"I- I'm just so-so." His words broke up, and all he could say were stuttering sounds. Hot tears streamed down his face, and he squeezed his eyelids harder in the hope his tears would stop.
"I know, Max. I know," she whispered and hugged him tightly. It was the only thing she could do - just hold him.
"What if- What if I won't win?" The Dutchman asked his girlfriend. His breathing was choppy, and his eyes were still closed. He was so vulnerable. He imagined the list of people he let down if he wouldn't do it tomorrow - his fans, his team, his friends, his family, his girlfriend, and himself.
"Then you will win it next year," she said confidently. At least one of them had to be confident right now. She knew it would be hard since the new regulations should take place next year, but she was convinced that Max could make it happen. She knew there would be many question marks, but it was Max and Red Bull. She was sure they would pull it up.
They lay on the floor for fifteen, maybe twenty more minutes before the Dutchman got up. He wiped the tears from his cheeks before walking towards the bedroom without speaking a word. He had to go to sleep. That was something his brain was stressing over at that moment. What if he would be sleep deprived and he fucked up the start because of it or he crashed because of it.
Aimee got up just a few seconds after her boyfriend. It was already too long a night for both of them. She needed some night rest as much as Max did. When she arrived in the bedroom Max was already resting under the blanket. Aimee joined him in the bed and hugged him. So, she was the bigger spoon despite the fact that she was way smaller than Max. She knew he didn't want to speak, so they just kept it quiet.
"Thank you. For everything." She heard the Dutchman whisper, but she didn't know if he really said it or not because she was between falling asleep and being awake. Maybe it was just her brain that made up that Max said those sentences.
---
Sitting in the Red Bull hospitality with headphones on her head while bouncing her leg. She was stressed out for Max. She watched the monitors in front of her. The race didn't even start yet, but she was already feeling so sick. Suddenly she understood why Max threw up in the morning. She was close to vomiting too, at this moment.
Suddenly she jumped down from her chair and made her way out of the hospitality without telling anything to anyone. She just needed a bit of fresh air. Her head was dizzy, her hands were shaky, and her breath was choppy.
Aimee just reached into her handbag for a pack of cigarettes. She pulled out one nicotine stick before looking for the lighter, but to her disappointment, the lighter wasn't there. She was sure Max had stolen it from her handbag. He had been doing this ever since he learnt about his girlfriend's bad habit. The Red Bull driver hated the fact that she was smoking, even though it was occasionally. Aimee was sure that something or someone had disturbed Max while he was looking for the lighter and pack of cigarettes because there was no way he would get rid of just the lighter.
She looked around to find someone who could potentially light her cigarette. She didn't even know if it wasn't illegal to smoke in the paddock. Luckily for her, she noticed an older lady smoking just a few metres away from her.
"Sorry to disturb you, but would you please light my cigarette?" Aimee asked the older lady as she approached her.
"Of course," she smiled at her lightly before looking for a lighter in her handbag. "Nervous?" she asked Aimee as she lighted her cigarette.
"Nervous, nauseous, you name it," the girlfriend of the Red Bull driver joked.
"Just take a few deep breaths and go back. Two more hours is all you must do. Then you can either celebrate or despise the world," the older one said before stubbing her cigarette. Aimee doubted she had ever seen her. She was probably one of the paddock club members. "No matter what it will be, the important thing is that you will do it together," she smiled at the younger one before walking away.
8th title or 1st - Max Verstappen.
Start from the beginning
