On Top of the World [Max Verstappen - Book 3]

9

Max's POV

"This shit sucks," I whine to Bradley who just glares lightly at me but nods in agreement having himself had to watch the entire press conference he quickly informed me that it was an absolute train wreck, clear tenseness in the air but I couldn't help it. I hadn't seen her since she walked out of our, well her, flat that day two months ago. She'd stayed in London the entire time and I found out through Lando that she had even bought a home in London and another one in Brackley to give herself options.

She never asked me to move out but I did, trying to make sure everything was gone so when she returned after that initial week with Mercedes that she had her home back.

But apparently, she never came back. She just stayed in the UK, claiming she was using the time to reconnect with her family on social media but I knew it was just that she was avoiding coming back to Monaco where I was.

Well...Sofia and I were.

Yes, I know. I'm a dickhead for getting with someone else so fast, I had gotten shit from quite genuinely every single one of our friends for it but I just shrugged and eventually people shut up about it. I liked Sofia, she was nice and she was a mum already. Her energy was calm and she was kind and I always loved her son. It was a complete 180* from what Ellie and I had but maybe that was good. This is why we broke up. So I could get the possibility of a family back. Did I expect to have a makeshift family within a week? No, but it had been going well so far and as I said before, Sofia was my age, lovely and I got on really well with her son Luca who was seven.

It might be crazy and I know you'll hate me but I did and do genuinely love Sofia, which is crazy for two months but the life I had with her was everything I wanted. It was calm and I was happy.

Well, I was until I had to leave my oasis with her and Luca and go to testing. Every so often I'd see Ellie walking ahead, or smell her perfume in the press area but she had done a fantastic job of making sure that she was nowhere near me. I knew it was her avoiding me because I wasn't really doing much to avoid her yet I never once came across her until the mandated FIA conference and annoyingly I was sure that they had done this due to the rumours swirling around our relationship, or currently the lack thereof.

The thing I loved most about my relationship with Sofia was we never had to hide. She didn't want to hide anything, and she wouldn't show it off but she was just chill, not at all fussed by the cameras on us whenever we stepped out together. I didn't realise until this how much it had bothered me that Ellie never wanted anyone to know. I didn't like being hidden.

"You only have yourself to blame mate," Bradley says as he pulls the rucksack filled with my stuff onto his shoulder and I shoot him a light glare, wanting him to stop feeling so comfortable around me and begin to keep his emotions to himself.

"What? Like it is so wrong for me to want these things? I can't want them the same way she wants to not have them?" I snap back at him, my hands animatedly talking for me as he just shrugs.

"Course mate, but you act like you're the one hard done by in this situation. She lost her team and her boyfriend when you knew the entire time what her priorities were and what she wanted. That was never a secret. You're the one whose choices changed." He tells me and I glare at him more now, not having asked for this reality check.

"We went through that cycle for three years. Me wanting more and her refusing to go public for the sake of her reputation," I say annoyed, pushing myself off the sofa in my room as I smooth out my shorts and grab my hat and phone.

"Mate, have you even looked at the papers?" He asks me in disbelief and I shake my head. "After you and her split and she went out the front plages were plastered with photos of her being drunk. Meanwhile, you did the exact same thing and all they did was post photos of you and Sofia. She's been crucified for finally acting like the 25-year-old that she is and all the while she's staying classy. Not once has she come for you in any interviews. Any anger she has had has been directed squarely towards Red Bull. You are majorly lucky mate. You know why she kept it a secret and you'll probably both be grateful for it now," he says as he opens the door and steps through it. I just grumble as I follow out behind him, ready to leave the paddock for a few days before the craziness of the next season begins. I knew that he was right but I didn't want to think about it.