Away We Go • 2 • Formula One

Chapter 34

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Just because I was no longer being a bitch to Lance doesn't mean that I had forgiven him. I was willing to take the steps to acting pleasant, however wasn't going to forget what happened any time soon. It was obvious that I had been so blinded by anger that I reacted in a way that was far from rational. I could've at least given him the chance to explain. Last season, I experienced first hand how big of an influence Lawrence Stroll had over everything that was going on within the team. It was only on my a matter of time before Lance was manipulated into doing his bidding with a threat of some kind. In the Formula One world, you would do anything to get a seat. Everything was so competitive that you couldn't risk throwing it all away. I knew why Lance did what he did, but that doesn't mean that he should've.

Max was surprised when I told him about Lance on Wednesday evening. The Red Bull team had him on a later flight than normal because he had commitments in the UK. I enjoyed having some time to myself, but was thankful when he finally walked into my hotel room. Despite only officially being back together for a little over six weeks, I couldn't imagine a race weekend without his close company.

When I woke up on Thursday morning, I had an uneasy feeling wash over my entire body. There felt as if there was a permanent lump in my throat and my stomach was doing flips. I couldn't find a way to be comfortable in any sort of position and it definitely didn't go unnoticed by Max.

"Schatje?" He softly called through the bathroom door. I was curled up in a ball by the toilet. Despite not being sick, I felt like I could be at any moment. My mouth was constantly watering with a disgusting taste, a sure sign that I wasn't very well.

I couldn't bring myself to reply. My grip on my own body tightened and a soft groan escaped my lips. When I heard the door click open, I weakly lifted my head. Max immediately shut the door behind him and crouched beside me, his hand caressing my knee. "I'll be fine. I think I must have caught a bug of some kind."

"Is there anything you need? Anything at all?"

I stuck out my bottom lip. "A hug."

"A hug?" Max exhaled lightly in amusement, however didn't protest. He sat in the small space beside me and pulled me onto his lap. One of his hands wrapped around my body, securing underneath my thigh, whilst the other pressed lightly against my forehead.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," I mumbled, closing my eyes as I snuggled into his chest. "I blame Mercedes for taking me out in that stupid boat on that stupid river."

Max hummed and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Schatje, you feel warm, and you're kind of sweating."

"Great," I sarcastically replied. "Just what I need before a race weekend - a stupid bug."

"Yeah, everything's stupid," he agreed. "I can call Christian and let him know that I won't be doing media today if you want me to stay here with you."

I groaned. Releasing his shirt from my grip, I rubbed my face in annoyance. "Shit, it's Thursday. I've got so much I needed to do today. Everyone wanted to talk to me because this is where I got my first podium and-"

"I can't let you go in today." Max's voice was authoritative.

"Try telling Damien that."

"I'll call him for you," he reassured. "Please, schatje, go back to bed. I'll look after you today."

"Won't you get in trouble?" I asked nervously.

I felt his shoulders shrug. "I'm sure if I explain to Christian why, he'd be able to come up with an excuse for me. I know that would mean telling him about us, but he's not going to blab about it. I actually thinks he wants us to date. He keeps bringing you up in conversation."