wouldn't be that misunderstood.

"Okay, thank you for the help"

We entered the car and drove to the hotel we would be staying at. We parked at the far end of the parking lot and when Gustav (the driver) opened the door for us, I can see Max waiting near the door with his cap lowered.

"Wow, he's fast" Samara commented. By now, she already knew all twenty drivers in the grid by their names, teams and their faces. Maxie made sure she would remember so she won't look like a lost puppy when they actually meet them.

"How did he know we are already here?" I asked in awe.

"Mr. Max had asked me to share my location with him. I am assuming he's been watching our travel the whole time so he knows when he need to go down"

All three of us were dumbfounded when we heard what he said.

"Welcome to Bahrain, how was your flight?" he greeted smiling. You can see in his eyes that he was tired, I honestly don't blame him. Our flight landed close to midnight and tonight was their media day. They have been going back and forth between different media outlets, giving interviews and sometimes even race predictions. It has been a long day for everyone. Charles and I even talked about this ahead of time. He already apologized in advanced if he cannot answer any of my messages or calls this week. Everybody was busy but the schedule for the Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes drivers were a lot more packed compared to the other teams. Seeing Max, the current and defending F1 Champion, waiting for us despite this tiring day, was enough to make my heart swell with guilt.

"Emilian, you don't have to wait for us like this... You already did so much for us"

He smiled and motion for a hug which I gladly took. If I had to pick the nicest person in the grid, I would definitely pick Max. This interaction didn't go unnoticed as I saw my friends smiling at him.

"He's not that bad" I heard Sammy whisper to Maxie. The other girl nodded smiling

"Emilian, I want you to meet my two best friends in the world. This is Samara Jade, you can call her Sammy. This other one is the reason why I had a hard time calling you Maxie, this is my original Max, my very own maxie, Max Versailles"

"It's nice to meet you. Thank you for convincing this one to attend the race" He said while pointing at me.

"It wasn't an easy thing to do but now she's here, so it's a win for all of us. Nice to meet you too" Sammy replied to him