The Undercut | Max Verstappen

Chapter 10

"It makes sense, love. Don't worry about it, we're here to help you in whatever way you need us to be." Winnie says from the drivers' seat. The twins love each other, but if there's anything she will never allow her brother to do in her presence it's drive. He's not the best behind the wheel and Winnie is a temperamental driver. They butt heads often if he drives, so they'd come to an agreement to make sure he never does unless it's absolutely necessary.

"I know. Thank you guys, seriously."

Only moments later we arrive at a small bakery near the pier. The quaint atmosphere paired with the stunning view of the mediterranean sea made the place perfect for what she needed: peace, fresh air and a good croissant. The sounds of the sea went along with their quiet conversation and for a moment there she felt at complete ease.

"The documentary's doing better than I expected, honestly." I said. "At first I wasn't sure whether we'd be able to have any sort of impact on people. But they've been telling us that the positive engagement on Max's pages has been on the rise ever since the last episode."

"Who would've thought, right? People actually find him likeable." joked Oli, making both Winnie and I chuckle lightly. But to be fair, although I still had my reservations about the guy, I didn't think he was absolutely heartless. Some of the hate he got wasn't entirely justified.

"I think people are used to see him in a different context, when he's putting on his helmet and isn't think about anything that isn't racing. The documentary is probably just humanizing him, which is a good thing and it helps more people connect."

"Oh come on, he has the personality of a plant." he says, making me snort and shake my head with an eye roll.

"Plants have personalities. You just have to think outside the box, no two plants are the same, they all have different needs." said Winnie, and hell, she might be the undisputed queen of unsolicited and unexpected facts, but it made sense.

"We're not too different then, us and plants." I said, mostly joking, but giving it some thought as well. "Maybe people just needed to see Plant Max in a different light, as a plant who takes a little longer to come out of his seed." I say, and she looks at me with arched eyebrows as if she's seizing me up. "What?" I ask.

"Nothing." she replies, extending the 'o' while she doesn't take her eyes away from mine.

"I can't believe we're talking about plants having personalities." Oli said, making us chuckle. Yeah, it was random, but it was also very wise. That's actually a very good way to define Winnie: random but wise.

The smell of the sea was relaxing every muscle in my body, making me close my eyes and throw my head back slightly. "How are things back in the house?" asked Winnie. I can only shrug in response.

"It's been getting better, slightly less awkward I'd say. But it's not easy to get to know someone as closed off as Max. Either way, I guess there's no interest from any of us to actually get to know each other, so neither of us is making much of an effort." I explain to the best of my ability what's been going on. At least partially.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about the night in the pool, blue eyes moonlit, wine soaked lips, and starlight smiles, at least twice a day. But I didn't say that. In fact, I didn't even mention it. So it was a partial lie. A lie of omission.

"It's just a job, Micah." said Oliver. My eyes meet his for a second and I find his eyebrows subtly furrowed.

"I know. I just... it would be easier to do if I didn't have to pry information out of his dead cold hands every other day." I reply jokingly but his stare stays on me and I know him well enough to know he can see that there's more I'm not saying.