Adrenaline: A Lestappen Story

𝟏 - 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

"That's good, means you didn't see me barging in," he said, "would've made you think I can't handle my alcohol," his speech was better than it had been outside this room but the glazed look in his eyes made it clear that he in fact was not handling the alcohol as well as he was claiming.

It had recently become apparent to Charles that his attraction to Max had grown prominent. Max had become friendlier as he became more comfortable and satisfied with his position in the championship. This change in behavior allowed Charles to always be well-received, with a targeted kindness coming from his rival. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, it helped that most of Charles's own races were spent in frustration over lost potential, feeling every loss as a sign that his chances of greatness were slipping away. He wasn't left with much time to ponder the unique attention he always paid to Max.

Even with his own insecurities, seeing Max on the podium was never a bad sight, and he usually watched from the safety of the Ferrari paddock to avoid exposing the special glimmer of admiration in his eyes.

"I overestimated how much I could take in," he confessed despite Max not having accused him of anything. It was always when he was drunk that he became an open book, and more extroverted than his usual self. "I just had so so much but I'm handling it so so good," the repetition in his own sentences were his own personal amusement and when Max's eyes met his own, the red of his face increased in intensity and made him look away. "I don't want to go back out yet, it's hard to keep my senses together out there, but it's easier here."

Pulling his hands away from the sink so the automatic sensor would shut the water off, Max reached out for one of the paper towels, drying up his hands as he observed the brunette.

"I see that," he chuckled at the other driver's restatement over the fact he had been drinking way over his weight. Yet, as much as Max seemed to want to tease him about the obvious alcohol flush to his cheeks, he felt it would have been quite hypocritical given the fact he could barely spend more than two minutes without falling into unreasoned laughter. "Watch out, you're gonna come out in the news... prince of Monaco, found drunk on the streets," he joked sarcastically, setting the paper towels into the large trash bin hole on the sink counter corner.

Max's commentary always found a way to amuse Charles, and it had even become a bit of a joke amongst the fans; them poking fun at how Max is always doing the talking and Charles is always listening to him. Having the other driver refer to him by his unofficial nickname caused a bit of embarrassment in the brunette, laughing a little but shaking his head. "No no, I am okay," he said, his hand resting on the edge of the sink to keep himself a little more stabilized.

In the background the electronic music sounded loud and every second that passed felt like an eternity, as if the sense of time had been blurred by the drinks they ingested. "Who did you come with?" Max asked.

"Uh, I came here with Alexandra," Charles answered, despite not having seen her for most of the night- his own fault mostly.
"And you?" he asked, looking back to the door for a second before turning back to Max, realizing that now that the blond's hands are dried he's hoping to rejoin the festivities.

Max did not truly move from his initial position at first, if anything he was ready to ramble for hours without even realizing the time passing by. Assuming normally Max was already a big talker with most of the drivers in the grid, having alcohol in his body only increased the levels of talkativeness that came to him. "Alexandra? That's your girlfriend, right?" Max asked curiously.

 Of course, he had seen or heard at least that Charles had a girlfriend but he hadn't really taken the time to see her around or pay attention to her presence, much less her name. "And you're leaving her waiting?" he teased the other driver. "That's why my girlfriend refused to come, she doesn't really like crowded parties with the whole team, it can get pretty wild... way too wild for her taste." he said fidgeting with the paper towel dispenser. "And it is, way too many guys, the smell of sweat is too heavy later on." he dropped in another joke, seeming to almost laugh and entertain himself with his words.