Chapter Fifty-Three
The door fell shut behind her but Dylan kept hold of the handle, not sure she could hold herself up without it. Her heart was pounding so fast that her head felt hazy.
What had just happened?
She didn't seem to be able to process any of it; all she felt was complete and utter shock. Her tongue lay like a heavy weight in her mouth and her hands didn't even feel like her hands. It was jarring and she tried to take a deep breath only to find that she couldn't breathe all the way in.
Movement behind the door turned the shock into panic. She couldn't see him. She needed to go before he came out of this door because one look at him would absolutely break her.
In her irrational state of mind, the only place she could think to go was the comms room and she stumbled down the corridor, hand on her chest as she tried to fight the impending panic.
Why wasn't her brain cooperating?
It felt like alarms were blaring between her ears and in the chaos, she couldn't make sense of anything that was happening. Everything just felt wrong.
The room was empty when she went in and she slammed the door behind her before collapsing onto the floor and tucking her knees to her chest with her back against the wall. She knew there was no way she could fight off this panic; part of her wondered if the feeling would just last forever.
Her breaths came quicker and quicker and she tried to breathe in for four and hold but suddenly her mind was filling with the times that he had helped her and then she was sobbing, wishing that he was behind her to hold her tight and push the panic away.
In a fit of desperation, she did something she so rarely did: she asked for help.
--
Hunter was wandering back to the Red Bull garage after the podium ceremony. It had been a big scandal that Max hadn't shown up to collect his trophy but they'd gone ahead anyway as the day was already overrunning. He'd stayed and cheered politely but his mind hadn't been focused.
He could see Red Bull mechanics packing up the equipment and tools that were scattered around the entrance of the garage.
Just as he arrived, his phone buzzed.
From: Dylan
Hellpp please comms rooom
The blunt messaging and poor spelling were so unlike her that alarm bells rang and his adrenaline spiked. Probably confusing many mechanics, he suddenly sprinted through the garage straight to the back-rooms.
He pushed open the door and scanned the room, halting when he didn't immediately see her. Then a small sob filled the quiet space and he glanced down, finally noticing a tiny figure bunched up and sat against the wall.
With a kick, the door closed behind him and he approached her carefully, trying to piece together the context of what he had just walked into. As he got nearer, he could see she was shaking and hyperventilating and he recognised the panic attack. Friends of his had experienced the same thing when they were younger and he knew the signs to look for.
"Dylan?" He spoke gently, bending down to her levels and putting his hands on her knees.
At his touch, her head shot up and he almost winced at the sight. Gone was the smiling, put-together girl he was used to seeing every day and in her place was someone who looked scared and lost.
"I-I'm sorry." She cried and Hunter frowned.
"No, no, don't apologise. I'm here for you. Tell me how to help you."
More tears spilled down her face and she shook her head, "I-I don't know anymore."
"Do you want me to go get Max?"
He stood up to run back to the driver room he'd passed on the way in but she latched onto his arm and cried out, "No!"
Before he could question why, she was sobbing harder than before and as her breaths came out quicker and more laboured, he worried she might pass out. He had to think quickly; he'd barely had time to process anything but it was clear that Dylan needed his help. The frustration of not knowing how to help her was irritating him and finally, an idea came to him.
It might not have been a good one but he didn't have time to sit down and write a pros and cons list.
"Right." He said, reaching down and scooping Dylan into his arms, "Let's go."
Dylan didn't have the breath or capacity to even ask where they were going so she placed her trust entirely into Hunter and let him carry her out of the comms room and down the twisting paths out the back of the garage.
Her hair blew out behind her as they stepped out into the fresh air but Dylan's entire focus was on regulating her breathing and as she grew more frustrated with her failed attempts, the worse the burning in her chest got. It was painful now and she pressed down hard against it, sobbing out that she wanted it to stop.
"Almost there, doll." Hunter murmured, adjusting his grip on her.
Unbeknownst to Dylan, who had her eyes firmly squeezed shut, Hunter walked into the Ferrari garage and stormed straight past all the mechanics who had paused their work and looked up in surprise. The pair of them stood out like a sore thumb in their Red Bull uniform but Hunter had bigger priorities than explaining the invasion.
Mattia, the team principal, clocked their arrival but before he could say a word, Hunter spoke first, "Where's Carlos?"
Mattia's eyes glanced down and recognised the brown-haired girl who had been such a frequent appearance in his garage. His brow furrowed in concern and he nodded silently, turning and leading the way down the back of the garage.
They soon came to a stop in front of a white door marked with Carlos' name and Mattia knocked loudly twice, before nodding for Hunter to go in.
The Ferrari driver was tying the laces on his trainers, having clearly just got changed out of his race kit. He looked up in confusion and then sudden alarm as he saw Dylan in Hunter's arms.
"She needs you." Hunter breathed out, placing her down on the sofa and backing away.
He felt kind of useless, like he hadn't been able to properly help her. However, as he watched Carlos rush to his shaking cousin, he allowed himself to be relieved that he'd at least got her to the right place.
But why hadn't she wanted to see Max?
"Dylan!" Carlos exclaimed in alarm, his hands cupping her face and instantly becoming wet with tears. He turned back, "Hunter, there's water in my cupboard, can you get one?"
Hunter nodded, rushing to the cupboard and undoing a fresh bottle of water before passing it back to Carlos.
Carlos took the bottle and turned his attention back to Dylan. She was hunched over holding her chest so he gently pushed her shoulders back to expand her breathing and brushed her hair out of her face. As he held the water up to her lips for her to take a sip, he looked back once more at Hunter.
"Where's Max?"
Hunter shook his head warningly but Dylan had already pushed the water away and cried, "No! Don't go get him! I- please!"
"Okay, okay, shh. I promise I won't." Carlos reassured her, the deep confusion evident on his face, "Right, chiquita, we're going to take some deep breaths now, hmm? Relájate, está bien."
Dylan nodded, clasping her shaking hands together and watching Carlos to imitate his breathing. He followed the 'square breathing' pattern and bit by bit, she came closer to matching his rhythm, save for the occasional hiccup or gasp. In between, she took small sips of water and finally, after what felt like eternity to her, the burning in her chest dissipated and the air felt like it filled her lungs again.
All that was left were the tears that continued to fall freely down her face as she thought about the words Max had said to her.
Now the shock and panic had worn off, all that was left was an overwhelming sadness. It ached in her chest like nothing she had ever experienced before.
"You wanna tell me what happened? Why don't you want to see Max?" Carlos asked gently, squeezing her hand.
He was crouched down in front of her and Hunter came and crouched next to him. Dylan was filled with gratitude at the support from both of them and she knew this was something she couldn't hide from them.
"Um," She started, her voice shaky as she wiped under her eyes, "Max and I aren't together anymore."
"What?!" The boys in front of her exclaimed simultaneously.
"Yeah, he- uh, he just broke up with me."
"That fucking-"
"Why, doll?" Hunter asked kindly, cutting off Carlos who was definitely about to say something less kind.
Dylan's bottom lip wobbled before fresh tears fell, "I- I don't know!"
"Okay, okay." Hunter moved to the sofa and wrapped a comforting arm around her.
Carlos was up, pacing back and forth with a furious look on his face. Hunter watched him warily, seeing how fragile Dylan was in that moment and hoping her cousin could contain his obvious anger.
That didn't mean he wasn't angry himself but the shock had sort of displaced the more fiery emotions.
Max breaking up with Dylan?
It was a ridiculous thought...yet it had happened.
It made absolutely no sense to him. He'd seen how Max treated Dylan, he'd literally watched the two of them fall for each other, from the earliest stages of denial through to the utter happiness they'd found with one another. They'd all noticed Max had been a little more stressed than usual recently but that was to do with his racing, wasn't it?
His head was swimming with questions but he kept his mouth shut.
Carlos, on the other hand, had one question and it was burning at the forefront of his mind, "Where is he?"
"No!" Dylan exclaimed, watching him with wide eyes, "No, Carlos, you have to promise me that you won't say a word to him. You can't go see him and...and you can't ask me more questions about it."
"Why?"
She knew he'd throw away his friendships in a heartbeat for her. But this was bigger than her and Max; conflict between the drivers reflected badly on the teams and that meant damage to sponsorships and FIA involvement. She would not allow Carlos to risk any bad conduct on her behalf when he had done more than enough of that for her already.
"Please just trust me."
"Okay, fine."
Dylan looked pleadingly at him, "Carlos, I want your word on this. No questions, no actions and no confronting Max."
Carlos sighed, running a stressed hand through his hair. It was pointless to fight it; he knew there was nothing he would deny her and so he found himself nodding, "You have my word, Dylan. I promise. But I don't like it."
She looked to her right, "You too, Hunter. No Red Bull involvement, promise me."
"If that's what you need, doll. I promise."
"Thank you." Dylan said gratefully, wiping under her eyes and expelling a harsh breath, glad that the panic and tears were now over.
"I'll drive you back." Carlos said.
"I need to see Andy, I've gotta pos-"
"I've got it." Hunter interrupted, "Leave it with me today."
She lay her head down on his shoulder, grateful for the reprieve, "You're such a good friend, Hunter."
He placed a friendly kiss on the top of her head, "Anything for you. I'll drop your bags back later, you don't have to come back to Red Bull tonight. Just go home."
Carlos reached into his bag and pulled out a spare Ferrari hoodie. He slipped it over her head when she stood up and the red material swamped her, slipping down to her mid-thigh.
"Sorry, that one's big on me. I probably should've-"
"Carlos, it's fine, I'm cosy."
"You look ridiculous." He observed with a small smile.
She waited for a couple moments while he gathered his belongings and then they headed out the door. With a wave, Hunter went left back towards the Red Bull garage, and Dylan and Carlos went right, out the back door and towards the car park.
"Where's Charles?" Dylan asked as she climbed into the car.
Carlos helped her in and then went around to his side, dropping into the drivers' seat and answering her question, "He's got more media stuff to do with the penalty and everything so he's gonna head back later."
"Oh, okay."
The engine turned on and Carlos navigated them out of the car-park and back towards the main road. Once they were cruising at a steady speed, he ventured another question, "What do you want to tell the others?"
She hadn't even thought about it.
However, she knew that Carlos was right for bringing it up. Usually, they'd be planning to celebrate Max's win right now so there would obviously be questions and Dylan was going to have to provide answers.
The thought of saying it again though, that she and Max were...broken up - it just made her shudder and she wanted to do anything else other than confront the truth.
"I guess they need to know." She admitted, "It's just..."
"I know." He said, "Do you want me to message people?"
"Would you?"
"Of course, I'll make sure nobody asks you questions until you're ready. Would you wanna speak to the girls?"
Dylan tilted her head against the headrest, watching the cars rush by out the window, "I don't think I want to speak to anyone right now, if that's okay."
"Okay, chiquita."
The rest of the drive was silent and they didn't exchange many words as Carlos walked her back to her room. Inside, her room was a mess like usual and for some reason it upset her.
Why did everything look normal when the whole world was wrong?
"You wanna order room service?"
Dylan sat down on the bed, slipping off her shoes, "No, I'm not hungry."
"You sure?" Carlos asked, standing in front of her with a sceptical look on his face.
She wasn't lying. The thought of food was making her stomach churn and she just wanted to close her eyes for a while and have the world stop. Just for long enough to get her head around things because her brain was still struggling to come to terms with everything that had happened.
"I want to sleep." She said quietly.
It bristled at Carlos to leave his cousin alone to sleep when he wanted to stay by her side and make sure she was okay. He didn't really know everything going on behind her eyes and to have to take her word for things was difficult.
However, Dylan had clearly been through enough today and the last thing he wanted to do was add to her stress. So he swallowed the part of him that thought she ought to shower and have a good meal and, instead, he helped her find her PJs and get ready for bed.
"Call me tomorrow, okay?" He said once she was all tucked in.
Her reply was faint, "Yeah, I will."
"Love you, chiquita."
"Love you too."
With that, Carlos forced himself to leave and once the door had clicked shut behind him, he momentarily leant against it, wondering just what the hell he was supposed to do.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Despite all his efforts, her heart had still been broken.
He'd put his faith in Max, he'd trusted him with the care of his baby cousin and he'd felt good about that decision. It made no sense; he'd seen how much Max cared for her!
Why would he have done this?
What could have happened?
Was someone else involved?
The endless questions swirled around his mind and he groaned internally at his promise not to confront Max or ask further questions. The only thing he could imagine making him feel better would be to land a punch on Max's face right now.
But...he'd promised.
It wasn't something he took lightly and he would honour his word, even if it was entirely against his will.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, shaking himself out of his thoughts and starting to walk back towards his own room.
From: Charles
Hey mate, just finished, are we getting dinner?
It reminded him that he'd told Dylan he'd handle the messaging of everyone and once he'd replied to Charles to tell him to meet at his hotel room, he quickly sent a message around to all their friends who would need to know.
To: Group Chat [Ex: Dylan James; Max Verstappen]
Hi, just wanted to let you all know that Max broke up with Dylan today. She's asked that none of us confront him about it or ask her any questions until she's ready. I'm back at hotel now if anyone wants to join me and Charles when we get room service
The replies started flooding in instantly.
~ Lando: Wtf? That can't be right
~ Danny: Seriously?? Why?
~ Carmen: Oh my gosh! Is she okay?
~ Charles: Are you serious? I'll be back in 5
~ Alex: Is Dee alright?
~ Pierre: What happened?
~ Lily: Why would he do that?
Carlos slid his key-card in the door and let himself into his hotel room. He dropped his bag on the floor and sat down on the sofa, scrolling through the replies before sending another message.
~ Carlos: Just come to my room, I'll catch you up
~ Pierre: Fuck, I'm out on an early flight tonight. Give her a hug from me and tell me when we're allowed to punch Max
~ Lewis: Yeah, we're stuck at a Merc sponsorship dinner. Let me know when we can give her a call
~ Lily: Alex is also at the dinner but I'm coming with Carmen
Within minutes, there was a knock at the door and he stood up to open it. Lily and Carmen were stood on the other side and behind them, he could see Charles and Lando coming up the corridor. He held the door open as they all filed in and turned to him for an explanation.
"If this is a joke, then it's kind of a sick one." Lando said, an unusually worried frown on his face.
"It's not a joke." Carlos sighed, nodding for them all to sit down, "After the race, I went back to my room to get changed and in came Hunter with Dylan in his arms. She was a wreck and she couldn't stop crying. When we finally calmed her down, she told us that Max had just broken up with her."
"Oh, Dee." Lily sighed.
"Did she say why?" Charles asked.
"No, she said she didn't know."
"How does she not know why?!" Lando exclaimed.
"I don't know! I don't know how it all went down and she made me promise not to ask her or Max. You guys all have to promise as well."
They murmured their agreement and Carlos continued.
"Whatever has happened, the main thing is to just make sure she is okay. I'm sure she'll be ready to talk to us tomorrow and maybe we'll learn a bit more."
"I just can't believe it. I mean, you guys all saw it right?" Carmen shook her head in disbelief, "He's crazy about her."
"It doesn't make any sense at all." Lily agreed.
"You flew in with them, did she say anything to you?" Carmen turned to Lando.
"No? I mean- Max didn't really speak to any of us on the flight but I didn't think anything of it. It's home race pressure, we can all get a little weird."
"Do you think this is related to racing?"
"How could it be?" Charles asked.
"I don't know!" Carmen replied, "I'm just trying to make sense of it."
They all sighed, realising there was absolutely no point speculating around in circles when there were only two people who knew the truth and they couldn't speak to either of them.
"It's out of our hands." Carlos eventually said, "We'll just have to be there for her tomorrow. Then hopefully we can understand a little more."
After chatting for a bit longer, the girls went back to their rooms the boys ordered some food and spent a solemn evening together. They chatted and watched TV but the mood was low and everyone's mind was on what had happened to Dylan and Max.
They hoped for answers tomorrow, but they had no idea what the next couple of weeks would hold.