Foggy Mirrors | Max Verstappen

Chapter 30 - THE PRESENT - THE FINAL CHAPTER

A season was a season and sooner or later it would be over. A season sounded like a long period of time, but sometimes it felt like a rush. One day, they were driving in Monaco, the next they were in Brazil and then there was only one last race remaining. One final race.

One day, you stand in a bathroom of a hotel room in Abu Dhabi and brush your teeth before the race. The race that would decide if it's you or the man you love, who will crown themselves king or queen of the world that night. It would be a lie to say that Leanne didn't feel sick about it all.

"It won't change anything. We even promised each other that. It will be fine, Lea." Max said, stepping into the bathroom, just wearing a pair of boxershorts and reaching for his orange toothbrush. "You or me, who cares?" He muttered while slipping one of his arms around Leanne from behind to hold her against his chest while they were glancing at each other through the mirror.

"We're taking it home with us. That's all that matter." Max promised her, their gaze on each other, before he smiled slightly and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

"You know that's not true." Leanne argued weakly. "Our bosses would argue, just as the fans and the media." She added, which had Max roll his eyes.

"Well, good that I only care about what we think." Max replied, making it seem so easily, but Leanne knew that he was nervous about the whole ordeal too. He was itching to win his first title. He wanted it so badly, but still, Leanne worried he might give it all up for her, if only the opportunity arises, which would be more than just problematic and it would also leave them in a royal mess if they were to trade of wins, which is why they never did it. All the time they were together now, the entire season, they've fought like lions. They won't start cutting each other any slacks now.

"Has she texted you?" Max then asked, while brushing his teeth as he watched Leanne glance at her phone, but she shook her head no.

"Actually, I haven't thought she would." Leanne said, which had Max reach out to squeeze her hand before letting her return to the bedroom, so she could get dressed. It was no surprise to either of them that there was no message from Isa, since she had threatened Leanne that she won't see or hear from her ever again, if she would cut down her monthly allowance to 2000 € per month for nine months before Leanne would stop giving her any money at all.

Her landlord had told her that Isa had stayed the additional three months Leanne had paid for her Monaco home to give her sister more time to figure her life out, before ending the contract, while Leanne stayed with Max. Not that Max knew that Leanne had moved out of her own flat for good.

This was the last race of the season. It was the last time. Then they would know, who would be world champion and it made Leanne fucking crazy.

Every moment, every minute was pulling on her strength. Her nerves were pulled apart into thin strands that threatened to snap with every movement. Slowly painfully and without mercy. Pulling and pulling until the strands were so thinned out that breathing alone would snap them.

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The beginning of the end was a Sunday. The day Max Verstappen won the world championship, and it was the fucking happiest day in his life. He was so high on the feeling of having finally achieved everything he ever wanted, the events after the race were all blurring together.

At first, he couldn't believe it. He was sitting in his car, unable to move, unable to talk. The memory of him screaming down the radio so very present in his mind, but now, he felt as if he had left his body, as if he was watching himself in slow motion from above. His body moving slowly, almost clumsily and he heard nothing but very muted noises, flashlights going off, but everything was moving so extremely slow, until suddenly the sounds of the world came back to him. Deafening screaming of the fans, was it joy, was it euphoria? He did not know, he did not care frankly.