Your love

please, don't give up on him

*Florentine*

Max had run away. Again. That was the only thing he could do. Run away from his problems and feelings. But I hadn't minded this time. I had told him what I had to tell him. And I was here because of Fabio. I was here to support my best friend.

And so after qualifying I went back to the hotel only briefly to change. My dress still smelled of champagne and I hated that sticky feeling it left on my skin. I quickly got into the shower, put on something else and actually wanted to go straight back to the track, but I was stopped by Pierre.

"Do you have a moment?" he asked.

"Can we maybe talk in the cab? I don't want to miss the start."

"Yeah. Sure." he nodded and walked down beside me toward the lobby.

"I don't know where to start..." he put in.

"If you're speaking for Max again right now, I'm going to lose it," I said as calmly as I could, but couldn't suppress the anger that was rising.

"No. Well, yeah kind of, but no, he didn't tell me to do that. He just drove. I don't know if he went to the airport or somewhere else. He's not answering me right now."

"Welcome to the club. He never answers me," was my biting comment.

"Flo, what I'm saying is, I haven't seen Max like this in a long time. He absolutely can't handle what's going on right now. And I'm pretty sure he's just becoming more and more aware of how much you mean to him. That's why he's freaking out so much. You know, he's not having an easy time, never had and..."

"That doesn't justify to me that he's acting like an asshole. We all have our baggage to carry. Is that why everybody acts like an asshole? Fortunately, no. I have a lot going for Max. A lot more than is good for me, but I'm not going to let him break me with his moods. I can't. Most of all, I don't want him to. He hurts me with his behavior. And until he understands that..."

"I think he does understand that. He can't...he just sucks when it comes to feelings. Or opening up to someone.", we reached the cab and got in.

"To the track please.", I smiled at the cab driver who immediately drove off.

"What I want to say Flori...", Pierre grabbed my hand, I looked at him questioningly "Please don't give up on him. I know we don't know each other and I have no right to ask you for something like this, but please don't give up on him. He deserves happiness and I know he can find it with you. Man I..." he gasped and searched for words "I know he sucks, actually every time he opens his mouth to you, but please, please don't give up on him yet. Give him another chance to sort through these feelings. Please."

"Why should I? I deserve happiness too and honestly right now I am absolutely not happy. I'm married to Someone who may never love me the way I love him and..."

"He loves you."

"Did he say that, or do you think he does?"

"No, he didn't say it, but I know... I see it."

"That's not enough. I deserve happiness, too."

"Sure you do! I won't deny that either." he ran his free hand over his face "Please. Just one more time Flori. It sounds totally shitty, but I think you trigger feelings in him that he hasn't felt in a long time. And you know how he looks at his phone every time you text him? He may not answer you, but he reads every message and I swear he smiles every time. His wallpaper, by the way, is also you. I don't know where he got the photo from, but his wallpaper on his phone is you, grinning all over your face next to a horse. I doubt he took it himself, but he has it.".