Brute

18. Max

Max woke up tired the next morning, he couldn't help but think about the days that were to come. He'd be going back to the track that started it all, he was going to see little kids with the same dreams as him.

He wanted to see if anything had changed, he sure did hope things changed. He wanted to see these changes with his father, so he could gauge if the mindsets of parents had grown too.

He pulled on his regular gym clothes, sneakers and a hoodie. A run in the chilly air could certainly wake him up, Antwerp was a beautiful city, it looked even prettier when everyone hadn't woken up yet. He thought about what the rest of his day looked like, maybe he could meet Neel for lunch or just an evening walk, he had to thank him for being there when it had gotten tough.

Now that things weren't looking like things were changing any time soon, maybe Neel had more advice on how to get past it. He even wanted to ask him if Kalki had complained about him to her family, because if she had, there was no coaxing her to come with him to Hasselt.

A decent run later, he was back in his hotel room, he took a warm shower and took this time to reflect on the way he had behaved and the way he was behaving. Especially towards Sulky Kalki, it wasn't justified at all but he couldn't seem to bring himself to stop.

He got dressed for the day, pulling on a sweatshirt and jeans. He was hungry, he couldn't wait to eat. On his way to the restaurant, he checked his phone, to his surprise he had a few texts from the last person he was expecting.

Sulky Kalki: I know apologising is difficult for you.

Sulky Kalki: Pay for all my expenses when we go to Hasselt, I'm open to accepting apologies in cash

Max: That's quite an expensive apology, but fair. We leave tonight.

Sulky Kalki: No. I want to spend the day with my friends and family I see your face the whole week. We leave at 6am tomorrow morning.

Max: 👍🏻

"Sir your omelette." The waitress smiled placing the food in front of him. Max thanked her and ate his breakfast with a smile curling on his face, it was going to be a good day, nothing could change that.

He spent the rest of his morning training, answering calls with Raymond and then it was finally time for lunch. He drove to the restaurant close to Neel's workplace, the both of them were really happy to see each other after a while.

"So how are you doing?" Neel asked him.

"Not bad, what about you?"

"I'm good! Things are going great at work, how was your first weekend working with Kalki?" He beamed cheekily.

"Started shaky, ended not too bad." Max said, "So has she complained yet?"

"She's probably complaining to Anika as we speak, I'll get the scoop from her." Neel said eating his pasta, "did you do something that deserves complaining?"

"Have I ever done something that doesn't require complaining?" He smirked.

Neel shook his head in disappointment, he couldn't believe they behaved like this as adults. Max told him about things that had been bothering him, Neel heard him out. Max tried to do the same, but Neel said that he didn't have much in his life to complain about, Max couldn't help but envy how happy he was with life. Just as they were about to part ways, Max told him about the trip he and Kalki were going on tomorrow.

The rest of Max's day went by rather uneventful, he packed his bags again, checked the best route for tomorrow and fought the urge to call Evi. He couldn't bring himself to just move on, they'd been through so much together, he couldn't just forget her. It was at moments like this, when he was all by himself.

He laid in bed, staring at the ceiling hoping to catch a break from all these thoughts. Why couldn't she just leave his mind? Why'd she have to occupy all of him when he wasn't surrounded by people?

***

"Now be kind and make some space for my suitcase." Kalki stood with her arms crossed.

"We're going for a few days do you really need a suitcase?" Max asked, trying to move around his bags.

"We're only going for a few days do you really need three duffel bags?" She smirked.

"It's too early in the morning to argue, just put your bag here." He moved aside.

Kalki scoffed, lifting her suitcase up to place it in the boot of his car. After that was done they started their drive to Hasselt, obviously laying some ground rules.

"Driver gets to decide what music we listen to." Max said, playing EDM.

"Lord! Who listens to this noise at 6 AM? Are you actually not okay?" Kalki teased him.

"I don't see you driving. What are the rules?" He asked, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music.

"The driver picks the music." She grumbled, "I get to decide where we stop for breakfast."

"Well, we're not stopping till we reach Hasselt."

"Are you crazy?" She looked at him.

"Are you already hangry?"

"I don't get hangry!"

"Sorry I forgot you're Squidward but a girl, forever grouchy." He laughed.

"How about you focus on getting us to our destination on time, I'm going to sleep now." She said, shutting here eyes and resting herself against the headrest.

"You're really going to leave me alone to drive in silence?"

"Driver gets to pick music so why doesn't he stop complaining and listen to it instead?" She sighed turning away.

The drive was scenic, as they approached Hasselt he could see hill ranges in the distance. It was a spectacular view to have while cruising along the relatively empty highway, he looked at Kalki who was still fast asleep.

He was amused how she was able to sleep through all the disorienting club music he had put on for the sole purpose of annoying her. Turns out it didn't bother her, she was sleeping like a baby.

"To prevent road accidents it's best drivers keep their eyes on the road ahead." She blinked her eyes a couple of times, to let him know she was awake.

"I want to nap. Can you drive?" He asked.

"Sure, pull over." She said stretching out her arms.

They switched seats, Max didn't exactly enjoy being in the passenger seat. Anything to disrupts Kalki's peace he laughed to himself, to his surprise she seemed excited to drive.

"Now I'm going to sleep." He said getting cozy in the seat.

"Good night princess." She smiled.

"Did you just- never mind."

"It's too early in the morning to argue." She imitated him.

In a while, they were greeted by a sign that let them know the next exit would get them into Hasselt, the road was decorated with banners to let visitors know that there were karting competitions going on. A smile curled on Max's face seeing the streets and buildings that were once very familiar to him.

He helped Kalki navigate to the hotel they were staying at, it looked like an old family home that had been turned into a resort, it was part of the appeal of the place. They agreed to freshen up and head to track in thirty minutes.