ELYSE's POV
For the first week, I had surprisingly gotten along well with Max which seemed to surprise everyone around us as much. However, it was starting to get hard to ignore the daggers Kelly has been shooting towards me whenever I made the slightest effort to communicate with her boyfriend. But it didn't go unnoticed how strained her relationship with Max seemed, though I ultimately decided it had nothing to do with me and that I shouldn't care much about it.
One morning, when I left my room I was jump-scared by the sight of Max, about to know on my door.
"Holy shit!" I shrieked before realizing who it was, "Oh, Max. Good morning?"
"Good morning." He greeted me, "Do you want to go on a quick morning run? I've asked everyone but it's like there's a lazy disease spreading around or something."
"Yeah, it's easy to be lazy when you're not in the fight for the championship." I joked, "But, sure, I'll join you."
We walked through a narrow bike trail Max found while he was having his usual morning runs with Daniel one day.
"So..." he started, "Your birthday is in a few days."
"Yeah," I nodded, "Can you please tell me what my mom is planning? I know she's going to go all out this year but I would do anything to know."
"Anything?" He raised an eyebrow in intrigue.
"Actually? I take that back." I quickly said.
"You can't take it back if you already said it." Max declared before picking me up and pretending to almost throw me in the pond that was next to the bike trail we were walking on. I repeatedly smacked him, telling him to put me down.
"Not until you tell me that you take back the take back you took back." He threatened.
"I thought you can't take back what you already said?" I smugly replied but quickly regretted it once I was being thrown into the pond. I clung onto Max for dear life, making him fall with me.
The moment we both resurfaced, a splashing water game started and I strategically started walking towards the bike trail once again while splashing water at Max and started running back to the house to avoid being thrown into the pond for a second time. By the time we got to the house, Max had caught up to me and the two of us were out of breath but our clothes dried up quick enough.
"Gee, what were you two doing?" Lando looked at us disapprovingly making me raise my middle finger at him, "Did the non-existent wind blow you into a pond or something?"
"Pond part is true." Max confirmed making some guys laugh.
I walked past them and pressed on the elevator button, too tired to use the stairs. I noticed Max waiting beside me for the elevator.
"Isn't your room on this floor?" I asked him.
"It was, I moved in with Kelly." He explained. I simply nodded , not bothering to ask for more details.
We got into the lift and pressed the third floor before the electricity suddenly switched off in the whole house, making the elevator stop midair.
"Shit, shit, shit." I placed my face in my hands and sat on the elevator door.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay." I heard Max say.
"What happened?" I heard someone downstairs ask.
"Lights out." Another person answered.
"Vroom Vroom." The idiotic voice of Lando was clear.
"Shut up, you dipshit." George scolded him.
"Who's in the elevator?" Another voice asked.
The rest of the voices were distorted as I started hyperventilating. Two things I hated; darkness and claustrophobic places. Having both things happen in the same time was no help.
"What's wrong?" Max's voice echoed through the cramped space.
"Claustrophobic." I managed to get out, "Fear of dark."
"Oh, shit." He crouched next to me. "Alright, listen to my voice, okay?"
I nodded as I felt his hands intertwine with mine ever so slightly easing me. Just knowing he was beside me made me feel somewhat safe.
"Tell me three things you can feel right now." He instructed.
"You, my clothes, my breath." I whispered.
"Three things you hear?" He asked.
"People, you, me." I answered.
"Breathe, Elyse." He reminded me as he squeezed my hands. "Would you mind telling me the story of why you're claustrophobic and have a fear of the dark?"
I tensed, my breathing turning unsteady once again, "I don't trust you enough."
The grip of his hands around mine faltered but swiftly returned once again.
"That's fine. I understand." He softened his voice, "You know what? I'll tell you something about me in exchange for something about you." I nodded and let him continue, "One time, my dad left me at the gas station after I lost a race and I had to beg people on the street to take me home. I was left 10 hours away from home."
"Oh." I was stunned I was even hearing this, "I'm so sorry I made fun of you about your dad before."
"It's fine. Our relationship isn't as perfect as we portray it to the media. You don't have to apologize."
"No, I have to. If I didn't I'd be a hypocrite." I admitted to him for the first time ever.
"What do you mean?" I could sense puzzlement in his tone.
I sighed before taking a deep breath, "The reason I'm so scared of dark and confined places is because..." I couldn't believe I was about to say this, "My dad used to lock me in my closet for days after losing a race."
"I—" Max stuttered, obviously not expecting me to say this.
"It's fine, you don't have to say anything. I'd prefer you don't tell anyone though."
I'm pretty sure he pretended to seal his lips shut with an imaginary key.
"You know I can't see anything and I have my eyes closed right?" I asked after feeling his movements.
"Oh yeah, your secret is safe with me." He squeezed my hands one more time as a squeeze of reassurance. "You're safe as long as I'm here." He assured me.
Suddenly the elevator shook making me grab onto Max tightly then before I knew it, the lights went back on and the elevator moved back the first floor— the sliding door dinging open to reveal everyone waiting worriedly.
"You can open your eyes now." Max told me as he released his hands from mine.
I slowly opened my eyes and let out a sigh of relief once I saw everyone standing in-front of us.
"Thank God, I'm never using this elevator again." I declared as my mom pulled me into a hug as she complained how worried she was.
"Boo! You're scared of the dark, loser!" Lando teased me and I slapped him on the forehead, making him shut up.
"Shut the fuck up, Lando." Isa warned Lando, "Or I'm telling Carlos what happened that night in Ibiza."
"What happened in Ibiza?" Charlotte and Carlos asked in the same time.
"Nothing." Isa and Lando replied instantly.
I laughed and after everyone checked up on me, I used the stairs and had a quick shower and decided to sit in the library for the rest of the night considering how the parents were headed downtown for the night, the guys were playing FIFA or Formula One 2021 while the girls chilled by the pool or library.
I was accompanied by Charlotte, Isa and Kelly with her baby P. I flipped through the pages of Pride and Prejudice in French, asking Charlotte what a couple words meant here and there. It was quite relaxing especially with my playlist playing in the background.
"So.. Elyse." Kelly started, "How are you and Max doing?"
I shrugged, not taking my eyes off my book even though hearing her question made me loose my ability to read, "Fine. I'm just starting to know him."
"What made you guys suddenly start even acknowledging each other?" she asked curiously.
I ripped my eyes from my book— I couldn't tell Isa and Charlotte had also stopped reading and are listening to us interact.
"After nearly killing each other in Silverstone it made us realize our rivalry was seriously unhealthy and either one of us could get hurt in the process."
"Oh come on, Ellie, don't use that PR trained answer. Tell me, straight on." Kelly pouted as she subconsciously played along with Penelope.
Both Isa and Charlotte knew the real reason behind why Max and I started hanging out. I'm 95% Kelly also knew since half the grid already knew about our stunt.
"Oh come on, Kels, we both know why." I copied her earlier phrase, "You don't need to pretend you don't know."
"Fine, I do know. But you're starting to overstep your boundaries with my boyfriend, got that?" Kelly warned me, "I saw how close you guys were in that elevator."
I scoffed in disbelief, "I was having a panic attack, what did you expect!?"
"Yeah, Kelly, don't assume things." Charlotte backed me up along with Isa humming in agreement.
"I'm not assuming anything, I'm just saying." She defended and stood up, "C'mon, P, it's bed time."
As soon as she was gone the three of us fell into a deep fit of laughter.
"Can you actually believe she thought I'd steal Max from her?" I let out as a tear slipped my eyes from laughing so hard, "In what universe could that possibly happen?!"
"Probably the one where you two aren't fighting for a world championship?" Charlotte answered.
"You're supposed to say never, dumbass." I rolled my eyes playfully.
"But I mean, it was kinda sweet how he comforted you. Very out of character for him." Isa pointed out.
I replied, "Everything he's been doing has been very out of character recently."