ʀᴇᴅ sᴛʀɪɴɢ ᴏғ ғᴀᴛᴇ; ᴍᴀx ᴠᴇʀsᴛᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ

6.

Is the outfit inspiration pic giving 2016 wattpad vibes?? Yes.
HOWEVER iam super particular about outfits so ...
Feel free to imagine them how'd you like but just incase you're just as insane as me here's a little inspiration ✨
—

Humid air and the shining sun defined the beautiful town of Le- Castellet, France.
It was a miracle that Max even made it in
time for Friday practice on it's beautiful track.

The circuit was dominated by squiggly blue , red and white lines. Grace had managed to find humour in them instead of getting bored to death in the Redbull garage. You couldn't blame her though, she always found practice sessions boring.

Up till now her presence had only managed to catch the eye of the very suspecting crew. From her seat, infront of the tv, she could sense the eyes boring into the back of her head. She made a mental note to ask the "Golden Boy" about his relationship status later.

Somehow the first practice session was over.
Max had entered the garage , smiling and thanking everyone for the great session he had. Grace watched him from afar wondering how much the media had managed to turn him into a villian. Also her mind did start analysing the cute smile lines he had, the messy blonde hair that stuck to his glistening forehead and his puckered lips as he spoke to the team principal- she stops her thoughts as Max waves at her , making her wave back.

"I see you , maxxie!"
Grace jumps a little as someone from the media crew rides past her and Max on their electric scooter- terribly winking at the Dutch.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise that the girl Max had brought to the garage had managed to catch some people's eyes and they had thought just what everyone would think.

"Did you never have a girlfriend before?" She asks trying match his fast strides as they walk towards the team car in the parking lot.
"You should know that. You're an f1 fan."
He speaks typing away on his phone.

Grace did know. However with all the stares and head shakes she was getting from everyone , it made her think it was illegal to move on from someone.

Max and kellly had broken up 6 months ago. Although Grace wasn't dating him , she still didn't feel comfortable with the way everyone was reacting to seeing them together. She was offended on his behalf.
Just because Kelly was a stunning and beautiful women -with a figure to die for and a welcoming personality that made everyone love her in the paddock ,specially because of her racing background -didn't mean Max deserved to be shunned for initiating the break up. Grace decided with a hair flip.

"Why do practice sessions exist?" Grace sighs flopping down on the couch of the lounge- the only common space the three of them shared in the hotel suite.
"To familiarise the car with the track." Michael says taking a seat next to her.
The Australian had multiple tasks that entirely concerned Max and it was natural for them to room together. Also he was a huge nerd- as Grace had learnt from lending an ear to him on their way to the hotel where he explained the car's thermodynamics to her.

"What's so interesting on your phone? Your girlfriend is right here." Michael teases,seeing the youngers eyes glued to his phone.
"Oh we're n-"
"Just some date spots." Max cuts her off , glaring at her.
Heat rushes to her cheeks as she comes to the realisation that the reason everyone thought she was Max's girlfriend was because SHE WAS- insinuated by the Dutch himself.

"It would have been wonderful to get a heads up next time you pretend I'm your girlfriend." Grace flops onto the bed of THEIR shared room which Max had dragged her to when she started walking towards the spare one.
"It should have been obvious?" He remarks , drying his hair with the towel.
Grace eyes him like he's speaking gibberish.
"Grace,I'm not about to tell everyone why you're actually with me. They won't even believe us." He says ,awkwardly hovering over the bed where she lay.
"To be fair, even I barely believe us." She mutters under her breath and gets up , going over to the sofa that could totally work as a bed.

"Oh by the way. I've found a pothole with our plan." He speaks after a while of silence.
Grace hums back too tired to work her brain.
"The temple nearest to us right now is 8 hours away." She looks back at him with wide eyes as he stares back at her with a thin smile.
"We could go after the race?" She asks hopefully.
There was no way they could manage a 8 hour travel admist the race weekend.
"Will have to. We will manage , don't worry." He assures her before sucking in a breath.

Unlike yesterday , today when Grace got out of the team car with Michael and Max, there was a crowd of papparazi awaiting them.
She stumbled back a little , her black flowy dress getting caught in her platform heels.
"Careful, babe." He nudges her side a bit , signalling her to abide by the new role she had been graced with.

She had a hard time getting used to Max's grip on her waist as he held out his hand for her to hold. She smiles before grabbing it.
The cameras flash and mics are shoved in their direction as they walk into the paddock for the second practice session and qualifying.

"Can someone wake me up when practice is over and we are almost to q3?" She asks out loud seeing that most of the crew were gazing around , bored out of their minds.
The nerdy ones, including Michael kept their eyes on the stats that had barely changed in the last 15 mins while the others had chanted "Amen" to her request.

"So how long has this been going on?" Lucian takes a seat next her , wiggling his eyebrows.
He was a kind older gentleman in his early forties who had let his love for cars and racing define his life. It was also why he was single - his words not Grace's.
"Not long. Definitely less than 6 years." She jokes before realsing there was no way Max had moved on so quickly.
"Oh don't compare yourself." He scolds lovingly making Grace smile. She actually felt reassured eventhough it didn't matter whether Max had moved on or not.

The crowd had increased as the raging sun settles down and breeze took over , sending flowery incense throughout the atmosphere. Qualifying was about to start in a mere 12 minutes- as Grace had managed to scoop out through one of the various screens.

She had tilted her chair to face the Dutch's car which was being attended by a plethora of men as the man himself sat in it. She was enjoying the view , seeing all the action happen in person was certainly more interesting than watching it happen on the television.

Her beaming smile settles a bit as the driver of the car leans forward, signalling one the guys aside, and stares at her through the visor of his helmet. She felt self conscious as he refused to look away, her hands patting down her floral dress before looking back at him. To her surprise, and also his, he signals her over with his gloved hand.

The men working on his car move aside as she walks over , standing by the side of his car.
"What?am I doing something wrong?" She asks bending down to his height.
Her watch beeps as she gets a little anxious.
"Grace , relax." His voice is muffled through the softness of the helmet but still manages to calm her down.
"I'm just making sure you're here." He says reaching out his hand for her as she subconsciously takes it.
"You're here. Not on track. I don't want my mind playing tricks on me." He admits through a sigh making her feel bad for him.
"You'll get pole position." She says suddenly,smiling at him and even with his eyes covered she can sense them widen.
"Are you betraying Lewis?" He catches her off guard making her smile falter.
"I'm trying to jinx you."
He laughs pulling his hand back and ruffling her hair, giving her a messy up do.
"Sure, babe. Whatever you say."
—
Is there a word for when a writer falls for their own mmc?
This max has got me kicking my feet in the air and smiling ear to ear  at 3 in the morning 🙈
Also defo a filler chapter 🔫