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18 days until summer break
Thursday - Media Day - Zandvoort, The Netherlands
I was pretty sure Charles was up to something, yet I couldn't get a confirmation out of him. He kept me close to him all day and made sure that whenever I wandered around, his eyes would follow me.
When I tried asking him about his overbearing behavior, he just shrugged. Waved it away with a simple 'I am just looking out for you'. And he went on with doing just that. It didn't seem like he was mad or annoyed like the Sunday Max and I almost got caught.
"Are you sure nothing is going on?" I asked him again; we were in the car driving back to the hotel after an eventful media day. "You know you can talk to me, right?"
His jaw just slightly clenged, "I know that, Jasmine."
The tone in his voice took me off guard; it was cold, distant, and maybe again, as if something was bothering him.
"Then tell me what's going on... Is it Ferrari? Are you not happy with them anymore?"
"I am more than happy with Ferrari," His knuckles turned white as Charles grabbed his steering wheel firmer. "Maybe I am the one that should say that you can talk to me."
I swallowed nervously. Was it possible that Charles knew?
"Charles..." I said with a soft sigh. "I don't know what to tell you."
"Of course you don't."
"Charles, what the fuck?" I snapped. "What have I done to you? What happened to you for being extra overbearing with me? I can hardly breathe, or you'll be on my lips."
"If you don't want me to keep an eye out, stay home the next time."
"Stop the car."
"No."
"Charles."
"I am not stopping the car," He snapped back, increasing his speed instead of lowering it.
God, he should know about the high fines they give out in the Netherlands when you're caught speeding. He's gotten one once, most likely his only speeding ticket, since typically, he's well-behaved enough even to put on his damn blinkers while chasing some thieves.
"Charles," I warned him again. "Stop the goddamn car."
To my surprise, he stopped. He checked his windows, reduced his speed, and pulled over. I unbuckled myself from the seatbelt, swung open the door, and got out of his car. Charles followed my example.
"Jasmine..."
I turned around to look at him, shaking my head, "I've got nothing to tell you yet, Charles. I will tell you when I am certain about it or when I feel like telling you."
My brother sighed, rolled his eyes, and pressed his lips together before opening his mouth again, "Just be careful, alright? It might not be as beautiful and genuine as it seems to be."
I rolled my eyes in response and started walking in the direction we should've driven off to.
"What are you doing?"
"I am walking the rest of the way."
"Don't be ridiculous; get in the car."
I turned around on my heel; Charles hung against the white Ferrari, waiting for me to walk back and get in the passenger seat. But I shook my head. I didn't want it anymore. I did not want to be near him for the remainder of the day.
All of a sudden, I was done with his overprotective behavior. I thought it was cute that he made sure someone was guiding me through the busy paddock or that he forced me into his jacket to make sure people knew who I was, but as of now, I am done with it.
"I am walking the last few kilometers. It's only at the end of this street."
"Jassie, come on," Charles pleaded. "I am sorry for being snappy or for being extra protective. I just don't want you to get hurt."
"And what exactly is going to hurt me, Charles?" I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow.
But I waited for a response that wasn't coming. Charles pressed his lips tightly together, staring back at me. Something was definitely going on, but Charles wasn't going to tell me. God, why did I even expect him to tell me? He always acted protective and never told me why.
"Just drive off, Charles," I said. "I will see you tomorrow."
"What about–"
"I have no energy to have dinner with you tonight."
Charles and I didn't fight often. When we were little, it would be the sibling fights about the remote control, the last cookie in the jar, or who was driving shotgun. Those fights vanished after I fell into the dark hole.
We hadn't fought in years, and at this point, I didn't even know if I was in the wrong.
Maybe I should've just told Charles about it.
I turned around and continued walking; only a few meters further, I heard the slamming door and the engine starting. Charles passed me within the road's speed limits, and I watched as the white car disappeared at the horizon.
After 1,5 kilometers and walking for about 15 minutes, I heard a car approaching and slowing down behind me. I quickly checked my phone to see how much longer I had to walk.
Another ten minutes.
By now, I regretted my decision to walk and cursed my stubbornness not to get back in the car with Charles.
"Jasmine?"
I turned around to see the blue Alpine behind me, driving at the same speed as I was walking. I stopped, and so did Pierre.
"Why are you walking? Is everything okay?"
I shrugged my shoulders, "Got into a fight with Charles and didn't want to get back inside the car with him."
"Come on, get in. I will drive you to the hotel."
I doubted it for a minute, but my feet were almost killing me. And maybe Pierre could tell me what was bothering Charles so much.
Pierre waited for me to fasten the seatbelt before he drove off. The 10 minutes I had to walk previously suddenly became 2 minutes inside the Alpine.
"What was the fight about?" Pierre asked, nearing the hotel's parking lot. "Don't answer if you don't want to talk about it."
"I don't even know," I replied. "I just know something is bothering him, but he won't tell me what, claiming that I am the one who's keeping secrets and that I am the one who should tell him something."
"Are you..? Keeping secrets?"
"Does it matter?" I asked. I knew Pierre was a friend of mine, too, but his loyalty would always turn to Charles, not to me. "Can't I have a secret for myself? Is Charles entitled to know about every little aspect of my life?"
"Of course not."
"Well, thank you."
Pierre parked his car and turned to me, "Jas, I know Charles can be overbearing sometimes. But he means well; he wants to best for you. I see you as my sister, too; I want you to be safe and sound everywhere you go. I can't even imagine how it would feel if I were actually your brother."
"But I am no little kid, Pierre. I am 25, for god's sake. I don't need Charles to act like I can't conquer the world on my own."
"Then tell him that."
"I try to! I try to tell him that he doesn't need to look out for me everywhere I go, and then he tells me not to come along if I want him to stop."
Pierre sucked in a breath and let it out in a long exhale. He was probably surprised by the words his best friend threw at me. But I saw the conflict in his facial expressions; he wanted to agree with both of us.
"How do you do it?" I asked.
Pierre smiled lightly, his hand rising and gently reaching out to my neck before he tapped on the cross pendant, "Faith."
My fingers immediately shot up to follow Pierre's example. I hadn't thought about it much the past few days, but maybe Pierre could be right. Maybe I should start to believe that faith will bring Charles and me further without his protective instincts.
"Thank you, Pierre," I said with a thankful smile. "It means a lot."
"I am not going often, but what would you say if we went to church together?"
"I will think about it."
Pierre nodded, giving me a smile back, "Take all the time you need, okay?"
I smiled and nodded back, "Thank you."
I had dinner in my room; I still didn't feel like talking to Charles, and neither had he come up to my room to talk about what had happened. His words stung, and the ease with saying them hurt even more.
But in all honesty, did I still go to the races purely to support Charles?
Hesitantly, I got up from my bed. My mind was set on going to see the one person who could make all of this go away.
Yet, I had to be quick. I pulled a sweater over my head and put my hair in a messy bun. The Red Bull floor was just one above us. I texted Max to open the door of his room so I could just sprint there.
And I did; I walked to the elevator– and even greeted one of the engineers leaving the elevator, trying my best not to act too suspicious as, for all he knows I was going to take a walk outside.
Arriving at the floor, I shifted my weight impatiently from one foot to the other, waiting for the elevator doors to open. I ran from the moment I could, scanning the door I passed and cursing the world for having his room at the end of the hallway.
"Hey," I said breathlessly as I closed the door behind me, leaning against the oakwood.
Max looked up from his phone; his eyes immediately lit up, and his lips curled into a smile, "I am so happy to see you."
I walked to the bed and found my place in between Max's outreached arms. I sighed deeply as I tried to relax, and Max wrapped his arms around me.
"Are you okay?" He asked softly, his fingers stroking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
I shook my head, burying my face in the crook of Max's neck, "Charles and I had a fight... I think something is bothering him."
Max's muscles tensed up at my words, "You think?"
"I don't know... he's been acting strange lately."
"Maybe it's just the stress from the championship... He and I are in a tight battle again, and no one wants to think about 2022 when he was a strong competitor, too."
I nodded slowly; Max's words made sense, although Charles refused to acknowledge Ferrari had anything to do with his behavior. I was too much in thought. I did not feel Max's fingers dancing along my back until it was too late.
I yelped and squirmed when his fingers reached my sides.
"Ticklish, huh?" He said with a grin.
I retaliated with a quick poke in his ribs, which only added fuel to the fire.
"Oh, you're in for it now," Max warned me, his fingers back dancing along my sides. I squirmed in his touch, trying to get an upper hand by throwing my legs over his and straddling his lap.
But Max managed to grab a hold of my wrists and pinned them to my back, holding them firmly. With his free hand, he kept tracing patterns along my ribs.
"Max!" I giggled, squirming in his hold.
"Had enough yet?" He asked, his eyes gleamed with mischief.
"Un– unfair!" I managed to say between gasps; my laughs grew louder when Max found my most ticklish spot. In retaliation, I tried to wiggle free but barely moved as Max's hold kept me in place.
His touch changed from ticklishly, ghost touches, to a firmer touch; his fingers glided over my skin, sending shivers down my spine. His eyes looked at mine as he softly dug his fingers into the skin of my waist.
"Max..." I whispered; my laughter subsided, and a flush spread across my cheeks.
He immediately stopped, released my wrists, and his eyes widened as he realized what I felt just seconds before whispering his name.
"I'm so sorry," He whispered, his voice filled with genuine regret. His eyes never left mine as I shifted off his lap. The bulge of his arousal visibly evident.
I shook my head, a nervous laugh escaping my lips, "No, no, it's okay. It happens, right? I should see it as a compliment."
Max nodded slowly, "I want you to know that I would never do anything without your consent, without you being okay with it."
"I know."
"Do you..." He started, shook his head, and sighed. "Shall we watch a movie?"
"Yes, please."
I was glad with the ease Max picked up the nervousness running through me; glad that we both did not make it feel awkward.
Maybe I shouldn't have gasped... maybe I should've just let him roam his hands over me to see where it would've let to.
Touching doesn't always lead to sex straight away right?
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A/N: sorry for missing last Wednesday's update, this one was supposed to be Wednesday's, so expect one next Wednesday as well! It's been a hectic week but slowly and surely everything is falling into the right places. Thank you for all the support ❤️