85: His muscles

Maeve's point of view

'Great job Maeve', Horner gives me a hug.

'Thank you, Christian. Max was fast today!', I admit.

'He was, but don't worry, anything can happen tomorrow. I will root for you both equally'.

'Mein kleines Mädchen', I hear behind me.

'Hello dad', I walk towards him and he gives me a big hug.

'I'm so incredibly proud of you, honey', he smiles. 'I have a surprise for you'.

He turns around and nods to someone.

'Mom!', my mother walks into the garage and I run into her arms.

'My little munchkin!', she says, almost crying.

'Mama, I missed you so much!', my father attends all my races but my mother mostly stays at home with my grandma, she's very old.

'Oh my sweetie, I missed you too', she gives me little kisses across my face.

'Mom!', I giggle as a little child.

'I'm so proud of you, I'm sure you will do amazing tomorrow. I will be here to support you'.

'Really? What about grandma?', I ask, happy.

'She's with your aunt. She's moving into a nursing home next week, it'll be better for us all', she says.

My mother wanted to keep my grandma close, but she's suffering from old age and it is extremely hard work to take care of her. This will give my mother some peace.

'I know, mommy. I'm so happy you are here'.

She turns around and to my surprise she is wearing a Redbull shirt with M. Vettel on it. My shirts have the M in front of it, because of my father of course.

'Oh, mama! It looks so good on you!', she looks so proud of me.

'Now, where is this Max Verstappen', she laughs.

'I'm right here', Max walks towards us.

His blue eyes meet mine and I feel at ease.

'Max, this is my mom,' I introduce them.

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Vettel,' Max says warmly, extending his hand.

'Oh please, call me Hanna. The pleasure is all mine, Max,' my mom replies, shaking his hand with a cheerful smile. 'I've heard so much about you.'

Max chuckles. 'All good, I hope?'

'Oh, absolutely,' my mom says, winking at me.

As we chat a little longer, my dad joins in, and we share stories and laughter. My heart feels light and full, surrounded by the people I love the most.

'Seb, remember us racing at this circuit?', Max asks my dad.

'I remember, but I don't remember letting you win this easily', he jokes.

'I tried', I laugh.

'I know, honey. I know', he assures me.

'How's your stomach bug?', I ask Max.

'Don't tell Christian but it wasn't a stomach bug. I just couldn't sleep so I bought some liquor to help me', he smiles.

'And still you were faster than me? For fuck sake', I laugh.

'Language, Maeve', my mother corrects me.

'Mom, I'm 21, I'm allowed to swear', I grin.

'I did too, on the radio's a lot', my father says, to which my mother claps his shoulder.

'Look at me, I thought I could relax from thinking my husband was going to die the whole time and now my only daughter is doing the same as him', she jokes.

'Mother, I'm not going to die. I'm not even going to crash this season, It's a promise'.

'You don't promise that! You just jinxed it!', my mother says shocked. 'Mein gott'.

Max and I laugh at her, while my father just squeezes her hand.

My parents are the only reason I believe in love, to be honest.

Eventually, Christian calls my parents over to discuss some race details, leaving me and Max alone.

'Do you want to head back to the driver's room?' Max suggests shyly, his voice soft and inviting.

'Yeah, sure,' I reply, smiling at his beautiful face.

We walk together to the driver's room, our hands grazing occasionally, sending electric sparks through me. When we arrive, the room feels cozier and more private than usual.

Max closes the door behind us, and we stand there for a moment, just looking at each other. The air is thick with unspoken words and shared emotions.

'You were amazing today,' Max says, stepping closer.

'Thank you,' I whisper, my voice barely audible.

He gently cups my face in his hands, his touch sending shivers down my spine. 'I can't stop thinking about you, Maeve.'

I feel my heart race as he leans in, our lips meeting in a soft, tender kiss. The world outside fades away, leaving just the two of us in this moment. The kiss deepens, growing more passionate and urgent.

We pull away briefly, our breaths mingling. 'Max...'

'Shh,' he murmurs, pressing his lips to mine again.

We move together towards the couch, our kisses becoming more intense. I can feel the heat between us rising, our bodies craving each other's contact. Max's hands travel down my back, sending waves of desire through me.

He pauses, looking into my eyes with a mixture of love and longing. 'We shouldn't do this. Not in here', he says, his voice husky.

'I know, anyone can hear us', I breathe, feeling a rush of anticipation.

'You deserve a bed', he sighs.

'I've had worse than a driver's room', I admit.

'Maeve, why did you just ruin the moment', he smirks.

'Sorry', I smile at him.

We lose ourselves in each other, our kisses and touches growing more passionate. Max's hands explore my body with a tenderness that makes my heart swell. I respond eagerly, my fingers tracing the contours of his muscles.

As we move together, the world outside ceases to exist. It's just Max and me, wrapped in our shared passion and love. Every touch, every kiss, every whispered word binds us closer together.

Max lies next to me, on the pull-out couch. We are wrapped in a combination of warmth, sweat, and joy. Max holds me close, his arms protective around me.

'You are beautiful, Maeve', he strokes my hair out of my face.

'You're not bad yourself', I smile at him.

'We should do this more often', he smirks.

'We definitely should'.