Adrenaline: A Lestappen Story

𝟏𝟏 - 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬

Silverstone Grand Prix
Wednesday

After a demanding week of travel to Red Bull's headquarters, Max and his team finally reached their assigned hotel in Silverstone. His initial hope of encountering another team was dashed; the hotel was exclusively booked by Red Bull, unlike the fortunate situation in Spain.

Concealing his disappointment, Max feigned satisfaction, knowing he wouldn't see Charles until the next day in the paddock, perhaps if luck allowed a chance encounter between media commitments.

That same night of his arrival, in the comfort of his own room, Max debated whether to call the brunette simply to hear his voice given the unfortunate situation. Yet, as he was dialing the phone number of the driver he received a message notification from Kelly.
The message from his girlfriend then asked him what hotel he was staying in, signaling a common question that she'd make whenever she planned to pay him a visit during races. After reluctantly giving her the address, Max questioned her on whether she was coming. To which Kelly responded. "Yes, maybe Saturday night, so we can spend the night together." she said, adding a soft smile emoji to the end of the sentence as if to insinuate something.

After this brief exchange, Max found himself reflecting on his situation with Charles. Memories of their shared night after the last race flashed, leaving Max questioning its authenticity amidst the intoxication of champagne.

Despite the desire to reach out to Charles, Max resisted, distancing his phone as he convinced himself that nurturing deep feelings was unwise. His relationship with Kelly worked mainly because he did not feel a great connection with her. She was a pleasing presence and offered him a family to always come back to, something he never had. But on a personal level, he and Kelly seemed to have a mutually beneficial relationship that was supported by bigger things than love. Being away from her never took any strain from him, he never struggled to spend days without hearing her voice, and that's what made supporting a relationship while pursuing his championships so easy.

In contrast, the growing passion he felt for Charles was something he feared, a fear of the control it could possibly have over him. And if there was anything Max Verstappen was truly afraid of it was losing control of himself.

-

Touching down on Wednesday, Charles kept his promise, arriving in Silverstone just a day before the Grand Prix. Solo in his arrival, a few keen observers noted the absence of his girlfriend in the fan pictures circulating online. Charles had been able to convince Alex to stay behind for a couple of days and only meet him for the race after she had brought up the tiring ways of studying remotely while constantly traveling. Seeing her complaint as an opportunity, he was able to sympathize and insist that she take a weekend for herself and if she wants to have a couple weekends to herself from time to time then he wouldn't blame her for it.

The decision stemmed partly from his recent conversation with Max, who had subtly hinted at the frequency of Alex's presence. Charles sensed Max wasn't suggesting she shouldn't be there, acknowledging the unspoken agreement about their relationships. However, he thought that maybe her being gone for a couple of nights would show Max that he was willing to compromise and put effort into seeing each other whenever he had the opportunity to do so.

Despite the challenge of being in separate hotels, Charles wasted no time calling Max, who answered with initial skepticism, assuming it was Kelly. Yet, upon seeing Charles' name, Max's tone changed as he greeted, "Charles?" The mere sound of Charles' voice brought a small smile to his face, the absence felt keenly in the past few days.

"Hi," Charles replied in a hushed tone, despite being alone, " landed today but I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be alone up until Sunday. I know we won't get a chance to meet up with each other without it looking suspicious that we're over at the wrong hotels but if you're not too busy tonight maybe we can meet somewhere?" he rambled slightly.
"I'm just having a hard time being away," Charles confessed, the sentence holding vulnerability. Slowly he was becoming comfortable in showing it to Max.
Fortunately for Max, his Silverstone hotel was undisclosed to the public. Being the team's home race, most members lived in the area, resulting in a less crowded hotel.
"You're at Whittlebury, aren't you?" he asked him, knowing that's where Ferrari was usually hosted and where he had often stayed before he began to gain popularity. "Try to rent some golf course or the private pool, tell people your cousin is coming to visit you and I'll try to make it unnoticed." He commented, planning out how he'd possibly hide his presence by wearing something red, so he could easily blend into the crowd.
Max had been quick to come up with a plan which made Charles smile softly as he paid close attention to the details, wanting to do everything asked of him as soon as possible so that he could see him; promising to have everything ready in thirty minutes.
After ending the call, he coordinated with the hotel manager, securing the closure of a pool and a sectioned-off golf course, ensuring their privacy. Once confirmed, Charles eagerly texted Max, 'Everything is ready, are you on your way? I can't wait to see you...'
Max's exit from his hotel went unnoticed, thanks to the limited team members staying there. He dressed casually, donned a mask and hat, blending into the night as he uneventfully walked to the parking lot without even requesting the chauffeurs to bring his car.
Instead, the blonde managed to leave the hotel completely unnoticed and arrive at the Whittlebury hotel through the back doors usually used by team members when trying to enter the hotel without going through the crowds on the front parlor.