Drive to Survive

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

"Woah. That is a work of art."

Dylan was stood before Max's car and she was pretty sure she was about to start drooling. Having always had a passion for engineering, she'd grown up fascinated by all different types of cars. The way they seamlessly integrated complex mechanics with artistry and design was a thing to be marveled at.

"It's a Va-"

"Valkyrie hypercar. Aston Martin. I love it." Dylan finished his sentence.

Max paused, surprised at her knowledge, "Yes. It was a collaboration with Red Bull."

"She's beautiful." Dylan tore her eyes away from the car and walked around to the driver's side.

"Yes." Max murmured, watching her intently.

There was a beep as the car unlocked and Dylan dropped into the driver's seat, holding back her squeals of excitement. She couldn't believe she was going to be driving a car like this, let alone with a current champion racing driver in the passenger seat. She'd really have to watch her technique. She had a slight habit of forgetting to indicate.

Max fell into the seat beside her and threw his rucksack onto the back seat. As he reached for the seat belt, Dylan set to work adjusting her chair. Max had it set quite far back to account for his height and she felt quite silly pulling it all the way in. Her embarrassment wasn't helped by his very obvious snort of derision.

"Can you reach now?" He muttered sarcastically, resting his head back.

It occurred to Dylan as she was strapping in that this was now probably the longest and most civil conversation they had ever had. That made two non-fighting conversations in one weekend. Something was clearly in the water in Italy.

She was sure that if Max weren't about to pass out from exhaustion, he would never have entertained the idea of them driving together. Nevertheless, she appreciated any time they weren't arguing or ignoring one another.

The thrum of the engine as Dylan turned the ignition was like a melody to her. She could feel all the parts of the car working in perfect unison and it seemed to run as smooth as butter. It felt expensive just to turn the car on. She didn't even want to know what a car like this cost. It was probably more money than she would make in a decade.

Max tilted his head to the side, watching her suspiciously, "You are sure you can-"

Whoosh.

She was away!

With her foot down firmly on the accelerator, Max didn't have time to finish his questioning as she sped out of the parking zone and glided out onto the road. Despite Brad's warnings, traffic was fairly light and she weaved through the spaced-out cars, wanting to shout about how beautifully this car drove.

"Dylan! You have indicators, fucking use them!" Max barked as he gripped the seat.

Sure, her driving could be described as choppy. Or a bit whacky. But Max Verstappen frequently drove at speeds of over 150mph, so to see him wild-eyed and panicked almost made her want to laugh.

"Right- yep. Sorry!" She apologised cheerfully, abruptly merging into the next lane and causing him to swear again.

"Dylan. Dylan- Dylan! That's a corner! You're meant to slow down, not speed up! Fuck!"

"Oh, come on. Are you telling me you drive this work of art around adhering to every piece of speed guidance?" She rolled her eyes, tearing around another corner.