➽───────❤︎₊ ⊹───────❥
➽──────────────❥
MAIA has come to note that Oscar is a very peaceful sleeper, and it's a fact that she learned at the start of the third hour of their trip, since he has chosen to take a nap and leave her to rack her brain for ideas on how to kill time.
She's had no trouble making long flights go by with ease in the past. The last time she flew to Melbourne, she spent the whole flight napping and looking out the window while listening to music, and she would have no problem doing that same thing again right now; if not for the fact that Oscar was in front of her.
He was all cozy with his hood up, arms crossed over his chest and legs stretched out in front of him, eyes shut and breathing slow and steady. He doesn't snore either, much to Maia's happiness, but, she's already gotten some fun out of snagging some pictures of him sleeping as blackmail, so she's out of options for entertainment, really. The movie selection on the plane was actually pretty bad too, which was surprising considering McLaren's jet was, according to Oscar, the 'best one out of all of the Formula 1 teams.'
Maia puffs out air from her lungs as she looks around the jet, trying to see what it could have in store for her on this long flight.
She gets up from her seat across from Oscar, leaving him to sleep soundly since she doesn't feel like waking him up from his slumber just yet, and begins to walk down the big aisle of the plane. The seats are all empty, save for her and Oscar and the pilot at the front.
Eventually, Maia makes her way to a room at the back of the jet, flicking the lights on to see two twin sized beds to her right and left, and some empty cabinets above. Maia couldn't help but wonder why Oscar chose to sleep in the seats rather than here. He must have known the beds existed if he's flown with this plane multiple times, right?
She sits back on one of the beds and pulls out her phone from her pocket.
ANGELA!!! 🏎️❤️🐞: what do u want to eat when u get home!!
ANGELA!!! 🏎️❤️🐞: gonna make a grocery trip in 10 mins :)
With three minutes left to spare before Angela leaves to shop, Maia texts back swiftly, thankful for the jet's wifi: "i'll eat anything that isn't burnt 😇"
She then shuts off her phone and kicks off her sneakers, climbing further onto the bed and getting under the covers. On the side of the plane where the bed is connected, there's a small window that she can see through, and as the clouds float by, she feels her eyelids getting heavier, and heavier, and—
"Where'd you go?" Oscar asks, tiredness interlacing his words. Maia turns to face him, and sees that he's standing by the door with his hood up still.
"Skydiving," she responds jokingly, returning to face the window once more. "You just missed me."
Oscar hums a small chuckle before collapsing on the bed opposite of the one Maia has chosen to lay at. "Tell me next time. We'll do it together," he offers through a yawn.
Maia turns to look at the man, seeing one of his arms draped over his eyes like he was knight slain in battle. "Have you gone skydiving before?" She asks, head resting on the white pillow.
"No," he responds simply. "Maybe someday though. I know Lewis is into that."
"He was nice," she sighs out, closing her eyes. "I get why Angela likes him so much."
"Big fan, right?"
"Yeah, since his debut," Maia says, eyes opening to see Oscar mirroring her position on the bed and already looking in her direction.
The remnants of sleep were still painted on his face, eyes tired and still slightly closed as if he was dreaming. It was a sight that she would nearly describe as delicate, soft.
"Living with a fan like that and you still never found yourself interested in the sport?" He asks, hands tucked under his head.
"Not really," she answers. "Not even with other sports either. I'd rather–"
"Play instead of watch," he finishes. "I remember that's how you used to be with basketball and stuff."
Maia lets out a breath of laughter, slightly shocked by how much he can really recollect about her—and also slightly bothered too.
If he could remember that much about her, why didn't he spend a day calling out to her? To reconnect? To resume their friendship where they left it off?
Internally, Maia feels like smacking her head against a wall.
Why can't she just let herself enjoy the moment?
"Reckon I'd be good in an F1 car?" Maia asks, making him chuckle.
"Let's ease you back into karting first, Mai, then we'll discuss that."
The nickname makes her breath stop short.
Everyone calls her that now. Hell, it's the reason why her finsta is named the way it is, and yet the name sounds perfectly fit in his voice over anyone else who has ever even uttered it.
It makes sense though, since he was the first person to call her it anyway, back when they were kids.
The name sends her flying to the past, recollecting moments of playing sports and studying and spending time at each other's houses and karaoke and, and, and.
It just keeps going, the memories pilling up and up high into the sky.
Their worlds used to revolve around each other, or at least go around the sun at the same time in the same intervals, but Oscar had let go of their pace, and now, they were a million miles away from each other. Yet, she could feel it, sense him trying to re-enter her orbit and get back into the old rhythm they used to hold.
Mai.
He makes being upset very difficult, when he's turned into such a gentleman now.
She wonders if it might just be an act to get her to forgive him, and she hates that she even puts it into question.
"Mai," the nickname drops from her lips with a small chuckle, and Oscar must have heard her mumble, as his face turns slightly pink.
"Oh, sorry," he apologizes. His eyes close and nose scrunches. "I...It slipped out."
She lets out a snicker. "It's not like you can't call me that."
"I can?" He asks, opening his eyes and genuinely searching for reassurance.
"Yeah, everyone does."
His eyes soften in a way she hasn't seen, almost like he was disappointed. "Right," Oscar says quietly. He clears his throat as his eyes wander to the wall of the bedroom area in the plane. "Have you slept?"
Maia shakes her head against the pillow. "No."
"You should. It's a long flight," he advises.
Oscar then gets up and pulls down his hood, revealing his messy hair underneath. He makes his way towards the open door and stands outside of it, looking into the room.
Before he shuts the door, he turns to her with those same, soft eyes she's been silently obsessing over during their trip. "Let me know if you need anything when you wake."
Maia nods, and gives him a small smile to pair it with. "I will."
Oscar returns the gesture, and shuts the door quietly, leaving her alone in the plane's bedroom, and oh, how she hates how silent it's become, and a part of her wishes Oscar had stayed with her.
It's a wish she's grown familiar to having since she was a teenager, except Oscar was in the next room over instead of a whole continent away. It would be a rather easy task to call him back in, say she likes the company, yet still, she doesn't.
Maia huffs and turns over to face the window again, meeting the view of the clouds slowly inching her by.
Someone from her childhood shouldn't have this much power over her. It was too much to deal with, just his presence alone. It was like he was a bright light up against a dark scene, hard to look away from and hard to ignore.
Oscar Piastri was the sun, and what was she, other than another star gazing at his existence? And what was the sun, other than something that the stars will never touch?
Maia closes her eyes, closing herself off from the sight of the clouds, and the thoughts of her old friend in the seating area behind the door.
She dreams of go-karts, and the streets of Monaco—the same streets Oscar used to ramble about when they were kids.
NOTES!
me trying to make nature/space metaphors in every chapter that's from maia's pov: oh yeah my ap environmental science teacher would eat this up
xoxo, cas