IN MY HEART // F1 MAX VERSTAPPEN [BOOK 1]

17.

In the last few days, a person had become her home.

~•~

Even though the young blonde was firmly connected to her family, the necessity of leaving them struck fatefully. The heart-wrenching farewell with her father, stepmother, and twins brought tears to her eyes, and the difficulty of overcoming the pain of goodbye seemed insurmountable. Yet suddenly she had to immerse herself in bidding farewell to this beautiful place, pack her world into a suitcase, and take one last look before embarking on her journey.

The following afternoon, as soon as she heard the words of the badminton federation over the phone, she found herself already in the air on a plane flying from Stockholm to Nice, the nearby airport to Monaco, where her future awaited.

The flight was bitter, full of uncertainty and longing for home. Although Freya tried to deflect thoughts of harsh reality, she clung tightly to her phone, inundated with messages from Max. His words brought her peace, assuring her that everything would be okay, and that he would always be on the other end of the line if she needed someone to listen. His support was like a light in a dark moment, although deep down she felt she didn't deserve so much kindness. He also congratulated her on returning to badminton and announced that he would definitely watch her first tournament.

Freya felt like she didn't deserve Max. He was just a friend, but still, when she looked at him or received a message from him, her heart skipped a beat. She knew she couldn't suppress her feelings any longer and had to tell him what she really felt, because she couldn't keep hiding the burning flame of their friendship. She had to tell him.

In the plane, Freya found herself in an interesting situation when she noticed the faces of several passengers and even some flight attendants - she recognized that look. They knew who was traveling with them on the plane. They knew which blonde was flying with them. However, their looks were not welcoming; instead, it seemed they would rather have the girl expelled to fly somewhere else where she wouldn't disturb their peaceful atmosphere.

The whole flight then became a battle for her with unfriendly looks and harsh remarks that other passengers didn't hesitate to whisper, convinced that Freya couldn't hear them.

She didn't even try to avoid the most persistent questions. Constant questions about her relationship with Roberto rained down on her like lightning from a dark sky. It was a blow she was determined to forget, yet she had to face these emotional shots. It was difficult. Almost impossible. She was almost on the verge of tears because those disdainful looks and remarks got under her skin too deeply.

She couldn't escape the awkward questions that revolved around her either. Questions about the Formula 1 pilot who was supposed to, according to stories, be at her home. It was absurdity that amused her in a situation where she first had to deal with hostile glances and malicious questions about Roberto and their past relationship, and now curiosity penetrated her innermost being regarding the Formula 1 racing world.