I CAN SEE YOU

twenty nine

"Sorry we're late." Hugh excuses us as we bustle in to the meeting almost 10 minutes after we should've been there, pulling out our usual two chairs quite near the front as all everyone's eyes focus on us. "We were looking over the data for tomorrow and got carried away."

Bullshit.

We were actually sitting on the pit wall, looking whoever passes us up and down, trying to see which team is generally the most self-conscious. Turns out the Alpine mechanics are a bit shy when it comes to attention - who knew.

We were having so much fun up until Lando decided to play us at our own game, and when Hugh finally broke the eye contact to look at his watch, he realised how much we had fucked up.

"That's okay." Christian waves his arm absentmindedly, however, the strictness behind his eyes tells me a different story.

I plop down on the chair and look directly across, only to find myself face to face with Max.

He looks at me with that boyish smile, a grin so hard that I can't help but smile with him. The glint in his eyes shows a happiness that fuels my own, as they flit from mine, to his watch, and then back to mine again, before shaking his head in joke disapproval.

I can't help but roll my eyes and shake my head ever so slightly, enough for only him to see.

I see his dimples makes an appearance for just a moment and his smile appears before he quickly dips his head, eager for no one to see. But I did. I saw that I made him smile. And that drives me crazy, but a good kind of crazy.

I watch as he brings his head back up, doing his best to avoid looking at me. Instead he looks straight at the front, his crystal blue eyes intently on Christian, dazzling subtly thanks to the reflection from the sunlight creeping in from the window behind me.

The golden glow gently cascades on to the left side of his face, bringing a warmth to his usually pale complexion, making him look like nothing short of angelic.

A sharp hit from Hugh's knee as it knocks in to mine brings me out of my day dream. I whip my head to the right to look at him, only for him to also be staring at Christian.

I think it must've been an accident on his part, which I'm thankful for because if I was caught being a ditzy girl staring obsessively at Max Verstappen, then I might just explode on the spot from embarrassment.

As Christian turns his back to point at some statistics on the board behind him, I notice Hugh slide himself a couple of inches closer to me. He moves his face so that it's subtly hidden behind his already propped up hand, and in that moment, I know I've been caught.

"Are you okay?" He whispers, not even moving his eyes over to my direction.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be." I huff out quietly, not even turning to face him as I lean back further in to my seat and cross my arms to appear more defensive.

"Looks like you just... dozed off." He finally turns to look at me with a knowing small smirk hiding under his firm lips.

"Must just be the jet lag." I bite back, eventually turning to look at him with raised eyebrows, daring him to challenge me which I know he won't do.

He raises an eyebrow whilst his smile makes an appearance, and in that moment I know what his face is saying. You can't hide anything from me, kid.

Before I even have a chance to fail at denying it again, he turns back to Christian as my phone buzzes.

I don't normally look at texts during meetings. I'm normally fully focused with my notebook, jotting everything that I can down. But I don't have my notebook, I showed up late, I've been put in a bad mood and I've got one hell of a distraction in front of me. So why not.