Double Sided Tracks

Silverstone

What– what a joke. Flew all the way here to feel humiliated. Willingly.

Before she could go further, someone stopped her. She knew instantly that it was Max. This became a pattern, Max walk away, then appear out of thin air.

"Hey, hey," Max stopped her, looking around making sure nobody was lurking with a camera or anything like that. He knows some people would like to portray him as the bad guy, but the last thing he wants is someone to make a headline that he made a girl cry. "Hey, hey, shh." he wraps his arms around her, and she tries to push him away but he's not the fourth tallest on the grid for nothing. "What's wrong– what, let's go to Red–" he got cut off by her, who successfully squirmed out of his hug.

"I don't want to go to Red Bull." she said, coldly. Wiping her tears quickly like it's embarrassing to be caught crying.

"Okay," he said, raising his arms like he's surrendering. "We don't have to. Where are you staying?" he asked, and she shrugged. Stared at him, she got one finger in her mouth, biting her nail naked. Why does he always meet people who bite their nails as a stress response, first Daniel, now Nora. Is it his job to stop people from doing this?

"You don't know your hotel?" he asked, teasingly. Trying to make light the situation, "well, why don't we stop by Red Bull, you know, winning team and all that–"

Nora yanked her finger out, stared at Max, and she looked furious and Max would take her seriously had her cheeks and nose less red from the crying. "Oh my god–" she said, and oh– well, Max is taking her seriously now. "Fucking stop with the winning team or wins, or whatever the fuck!" she screamed, and Max was stunt.

Nora can cuss? Without waiting for Max to say anything, she walked away. Max, who's just able to process what had happened, runs after her. "Nora, Nora- Nora." he tried to stop her, "let me just– let me drive you back." he said, "please."

She stared at him, eyes still red from the tears also from anger. She nodded.

"Come on, I'll drive." he said, "We'll ditch my physio, Brad." he said, and Nora just kind of followed him blindly.

Max opened the door to his black Range Rover, letting Nora go inside. "Do you mind if I drive?" he asked, "If not I'll get the driver?" he asked.

Nora gives him a look that says, seriously?– Max had yanked her into so many hugs, and being stuck in a car with him, just him– is where he draws the line? Whatever.

"I won't kill us both, I promise." he said, and oh– Nora had thought. This guy knows nothing about her, does he?

"Just drive, Max." she said, "please." she added, because that's just rude, if not.

"Can you put in the address on the GPS please?" he asked, and Nora did as asked, typing the name of the hotel on the screen. "So, can I assume that Lewis made you cry?" he asked, and her fingers stopped typing.

"Are you going to force me to spill my guts here, like some uber driver who can't shut up?" she asked, turning to him. "If yes, I'd rather go and get an actual uber." she added.

His eyes slightly widened, his hands up like he's surrendering, "fine, I'm not going to ask." he said. Nora finished typing, and then the GPS lady filled the silence. You are on the best route, 12 minutes until destination.

Max looked like he was about to throw up from the silence, so Nora cut him some slack, "I think I'm going to go home."

"Home?"

"Qatar." she said, and Max looked at her trying to see if she's serious, "you just arrived." he said. Nora shrugged, the thought of sitting in Mercedes garage, makes her feel sick. The thought of having Lewis in the same room as her, makes her feel sick and she knows it's because she cares. She's a loser who cares, shouldn't have said yes to any of the things Lewis had offered.

What happened to, "all men are the same"?

"So you just had a 14 hour flight, stayed for half a day, and you're going to go?" he said, like she's ridiculous. Yes, because she's stupid. Stupid people get hurt, what's new. She nodded.

She could feel her phone buzzing, it's probably Angela.

Max taps the steering wheel, waiting for the red lights to turn green. "Don't bite my head off," he started, turning to Nora who's leaning on the window, eyes anywhere but Max. "But, you don't have to go home. Come watch from our garage."

She lets out a sigh, as if Red Bull can protect her feelings, as if Red Bull isn't the reason why she's in this situation in the first place. "Max.." is all she said, she wanted to cry so bad. She can't wait to be in her hotel room, and curl up in bed. Maybe call Aya.

Max turns to her with a smile, and the smile turns soft when he notices she's tearing up.  "When I was in F3, I got so excited for F2, because they race outside Europe." he started, "Now of course, F3  races outside of Europe. When I was there, we only raced in Europe." he added.

Nora just stared at him, waiting for him to continue. She's not sure where he's going with this story, but she appreciates the distraction.

Then when they get caught in another stupid traffic light, seriously all she wants is to get in bed and cry, Max turns to her with a teasing smile. Like they're in an inside joke, "I promised someone when I get an F1 seat, I'll invite her to my garage." he said, and waited for Nora to say something. After a few beats, his eyes are scanning her face like he's looking for something. "So, please don't go home. I don't know what happened with you and Lewis, but you can watch from my garage." he said.

Nora closed her eyes for a second, "Max I– I shouldn't have gone to your garage." she said, quietly. Trying to say it casually, like she's protecting Lewis' image. Or maybe your own image, her brain had told her. She doesn't want to be seen as weak, as someone who wears her heart on her sleeves. She's hurt because she cares, and that feels humiliating.

Max doesn't say anything, though she could see the way he's gripping the steering wheel harder than before, and his jaw clenches. His eyes still on the road, she doubts he's actually paying attention. They're still stuck in traffic, 12 minutes became 15 minutes.

"You should stop, before I say something about him that you won't like." Max said and Nora just stared at him.

Silence fills the car, "what are you guys?" Max asked and Nora stared at him. "Are you guys together?" he asked.

Nora fiddles with her fingers, then puts the one finger she had bitten naked earlier today back in her mouth. Max gently tugged her wrist away from her mouth, "sorry," he said quickly when Nora gave her a look. "Daniel always asked me to remind him to not bite his nails," he added. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that. That was–"

I'd answer if I knew, but I don't.

They finally got to her hotel, Max parked instead of dropping her off by the lobby. Nora had to remind herself that he's actually not an uber driver, he parked and let the car idle.

"So what are we going to do?" he asked, and Nora couldn't help but smile. Weirdly, Angela and Max have been the ones that made her less lonely, made today slightly more bearable.

She doesn't have the strong need to cry anymore, well maybe a little bit. But, she doesn't feel the need to sob, so that counts. The idea of catching a flight is equally as unappealing as sitting in Mercedes garage uncomfortably, she shrugged. "I might stay in the hotel, and just go home with the ticket that I already have."

Max looked at her, he got one hand on the steering wheel, still. She just realised he's still wearing his suit, half unzipped, crumpled under him. That's got to be uncomfortable. "You haven't changed." she commented.

Max grimaced, like he forgot he's still in his race suit. He shrugged, "well, I got to make sure someone isn't crying herself to sleep." he said, and Nora laughed.

"What makes you so sure I won't cry in my room?" she said. Now, she doubts she'll cry in her room. She'll talk to Angela, and let her know she'll stay in.

"I know you won't cry over a stupid guy–" he said, "whoever it is, they're stupid." Max added quickly, when Nora gave him a look. But she nodded, her hand was reaching to unbuckle her seatbelt but Max held her wrist there.

"Do you remember when you went to Silverstone back in–" Max started and Nora looked at Max quickly, "I've never been to Silverstone." she said.

___

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