The Paddock Girl

Chapter 5

I remember dreading waking up the following day. I honestly did not feel like getting up that day. Not because of a hangover or anything, I knew how to hold my liquor, but rather the apparent fact that I would have to face Max after the previous night's awkward retreat. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it and I honestly wish it had either not happened or had happened differently. He'd been my first kiss for crying out loud, I should have be the one to run away but I hadn't. Stupid Belgian...

I tapped my paddock card and tried to make it past the bloody gantry but it was stuck.  I pushed it hard but it refused to budge. My card was likely to be faulty. Not the most wonderful way to start the morning. I groaned and swiped my card uselessly again before giving the gantry a hard whack with my hand. Let's just say that had not been the best idea at the time when I really needed my hands to drive.

"Stupid barricades eh?" Came the curse from behind me. I turned to find Fernando smiling cheekily at me. I huffed and rolled my eyes playfully, rubbing sorely at my hand.

"My card's faulty I think." I shrugged and Fernando chuckled knowingly.

"My card has not worked for months. I just climb over it." He demonstrated, climbing over the gantry in one step and I stared wide-eyed at him. Cheeky bastard. I guess there was no harm in trying.

I attempted clambering over the metal gantry clumsily like some four-legged beast  and almost face planted the floor upon trying if it wasn't for someone grabbing my hand and hoisting me rapidly to my feet, allowing my breath to get caught in my throat.

Max.

"Woah, careful now Avery." Came the rich Belgian accent and I blinked at him. He had to be joking. Last night seemed to have slipped his mind, maybe he'd been too drunk to remember that he'd run off and left me completely and utterly puzzled.

"Yeah, Nando's idea." I tried going for a casual approach and huffed pointedly at Fernando who laughed, the laughter not quite reaching his eyes.  

Max chuckled and then finally spoke.

"Hey, um can I apologise about last night?"

So the prankster did remember.

"It was rude and I just panicked on the spot. Your first kiss and everything. And you have a boyfriend back home! Sorry if I violated that." He mumbled hurriedly, his cheeks flushing pink while he ran a hand through his hair nervously. I had to admit he looked rather adorable when he was embarrassed...

Wait, what?

"Boyfriend? What are you taking about?" I asked quizzically. Heh?

"Your boyfriend back home? What was his name err Matt, Micheal or was it Rick?" Max said, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Holy shit.

The idiot.

I burst out laughing, barely containing my amusement as I leaned heavily on Max for support, it was too hilarious.

"No... Matt's my brother you idiot! Jesus, the paparazzi have got to take a chill pill and stop jumping to bloody conclusions." I wheezed out. Oh Lord, the boy was just too much.

Max blinked once, then twice before the words finally seemed to sink in.

"So you mean I freaked out for nothing?" He groaned and I laughed  and pinched his cheek earning a groan.

"Silly guy." I teased and pulled him along, ignoring the tug at my heartstrings that he had overreacted about the kiss. Part of me thought it was maybe he liked me and was afraid of ruining our friendship or whatever it is that goes through guys' heads when he mess up with a girl. But part of me just thought he was doing what a good friend would do, nothing more. And my head seemed to be going with the latter of the two conclusions. Never trust your heart when in doubt had been something I lived by since my years in high school when boys had been the trophies collected to amount to social status. I hadn't given no craps about them back then and I wasn't quite ready to change that notion, especially when my career was taking off, for some blue-eyed, brown-haired, cheeky, adorable Belgian.

Oh, who was I kidding, I liked the guy.

No point in denying it.

After that, things went back to normal, or as normal as things around the paddock could get. Although, after that morning Fernando seemed a little out of it even when we flew out for the next race in Malaysia. I'd frankly expected Mark to come send him off but the tall dark-haired Aussie hadn't even appeared. And I'd be lying if I said that I didn't notice Fernando's disappointment.

I'd been on the same plane at Max and both Dani and Daniel as well at Lewis and Nico. Daniel had knocked out the moment the plane took off with his stuff toy lion. More specifically, the plush lion that Daniil had given to him when he'd fallen sick. Those two couldn't get any more affectionate. Daniil had simply pulled out a notebook and a pen and while he wrote with one hand, he stroked Daniel's hair with the other.

The picture of serenity.

On the other hand I could faintly hear Lewis and Nico squabbling over they're video game behind me like some old married couple. Ah, skinny love, those two were blind to the other's affections. It was all rather painful to watch, the teasing and the jokes and looks exchanged. It made me want to lock them up and make them admit that they liked each other already, I was starting to have a lower tolerance for their inability to see that they've been playing it safe and tip-toeing around each other like a bunch of fools for the past few years. And no, I wasn't the only one who thought that.

I glanced out the window at the night sky and watched the stars blink back at me. The sky was always my favourite part about flying, watching the sunrise above the clouds or the stars glimmer in the night, bright white against the onyx gloom. It was a pity I could never quite snap photos to capture the natural phenomenons. It used to be the perfect distraction to my airbourne insomnia when I was younger.

I have never had any luck with sleeping on planes and I usually packed along books with me to read throughout the racing season. But silly me had left all of my books in my check in luggage, leaving me with no reading material and nothing to occupy myself with. I settled for listening to music and avoiding watching any movies, those were way too distracting. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Max watching Hotel Transylvania, the brightly lit screen illuminating the planes of his faces, which amused me to no end, he was so immature, it was a wonder how I'd fallen for him.

Not that I intended to tell him though.

I closed my eyes and let the sweet sounds of Kodaline lull me into a calm state to the point that I had not realised that I had fallen asleep.

I only remember waking up with my vision seemingly slanted and my head resting on something that wasn't my neck pillow.

Shit.

I'd fallen asleep on Max.

A/N : Here's the next chapter for y'all! Really sorry for the late update but i've been really busy with exams and revision that I haven't had the time to update. Thank you so much for being patient :) Stay around for the next chapter ^^ Vote and comment!! really appreciate it and much love to everyone and until next time <33

~ Dragonis