“I didn’t know Daniel was in town.” Daniel hasn't been in Monaco while the F1 circus has been in town since the end of 2024. He's rented out his apartment and seems to split his time between LA and Perth, if his personal instagram is to be believed.
“Yeah, it is a last minute thing”
“And is he staying with you”
“Naturally, we cannot just kick his tennants out, that would be rude, where would they even go?”
“So is he staying with you or with you”
“Would it be so bad if he was?” Max looks at her like a child preparing to be scolded.
yes “No. I mean I don’t like it, but you can make your own decisions”
“Its not like that—”
“Oh so you guys aren’t sleeping together then”
“No we are, its just not like how it was. You know before—”
“How exactly has it changed” Charles isnt giving Max room to breath. She's probably being rude to Carlos and Lando right now by not engaging with them at all, having a private conversation right in front of him. Frankly this is a conversation for the ladies washroom, but she doesnt care right now.
“We are, of course dating now”
“Dating, dating, like boyfriend girlfriend dating or dating going on dates while fucking dating? “ She doesn’t let Max respond “because he’s called it dating before but that didn’t end up being different”
“I know that, obviously, I did not mean that. I said it was not like how it was before. It’s not like that now”
“Oh, has he said that?-”
“Yes!” Max answers her as soon as the question ends, not letting Charles continue her rant.
“Oh”
Max’s face is a little flushed in the blotchy way that happens when she’s upset. Now Charles just feels like a bitch. There was a time, when they were children, that she got enjoyment out of making Max upset. Max gets angry and mean before she gets sad and pouty. If I pushed her in a puddle, then she’d yell at me. Now Charles hates it. It makes Charles feel like a bully. And it’s not like Max is a saint. Max can be a grade A bitch like the rest of them. In fact, Charles loves bitching with Max. Making fun of George was probably the basis of at least a quarter of their friendship. But Max doesn’t do it to be a bitch. She’s not like Charles. Max just thinks she’s being honest, and being a bitch is a consequence. Sometimes part of her misses being a bitch towards Max, because there was something—is something– about having Max’s full attention on you.
“Now can you be happy for me so we can talk about it”
Unrequited Lezstappen. Oh and also Daniel is there
Charles has had more to drink than is probably proper. Dinner is over, everyone is just sitting around the table and having drinks now. She wants a cigarette, but even if it’s the off season, she can’t jeopardize her career like that. Even if the car is shit this year, even though they were supposed to have a good season. Although she supposes it could be worse, she could be George.
She goes out to the balcony anyways, maybe a bit of fresh air will clear her head. Daniel is there, because of course he is, and he’s hitting a vape, because of course he is.
“You know those things are poison”
“Yeah, Max hates it. I've been trying to quit but at this point I’m just circling through the different form of nicotine. You know it's actually kinda funny, I got this cuz I thought it would help me ween off of zyns—“
“I don’t actually care, Daniel” Why him? She doesn’t see the appeal, honestly. Maybe if she was a wannabe influencer or someone wowed by the idea of a professional athlete she’d understand. But Charles can't wrap her head around what Max sees in him. At least in 2017 Daniel was hot, but now he's a balding washed up retiree. She’s a four time WDC, and he only has eight wins to his name.
“Hey are you feeling alright”
“What, am I not allowed to not want to speak to you right now? Because something has to be wrong to any woman who doesn’t want to speak to good old Danny Ric, right?”
“Jesus, no, of course not, you just seem, you know what never mind”
“No please say what you were going to say” she’s being snappy and a bitch, but who cares she'll blame it on being drunk and a rough season.
“You just seemed a little out of dinner, just wanted to check in, no need to bite my head off”
“Congratulations, you’ve checked in. I’m fine”
“Jesus okay, I won’t ask again.” He turns to walk back inside. And she should let it go, but he’s going to go back to her, and get to be with her, like its okay, like how he treated her was okay, because she forgives him, because she’ll always forgive him, because he’s Daniel fucking Riccardo and for some reason Max will let him walk all over her again and again and again. And Charles has been good all night, and she’s so good all the time, so she lets go
“When you break her heart this time, can you give me a heads up so I can prepare. You know as a courtesy”
The way he whips around, the hurt clear in his face, gives her the flash of joy she’s been craving. It’s like beating Seb, or Carlos, or Lewis, or any other man that supposed to put her in her place. Oh how good it feels to drop the mask. She’s already rearing up for her second round when Daniel just huffs “whatever Charlie, just get home safe, Max cares about you” before walking back inside the restaurant, leaving her deflated.
i kinda do feel sorry for kimi because he’s trying so hard but he can’t change the fact he’s not an old man or a brazilian baddie or that he never got to push max into a puddle when they were 14 it’s not his fault he’s playing the hand he’s been dealt
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