Acid Rain - [Max Verstappen]

0.9 || howdy texas

Tuuli was sad when they had to pack their bags in the apartment in Miami. They had returned from their one day cruise to Havana and it was time to leave to the next city. Tuuli already mentioned she wanted to visit Texas. She had been in Austin with the team last year and she loved the state, however she wanted to explore more to get a taste of the true Texas country life. "Call me crazy, but...". "I always do". "Shut up". Tuuli threw a pillow his way and he dodged it with a laugh. "I want to take a flight to Amarillo and then if you can get a car through Aston Martin, we can drive to the other states, like a road trip". Tuuli suggested and he stopped packing for a moment. "Drive?". He asked, hesitating about the destance. "It's only ten hours from Amarillo to Phoenix, Arizona. And when we're in Arizona, everything is in reach. Except for Washington". Max cocked his head a bit sideways. "Only ten hours, are you serious". It wasn't even a question.

"If you were alone, would you drive as well?". He asked and she shrugged. "Probably would've taken a bus". Tuuli replied, zipping her backpack up. "A flight is like two hours then, why drive?". Max whined and she pouted slightly when she looked back up at him. "Because one has to experience a road trip in the States at least once, please, my dearest Maximus". She said and he looked away from her while a smile wanted to tug on his lips. "You're really, really lucky you're my best friend, Tuuls". Max said and she squealed, jumping into his arms. He was quick to catch her, her legs wrapping around his waist and her arms linking around his neck. "You're the best". Tuuli said and he laughed before putting her down on the ground. "I'm always the best when I please you, right?". "Also when you're absolutely annoying the shit out of me". Tuuli blew him a kiss and finished the packing up, so they could bring the luggage to the car. Because Tuuli already knew where she wanted to go, they could buy the flight tickets online anyway.

It was a flight from five hours and Tuuli knew she'd spend it editing her pictures and probably catching up with some Netflix series. Max locked the apartment behind then, placing the keys where the owner told them to leave it and then they got into the car. Just when Tuuli said down, she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket and she picked it up. "Tere, ema". [Hey, mom]. She spoke and Max assumed it was one of her family members as she continued to speak Estonian. He heard the cities that they've been visiting in her conversation, she laughed every now and then and he just listened to the rapid language while driving on the highway. "My mom says hi". Tuuli mentioned when she ended the call and pushed her phone into her bag. Max smiled at her and took the exit to the airport. "She wanted to know everything of course". Tuuli chuckled. "I can understand that, her daughter with just some random guy in America". Max teased and she slapped his arm lightly.

"Some random guy". She scoffed. "Glad you think more of me". He grinned. "I never said I did". She replied and they both laughed. Max could park the car in the parking garage again and leave the keys with the guard. He already informed Aston Martin Miami that they thanked them for the car and that they had a pleasant use of it. "Let's check the weather in Amarillo first". She said while they walked towards the security. Max nodded in agreement and they briefly parted when they were sent to different custom checks, their suitcases being scanned and their bodies as well, before they could move on to their gate. It was quite a long walk to their gate, but luckily they had enough time to find it. Max decided to charge his phone and update the homefront as well, also calling some friends who he had informed about his trip. His friends had never met Tuuli, they had perhaps seen her in Monaco when they came to visit the race, but next to that they hadn't talked to her.

Max admired that they were still worried and seem to think about her because she meant so much to him. And she did. He really loved her. Max listened to his friend Dave when Tuuli was seated in one of the chairs on the opposite of him, her hand supporting her head when she looked out of the window to see the planes descending and ascending from the runways of Miami Airport. His heart skipped another beat and he almost felt his palms becomings sweaty, as if his four year old self was about to ask the girl next door if she wanted to be his girlfriend. His cheeks heated up at the thought of Tuuli being his girlfriend, his chest now filling with a warm feeling and it briefly scared him how much he actually liked the idea to call Tuuli his. "Max?". The voice on the other side of the line pulled him out of his thoughts and he shook his head at himself. "Ja, ja. Ik ben er nog". [Yeah, yeah. I'm still there]. Max responded and looked away from Tuuli to focus on the rest of the conversation.