The Teammate

35 - Dirty Tricks

December 2024 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

"Thanks for letting me take you to dinner." Max said glancing around the small rooftop patio area of his hotel for the weekend. "Well, thanks for letting me order your room service." He winced; it wasn't necessarily the most glamorous dinner he could manage without the media being all over him. And he didn't want that.

"Thanks for asking." Arabella smiled, poking at her kale and chicken salad. He'd be lying if he said it hadn't been awkward. Having dinner with his recently comatose ex-girlfriend who didn't remember their breakup which led him to pretend they hadn't for a few months after she woke up.

So yeah, it was awkward.

"I just wanted to apologize." He said letting out a breath, rubbing his palms along his thighs. She raised an eyebrow at him. "I guess I should have lead with that."

"It's not that." She admitted, cocking her head to the side making her blond ponytail fall over her shoulder. "It's just not everyday you hear a Max Verstappen apology." Max snorted.

"Yeah, it's not exactly my strong suite."

"No, it never was." Max focused on his plate, poking at his chicken and steamed broccoli. "I wanted to apologize too."

"What could you possibly have to apologize for?"

"How about you go first?" She challenged, and he smiled nodding. He opened his mouth to challenge her, but he closed it realizing that this was why he'd invited her to dinner.

"I'm sorry for not telling you the truth. For treating you the way I did after you woke up."

"It really wasn't that bad." She gave a one shoulder shrug reaching for her wine glass. Max swallowed, wishing he could drink, but this was race weekend and he needed to focus.

And get through this.

"It wasn't right. I took advantage of your amnesia, and I know it was selfish and horrible. So, I'm sorry." She stayed silent, focusing on her wine glass as she swirled the rose liquid in her glass. "I just saw a second chance, not that I necessarily deserved one, but when I got that call..." he swallowed past the limp forming in his throat, "I thought I had gotten my second chance, but it was wrong, and I know that now."

"Do you?" He nodded.

"I hurt a lot of people." His eyes lowered to his meal again. "Doing what I did." Arabella's head cocked to the side again.

"Did she take you back?" Max snapped his head back to look at her, not expecting that.

"I'm working on it." He admitted, not bothering to ask who she was talking about. Arabella had always had a way of knowing things. "She said she understood, and as much as she was hurt she's not angry with me."

"Are you together?" He nodded.

"I'm working on getting her trust back."

"And she knows you're here, with me?" He nodded again.

"She knows. I told her I needed to apologize, and he actually wanted me to do it in private. So that media didn't get wind of it."

"I wonder why." Arabella sipped her wine and Max's narrowed his eyes at her slightly.

"It's because of Lando."

His name still made ice slid through her veins. Made her heart start beating out of her chest, which was a new revelation from a few weeks, hell a few days ago. She'd come to Abu Dhabi under the understanding that Red Bull had started a foundation under her name and they wanted to celebrate it. She hadn't expected to be out to dinner with Max, yet here she was.