Thanks to Norris

part 32- weekend

Saturday arrived, and with it, Josi's flight back to Monaco. She was excited — half for the date with Charles, half for the chance to be back in that sun-soaked, fast-lane bubble. Before she left, you helped her zip up her suitcase.

You: "Send me updates. Photos. Location. Outfit check. I need it all."

Josi (laughing): "Yes, yes, I'll keep you posted like you're my PR team."

You: "Exactly. This is a public interest relationship now."

She rolled her eyes, hugged you tightly, and then she was gone — off into the clouds and toward Charles.

You lounged around for the day, not quite feeling restless but not settled either. Around 6PM, your phone lit up. It was Max.

Max: "Hey. Want to come over? Pietra's cooking and I'm allegedly helping."

You laughed.

You: "That sounds like an emergency."

Max: "It is. Come save the kitchen. And Pietra wants you here."

You already knew you'd say yes. You and Pietra had gotten along the first time you met — an easy friendship full of sarcasm and shared looks when Max went on about sim racing setups for twenty minutes too long.

You grabbed a bottle of wine, threw on something casual-but-clean, and texted back:

You: "On my way. Tell Pietra not to burn anything before I arrive."

Max: "Too late. Just hurry."

You smiled to yourself as you left the house. Whatever the night held — laughter, food, and probably Max being useless with a knife — it was a good way to spend the evening while Monaco lived its own storyline in the background.

Pietra didn't need a bit of help in the kitchen — and you quickly realized that as soon as you walked through the door. The kitchen smelled amazing, everything was neatly plated, and she was humming to herself, calm as ever.

You: "Okay, remind me why Max said you needed help?"

Pietra (smirking): "Because he thinks 'chopping an onion' is a team activity."

Max peeked in from the living room.

Max: "Hey! I bring moral support."

You: "You bring chaos."

The three of you sat down and ate — pasta with roasted vegetables, garlic bread that had the perfect crunch, and some sort of sparkling elderflower drink Pietra swore by.

Max (mouth full): "Okay, she wins. I'm keeping her."

Pietra: "Wow. So generous."

After dinner, Max disappeared into his gaming setup, already rambling about the F1 Manager update. You and Pietra cleared the plates and then made your way into the streaming room, sliding onto the couch beside him.

Max (glancing over): "You two are gonna steal my viewers, I know it."

You: "As we should."

The Twitch chat lit up the moment you appeared on screen.

Fan1: "WAIT is that Y/N??"

Fan2: "OMG it's Pietra too! Triple threat stream!!"

Fan3: "Talk about Monaco!!"