Apex | Charles Leclerc

Chapter 73

"Are you applying for a job?" I asked her when she saw me and excused herself.

"That'd be nice, but we both know I earn more at the studio." She smirked and I shook my head at her. I didn't think she'd be willing to let that go either since she was the boss, so her hours were reliant on her. "They did ask me to take a few photos of Max during the summer break for his Instagram. I'm tempted to give them photos of him sleeping with his mouth wide open."

"On top of that photo Charles posted, I don't think he'll have any dignity left."

"Whatever you two are scheming about, stop it." Max said, interrupting our conversation. He sent me a glare as he stood beside Gabby. I quirked an eyebrow when he almost made a move to touch her waist but placed them on his hips instead. "Now, what are your bets for today?" He asked, turning to Gabby.

"Leclerc, Russel, and Schumacher." Gabby replied in a heartbeat and Max's jaw dropped.

"I'm not even on your roster?" He asked, turning his body to her. He was clearly offended and I had to fight my snicker when he pouted his lips while Gabby smirked at him.

"What happens when you lose the bet?" I asked them, both of their heads turning to look at me as if they forgot I was even there.

"Usually, the other would just end up paying the winner."

"Usually?" Gabby and I asked at the same time and Max rolled his eyes at us, sighing deeply as if he was tired to be in our company.

"I have a proposition." He smirked, eyes trained on Gabby who kept her mouth shut, waiting for him to expand. "If I win the race, I get to kiss you before the podium ceremony."

Oh shit. That also meant going public, telling everyone who was watching the race and most likely those on the internet, that Max Verstappen is no longer a bachelor. With the set of photos of them that went viral a few weeks ago, there was still a lot of speculation about whether or not they were together because of how long they've been friends with one another. If Max won, this would be shutting down those rumors.

"That's confident of you considering you weren't even in the top three during free practice." Gabby said and I watched the two of them, feeling like I was in some kind of tennis match as my head moved back and forth between them.

"Call it a feeling." Max shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. "What do you think, Gabs? Do we have a deal or not?"

"Deal but if I win, you finally agree to that one-on-one portrait shoot I've been asking for."

Gabby and I watched from the Paddock Club's viewing deck since Max went on a mini rant that she can't be biased or near any of the garages in case she tries to sabotage him. Gabby gave him an amused look before leaving the garage with me practically telling him with his eyes You think I know enough about cars to sabotage you?

We both watched in anticipation as the cars came back to the grid after the formation lap, Charles parking his car in the spot for pole position with Max two rows behind him in P4. George was starting in P2 while Mick was in P3. The Mercedes and Ferrari cars have been promising this weekend, but I remember Red Bull putting in purple sectors during yesterday's qualifying session.

Gabby was leaning her elbows on the railings, sunglasses placed over her eyes. I was also wearing mine to fight against the bright sun, watching as the red lights came into view. Despite the earplugs I was wearing, I could still hear the roar of engines as soon as the lights went out and it was like all twenty drivers sprung into action. From all the races I've watched, I've discovered that the first turn was my favorite part because it either shows how much control these drivers have or the level of danger this sport really has. I actually held my breath as my eyes focused on Charles' car, Mick's front wing moving awfully close to his rear tires. The two of them managed to escape the corner unscathed and so did Max, overtaking George who didn't have a good start.

The chaos happened in the middle of the grid. Checo was following behind George and he drove too wide during the first turn, causing him to find a way to get back into the pack. While he was doing this, there wasn't enough time for Esteban to react before he clipped the side of the Red Bull and pressed on the brakes. Pierre, Carlos, and Lance managed to get out of the way, but Daniel damaged his front wing because of the debris that came from Checo's car. Charles wasn't even halfway to the middle sector when yellow flags were waved to clean out the track.

Max was on Charles' tail as soon as the green flags were shown, driving alongside Mick as the two of them fought for P2. In the end, Max backed off to give some space, his radio coming on with his race engineer telling him to take care of his tires and they still have a lot of chances to overtake Mick.

It was evident that Gabby was growing confident every time Charles' name appeared on the screen with purple sectors. Half of me was happy that my husband was leading the race, but a part of me knew that anything could happen in Silverstone and one can never be too relaxed with this race.

That time came when Mercedes encountered a pitstop that was neither perfect nor a disaster. Max had already pitted before Charles and Mick, so the Mercedes team was hoping to have Charles out with fresh tires just as Max was rounding the last corner. From the race commentators, it was said that Charles' pitstop took longer than expected compared to how George's pitstop went. The number 4.1 flashed on the screen and I cursed under my breath, knowing that would cost Charles some time.

The battle was close and I think everyone who was watching held their breath as we watched Charles drive out of the pits and Max move towards the first corner. Fortunately for Max, he passed through Charles a second before the latter drove through the pitlane line that prevented him from going over the speed limit. Cheers erupted from the Verstappen fans in the Paddock Club while Gabby hung her head low and let out a few curse words of her own.

"Need some lipstick?" I teased her and she sent daggers my way.

"Fuck you, Kaplan." I laughed at the obvious stress on her face, knowing that even if she didn't want to publicize her relationship with Max, her pride would always win over.

She'd rather accept the loss with her chin held high instead of acting like a sore loser.

Gabby had a grim and nervous look on her face as we stood by parc ferme, waiting for the boys to arrive for the podium ceremony. Mick was the first one to park his car, immediately jumping to the Ferrari mechanics that were waiting for him. He passed by me and Gabby and gave each of us a hug. "I'll see you tonight." He smiled before heading to the cooldown room.

"What's happening tonight?" I asked Gabby.

"Probably Max's celebratory party." She said, shaking her head. My attention was pulled away from her when Charles' Mercedes car came into view, the Barbie pink being so eye-catching. Max was right behind him, buzzing with energy as the Red Bull team members yelled in support.

"Congratulations!" I cheered as Charles headed my way, my arms moving to the space over his shoulders as he gave me a kiss on the lips.

"Thank you." He smiled brightly, hair ruffled as he ran his fingers through it. I knew that he was hoping to have a better result but with how things ended last season, Charles' mindset for this year was just to have as much good results that he could accomplish.

He was about to follow Mick to the cooldown room when I grabbed his arm. "You're gonna want to see this." I smirked, watching as Max made his way toward us after greeting his team.

"What's happening?" Charles asked, leaning his arm on the barrier as we watched Max stop in front of Gabby.

"Gabs." He grinned, blue eyes bright and teasing as he looked at his girlfriend.

"Max." Gabby answered back, both of her hands holding onto the railings. Her tone was neutral, but the slight uplift of her lips told me that she wasn't entirely dreading this moment.

"I'm here to collect." Max smirked, moving closer.

"Then collect." Those were the last words of Gabby before the couple was surrounded by camera flashes as Max leaned forward and kissed her.

*****

Awwwww

✧Reese✧