The Fight • Max Verstappen•

•onehundred-ninetytwo•

MAX

She stood in front of me, quite clearly annoyed that I had pulled her away from the company of Daniel and Beau. Her foot tapped against the marble flooring of Claridges Ballroom, and her eyes were on anything but me.

There was a silence between us; no words fell out of my mouth, which no doubt added to her annoyance. The one time her eyes had been on me, the leafy green stare was vacant, which hurt more than if her eyes were filled with hate. At least hate you could work on. A blank stare was numbing.

Scarlet pulled on the white fabric of her dress, and she took a sip of the drink that she was holding. "So you interrupt my evening, but you don't have anything to say?" She scoffed and went to walk away. "Typical."

I grabbed her arm so that she couldn't walk away from me. "I have everything to say, everything." I pressed, and her eyes gazed upon my being for the first time in months.

Her perfectly painted red lips pouted, and she placed her champagne flute down on the table next to us. "I'm not sure what there is left to say?" Scarlet pressed, and the tapping of her foot began again. "I don't even think I know who you are anymore?"

As those words left her mouth, I felt my heart sink. Scarlet was the one person who had always seen the real me despite everything. She prided herself on that. However, if she didn't know who I was, how was I expected to know who I was. The only thing I knew without a doubt was that I was head over heels in love with her.

I looked at her, and I was sure she would see the sadness glazing over me. Scarlet had this incredible talent of being able to read people, or perhaps it was just a talent to myself. I had never had this ability unless someone told me how they felt. I was clueless.

"Don't say that; you know who I am," I took her hand and placed it over my heart, "I might have lost myself, but you always know who I am."

She shook her head, and her hand dropped from my chest, although it remained in my hand, and for that, I was grateful. "Max, this isn't about you," Scarlet remarked, and her eyes dropped to look at our feet. "For once, this isn't about you." She added.

I scoffed and immediately regretted it. "But it is, at least partially," I replied, unsure of our the girl in front of me would receive my words. "I hurt you, and I get that, but this is about us," I told her as I held onto her hand as if she was the portal to the being. I was scared that if I let go, I would lose her. "Everything is about us.

"I'm not sure there is an, us?" Scarlet told me, but I could tell she wasn't sure of the words leaving her mouth from the tone. "I want there to be, I think." She added, and her eyes met me, "But even if I take all the drama away, you still didn't trust me."

I felt my world shatter. The look on her face, her expression as those words left her lips. My stomach twisted, and I felt her hands drop away from me. It felt like all the oxygen had been removed from the world. I felt like I was being suffocated.

"I didn't want to hurt you, and I know that it sounds stupid given everything." I agonised, "I was trying to protect you." I added as I looked down at our restless feet.

The rest of the Gala was starting to get louder, and the music was vibrating through my body, and I could only imagine it was pulsating through Scarlet's body. I was surprised that Lewis hadn't spotted us in the distance and pulled away from his adopted sister. Their relationship went far beyond the typical mentor/mentee, and I had learnt that the hard way.

As the silence continued, suddenly, her voice broke. "Do you know why I fell in love with you? Besides our history?" She said; I shook my head, burning to know the reason. "Because you always saw me as a rival before a girl, before a woman. I was always competition, and you always saw me as an equal."

I shook my head in disbelief. "But what has that got to do with wanting to protect you?"

Scarlet had always been a fierce competitor when our paths crossed at that summer camp. She had dominated the field in her F3 and F2 seasons, not to mention every karting competition before that. I had managed to track down the first kart she had won a championship in, and I had intended to give it to her for Christmas as I knew that she had sold it to raise funds for her ongoing career.

Many people had differing opinions on Scarlet Crusoe, but the one thing they could all agree on was that she was a generational talent that let her driving do the talking. I was jealous of this talent on many occasions, but it never left me incredibly envious, more in awe of the talent I could witness.

"Because I didn't need protecting, and I thought you would know that out of everyone." Scarlet insisted, with tears now dropping from her eyes.

I felt awful because before our paths crossed again, Scarlet had always been referred to as Stone Cold Scarlet. She was rarely overcome with emotions which perhaps only made her emotions on the F1 scene even more incredible.

I sighed and pulled her close. "Scarlet, I'm sorry, but me wanting to protect you has nothing to do with you being a woman, but everything to do with you being the love of my life."

If I had my way, I would wrap her up in bubble wrap to protect her from the vile truths of the real world. There was nothing I wouldn't do for her, and perhaps that was the scariest thing. I was willing to give up my career for her, something I had worked equally as hard for but without the struggle she had.

Scarlet looked at me, and for the first time, it wasn't vacant. I couldn't quite place the emotion, but she leaned against my chest and wrapped her arms around me. I felt her heart against mine, and I felt peace.

"Do you want to get out of here?" I suggested, "I feel like we have so much to talk about, and I'd rather do it away from the glare of our peers?"

I felt her nod against my chest, and then she pulled away to look up at me. She bit down on her lips, and now my whole attention was on them. I missed the taste of peach on her plumped, pillowy lips, and I desired them against mine.

As she nodded, Scarlet noticed my glare fixated on her. Slowly her arms snaked around my neck, and she lifted herself onto her tiptoes. I felt her hot breath on my face as she inched closer to me, "I just want to check something." She muttered.

Heat rose from my stomach to my chest, and my heart skipped a beat as Scarlet's lips closed in. Her lips then melted against mine, and I grabbed her waist fervently and deepened the kiss whilst surprise ran through my being. Warmth came over me, and just like magic, I felt like I was home again. I drew my hand through her hair as she began to pull away.

"OK, Max,"

•••••

First step to reconciliation - complete

BUT there is still much more to go