Forever and always

Chapter eighteen

Max's pov:
July 2021

The buzz of the media still echoed in my ears long after the podium celebrations ended. Charles had gone off to fulfill his post-race obligations—interviews, press conferences, handshakes, photo ops—leaving me tucked away inside the safety of Ferrari hospitality. No media allowed in here, thank god. I wasn't ready to face the onslaught of questions that would come my way. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

I sank into one of the red leather sofas in the corner, my mind spinning like the cars on track. There was so much to unpack, but I felt completely stuck—floating somewhere between euphoria and dread.

"Hey, Oli" a familiar voice interrupted my haze. Carlos sat next to me, his warm expression laced with concern. "Something wrong?"

I exhaled. "I don't know... it was really stupid of Charles. But at the same time, I can't blame him. He's my boyfriend, and he should be allowed to kiss me whenever he wants to" I spoke quietly, more to myself than to him, my voice trailing off as I tried to make sense of the swirl of emotions.

Carlos nodded slowly, thoughtful. "I know. But... maybe it's a good thing people know? No more hiding"

I looked over at him, uncertain. "Maybe you're right. But Max... he's going to be so angry. Not just about us—he'll be angry that I didn't tell him myself"

Carlos rested a hand gently on my shoulder, grounding me. "Then talk to him. The sooner, the better. If he hears it from you, at least you still have a chance to explain. Trust me, it'll be worse if he hears it from someone else—or worse, from the press"

I nodded, feeling a knot in my stomach twist even tighter. The truth was, it might already be too late.

When Charles finally returned, he looked exhausted—sweat still clinging to his hairline, champagne dried into the collar of his fireproofs—but he beamed when he saw me. Without a word, we left the paddock together. The moment we stepped outside, the storm began.

"Are you dating?"
"Is Olivia your girlfriend?"
"How long has this been going on?"
"Why did you kiss her, Charles?"

Dozens of questions were shouted at us, phones and cameras flashing in every direction like a paparazzi warzone. It was overwhelming—chaotic and suffocating. This wasn't how I wanted our relationship to be revealed to the world.

"I'm sorry for this, love" Charles murmured the moment the car door shut behind us, cocooning us in silence.

"It's fine" I said softly, resting my head against his shoulder. "It's good that its out... I just wish it had happened differently"

"I'm stupid" he muttered.

"No, you're not" I kissed his shoulder, trying to reassure him, though my own heart still thudded with anxiety.

The rest of the car ride passed in near silence, both of us wrapped in our own thoughts. Every now and then, I glanced at his hand in mine, grateful he was here, but unsure of what came next.

At the hotel, we collapsed onto the bed in his room. Charles looked drained, and I wasn't much better.

"So" he said after a long pause. "Where do we go from here?"

I blinked at the ceiling. "I don't really know"

"There's no way out now" he said, half-joking but entirely serious.

"Please, can we not talk about this right now?" I turned to look at him, pleading. "Not today. Not when you just had such an amazing race. Let's just... celebrate"

He hesitated, then smiled. "Okay, deal. How do you want to celebrate?"

I chuckled softly. "Well, it's not like we can go out to a club. The media would eat us alive"