"Where are you going?" Sofia looked out the window perplexed they were on a highway.
"Showing you what I've done with the apartment in Faenza."
"Max, it's nearly midnight!"
"So? Do you have anywhere important to be?"
Sofia had helped Max renovate his 1 bedroom apartment in Faença that he got in his early days at Toro Rosso. The idea was to sell it but it seemed like he had never gone through with it. They had spent a fair share amount of time there during summer break and it held a lot of memories. It was there that Max said he loved her for the very first time.
Max used to do everything on impulse, not really thinking about the consequences of his actions. A man, in a committed relationship, driving his ex-girlfriend to his old apartment in the middle of the night. Sofia wasn't entirely comfortable with that idea but she couldn't just open the door and throw herself onto the highway.
"I didn't know you still had that apartment."
"Yeah, I like it too much even though it's small and besides Kylie doesn't want me in Monaco in the next few days, so I'm happy I have a place to stay."
"How do you think she would feel knowing that you are now taking me to your house?"
Max turned on his right indicator signal, exiting the highway and onto a smaller road. One that she had been on many times before. Sofia still enjoyed watching Max drive. He was confident and there was something insanely alluring to her when he only controlled the steering wheel with one hand only.
"She would kill me with her bare hands."
"I wouldn't blame her..."
"Don't tell me the two of you will now gang up against me... It's bad enough to have you and your little redhead friend doing that already."
Sofia smiled when he mentioned her redhead friend. Amelia was a little hurricane and had no qualms in attacking Max whenever she felt that Sofia needed support.
"You kind of deserve that..." Sofia was trying to keep it brief.
She wasn't afraid that Max would try to have his way with her or that he would do anything to hurt her again. She was afraid of her own feelings around him. She dreaded that her heart skipped a beat whenever he was around. It was hard for Sofia not to imagine what could have been if he hadn't been a coward. They were good together and the chemistry was unreal.
She could still feel some of that chemistry coming back when they chatted. Even when they were angry at each other, she could feel the sparks and the tension and she was sure that Max wasn't letting go of her because he felt the same way.
"I'm not going to hit on you. Relax! I'm just going to show you the apartment and take you back to the hotel afterwards."
"But why did you need to show it to me in the first place?"
"I don't know. I just thought you'd like it."
"Yes, I would love to relive all the good moments we had before you broke up with me over a text message."
Max inhaled deeply and then slowly exhaled as if doing some weird car yoga breathing technique. He didn't reply, simply drove into the garage and stopped the car. Sofia followed him into the lift and instinctively pressed the 8th-floor button before Max could do it, surprising both of them.
He opened the front door and let Sofia walk in front of him. She located the light switch and turn them on. The apartment looked as exactly as the last day she had been there. She glanced over at Max, confused.
"I thought you said you were going to show me what you did with it? You did absolutely nothing... it's exactly the same."
From the sofa, the rugs to the painting on the wall, even the scented candles, it had all been chosen by Sofia as if that apartment was a time capsule and it was still 2019 in Faenza.
She saw Max going into the bedroom but didn't dare to follow him there, instead, she stood in the middle of the living room not sure what to do with herself. He was taking his sweet time and she found herself pacing around the house switching things off and on.
She got a quick, sneaky look at what Max was doing as he had left the door open. From under the yellowish light of the lamp, she could see that was searching for something on his bedside drawer. Without even realizing she was now standing just outside the bedroom, her arms crossed as she was inundated by a whirlwind of memories.
He finally found what he was looking for and turned around to be face to face with a teary-eyed Sofia. Max immediately reached out his hand and slid down her cheek in a caring manner.
"I have something that belonged to you." He said when she finally stepped back from his contact.
"My grandma's bracelet!! I thought I had lost it!" It was a family heirloom and Sofia was so upset when she couldn't find it.
"The cleaner found it behind the sofa when she was deep cleaning this place."
Sofia was on the verge of tears for a different reason at that time. That bracelet was the only material possession she had of her beloved grandma. She was sobbing by the time he clasped it round her wrist.
"I didn't know if I would ever see you again, but I remember how hard it was for you when your grandma died. I remember she was the only mother you ever had in your life."
Sofia took a deep breath and wiped away the tears that insisted rolling down her face.
"Gosh Max. Since when did you become so lame?" She said laughing breaking away the tension.
"I'm done with you." Max replied before he walked out of the room and grabbed his car keys ready to drive his ex-girlfriend back.
As Sofia barged into her hotel room, she saw her reflection in the mirror. A beautiful gown paired with Max's tuxedo jacket that she had forgotten to give back and he didn't say a thing before driving off.
*-------------------*
It was another race weekend, this time they were in Portimão. Amelia was checking that the hospitality was spot on while Sofia had a last-minute meeting with some Paddock Club patrons.
She walked behind the bar and into their storage room to get some bottles of wine. She spotted a paper bag that Sofia had left in there. Amelia grabbed it to get it out of the way and by accident tipped it over.
"Hmmm, interesting..." She said as she inspected a man's tuxedo jacket.
Sofia came running back to the Red Bull hospitality as she hated leaving such an important task in the hands of someone else, even though she trusted Amelia. The meeting could have been an email as they only wanted to discuss current sponsorships.
"Thanks, Amelia. It looks immaculate! Good job!"
"No worries. As a thank-you can you tell me why you have a man's formal jacket in a bag?"
Sofia stuttered as she tried to find the right words which wasn't very usual for her. She still hadn't told Amelia the events of the gala and how she ended up in Max's little apartment in Italy.
"Long story! I'll tell you later, but I'm actually going to return that to its owner now as thanks to you, I have some time to spare!"
"Sure! You know I will not let this go, right?" Amelia replied with a grin.
"I'm counting on it!"
Sofia made her way to the garage, holding the bag, as she knew that Max was already there. She had spotted him walk along the paddock halls. She hadn't seen his girlfriend yet and wondered if they were still having a lover's spat.
Some mechanics looked at her curiously as she hesitantly walked around the garage trying to find Max. Some of them were already working for Red Bull when they were a couple and recognized her. She stopped to say hello to a couple of them and then asked where Max was.
"I think he's in his room..." One replied and pointed where it was located.
Sofia walked outside and behind the trucks and trailers to find his room, built-in within the Red Bell Energy Station. She knocked on his door and waited.
"Come in." She heard Max's voice. She opened the door and was startled when she was faced with Kylie sitting down next to him. Sofia could feel the intense stare of Max's girlfriend on her.
Without saying a word, she dropped the paper bag on the floor and left. There was no way Sofia would stay there to help Max explain himself.