26th august 2023, netherlands
SO FAR THE WEEKEND HAD WENT WELL. The Verstappen family and Ella had just finished their dinner after a successful qualifying session for Max. "Ella!" Millie tugged on her sleeve, "Yes, sweetheart?"
"Do you want to play dolls with me?" She asked delicately, Ella agreed immediately and took the dolls out of Millie's travel bag. In the kitchen, Ella noticed Max and his mother talking, she had a huge smile on her face while Max looked confused. "Max, it's Saturday, you're on pole. Have some fun! Victoria and I will watch Millie! Go out!"
"What about Antonella?" Max asked, unable to take his eyes off her as she played dolls with his daughter. "Take her with you." His mother winked, Max rolled his eyes and after some convincing, gave in. "Antonella?" He spoke, she turned to face him and he ushered her over. "Do you want to explore some of the best Dutch night clubs with me?"
"What about Millie? You guys have fun I'll watch her." Ella offered immediately, Max shook his head immediately. "No my mother has it covered, she's missed Millie a lot and wants some time with her. What do you think?" He asked, Ella shrugged her shoulders and said she didn't mind. "You could try being a little more enthusiastic," Max laughed. "Yes Max! I would love to go clubbing!" She mocked him, he rolled his eyes and told her to go get ready.
Ella decided to wear knee high boots, a black mini skirt and a black corset top. She brushed her hair and reapplied her lipstick, and met Max in the living room of his sisters house. He was wearing a plain white tshirt, slightly baggy black trousers and a navy blue denim-ish cahart jacket. Ella was surprised to see him in this outfit, especially to go clubbing. "You look good," he said quietly, the pair of them said their goodbyes to Max's family and officially started their night of fun.
"So do Dutch nightclubs only play Dutch songs?" She asked, Max couldn't help but laugh as he assumed she was joking. They walked for about fifteen minutes until they reached the club that Max wanted to show her. He had been here quite a few times, it was his favourite club in the Netherlands. Ella was very happy upon entry to discover they were playing Rihanna. She immediately pulled Max to the dance floor. "I'll meet you there, give me your bag I'll go put it into the cloakroom." Max laughed, Ella handed him her purse and decided instead of joining the crowd of strangers on the dance floor, she would go get a drink. At the busy bar, she wasn't sure what to order as she wasn't in the mood to get drunk, and Max couldn't get wasted when he had a race tomorrow.
Soon enough, Max had found her at the bar. "What are you up to? You missed Rihanna!" Max laughed, Ella shrugged her shoulders and said she was ready to dance now that he was here. She took his hand and pulled him onto the floor. "You can drive, but can you dance?"
"Amazingly," he joked. Ella wasn't convinced, as Cascada played in the background Ella swayed to the beat, Max stood awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. "Loosen up!" She ordered. "I could say the same to you! I think we forgot the key factor of dancing; alcohol."
"That's not a good idea, you're racing tomorrow."
"I can handle my drink, Antonella, wait here." He ordered, Ella continued to dance and Max returned in three minutes holding two mojitos. "You hate mojitos!" Ella shouted over the music, Max shrugged his shoulders. "You love them!"
By the end of the song they had finished their drinks, "I love this song!" Ella shouted, Max laughed and placed their empty glasses on a nearby table filled with other people's disregarded drinks. Max and Ella danced to Call My Name by Cheryl, and as the song progressed, they started to dance together. Max had his hands placed firmly on her waist, looking her directly in the eyes as she sang along in the loud atmosphere.
Max watched her as she swayed to the beat in between songs, anxiously waiting for the next one. "Shakira!" She shouted, Max smiled devilishly as he moved his hands from her waist slightly lower down to her hips. Antonella wrapped her arms around Max's neck, and the pair had a good time dancing until they were interrupted by two familiar faces, and one unfamiliar. "You didn't invite us?" Charles Leclerc laughed, Ella gasped and let go of Max immediately. "Lily!" The girls shared a hug, and Max watched in confusion, wondering how Ella knew Lily. "Ella, this is my boyfriend, Alex." Lily introduced, Ella shook Alex's hand.
"Alex, this is Ella. She's Millie's nanny." Lily explained to Alex, but gave him a knowing look that she might be more than that. "Ella this is my song! Let's go!" Lily took Ella's hand and moved into the middle of the dance floor as Only Girl by Rihanna played. The boys went back to the bar to order some drinks. "So you and Max?" Lily asked. Ella shook her head.
"No! I would never date my boss, but we are friends! He's nice." She shouted, Lily raised an eyebrow, "you certainly looked friendly before we interrupted you." She laughed, Ella said nothing on the subject and continued to dance with Lily. "Where did the guys go?" Ella asked, Lily pointed over to a booth, where they had sat.
Want you to make me feel like I'm only the girl in the world. Ella locked eyes with Max, he sent a smirk her way and took a sip of his drink, this time a scotch. Another mojito was sat in front of him, waiting for Ella.
"Alexandra can't make it, so frustrating I'm fifth wheeling!" Charles complained. Max took his eyes off Antonella to answer his friend. "You're not fifth wheeling, Alex and Lily are the only couple here."
"So I can dance with Ella then?" Charles teased, Max clenched his jaw. "If you want to die, sure."
"Feisty," Alex laughed, "Lily really likes her. She met her in the paddock in Monaco and hasn't stopped looking for her at every race since." Alex let Max in on the secret, Max took a note of this. "She's great. You should see Millie with her, it's precious."
"I think she's the one for you, mate." Charles said suddenly, Max almost choked on his drink. "I'm her boss. And we are just friends." He defended, Charles shook his head in disbelief. "Last I spoke to you, you were just her boss so obviously things are improving. We all heard about your date."
"It wasn't a date! We went out for dinner, humans need to eat you know," Max sassed, Charles and Alex dismissed his lies. "You wore a suit," Alex laughed, "Technically I didn't have a tie on. So it wasn't a suit."
"I've seen you on actual dates in a tshirt and jeans, she must be special."
"We are just friends." He reiterated, but his friends didn't listen. Hot in Herre by Nelly began to play, Max and Alex shared a look before looking sadly at Charles. "Go. I'll watch our drinks," he laughed. "I need to call Alexandra anyway," he rolled his eyes as his friends rushed to join the girls on the dance floor. Charles dialled his girlfriend's number and enjoyed a conversation with her while Alex and Max danced with their girls.
"I think you should do what the song says, Alex," Max joked, making the girls laugh. "Take off all my clothes? Careful Max, I'll do it." Alex winked, the dutchman laughed and took Ella's hand before spinning her around. "I got you another mojito," he spoke directly into her ear, Ella smiled and thanked him, she assured him her and Lily would join the boys at the booth when they had finished dancing.
Max turned Ella around to face Lily and Alex, he kept his hands firmly on her waist and made her sway to the beat. After a few songs, Max had noticed that Charles had finished his phone call and so he and Alex returned to the booth as to not leave him alone. Lily and Ella agreed they would finish dancing to maneater and then join the boys at their seats. "Hey ladies," a stranger spoke behind them. Two redheads stood intimidatingly on the dance floor, "care for a dance?"
"Sorry I have a boyfriend," Lily explained, the girls turned to walk away before the other man that hadn't yet spoke, turned Ella around with his hand. "She has a boyfriend, but what about you?" He asked with a grin, Ella fumbled for her words, she wasn't sure what to say. "She's off limits, man." Max was next to the two girls in an instant, "She didn't say nothing," he spoke aggressively. Max rolled his eyes at him, "well I'm saying something, move." He ordered, and the men did as they were told, Lily and Ella joined the boys at the booth as if nothing happened. Antonella sipped on her mojito and tried to avert her gaze from Max's. Ella twirled with the straw in her drink, Max watched her hands as they moved delicately.
The group had left the club by half eleven, they didn't want to stay up too late considering the race was tomorrow. Ella was drunker than she thought, Max had never seen her drunk before; he found it very funny. "Antonella, you've been singing the same chorus of the same song for five minutes, and it's only three sentences! What other songs can you sing?"
"This one is stuck in my head Max! It was the last one playing in the club before we left," she slurred her words slightly, Max asked her what song it was which made Ella stop walking to think. "I have no idea." She burst into a fit of laughter, Max joined her and took her hand to continue walking home. "We don't gotta be in love, you know."
"Not again," Max laughed, using his empty hand to rub against his forehead temple. "I don't gotta be the one you know,"
"Antonella," Max said softly, "I just wanna be one of your girls tonight," Ella sang quieter as to not annoy Max, Max thought she was adorable, but a very slow, drunk, walker. In a swift movement, he had lifted her into his arms and continued walking home as if she was as light as a feather. "Max! Put me down!"
"Are you gonna stop singing?" He asked, his eyebrows raised, Ella shook her head. "Not until I figure out what song it is!" Max rolled his eyes and hurried home, not putting Ella down despite her pleas. "I know what song it is!" She said, suddenly, on Victorias front door step where Max had finally let her go. "It's by The Weeknd! Now I can die happily," she smiled innocently, Max laughed at her, "it's called One of the Girls, isn't it?"
"Will the door be locked?" Ella asked, Max shook his head, and Ella moved up another step closer to the door, before Max grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "Max," she gasped, two step above him, she was finally taller than him. Max looked up at her devilishly, Ella couldn't move her eyes from his lips. "I had fun tonight, Antonella." Max smiled, Ella stumbled for words.
"I did too. Who knew you could party so well?" She laughed, Max placed his hands back on her waist, Ella's arms were slouched over his shoulders. She looked good in his jacket. "Max," she said softly, their foreheads touching. "It's like you said, we don't have to be in love, I don't have to be the one for you, but tonight?"
"You sang it wrong," she laughed, Max rolled his eyes. "I corrected the grammar," he pointed out, Ella laughed at him, and considered what he said. It was a bad idea, they had both drank tonight, and they were staying in a house with Max's entire family tonight. "We can't," Ella whispered into the dark, cold air. Max smiled delicately. "I know," he sighed. Ella kissed his nose, and made her way into the house, leaving Max outside on the stairs for a moment to himself.
He closed his eyes, just for a minute. What was this girl doing to him? He had never said something so cringey in his entire life, and to be rejected? It was the alcohol talking, not Max. He convinced himself that was the case, and went to bed.