i was in my hotel room getting ready to celebrate my win. all my clothes were on the bed and all my makeup was scattered in the bathroom. Max had told me to dress up but not too much because we didn't want people to notice us.
I decided to put on a white hoodie and a pair of light blue flared jeans. since my outfit was nothing special, I focused on the make-up and hair. I felt stressed that Max was going to pick me up soon so I couldn't find the makeup I was supposed to use even though it was right in front of me.
once I was done I checked myself in the mirror and gave myself a nod as if to approve of how it all turned out. I started to put on my outer clothes so that Max wouldn't have to wait for me and it's like he has a camera in my room because just when I was done he knocked on the door.
"are you ready" asked Max who had a big smile on his face.
"yes, but how did you manage to make everything believable"
"I haven't but your brother and Lando seem to be quick to believe things you say"
he was right in what he said and I wasn't going to say anything more about it. because now the Lando and Mercedes guys knew that if there were pictures of the two of us together, we could just say that Christian was in the bathroom or somewhere else.
Max looked good today. he always does but it's nice not to see him in the Red Bull shirt. he was wearing dark blue jeans and a black sweater. we took the elevator down to the lobby and, as usual when he and I would spend time together, took the back way to the parking lot.
once at the car I asked if I could drive but as expected he started protesting, sharing because he didn't dare and because I didn't know where we were going. however, I managed to argue that I could drive home again and I saw that as a win.
he told me to put on music and i asked what he wanted to listen to but he didn't care as long as i was happy. I put on soft music and quickly fell into deep thought, should I tell him that his father had threatened me earlier today?
I didn't have time to decide what to do when Max needed cross riveting. I looked up and saw that the car in front had also braked. Max started swearing in Dutch and since I didn't understand what he was saying I focused on the car in front to try to figure out what had happened and it showed that someone had cycled out right in front of the car in front of us.
luckily no one was hurt and we were able to move on after a while. we sat in silence for the rest of the drive and it felt like we could hear a pin drop to the ground. Max turned in and I saw that it was a restaurant he was going to take me to.
When he had parked the car, he was quickly out of the car. I opened my door and when I was halfway out, Max pushed me back in and closed the door. I was surprised but when he opened the door for me and took my hand to help me out, I understood that he wanted to be a gentleman. I laughed at him but let him help me out.
we entered the restaurant and immediately a waitress appeared and led us to a table. Max was once again a gentleman and pulled the chair out for me before sitting down himself. Once Max sat down the waitress gave us each a menu and it was clear she was trying to get Max's attention and I was genuinely surprised when Max ignored her.
"what are you up for" Max asked with a warm smile.
"I'm craving the beef fillet pasta"
"Then I'll take one too"
The waitress came and wrote down what we wanted and the restaurant was full of people so no one noticed us.
"Max"
"yes what is it darling"
"after the race your father came into my driver's room and threatened me"
"sorry about that, I'll make sure he doesn't do anything. no one will hurt you when you're with me"
"what a gentleman"
"always"
we both started laughing and everything was really perfect. It felt like we were together but both felt it was too early to put a stamp on our relationship. it was better to live in the moment and that's exactly what we did.
The waitress came out with our food and made one last attempt to flirt with Max but when he again paid no attention to her she walked away. I took a bite and the food melted in my mouth. I hadn't eaten this dish in a very long time and it was just as good every time I did eat it.
I could tell Max enjoyed it too. it was like his eyes opened and like he had found his new love in this life. i laughed at him and he looked up at me surprised but i could see his eyes change direction and focus on something behind me.
I turned to check and then saw that Daniel was inside the restaurant and walking towards us with the big smile he always had.
"I didn't expect to see you here" Danny laughed and pulled a chair over and sat down.
Max and I looked at each other and I knew he had the same thought as me, how and what should we say to him without saying we were on a date. Daniel didn't seem to connect what was going on and started talking about the race and that he wasn't happy with his result.
"how come you're here by yourself" I asked
"I was hungry for food, I know this place has good food so I went here, it's just a bonus that you're here so I don't have to eat by myself"
Daniel called over a waitress and he ordered his food and it was a different waiter than the one who had been over before. Max gave me several looks when Daniel wasn't looking. we had been nervous ever since Danny had arrived and it was obvious that he had now thought about it too.
"why are you here alone, is it a date or"
"no we were going to celebrate with the team over our result and Christian ä will come soon" I lied
"but then I can wait here, that's how long I talked to him"
"no, it's probably not a good idea" Max almost had panic in his voice.
"AHAH, you guys have a date"
"can you stop being loud Danny, we'll tell you everything if you stop yelling" Max said angrily
I was surprised and a little worried when Max started telling me everything. told him about when we kissed at my party and how we've been spending a lot of time together lately. I grew more and more worried with each thing Max told me because I knew Daniel wasn't good at keeping secrets and would probably tell the whole grid within a day.
Daniel turned completely towards Max and leaned forward and whispered something in his ear and Max's expression completely changed. I looked at them questioningly, but when no one said anything, I became uncomfortable and took out my mobile phone.
MAX POV
Daniel turned to me and whispered in my ear, what he said made my heart stop for a second.
"you owe me $100"
at first I didn't understand what he meant but then memories from Belle's party came up.
FLASHBACK
Belle stood up and was going to do a lap dance on Arthur and I felt a nagging feeling inside me but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. Daniel on the other hand seemed to know because he jumped closer to me and spoke quietly so no one else would hear.
"are you jealous of Arthur or what"
"absolutely not"
"Belle looks very good tonight and you can't argue with that"
"I'd rather throw up"
when we had finished playing the full game, everyone started to get on the dance floor and danced to the music. Belle controlled the music and right now it was Pitbull that she had put on. I don't usually dance at parties but Danny refused to accept it and pulled me up.
I glanced over in Belle's direction several times as she danced close to me. I heard someone fall behind me and when I turned around I saw that it was Belle who had fallen. when I had helped her up and then turned to Danny who had a big grin on his face.
"you think she's pretty don't you?"
"no I do not think so"
"you're bad at lying Max"
"I do not lie"
"Do you want to bet?"
"about what"
"you get 50 dollars if you don't fall for her but if you do it's 50 dollars that you have to give me"
"easy as pie, you can give me 50 now in one go" I replied with great confidence
"I'll even bet you don't dare kiss her"
"money is money but then I'll have 50 more"
"so you can go make out with her?"
"like i said money is still money"
after about 20 minutes later i needed to catch my breath and i went through the first door i saw. when i opened the door i saw belle lying on her bed humming to the music coming from the living room.
"What are you doing in here by yourself" I asked
she answered but to be completely honest I could barely hear what she was saying but there was something about her that made that look perfect. she asked if I was drunk and that made me realize I was way too drunk.
she stood up and walked closer to me and she made my heart beat faster. she was a few centimeters away from me and she bit her lip and right then and there I felt myself begin to lose control of myself. my breaths got heavier and I've never felt such a craving for someone before.
she took her arm and placed it around my neck and pulled my face closer to hers. I saw that she was enjoying teasing me and I grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to me. as I pulled her closer to me I could also hear that her breathing had become heavier now as well.
she pressed her lips to mine and I smelled a strong scent of alcohol and mint. the kiss was perfect even though both were drunk. i wanted the kiss to be longer but after a second she pulled her head back and stared into my eyes but the only thing i could focus on was her body.
I had seen her in a bikini when she was on the beach with Mick but even though she was fully clothed I fantasized about her naked. she bit her lip again and then I completely lost control. I pressed my lips to hers and the kiss was more passionate than the one before.
her right he was playing with my hair and my arm had found its way down to her waist and I followed her contours while the other arm held her head, almost as if I didn't want her to pull away.
at first it was just kisses but it turned into a passionate make out session. our tongues sought each other's and I felt time stand still. I wasn't going to be the first to pull away and I'm more than sure she was thinking the same thing.
after i felt the air start to run out i forced myself to pull away even though i didn't want to.
"Max we shouldn't be doing this" I heard her say
I heard that she was not sure of her claim. we were both drunk and there was no use worrying about it right now and she knew I was right. she pressed her perfect lips to mine and her hand explored my body under the shirt and I felt myself getting horny.
i could have taken it a step further if it wasn't for the knocking on her bedroom door. we panicked and it was Carmen who looked for her. she told me to hide and absolutely not go out until the coast was clear.
I did as she said and clumsily tried to hide in her closet. I heard her talking to Carmen but I didn't hear what they were talking about. all I could think about was how good the kiss had been and how right it had felt.
I lost track of time and have no idea how long I sat there before I decided to walk out of her room. i opened the door carefully and saw that everyone was busy with other things so i hurried out of her room.
once I was out of the room I heard how several people wanted to play beer pong and Belle and I ended up on different teams. I had forgotten that I had prayed with Daniel and I felt a huge wave of anxiety when I saw what I had done. I didn't want it to be a bite because I had some kind of feelings for her but now I had realized it.
every time she smiled at me my heart burst but at the same time I was filled with warmth. i hoped danny wouldn't remember the stupid bite since he'd been a lot drunker than i was.
END OF FLASHBACK
realizing what Danny had been talking about I looked at him in a mixture of shock and disgust. I hadn't remembered the bet and when I saw Belle look at us anxiously and then down at the phone I felt like no one would ever find out. I couldn't risk losing her like that.